be quiet!'s new premium Dark Mount keyboard features a hot-swappable Numpad and Media Dock

be quiet!, the German hardware company behind some impressive PC components is expanding into the peripheral market with a pair of new premium mechanical keyboards - the Dark Mount and Light Mount. The company has approached creating keyboards with the same focus it brings to all its products - precision, comfort, and durability.

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be quiet! Dark Mount mechanical keyboard, image credit: be quiet!

Both the Dark Mount and Light Mount will ship with the company's in-house developed Silent Switches, available in linear or tactile variants. The linear style is for smooth keystrokes for gaming, while the tactile style is for those who want that bump without sacrificing accuracy or responsiveness. The switches and stabilizers both arrive pre-lubricated and are hot-swappable for customization.

They're called Silent Switches because of the three-layer dampening system, which includes silicone on the Dark Mount and foam on the Light Mount keyboard. The Dark Mount keyboard is the flagship model, and for good reason. It includes a hot-swappable Numpad and Media Dock, which we haven't seen before. It also features eight customizable Display Keys - eash with a 140x140 pixel resolution.

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It's like a control deck built into the keyboard, and with detachable wrist rests and magnetic risers, the be quiet! Dark Mount mechanical keyboard is pretty impressive to look at.

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be quiet! Light Mount mechanical keyboard, image credit: be quiet!

The be quiet! Light Mount mechanical keyboard is the more traditional of the two and the one to get if you're after a more conventional keyboard. That said, it includes a programmable aluminum 3D Media Wheel for in-depth audio controls and five dedicated mechanical macro keys for customization.

Software support for both will be available via be quiet!'s new IO Center for Windows, which offers control over various keyboard settings, lighting, and macros. Both offer per-key and edge lighting. There's also an IO Center Web app that works with Chromium-based browsers. Both are set to become available for purchase at retail starting April 29, with the Dark Mount keyboard featuring an MSRP of $254.90 and the Light Mount keyboard featuring an MSRP of $169.90.

We'll be going hands-on with both in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for our full reviews. Here's a look at the specs.

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