Fnatic Streak / miniStreak RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
The name Fnatic is synonymous with eSports and the London, UK based professional gaming organization is one of the most popular in all the world. With teams in a variety of eSports games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota2 and more recently, Overwatch, the sky’s the limit for the top eSports team in Europe. Winning in gaming isn’t just what Fnatic are all about, but their entry into gaming hardware is something they have taken seriously with the introduction of their full-sized Streak and tenkeyless miniStreak RGB mechanical gaming keyboards aimed at providing users with the tools needed to win. While this is subjective and using new hardware can’t promise skill increases, having the right tools with good quality components can certainly make a world of difference in the competitive gaming segment.
Streak & miniStreak Specifications & Features
- STREAK
- Format: Full Size
- Switch types: Cherry MX Red, Silent Red, Blue, Brown
- MCU & Memory: NXP/8MB
- Lighting: RGB 16.8m Colours
- Polling Rate: 1000Hz
- Cable: 2.2m Multi-plug
- Additional features: USB Passthrough, Fn Lock, LED Name Plate, Metal Volume Wheel
- Size: 330 x 141 x 36mm
- Size with palm rest: 440 x 192 x 36mm
- Weight: 962g
- Warranty: 2 years
- miniSTREAK
- Format: 10-Keyless
- Switch types: Cherry MX Red, Silent Red, Blue, Brown
- MCU & Memory: NXP/8MB
- Lighting: RGB 16.8m Colours
- Polling Rate: 1000Hz
- Cable: 2.2m Detachable
- Additional features: Detachable Cable, Fn Lock, LED Name Plate
- Size: 360 x 142 x 36mm
- Size with palm rest: 360 x 194.5 x 36mm
- Weight: 704g
- Warranty: 2 years
Fnatic Streak & miniStreak Closer Look
Starting with the similarities of both the Streak and miniStreak RGB mechanical keyboards, they both come included with pleather (PU leather) covered two-part aluminium wrist rest which screams quality, as well as nifty little sticker pack and quick guide to get things going. The wrist-rest is one of the best we have seen and wish other companies would pay such attention to detail on components such as this.
The full-sized Streak weighs in at 962g, while the smaller miniStreak weighs in at a svelte 704g; both are lightweight considering and feature an all-black design. The switches installed are standard Cherry MX variants and are compatible with custom keycaps. The ones included have the lettering laser etched to allow the RGB backlighting to shine through giving the Streak and miniStreak a classy, elegant yet customizable look. The top plate features anodising too. The Streak also has USB passthrough which does require both USB connectors to be installed into your system.
Both the Fnatic Streak and miniStreak have a host of different of RGB LED effect options including wave, rain, pulse, fade, gradient, reactive, reactive ripple and colour editor; these are all available and selectable from the Fnatic OP software. Both keyboards feature a 36mm thick frame which isn’t too intruding on the desk and doesn’t leave a massive footprint.
The Streak and miniStreak are available in Cherry MX red, red silent, blue and brown switch flavours, with today’s samples having Cherry MX Red Silent switches. The Streak comes with a dual USB Type-A connector cable which is hard-wired into the keyboard, with the miniStreak coming with a removable cable which features a USB Type-C connector from the keyboard to Type-A into the PC/laptop. The full-sized version has a set of multi-media controls consisting of a microphone mute button, an audio mute button and a Fnatic software toggle switch for turning off the RGB LED effects… or on of course! Also included to the right of this is an aluminium scroll wheel which increases, or decreases audio volume. Both mechanical keyboard models make use of function keys which combined with the function key (FN) can open a wide host of controls ranging from multimedia buttons to macros.
The software itself is called Fnatic OP; a very apt name from a company with the likes of the legendary Rekkles on its roster. The OP software allows users to customize the RGB lighting effects as previously mentioned in the review, as well as set key bindings or macros as they are commonly known in the eSports arena. The competition mode allows you to turn off individual keys which are handy for games such as League of Legends where pressing certain keys by accident, such as a camera lock, has on occasion got me killed! The Fnatic key on the Streak turns competition mode on and off too.
The Fnatic Streak & miniStreak Review: The Verdict
The Fnatic Streak is available at Amazon UK for £119.99 and the miniStreak costs £89.99. Both models are highly competitive to other brands offerings from companies such as Corsair and HyperX, with models in both full size and the smaller tenkeyless varieties available. The question is, do these pack a powerful enough punch to smash the competing brands?…Let’s see shall we!
What’s hot:
- Stylish, elegant, visually stunning to look at
- Available with Cherry MX red, red silent, brown and blue switches; variety is the spice of life!
- RGB effects are stunning
- Build quality is nice, removable pleather wrist-wrest is super comfortable
- Pricing, they are some of the best priced mechanical gaming keyboards on the market
What’s not:
- None
From a performance perspective, it all boils down to personal preference with the different types of Cherry MX switches. Due to the good build quality and the considerable amount of thought put into the two-piece aluminium and pleather coated wrist-rest from Fnatic, it’s hard to knock any aspect of either keyboard models from a performance and quality point of view.
The Fnatic Streak and miniStreak keyboards offer unrivalled value in their respective price points, and the RGB backlighting combined with the intuitive OP software and etched Cherry MX keys combination make for a visually stunning and classic looking beauty. Fnatic might be synonymous with pro gaming and eSports, and purchasing one might not make you Rekkles, Caps and other elite eSports members of their numerous champion rosters, but you’ll certainly have a much better and well-rounded experience with them, rather than without.
With media keys across both models, the real stand-out model from both has to be the full-sized Streak, which as a consequence of being ‘longer’, allows for more keys including a numpad and aluminium scroll wheel. The Fnatic OP software is very intuitive, fluid and although it’s still currently under development (early access), it puts a few other brands alternatives to shame. The price is also highly desirable (both models) and very competitive and in most cases, cheaper than rival counterparts.
Both the Fnatic Streak and miniStreak RGB mechanical keyboards are outstanding and as such, deserve our gold awards. On top of this, both models also get our design awards due to their good quality construction and elegant aesthetics; not to mention the wrist rests are the best I’ve ever come across from ANY mechanical keyboard.
Thanks to Fnatic for sending a sample of the Streak and miniStreak RGB mechanical keyboards in for review.
