Introduction
It seems these days, everyone owns a mechanical keyboard. More often than not, when asked the brand, the reply is usually one of the larger companies. Companies such as Corsair and Logitech. However, they aren’t the only companies making mechanical keyboards. Fnatic, best known as an E-Sports team, now has their own mechanical keyboard. But can they compete with some of the bigger names in the industry? Will they be another name in a crowd of companies making mechanical keyboards? Or will they dominate like in the E-Sports arena? We at Proclockers would like to thank the people at Fnatic for the opportunity to review their keyboard. Let’s see how it holds up to the competition.
About Fnatic
Fnatic is a leading organization in the E-Sports industry. Founded by Sam and Anne Mathews, their home office is in the heart of London. However, they also have offices in Belgrade and Siberia. They also have a professional gaming house in Cologne, Germany. Their players attend over 75 international events every year. Some of these events include Dota 2, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield 4 and many more. The Fnatic team was awarded Team of the Year in both 2006 and 2009. They’ve achieved great success and have won multiple world championships across many different games. Their YouTube channel is a favorite among E-Sports fans. With over 100, 000 subscribers they provide game highlights and video interviews. With over 2 million followers on all forms of social media, Fnatic is without a doubt, one of the largest E-Sports franchises.
About the Rush G1
“Made with the solely purpose to give the E-sports gamer a keen edge over its opponents, the Fnatic Gear RUSH has been designed with a performance driven components and interesting features. It doesn’t just perform the commands from your keystrokes, the RUSH mechanical keyboard keeps you on your toes thanks to the rapid and responsive mechanical switches geared towards all styles of game play. Ready to be plugged in and put to use straight out of the box or can be customized in a variety of ways to fit your unique game style through the accompanying software. The RUSH brings forth a perfect balance of performance, quality and customization options.”
Features
The Rush G1 comes with many of the features one would expect with a mechanical gaming keyboard. It comes in a variety of Cherry MX switches. My sample came with Cherry MX Reds, the preference of many gamers. The Rush G1 is also backlit and customizable. Along with being able to adjust the levels of brightness, there’s also a pulsate mode. One of the best features is the N Key Roll Over. This means you can press any number of buttons at once without affecting the hardware. You are able to assign up to 10 different keys with macros. Each macro can be recorded with up to 24 keystrokes. The onboard memory allows for 5 profiles on each of the 10 macros. The “Fnatic Gear Mode” enables the use of macros and disables the Windows key to prevent the start menu from randomly popping up in game. There are 2 USB 2.0 pass through ports. On any keyboard, this is always a welcome addition. Probably my favorite feature is the optional, but highly recommended wrist rest.
Specifications
- MCU/Processor: Holtek HT68FB560
- Main switches: Omron Sensor: ADNS 3310
- Memory: 256 kB
- Resolution: 5000 CPI
- Frames per second: 6500
- Tracking speed: 130 IPS
- Max acceleration: 30 G
- Report rate: Adjustable, up to 1000Hz
- Max acceleration: USB 2.0, Gold plated (2 m braided cord)
- PRODUCT DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT: 126x68x40 mm Net weight: 90 g / 0.19 lbs
- RETAIL PACKAGE DIMENSIONS: 56x160x218 mm Package weight: 322 g / 0.70 lbs
- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows® compatible Available USB port 10 MB free space on hard drive
- RETAIL PACKAGE CONTENTS: Fnatic Gear FLICK Quick Guide
- COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
- COMPLIANCE: CE, FCC
- WARRANTY TERMS: 2 Year Warranty from purchase date
Packaging
The front view of the Rush G1 box
The rear of the Rush G1 box.
The back of the box lists the main features of the Rush G1
The front right corner will specify which switches are on the keyboard
The view when the box is first opened
The Rush G1 comes packed in a very sturdy, heavy duty clam shell style box. It’s much thicker than most keyboard boxes. The front of the box depicts the Rush G1 with its black matte wrist rest. Also on the front of the box is a sticker that depicts the type of mechanical switches on the keyboard. In my case, they are Cherry MX Reds. The rear of the box depicts the keyboard as well in the foreground. In the background you see a picture of Team Fnatic hoisting a championship trophy. Also on the back of the box are the main features of the Rush G1.When opened, you see the box, you see the Rush G1 packed in both cardboard and soft foam and wrapped in plastic.
The Quick Start Guide comes packed on the top of the Rush G1
In the box you’ll find the Quick Start Guide, the Keyboard, Wrist Rest and the clips to attach the wrist rest.
Here you see the Rush G1 out of the plastic
A Closer Look
The Rush G1 with wrist rest
Aside from how well the Rush G1 was packaged, one of the first things I noticed was the matte black finish, and the soft touch feel of not only the keyboard, but the wrist rest as well. The fully backlit keyboard sports Cherry MX switches, ideal for gaming. These switches have 4 brightness settings for their red backlighting. The brightness settings are controlled by pressing the Function, or FN key and using the 8 and 2 keys on the number pad to adjust the brightness. I’ve personally always been a fan of the Blue switches, either Cherry or Kailh. However, after typing on the Rush G1, I’m growing partial to reds. Cherry MX Red switches were only introduced in 2008 and are the most recent switch to be developed by the company. They have a low actuation force, at 45 cN – Reds are tied with Brown for the lowest of the four most common switches. Red switches have been marketed as a gaming switch, with the light weighting allowing for more rapid actuation, and have become increasingly common in gaming keyboards.
Here you see the adjustable feet of the keyboard
This is where the clips attach for the wrist rest
This is how the actual wrist rest attached
The underside of the Rush G1
Here we see the Gear Logo and the number pad
The Function Key is how you use the features of the Rush G1 such as the Macos and Media Keys
Here is a breakdown of how the features work on the Rush G1
The Rush G1 comes equipped with a rather thick, durable braided cable with a USB 2.0 connection. On the right rear of the keyboard are 2 USB 2.0 pass through ports. This is probably the most useful feature and one that every keyboard should have. There are also 2 adjustable feet for raising the height of the rear of the keyboard. There is also an optional wrist rest that can be attached on the front. The Rush G1 has N-Key Rollover. This means that all the key on the Rush G1 can be pressed simultaneously and all key strokes will register. When activated, the Fnatic Gear mode will disable the Windows key and enable the custom Macros. You enable the Fnatic Gear mode be pressing Function (FN) + F12. The Rush G1 also had separate Media Keys. The F1-F6 buttons double as the Media Keys. These kays are Mute, Volume, Play/Pause, Previous and Next Track. You access the media keys by pressing the Function Key in standard mode. The Macros are programmed by using the Fnatic Gear Rush software. This software can be downloaded through the Fnatic Gear website. The Rush G1 features five profiles, each holding up to 10 macros. These profiles can be accessed using Function and F7-F11. Each macro can hold upwards of 24 keystrokes. The macros are very helpful in programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro. I was able to bind many of the most used commands to macros, such as the Export command in Premiere Pro. It may not seem like much, but saving 4 keystrokes in every command, really saves time and effort over an extended period of time. There is also a direct link to the Fnatic site where you can download the manual in the Software. In the software you can set up the profiles, as well as backup and restore the profiles. This is also where you can set up the 10 macros to the keys of your choice.
This is how the Rush Software looks when first opened
Final Thought and Conclusion
The Rush G1 from Fnatic is a beautiful work of art.
For the longest time, if you wanted a good, quality mechanical keyboard, your options were limited. However, Fnatic has just changed that. The Rush G1 combines beautiful craftsmanship and durable build quality with genuine Cherry MX switches. The Rush G1 not only looks great, but is a pleasure to use. The combination of the added wrist rest and the Cherry MX reds, my hands never got tires or even felt fatigue. This kind of experience in the past has cost upwards of $150.00 or more. But at a price point of only $99.00 on Amazon at the time of this review, the Rush G1 from Fnatic is one of the least expensive, full 104-key Cherry MX keyboards available. The price combined with its beauty and quality has earn the Rush G1 mechanical Keyboard the Proclockers Editor’s Choice award. If you’re in the market for a new keyboard, and you can do without RGBG Backlighting, I couldn’t recommend a keyboard more.
Pros
- Cherry MX Switches
- Easy to use software
- Beautiful
- Backlit
- 2 UB Pass Through Ports
- Removable Wrist Rest
Cons
- None
