SPCGear GK650K Omnis Pudding Edition Review – Weakly illuminated wobble mass

Software

For the keyboard there is a matching program with an identical name. So that one does not get confused with the countless variants of the software for the respective corresponding version of the keyboard, the serial number must be entered on the download page. Ready installed, about 250 Mbytes of memory are occupied and the RAM is also very frugal:

At the time of testing, the latest version 1.0.1.0 was used. Below is an overview of the various program windows:

The adjusted RGB lighting, reassignment of individual keys and even short macros work without the software open in the background, very commendable! Most functions can also be accessed via key combination:

Very useful for those who want to do completely without an additional program.

 

Summary and conclusion

A thoroughly solid keyboard, then, if you look at the article up to this point. So what is the problem with this keyboard? It is the expectations of lighting and namesake pudding keycaps that are caused by misleading render images. To do this, let’s just compare how it looks on the product page and then in reality:

The significantly lower brightness is somewhat sobering. The single LED per keycap simply does not manage to bring enough brightness into the “pudding”. By the way, a sentence I never thought I would say.

Furthermore, the position of the LED above the switch causes the light to be distributed very unevenly. This can be seen particularly well in the lowest row of keys, which practically does not light up at all. Since the large space bar also only has one LED, there is practically no illumination at all. 

On the other rows, much of the keycap is covered by the row in front of it, so it’s not quite as noticeable. Still disappointing. Now you could argue that this poor optics is caused by the bright white light in my photobox, especially if you look at the following picture in a dark environment.

But appearances are deceptive. I reduced the brightness in the photo box to about what corresponds to normal lighting. And the death blow for this argument is the direct comparison to the HyperX Alloy Elite 2, which I bought privately at short notice for a reference. Both at maximum brightness, mind you. 

And so there is only one thing left for me to say: Too bad! Colorful lighting is not important to everyone, but if it is there, then please implemented well. Especially when the keyboard itself can really deliver a rock-solid image. The somewhat loud scroll wheel for the volume would otherwise have been the only minor point of criticism. Otherwise, it’s better to stay away from the HyperX Alloy Elite 2, which costs only 2-3€ more depending on the price range and offers the prettier pudding. Fortunately, the GK650K is also available without pudding, and then even a bit cheaper. It would still be an option to buy it if the keyboard is otherwise satisfactory. 

The test sample was provided by SPCGear without obligation. There was and is no influence on the tests and results. There was also no compensation for expenses and no obligation to publish.