Cherry MX-Board 3.0 Keyboard Review

Final Thoughts

Price

A quick Google of the MX-Board 3.0 quickly shows that almost all major retailers stock these keyboards. A lot are priced over £60 here in the UK, but you don’t have to look far to find a great deal of little over £50. This is certainly great value for money, but about in line with the competition in terms of features and specifications. With the exception of dedicated volume keys and some software based macro functions, there aren’t many bells and whistles here, but the overall price vs performance ratio is very high.

Overview

The Cherry MX-Board 3.0 keyboards are pretty straight forward, they still retain the ultra-high quality switches that Cherry is world-famous for, but a few extra bits have been trimmed to keep costs down and provide an accessible price range for those wanting to get a mechanical keyboard.

One thing I have noticed is that the keyboard doesn’t feel as reinforced as most other mechanical keyboards, this is most likely due to it having a thinner metal plate on the interior for mounting the switches. Grabbing the keyboard by either side its possible to twist it slightly, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to break, but it’s worth noting for those who travel with their keyboard in a LAN bag that it may not hold up to a severe knock like some of the Corsair and Coolermaster boards. There are some perks to this design, it does mean the keyboard is slimmer and lighter overall and that does make transporting it easier, it’s really a matter of pros and cons in that respect. The chassis is quite slim too, there isn’t a  lot of bezel around the board, with less metal and plastic featured in the boards construction likely being a factor in the lower price point.

No wrist rest has been included in the box, again this will help keep the price down overall and the slim design of the board means that it’s not as vital to use a wrist rest as it is on a lot of mechanical keyboard, which often feature thick bases and high key mountings. You can pick up the Palm Rest separately, but this will jack up the price to be more in line with other brands. I do like the Palm Rest and it does look and feel great with this keyboard, but it’s nice that it doesn’t feel essential.

The switches are awesome, Cherry are used around the world by countless brands and products and if you’ve used Red, Blue, Black or Brown MX switches before, then you’re going to get the same flawless quality you’ve come to know and love. The key caps are the real difference and their low-profile construction and ever so mild texture makes them a joy to use, complimenting the slim chassis of the board very well. Of course these are standard MX fittings, so there is nothing stopping you applying your own custom key caps, or replacement key caps should you ever need to.

“This is one of the best value for money mechanical keyboards on the market and it comes from one of the most trusted mechanical keyboard companies in the world. It might not be packed full of features, but its clean and presentable design, combined with the high quality MX switches makes it a great choice for use in the office or as part of your gaming rig”

Pros

• Lightweight design
• Slim chassis
• Low-cost
• Choice of switch type
• Low-profile design
• Detachable USB cable
• Dedicated volume keys
• Win key lock

Cons

• None

Neutral

• Palm Rest add-on sold separately
• No key-cap removal tool included in box

Thank you Cherry for providing us with these samples.