ROCCAT SUORA FX
RRP : $ 140 | Website : www . roccat . org
The ROCCAT Suora needs no introduction as we ' ve seen it before . This time though it ' s the FX . Not sure what the word means , but what one could dig up is that ‘ Suora ’ is some kind of ‘ Nun ’ in Italian . Add the FX to it and you have a special effects Nun . All joking aside , the name ’ s , as you ' d expect from ROCCAT , out there , but it is memorable . This is the FX version which means it features full 16.8 million colour capable RGB LEDs . Other than that , it isn ’ t much different to the keyboard that debuted a little over half a year ago . What we have is a $ 140 keyboard , not cheap by any measure , but then again it is what we ’ ve come to expect from premium peripherals companies . If this is worth the $ 140 in comparison to say the BlackWidow X Tournament edition or the CORSAIR Strafe will be up to you to decide . Personally , between these three I would most likely settle for the SuoraFX for gaming , even though
42 The OverClocker Issue 40 | 2017
I ’ m opposed to keyboards without palm rests .
With that said , if one is going to go for a frame-less design , they don ’ t come much better than this one at all . The looks are unassuming when the keyboard is turned off , but as soon as the light show begins , it comes alive as the switches use a clear casing that allows plenty of light to come through on the sides , making for a great glowing effect . It Has to be seen to be appreciated , but it is stunning .
The keyboard is built on an aluminum back plate , but the enclosure is plastic . Sensible , making for a light weight but solidly built keyboard that should be able to tolerate random bursts of anger that sometimes lead to keyboard abuse ( Don ’ t be that guy / gal ). So aesthetically and as far as build quality goes , its consistent with other ROCCAT products and it does feel like a $ 140 well spent .
Functionality or convenience is obviously going to be limited given the size of the keyboard , so you won ’ t for instance find any dedicated macro or media keys ( uses ‘ hot keys ’ which are just a dual function key ). The entire keyboard is programmable so you can assign these yourself if you ’ re not happy with what ROCCAT has already assigned by default . Lighting modes can be changed on the fly as well via the function and the F keys one through to four .
Speaking about the MACRO keys , they aren ’ t going to be that useful for those who game using the standard or common WASD layout . The reason being that these macros are on the other opposite end of the keyboard , which means having to move your hands away from these four keys completely to change a profile . Not an issue for left handed users who use the Number Pad like I do , since this Game Mode key is situated right above and switching the profiles is quick and easy . An unintentional boon for left handed gamers , but a lost opportunity for