[section_title title=”Performance and Testing”]
Performance and Testing
We conducted testing as soon as we got the keyboard on the review desk by using it for a number of purposes. From gaming too long and typing sessions, small amounts of programming and general every day use to using in a variety of lighting environments. Here is what we found.
Set up was very easy as the keyboard was completely Plug&Play, just pop the USB into a port and away it goes! No requirement for software, programming or calibration as this feature allows for easy access, doing it all for you! For those of you who want to utilise the Parthica to its full potential, software is available to customise the keyboard to your liking but is not a necessity.
Next, we tested the keyboard with a few FPS games, these being Battlefield 3, 4 & latest title Hardline. Moving on from this, we played some competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (or most commonly known as CS:GO) to see how this peripheral performed when a serious competitive edge was required. The layout was a little unusual to get used to, to start with, mainly due to the addition of programmable buttons to the right of the keyboard. My left hand naturally fell on to those keys rather than the WASD which did cause some complications while gaming but nonetheless, something I got over after the first week or so. It’s probably worth noting that with any peripheral change we recommend giving it a few weeks to get used to any subtle (or not-so-subtle) differences so you can evaluate your new toy effectively on it’s own merits so a week is not so long in the great scheme of things.
With the mass of programmable and function keys, as well as the addition of being able to disable the Windows keys, the Parthica was a great bit of kit when it came to MMORPG games and similar. Easy to configure and select, no need for reaching across your desk for hardware like additional number pads, everything we needed was right at our fingertips!
Night time gaming is where the keyboard shines, literally, as there is a good selection of enhancements and options to select within the software provided. Colours, set up and other details can be changed as mentioned but with this said, we were slightly let down with how the keyboard was built and the LED location below the keycaps. The caps themselves were fine but the illuminating LED below only half covered each cap and generally made the keyboard look as though it was dying! No amount of adjustment could change this and this is one of the main points that was a letdown, certainly something I would not be using at a dark event such as a LAN due to the lack of light per key.
Generally, the Parthica is a great plunger based keyboard and has a lot of offer performance wise. With the testing completed, everything except the bad lighting was as we expected and functioned very well. Feeling much better to type on than your conventional workstation grade keyboard, it was nice to use for gaming and everyday purposes. The additional keys make for a great experience and best friend for you out there that are fans of RPG and Strategic games.
