Tt eSPORTS Poseidon Z RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review (Page 1)

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

Looking to Thermaltake for a mechanical keyboard offering will likely land you plumb in the middle of the Poseidon series of keyboards. We have been lucky enough to see every incarnation of the namesake starting back with the original Poseidon Z. These keyboards took the market by storm, and Thermaltake even held a Pepsi Challenge of sorts, putting their Kailh switches up against Cherry MX switches in a head to head feel test. In the end, most users guessed incorrectly as to which were which, and sent Tt eSPORTS sailing into the mechanical keyboard game in a much bigger way than previous attempts had been able to do for them.

It wasn't too long after that that the Tt eSPORTS crew offered up the TKL version called the Poseidon ZX. Even though it is missing a few keys on the right end of the board, Tt eSPORTS stayed true to everything we found in the original, everything encompassed like build quality, lifespan, and just overall ease of use. It was then time to dress things up a bit, as users demanded something a tad sleeker and elegant to sit on the desk, and it was responded to in spades with the release of the Poseidon Z Forged design. In all of these designs, we have found a high level of attention to detail, solid designs, LED backlighting, and software that allows users to take full control of the keyboard and make it submit to your needs, not just the basics.

As we have you here today, we are looking at the latest of the Poseidon series to hit the market. This time, Tt eSPORTS sent over the Poseidon Z RGB to get our opinion. This is not just a simple refresh of the original design with a fancy LED setup; Tt eSPORTS has packed in a bit more than that. This time around, the software is more involved in dealing with the new features, the main one being the 16.8 million colors of the RGB LEDs, and various modes and schemes to be used there. They also offer this latest design boasting Macro capability, with on-the-fly Macro recording, profiles, and a few other things that the original did not possess. As we recall, most of our samples from Tt eSPORTS have been Kailh blue switch based, and this time we get to tinker around with the Kailh browns. With all the changes had in the Poseidon Z RGB to cover, we should get right to it and see what this gaming mechanical keyboard is all about.

The chart we are covering can be found on the Tt eSPORTS product page, and it is pretty thorough in what it displays. We first see that the Poseidon Z RGB is black, as one would expect. We are then taken right into the Macro support. Here we see that without the Game Mode button pressed, you cannot use Macros, but in total, technically you can write and use up to 510 Macros across all five profiles. The Poseidon Z RGB weighs in at 995 grams, and is 440mm wide, 133mm deep, and stands 37mm in height. We are then shown this is powered via USB at the end of 1.8 meters of cable and uses mechanical switches under the key caps.

The Poseidon Z RGB design is built to offer anti-ghosting, and 104-key Roll Over support, or otherwise known as NKRO support. There is 512KB of onboard memory to keep track of Macros and profiles, and also offers a 1000Hz polling rate. We addressed the fact that his RGB design offers 16.8 million color options, and we also see that there is no wrist rest included in this design. There are tracks under the keyboard for a trio of optional ways to run the cable, it offers seven multi-media keys, has a fifty million keystroke lifespan, has adjustable brightness levels, and, of course, comes with software to support all these features.

Locating the Poseidon Z RGB with brown Kailh switches in it as we were sent, it shows up in abundance. Considering that we can get this keyboard from many locations, it comes down to what sort of price can be found. The MSRP listed by Tt eSPORTS has this keyboard asking $119.99 to get sent to your door. However, we always look around for the best deal. In this search, we found a few places matching the $99.99 seen at both Amazon and Newegg currently, so save yourself the $20 and shop smart. In the past, we have seen a few near $200 solution to cross the desk, and while they lead in their day with incorporated features and lighting ideas, it sheds light on the value in designs such as this. In what we have seen from our Tt eSPORTS Poseidon Z RGB so far, we feel the value in this purchase is very high.

Chad's Peripherals Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS X99-E WS - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• CPU: Intel Core i7 5930K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Memory: KLevv Cras DDR4 3000 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Video Card: ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Matrix Platinum - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Storage: Intel 730 480GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Case: SilverStone TJ11 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Power Supply: Corsair AX1200 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-bit - Buy from Amazon