So we made Our Greatest Build Ever with lots of MSI components and peripherals, but the MSI Vigor GK60 Gaming Keyboard that was originally included didn’t quite make the cut, so they sent it to me to play with instead.
So, MSI… most will know them as one of the main component and peripheral manufacturers out there, and they have decades of experience. Their range varies from budget to enthusiast level so there are features and price points for just about everyone.
As I mentioned, today I have the MSI Vigor GK60 gaming keyboard and it comes with Cherry Red switches. I am quite familiar with these so design, build and performance are going to be measured.
MSI Vigor GK60 Keyboard Specifications & Features
- MODEL NAME – VIGOR GK60 GAMING KEYBOARD
- MAIN KEY SWITCHES – CHERRY MX Red Switches
- KEYBOARD INTERFACE – Wired USB 2.0
- NORMAL KEYS – 104/105/109 keys (different by languages)
- System Requirement – System with USB Port
- BACKLIGHT – Red
- OPERATING SYSTEM – Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7
- Accessories – WASD Keys and Key Puller
- Cable – 2m
- KEY STROKE LIFE – 50+ Million
- N-KEY ROLLOVER – N-Key Rollover (Gaming Mode) 6-Key Rollover (Standard Mode)
- PRODUCT DIMENSION (MM) – 440x134x42mm
- WEIGHT (PRODUCT / PACKAGE) – 1050g/1345g
MSI Vigor GK60 Keyboard Closer Look
Being somewhat less colourful than I am used to from MSI, the box arrives in red and white with just a picture of the keyboard and logos on the front.
The back of the box features specifications and many more images describing the features, it is nice and clear at least.
The box contents are quite sparse however the more spent on bits n bobs in a package I feel the less is spent on the product.
Taking a look at the GK60 from above; we have a full size keyboard with a very good looking frame, the metal top plate has a brushed effect and is sized very well. I am a big fan of more minimalist designs as it frees up desktop real estate and tends to look quite tidy. I have reviewed the metal WASD caps before and they feel quite heavy to use which makes typing odd however for gaming they are easy to home in on in a darkened room.
The bottom of the keyboard is actually quite a nice design, although not really necessary for a desk facing part. The strange bit for me is that the rear legs are positioned sideways, I have never had a keyboard collapse back on itself which is the only reason I can think of these being rotated like this. Rubber grip pads are on the corners and legs with an extra one under the space bar for additional grip.
The rear view of the keyboard is fairly plain, we can see the keys are on top of the plate rather than encased in the chassis, this is quite a popular build method these days that aids cleaning and keycap switching.
The side profile is fairly plain with a decent curve to the key rows for comfort. The RGB versions of these do have lighting in the sides but to keep costs down we don’t see any garnish here.
Viewing from the front, the chassis design is quite classy and the gunmetal coloured metal plate is quite reflective too.
The custom USB connector appears to be gold plated, as I have mentioned before I have not seen any real benefit from this although connectivity is supposed to be improved. The plug sleeve is quite long which makes it quite easy to connect/disconnect in between other devices connected to the USB ports.
The two extras included are a very cheap keypuller (I much prefer the wire devices) and a set of normal WASD keycaps for us typists. It’s worth noting here that MSI have done ok regarding eco-packaging with the majority of it being cardboard, let’s see what they can do about these parts in the future though as personally I would be happy if they were in little paper bags.
Once the Vigor GK60 gaming keyboard is plugged in we are greeted with some very bright red LED’s, luckily with the MSI FN key and various other keys in the arrow section lighting control can be done without the use of any fancy software, although if you are a fan of software control then Mystic Light is available for download for this keyboard. I really do like the design… yes, you get lots of light bleed with the top mounted switches but I am generally fine with that.
Popping off a keycap we are greeted by the familiar and comforting sight of a Cherry Red switch with an inserted red LED. Cherry have released some amazing switches recently with one of my favourites being the excellent Silver, but they have a fantastic reputation for reliability and the tried and tested switches are always a safe bet.
Software
MSI Mystic Light
MSI’s Mystic Light software is generally used for RGB effects, along with synchronisation across compatible devices, here of course we just have red to play with.
MSI Gaming Center
The MSI Gaming Center software is a separate download and includes the capability to do firmware updates on the keyboard, which it did on first run. The main screen seen here shows available devices, as you can see the software can also control mice and headsets, unifying product ranges like so many manufacturers do these days.
The only page available for the GK60 is an LED control page. This appears to have less functionality than Mystic Light and I feel this is unnecessary considering controls also being available on the keyboard itself. So other than firmware updates, the Gaming Center doesn’t really offer much in terms of customisation, I would have at least like to have seen macro programming.
MSI Vigor GK60 Keyboard Review: The Verdict
So lacking RGB, the GK60 was replaced with a more expensive model in the Greatest RGB Build Ever feature which is understandable, however not all of us are all about RGB. Sure the customisation is awesome but you can save quite a bit by dropping something that you might not actually spend a lot of time looking at directly. Build quality is very good, complimenting the well known Cherry Red switches, and the design is almost completely minimalist for a full size keyboard. The keycap legends are very clear even with the lighting off.
What’s hot:
- As always excellent Cherry Switches
- Near minimalist design
- Excellent build quality
What’s not:
- Only Red LED’s
- Mystic Light not really useful for this device
- No Macro programming
So I have had a few days with the Vigor GK60 and it is a pleasure to use. The design is ergonomic and almost minimalist, the build quality is excellent, key travel and accuracy are as to be expected from Cherry switches, the keycaps are smooth and while I prefer textured caps these perform admirably but may wear sooner than quality PBT keycaps.
General Use
Typing on this keyboard is great, this is down to a choice of quality components and a stable build, a big thumbs up, I can rattle off emails and type up reviews with no issues whatsoever.
Gaming
Firing up some games didn’t hold this keyboard back, pressing the FN and Windows key not only disables the Windows key from popping up the start menu when you really don’t want it, but also sets the keyboard into gaming mode, giving us full N-Key rollover, I personally think the keyboard can stay in gaming mode. CS:GO had zero issues with keypress accuracy and anyone who has used Cherry Reds will know exactly what to expect. The keyboard frame here helps you to be able to position your hands (preferably on a wrist rest) into a comfortable position for long periods of gaming. I am also playing Satisfactory at the moment and as expected the keyboard performed admirably.
At the time of writing you can grab this keyboard for around £75, this is a very attractive price for a pure Cherry board, foregoing the bells and whistles and higher price tag accompanying RGB and more feature rich devices. This is a no-nonsense keyboard that gets the job done, though I would have loved to see macro capability and had Gaming Center provided this functionality this keyboard would have scored top marks. I am however very happy to award the Vigor GK60 our Gold Award.
Thanks to MSI for sending a sample of the Vigor GK60 Keyboard in for review.
