TechRadar Verdict

The Hyper X Alloy Origins Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a great peripheral for a reasonable price. It feels and sounds good, with its linear HyperX red switches and PBT keys. Its design is sturdy with probably one of the most vibrant LED backlighting that we’ve seen.

Pros

+
Metal alloy base
+
Noticeable quality design
+
Extra-vibrant LED RGB backlighting

Cons

-
Heavy
-
Underwhelming lighting configuration software

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Two-minute review

The Hyper X Alloy Origins 60 looks and feels great. Its vibrant RGB and petite frame makes it feel like you’re gaming in style and with good-quality parts.

It’s black with a super sturdy aluminum alloy base, and has exposed mechanical switches. The 60% form factor keyboard has distinctly vibrant RGB backlighting, and is brighter than a lot of RGB keyboards that we’ve tested. The back feet have three adjustable levels that tilt the keyboard to 3, 7 and 11 degrees.

Image 1 of 2

Hyper X Alloy Origins — (Image credit: Future)

The key caps on the Alloy Origins 60 are doubleshot PBT keys with side-printed secondary function keys, which are usable with the FN key. It comes with a detachable, 1.8m braided USB-C cable.

Included with the keyboard is a keycap puller and additional keycaps, one of which is a space bar with a sinuous design. The mechanical keyboard comes with Hyper X’s red linear key switches and a 2 year warranty.

The Hyper X Alloy Origins 60 keyboard is Priced at $99.99 (£110, AU$128) it’s available on the HyperX website and HyperX UK and has free shipping.

One of the best things about the Alloy Origins 60 is its vibrant RGB backlighting and PBT keycaps, which don’t have that annoying shine that keyboards get. it also means the letters shouldn’t rub off. Its petite 60% form factor design is a little awkward at first, as you have to get used to its secondary functions which are printed on the side of the keys.

The linear Hyper X red key switches feel nice, and have a good sound to them. The red switches are good for gaming because they have a shorter actuation point at 45g and a total travel time of 3.8mm perfect for intense games like MoBAs and shooters. We tested it out on different games: FPSes, MoBAs, action adventures and RTS games, and it worked very well.

It’s also easy to set up – you just plug in and play. It has full anti-ghosting, and is compatible with Windows 7 and up, with cross-platform compatibility. Due to its aluminum base, it weighs a whopping 1,075g, which is a lot for a 60% form factor, the Razer Huntsman mini – also a 60% keyboard – weighs just a pound.

The Alloy Origins 60 can be configured with HyperX’s NGENUITY software, downloadable from the Microsoft store. You can customize your lighting with up to three RGB presets, and key settings, and macros. There are only three presets, and ten lighting effects which, for a gaming keyboard today is a little bit disappointing. It’s easy to install and has a quick firmware update once you launch it then it’s good to go.

The HyperX Alloy Origins 60 gaming keyboard is a well-designed peripheral. The materials used to make this keyboard are high-quality, for example the doubleshot PBT keys, and braided cable. It is, however, a little underwhelming when it comes to software and how many options are available for lighting presets, especially considering it’s a gaming keyboard. It’s very heavy and takes time to get used to the secondary key functions, but definitely worth purchasing.