Custom PC - UK (2020-07)

T

heROGStrixScopeis oneof

thepriciesttenkeyless

(meaningthere’snonumeric

keypad)designsonthemarket,settingy

whopping£149incVAT,althoughit does

impressivedesign.Thisunitundeniablylo

toitsbrushedaluminiumtop,brightper-k

backlightingandseveral otherlightingzones.

Thataluminiumcontributestothesuperbbuildquality,

makingthisunitplentystrongenoughtowithstandbeing

carriedtoLANevents.Its365mmwidthmakesit easyto

transporttoo,andthelackofa numpadprovidesmoredesk

spaceforyourmouseandmousemat.

Thelayouthasbeenaugmentedwithsmarttouches.

Thefunctionrowis doubledupwithmediakeys,witha

shortcutfunctionoftheInsertkeyswitchingbetweenthese

modes.There’salsoa Stealthkey,whichminimisesallyour

softwareandmutesaudio,and a GameModetodisable

theWindowskey.Extralongleft-CtrlandShiftkeysarealso

meanttohelpwithFPSandeSportsgaming.

Thiskeyboardisn’tflawless,though,despiteitshighprice.

Itswristrest,forexample,is a cushionedunitthatmakes

gamingsessionsfarmorecomfortablethanusual,butits

magneticconnectionis weakandit blockstheboldbandof

lightingatthefrontofthekeyboard.Themagneticwristrest

anddetachable,braidedUSB-Ccablemaketransporteasier,

butthere’snoUSBpass-through.TheStrixScopeTKLisn’t

particularlylightfora tenkeylessuniteither– withthewrist

restit weighsover1kg.

Ontheinside,thiskeyboardrelieson

familiarCherryMXkeyswitches.Ourreview

samplehadCherryMXRedswitches,which

arelightandlinear,witha modestactuation

forceof45g.Thatmakesthemidealfor

fast-pacedgaming.Inourtests,theywere

excellent,providinga rapid,consistentand

crispactionwithlittleresistance.

TheStrixScopeTKLis availablewithfour

alternativeswitchtypes.TheCherryMX

Blueswitchis heavierandmakesa physical

clickwhileBrownswitchesoffermiddling

weightwitha tactilebump.SpeedSilverand

SilentRedswitchesarealsoonoffer– the

formerhasa shorteractuationdistance, while the latter is

quieter.Theonlymissingfeatureis hot-swappable switch

technology,whichhasjustbeguntoappear on a handful of

keyboards,suchasLogitech’sG ProX.

TheAsuscanalsorecordmacrosonthe fly, and they can

berecordedintheROGArmouryII app.The lighting can

bealteredheretoo,withnineeffectsavailable alongside

customandstaticoptions.TheArmoury software can also

savefiveprofilestothekeyboard,butthere’s no option for

customisingeachkey’sfunction.

Conclusion

TheScopeTKLDeluxehasloadsofadvantages. Its strong,

compactandmodulardesignmakesit great for smaller

spacesandfrequenttransport,anditslayout is ideal for FPS

andesportsgaming.It looksgreat,withdramatic lighting and

a superbaluminiumfinish.ItsCherryMX hardware is reliably

excellent,andtheFunctionrowswitching and Stealth mode

optionsareusefultoo.

Thewristrestdoesn’tattachwell,and it’s a little heavy

fora tenkeylessunit,butthosearejustminor annoyances

ratherthandealbreakers.Thebiggest

problemis theprice.If you’reona

budget,it’seasytofindtenkeyless

orevenfull-sizedgamingkeyboards

withCherryMXhardwareforhalfthe

price.If youwanta robust,high-quality

tenkeylessunitwithloadsoffeatures,

though,theScopeis priceybutgood.

MIKEJENNINGS

REVIEWS / PERIPHERALS

VERDICT

Great performance, design and

features in a small package, but it

isn’t cheap.

OVERALLSCORE

88 %

DESIGN

36 / 40

FEATURES

32 / 35

VALUE

20 / 25

SPEC

Connection

Wired, USB

Cable

1.8m braided, detachable

Material

Plastic, aluminium

Switch type

CherryMX Red, Brown, Blue,

Speed Silver or Silent Red

Backlighting

RGB

Extras Detachable wrist rest,

Game Mode, Stealth Mode

REPUBLIC

• 
  

  Excellent
  mechanical
  switches

  
  


• 
  

  Robust,
  compact design

  
  


• 
  

  Great lighting
  and features

  
  

DICTATORSHIP

• Expensive


• Weak wrist rest
  attachment


• Heavier than many
  tenkeyless units

SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

ASUS ROG STRIX SCOPE

TKL DELUXE /£149in

MECHANICAL GAMING KEYBOARD

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