Gigabyte Aivia K8100 Gaming Keyboard Review

When it comes to computer peripherals, we see nowadays a whole host of options of what can be plugged in, but if we go back a few years especially to before the dawn of USB, there were only 2 key peripherals (mouse and keyboard) that were needed. Prior to the creation of the mouse, keyboards were and still are a vital piece of hardware in order for the end user to operate the machine. Throughout the years the design of keyboards has not changed a lot in its core sense and most of the features we see today on modern boards were very rare back then due to the limitations of the interfaces used (the newest prior to USB being PS/2 which we still see on board to this day). After the streamlining of the USB interface, manufacturers started to take advantage of the latest interface and started to add extras on the boards as standard that had never really been seen before. This would be to include media and volume controls and then as technology also took leaps forward, the introduction of LCD screens, macro keys, touch controls and backlights. The board we are looking at here is one of the latest in a line of gaming orientated keyboards, where only the vital items that a hardcore gamer requires is included, Gigabyte's Aivia K8100 Gaming Series keyboard. PackagingThe front of the box is nice and simple yet elegant at the same time with a glossy holographic design to it, with the word Aivia printed boldly in the center with K8100 Gaming Keyboard beneath. The Gigabyte branding is also featured up in the corner just as a reminder of where it comes from. The rear of the box is jam packed with information about what lurks within. There is a clear image of the keyboard itself demonstrating the backlit keys. Surrounding this are smaller boxed info panes highlighting to particular areas of the board to give more details. There is also a blurb about the Aivia branding and the Ghost utility software. In the box with the keyboard, is a CD containing the utility software (also available for download from our downloads area if yours becomes lost or damaged after a while), a key removal tool and a spare set of WASD keys - these are the ones most used by gamers and I feel this is a nice touch in order to keep your board in top condition. SpecificationsKeyboards in general do not come with a lengthy specification list as such, so here's a list of key specs and features for your viewing:Wired USB board with 2m of braided cable2 USB 2.0 ports (one on either side)5 macro keys each with 5 profiles20 anti-ghosting keys4Mb Onboard memoryPeak force: 50 g, 60 g, 70 gWeight - 1.3Kg (2.8lb)Dimensions: 49cm x 26.3cm x 3.28cm (19.2" x 10.3" x 1.2")Silicon dust coverBacklit keys with on/off button on rearTouch sensitive mute and volume control with displayDetachable wrist restA Closer LookAs soon as we have the keyboard out of the box we need to get our sunglasses on as the very bright yellow makes it hard to miss! The coating of the board is smooth and glossy and sat on the desk really stands out as a focal point. The wrist rest at the front of the board is detachable from the main body and this is released by undoing a couple of screws on the base. On the base of the board there are a series of rubber feet to keep it firmly in place whilst in use and certainly with its weight, it's not going to move far too easily. There are also two feet to raise up the rear of the board for added comfort. The braided cable has two points from where it can leave the board, either from towards to the left or more to the centre. This is easily changed by pulling the cable out of the recess and slotting it back into the other. The top left of the board id where we find the macro and 'mode' buttons, each of the five macro keys can be programmed with 5 different profiles with the included software and using the mode button which slowly pulses in one of five colours, you can switch between each of the profiles. Along the top we find the touch-slide volume control, as you slide your finder along the board you'll notice the arrows to the right light up to indicate the control. On either end of the board there is a single USB2.0 port (two in total) - ideal for plugging your mouse or a flash drive into rather than fumbling around on your system looking for a port. This conveniently brings us to the keys themself. They look like just any other don't they, but hold on, all is not as it appears. The guys at Gigabyte have been working very hard and its clear that looks are just half of what you get. Keys that are most often used during gaming and those that are commonly used have different elastic force against them (the sprung force required to return them to their original position) this makes them easier to use for long periods of time and is also meant to relieve the strain on your fingertips whilst playing games. Also included is a silicon cover for the keys to keep them all clean whilst not in use, although this does not have to be removed in order to use the board. The Aivia word is moulded into the silicon on the middle of the space bar as a finishing touch. As we saw earlier the K8100 comes included with an extra set of WASD keys and a handy little key remover. Seeing as the WASD are the most highly used keys during gaming, it's nice to see that Gigabyte have provided an extra set in order to keep the board looking great and functional. The key also makes it easier to remove the lot in order to clean under the entire keyset. Ghost SoftwareIncluded with the Aivia keyboard is the Ghost Macro utility. You'll also need to have this installed in order for the volume control to work. The Utility comprises simply of 2 screens the main of which programs the macros onto the board. On the main screen there are a number of pre-set options on the left hand column with the macro profiler in the middle. The 5 coloured rows each refer to the colour that the mode button on the keyboard pulses. Here is an example of one of the profiles setup for media player control. On the board this will be active whilst the mode button pulse red. We can see that button 1 is set to open the media player, 2 goes back a track, 3 is for play and pause, 4 goes forward a track and the 5th key will then close the media player. We can also see which profile is currently active on the board by the dial on the top left the moves round from 1 to 5. The smaller dial indicates how much of the on-board 4Mb memory is used. The other screen is where you can create custom macros. These are also stored on the board (opto 100 macros in total can be stored on the board - 25 of which can be setup for use at any one time) The left half of the window has all the controls needed to create the custom macro and the right hand side lists all the custom macros that are currently stored on the board. Test SetupPeripherals like mice and keyboards are generally a little tough to benchmark as there is no real way of getting stats and figures from them in a test environment. What we do with these are to use them in a variety of tasks from gaming to general use and in the case of this board, I have written this review using it. What I will be looking for is its responsiveness during gaming and whilst typing at speed. Comfort, feel and ease of use will also be looked at during this period. Obviously all these views are likely to differ slightly from one person to another, ie I may like lighter keys and a larger wrist rest and someone else may like firmer keys and no rest. Our test bed consists of the following: Test SystemProcessor (CPU)AMD Phenom II X6 1100TMotherboardAsus Crosshair IV FormulaMemory (RAM)8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1800MHz Graphics CardAMD Radeon HD 6850 1GBPrimary Hard DriveKingston V+ Series 64GB SSD x 2 (Raid 0)Power SupplyBFG EX Series 1200wattOperating SystemWindows 7 Professional 64-bitResultsComfortUsing the keyboard for long periods of time went like a breeze, the keys don't protrude too high over the surface of the board and this made typing comfortable. I do feel that the wrist rest could have been the same depth along the entire length of the board, if not made a little bit deeper as my left wrist was constantly on the edge of the board during use. Strangely I found it easier to type with the protective dust cover left on the board whist typing this review although for gaming I found it better with it off. I felt that I had a better gaming response with it off, but whilst typing, the cover made the key noise a lot quieter, which typing for a long period of time can do your nut in hearing the constant tap tap tap of keys. The keys certainly were less clear to see as the cover is not clear, but this does not bother me as a) i don't need to look for the keys to know where they are and b) i only glance at the keyboard whilst I type in any case. Functionality & FeaturesDesigned with gaming in mind the board is very simple and practical to use. The anti-ghosting function works well all round as ordinary USB keyboards will only work up to 6 keys at a time. The 20 key anti-ghosting flies way past this and even though I couldn't myself get to this limit, it's nice to know that if I was to get past the standard 6 key limit, the board will continue to provide unrivalled power in order to secure that match winning shot. The touch sensitive volume control works well once the included software is installed although the mute works out of the box. I did note that you do have to exert more than a light touch on the board for the control to be recognised, but this takes no time at all to get used to and would also prevent accidental change from lightly brushing it. The backlit keys give a nice glow which makes them clear enough to see in low light but not too bright as to distract your attention. Strangely when I plugged the keyboard in for the first time the backlit keys didn't come on and it took me a couple of minutes to find the button on the back of the board to turn them on (no I didn't read the manual first!). I feel this is a bit of a odd place to put this rather than say above the Fn keys like i have on my Logitech G11 board, but hey at least there is one. The programming of the macro keys in the Ghost software is very simple and easy to use. Simply drag and drop the desired macro over the appropriate button and the macro is immediately active and stored on the board. There is, as seen before, the option to create your own macros and this is also easy to do. GamingAs mentioned earlier, some of the keys that are more commonly used whilst gaming have a slightly different elastic force on them in order to relieve the stress and tension put on your fingertips during use. Even though you don't overly notice the difference between the keys, I did feel that after a long period of use that my fingers didn't ache as much from holding the keys down or constant tapping (ie the space bar) - this also continued to be a bonus during general use. Typing and Keystrokes During general typing and use, (i.e. this article for example) the board was a breeze to use, apart from the fact the board was in a US layout - which did take a little getting used to after you've used UK layouts for many years (i.e. the lack of a backslash - even though the key is there in a US layout - with the keyboard in a UK layout in windows, the keys are mapped differently to what appears on the board) This you've find with any foreign board so not quibbles at the board there - purely an end user thing. The keys are nice and light to use, yet still firm and responsive. Even though this is not primarily designed for 'office' use, it's one of the best boards I've used, as all the qwerty keys are spaced exactly right, and the feel in general is natural so you can type for longer.ConclusionOverall I'm very pleased with this board, the outstanding quality that Gigabyte puts into its motherboards and graphics cards has certainly been passed on here. Its comfortable to use and its striking design fits in well on the desk. Do note though that the yellow board as I've looked at here is only available in a US layout and so if you're after a UK layout, Red and Black are the only options. A couple of personal niggles and these are only little things, it would have been nice to be able to change the backlight colour but then the orange does go well with the yellow, but more so I'd have rather seen the backlight switch on the top of the board as mentioned earlier in the review, it just seems lost behind the board. Some people may ask why there are no media keys (play, pause, f/fwd etc) but you have to remember that this is designed as a gaming board not a multimedia board - you could always program the macro keys for multimedia control if you were that insistent. As soon as I had this out of the box and saw the high gloss finish I thought there was going to be problems in keeping this clean, but this is not that case. Yes the wrist rest clearly has signs of where my hands have been, but being yellow it's not immediately noticeable; this may not be that case with the black board but a simple wipe with a lint free cloth would bring the shine back. I did also note, and how this is I do not know on a new board, even though the silicon cover kept the keys covered and clean all the time except for whilst gaming, there appeared to me more dirt and dust stuck to the base than the top. The grippier feel to the underside of it as well also made it harder to clean but a quick run under some water and a good dry out sorted this. Overall, would i recommend this board to you? I certainly would, it may have a couple of things that I personally would change, but as i've said throughout these are purely a personal thing and you may prefer it that way. For gaming use it is fantastic even though the macro keys are a little out of quick reach but this is compensated by the long term comfort that you get from the specially designed force of the keys. If you're looking for a board that's different, yet still stylish and practical, then the Aivia K8100 is one to seriously consider. Pros: Ergonomic board is comfortable to use for long periodsVariable elasticity of keysMacro keys with multiple profilesOnboard memory for storing macros and profilesWired board to reduce latency20 anti-ghosting keysCons: Odd position for the backlight switchWould have been nice to see the macro keys lit as wellWrist rest not easily detachableMacro keys a little out easy reach whilst gamingRatings: Design - 7Features - 7Performance - 8 Value - 8 Overall - 7.5 Attached files 1.jpg (53.4 KB) 10.jpg (64 KB) 11.jpg (51.9 KB) 12.jpg (28.3 KB) 13.jpg (40.6 KB) 14.jpg (85.7 KB) 15.jpg (82.3 KB) 16.jpg (46.7 KB) 17.jpg (70.7 KB) 18.jpg (68.6 KB) 2.jpg (39.5 KB) 3.jpg (68.9 KB) 4.jpg (56 KB) 5.jpg (80.5 KB) 6.jpg (26.1 KB) 7.jpg (51.6 KB) 8.jpg (39.7 KB) 9.jpg (53.9 KB) AiviaK8100.jpg (79.5 KB) Ghost_Macro.jpg (80.9 KB) Ghost_MacroEx.jpg (39.3 KB) Ghost_Main.jpg (83.6 KB) gold.jpg (14 KB)