HyperX Alloy Origins 60

[testman78]

Introduction

HyperX has launched their latest Alloy Origins 60 mechanical gaming keyboard now in EMEA. It had previously launched in the US market only. As the name might suggest the Alloy Origins 60 is a 60% size keyboard. While not everyone will love something this compact, it's a fantastic desktop space saver, makes it ultra-portable, and well, it just looks cool! The Alloy Origins 60 features HyperX's own Red linear mechanical switches and having tested them on previous models, I know they're pretty fantastic. Their switches are rated with an 80 million lifetime click rating per switch, which is higher than that of a Cherry switch- that that I've ever heard of one wearing out from either brand. Furthermore, they also have a slightly shorter actuation, making them more like MX Silver competitors. The keyboard includes RGB exposed backlit keys for brighter illumination with radiant lighting effects and double shot PBT keycaps with secondary functions for long-term use and durability.



The Alloy Origins 60 has the following specifications:






Packaging & Contents

The Alloy Origins 60 is supplied by HyperX in a red / white packaging. In addition to a product image and the model name, the front of the packaging was also printed with a reference to the built-in switches.



Four feature pictures including a short description were printed on the back of the packaging.



Getting everything out of the box we have a quick start guide and a promotional card.



HyperX has decided this time to include two replacement keycaps for Esc and the space bar and a keycap puller with the stock packaging. The keys are laser etched ABS plastic with an anti-slip UV coating. It feels great, but the downside is that it picks up finger grease easily and you might have to clean this occasionally.




The included USB cable is 1.8 m long and has a black fabric sleeving. The supplied cable has a USB-A plug on the side facing the PC, which means that it is possible to use the keyboard on a PC that does not yet have a Type C connection. Thanks to the detachable cable, the keyboard can be transported to the next Lanparty more safely than if you always have to wrap the cable around the keyboard, which can lead to a cable break in the long run.




A Closer Look

The main thing about this keyboard is that is it 60%, which is basically nothing but the essentials making the keyboard far smaller than full-sized or even tenkeyless. Going with a 60 percent layout means ditching everything normally to the right of the right-side Enter, Shift, and Control keys. The navigation keys aren't entirely absent, however. They're instead bound to the remaining keys and toggled by pressing a function key. That makes activating shortcuts more complex, but possible. Dimensions of 296mm x 106mm x 37mm are very much in line with our expectations of the form factor.




HyperX was able to realize the slim and compact design through the frameless construction of the keyboard housing made of black anodized aluminum. It weighs more than a kilogram and once you pick this up, you're definitely going notice the quality that's gone into constructing this keyboard.



For switches, this board has HyperX's red linear switches and they feel great. With an actuation force of 45g, 1.8mm key travel distance, and 3.8mm total distance, they're pretty light and easy to actuate.



The keycaps are double-shot PBT.



As you know from most current gaming keyboards, the switches installed on the Alloy Origins are also equipped with RGB lighting. In order to achieve a particularly high luminosity, the built-in LEDs were not installed below the switches, as is usually the case, but rather placed on top of the switches.



The optimized keys as well as the media control and the integrated profile selection have been added to the keyboard as alternative inputs with the function key. One of my favorite features of the layout, though, is that HyperX has made the arrow keys much more accessible as a secondary function than other boards. To use the arrow keys, the function button is in the bottom right of the board, and the arrow keys are then right next to it, making navigation very easy.



A look at the back of the Alloy Origins 60 reveals a structure that we already know in a very similar form from other HyperX keyboards, because the new Alloy Origins also has a detachable USB cable. HyperX has equipped the keyboard with a USB Type C port recessed into the housing.



If you look at the keyboard from the underside, you will quickly see that the underside of the keyboard is also made of anodized aluminum. Supporting the keyboard without the feet extended are four rubber pads in the corners, which are enough to keep the keyboard in place when gaming or typing.



The big H logo being both easy to spot and understated. We can see also the rather large product sticker, where the serial number is found.



Two sets of keyboard feet at the top open up to optionally elevate the keyboard in two separate options for a total of three elevation steps.




Software

The Alloy Origins 60 was automatically recognized by our Windows 10 test system. A driver or software installation is not necessary to use the normal functions. However, if you want to use the full range of functions, you have to install the HyperX NGENUITY software. Opening it up it will detect the HyperX products you have connected. Clicking on "Keyboard" we are brought to the "Lights" tab first. Here we can add different effects, set which keys they are on, their color, speed, and more. This keyboard does offer per-key customization so you can get pretty creative.




As far as lightning goes it looks quite good on this keyboard. Since we have a floating keycap design there is a decent amount of glow under and around the keys.








The next tab is "Keys". Here we can remap every key on the keyboard to a different key, mouse function, multimedia control, macro, Windows shortcut, or even to open a program. Creating a custom macro is quite easy as well.




At the top right of the app there are icons for brightness, game mode, and presets (profiles). Here you can set the brightness, which buttons are disabled during game mode, and to switch between profiles.




Performance

Removing the keys and compressing the keyboard makes the keyboard much smaller and easier to maneuver around your desk. When playing PC games, it is not difficult for you to tilt the keyboard to an ergonomic angle. On the negative side, spot adjustments require a little more concerted time and attention, which can be an issue while playing.



Performance is a strong point for the Alloy Origins 60. While I personally find linear, red-style switches unfavorable for typing, they are easier to love when my fingers are at home on WASD. HyperX's custom key switches for the Alloy Origins are as good as any Cherry MX Red switches I've used, and in some ways they may be even better. The shorter 1.8mm actuation depth makes all of my inputs happen that much sooner. Quick peeks side to side in PUBG are that much more reliable. And, because of the 3.8mm total travel distance, when I bottom out a key, it can pop back up to its starting position that much quicker. This compares to the 2mm actuation point and 4mm travel of a Cherry MX Red switch. Better still, HyperX has found a good way to reduce the wobble of its keycaps. They still shift around a little bit, but not so much that I ever find my fingers tilting over the edge of a key to accidentally press down a neighboring key. It also improves the typing experience, even if I still can't bring myself to enjoy tapping away on this kind of linear switch. I took the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 through several hours of PUBG and Insurgency Sandstorm, and felt comfortable running around for flanks, switching between weapons, crouching and going prone, and quickly picking items up from the ground. While I've had a hard time hitting my desired keys on some keyboards, that hasn't been a problem on this keyboard. And, thanks to the custom per-key RGB, any time I moved my hands, I had an easy time shifting right back home to WASD. Custom RGB may have limited benefits, but illuminating WASD is definitely one of them. It's gorgeous. I'm not an RGB guy, but once I put it on the keyboard and saw it illuminated, I never took it off.




Final Thoughts

Alloy Origins 60 is a responsive, linear keyboard layout with quality in mind. This keyboard has everything we are looking for in a premium keyboard, as it has a detachable braided cable that is easy to transport. In addition to the excellent build quality resulting from the double PBT keycaps, and aluminum top frame. RGB lighting isn't typically high on our list of priorities, but the Alloy Origins 60 implementation is particularly swanky, and kudos to whoever designed the alternate spacebar, whose textured pattern looks and feels fabulous. The red linear mechanical switches seem to fit the Alloy Origins 60 Percent the best, which are rated at 80 million clicks. Offering 3.8mm of travel distance and actuating at 1.8mm with 45g of force, it is a consistent linear switch whose fast response and 80m-keystroke life span bodes well for high-intensity gaming. All that's missing at the time of writing is a lack of choice, and we wonder if tactile Aqua or clicky Blue switches will be made available at a later date. Continuing the nail-the-basics approach, you get enough onboard memory for three saved profiles, N-key rollover and 100 per cent anti-ghosting, and there's not a lot to fault with the proprietary HyperX Red keyswitch. The HyperX NGenuity software allows for customization of the Alloy Origins 60 keyboard, and is incredibly intuitive, though it's a Windows App, not a standard executable. Setting up several different lighting effects on a per-key basis was a breeze, especially with a live preview. It also allows keys to be reprogrammed. Creating macros is a little simplistic, though. There are options to set up multiple profiles and save three to quick shortcuts on the keyboard itself, as well as assign game links between profiles and EXEs.



The HyperX Alloy Origins 60 takes all the fundamentals of a gaming keyboard - mechanical switches and RGB lighting - and nails them, though it doesn't go above and beyond. Its lighting is excellent and simple to customize, and its gaming performance is the equal of almost all of its contemporaries. All that, and it comes at a truly compelling price (119.99 Euros) that makes it easy to recommend.