Azio MGK 1 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

Introduction

One of the most popular features on any peripheral these days is RGB backlighting. To many people, the added cost that comes with it just isn’t worth putting out. When it comes to keyboards, RGB backlighting can get rather expensive. Sure, there are some cheaper options. However, most of the cheaper options sacrifice quality for features. What if there were finally a mechanical, RGB backlit keyboard for under $120 that was worth buying? One with both a rugged build quality, beautiful design and real mechanical switches. Well the people at Azio may have delivered that with their MGK 1 RGB backlit mechanical keyboard. But can it live up to the expectations of gamers and enthusiasts a like? Let’s find out. Proclockers would like to thank Azio for making this review possible. Now, let’s take a look at what we found.

About Azio

Azio Corp. is a manufacturer dedicated to providing innovative tech gear to make everyday life more engaging and fun. We believe that design has the power to alter not only perceptions, but also emotions. Through superior design, we are driven to provide better experience for people of all ages, from all walks of life, no matter what your hobby, profession, or need may be.”AZiO Corporation is a manufacturer with a mission to provide the best electronic peripherals to people of all ages and lifestyle.

Features and Specifications

Features

The MGK 1 is fully backlit with RGB lighting

The MGK 1 comes equipped with an anodized aluminum face plate. It features genuine Kailh Blue switches. Like Cherry MX switches, Kailh switches are designed to provide superior tactile feed-back and error free key strokes. The switches are rated at up to 50 million keystrokes. The actuation point of the Kailh Blue switchis 1.9 mm +/- 0.4 mm, a reset point distance of 0.4 mm and an actuation force of 50 g. The RGB backlighting has 6 light modes, adjustable brightness and is software free. The MGK 1 also has easy-access shortcut keys and full N-Key Rollover. Another feature that seems to be a standard these days is the Windows lock to prevent the start menu from popping up in game.

Packaging

The front view of the MGK 1 box

The rear view of the MGK 1 box

The logo on the top side of the box

The bottom of the box lists the model number as well as the upc code

The MGK 1 from Azio comes in a beautiful black box that boldly features the MGK 1 RGB logo in the foreground and a depiction of the keyboard itself in the background. It comes nicely packed in a combination of cardboard, soft foam and plastic. Along with the MGK 1, you’ll also find the optional wrist rest, user guide and key cap removal tool. The user guide explains the RGB lighting controls, the layout of the keyboard and the product features.

The MGK 1 is packed very neatly in soft foam to ensure it will not be damaged in shipping

All of the contents of the packaging

The MGK1 unpacked with the accessories

A Closer Look

The MGK 1 has a beautiful, sleek design.

Some people say that if you used one mechanical keyboard, you’ve used them all. Those people are clearly not enthusiasts. Where it’s true that many keyboards share similarswitches, it’s the features that set the better keyboards apart. Everyone loves RGB backlighting. However, not everyone likes dealing with software to control that lighting. This is where the MGK 1 really stands out, it doesn’t require software to control the RGB backlighting. To control the RGB lighting, you use a combination of the Function, or FN key, and the 6 keys above the arrow keys. The Insert, Home, Delete, End, Page Up and Page Down keys controls the 6 lighting modes. The 6 modes are Spectrum Cycling, Splash mode, Wave mode, Color Marquee mode, Custom mode and Reactive mode. To adjust the brightness of the backlighting, you use the FN kay and the up and down arrows.

These 6 keys with the FN key control the lighting effects

• Spectrum Cycling: All keys uniformly cycle through the spectrum
• Splash mode: The keys reveal a variety of colors through a ripple effect
• Wave mode: RGB backlighting move across the keyboard
• Color Marquee mode: The lighting shifts across the keyboard in a spectrum of colors
• Custom mode: Set your desired color for each individual key
• Reactive mode: Lights up upon actuation and stays lit momentarily

The feet on the underside of the keyboard

Here we see how the wrist rest attaches to the MGK 1

The MGK 1 has a gorgeous Gunmetal Anodized, Brushed Aluminum Faceplate and a UV coated, detachable wrist rest. The wrist rest attaches on the underside of the front of the keyboard by snapping together. The MGK 1 also has full N-Key Roll Over. This means that you can press every key on the keyboard at once and each individual keystroke will register. The underside of the keyboard has 2 feet that can raise or lower the back of the keyboard. The MGK 1 has a 6 foot braided cable with a USB 2.0 connection. The braded cable helps to prevent the cable from tangling and kinking. Where the USB 2.0 connection assures it’ll work on even older hardware. On the top right of the keyboard, you find a very useful volume wheel. The MGK 1 sports fully mechanical, Kailh Blue switches. The Kailh Blue is both a tactile and a clicky switch. You can both feel the tactile bump and hear the "click" that occurs when the activation point is hit. Like the Cherry MX Blues, Kailh Blues are clicky switches and by many enthusiasts, said to be best for typing. Personally, I’d agree and say that Blues are my favorite switches. This is also purely preferential, but I do prefer Kailh Blues to the Cherry MX blues, That’s mostly due to years of using them. Typing on the MGK 1 is an absolute pleasure. It has a similar feel to the Razer Black Widow I personally love the click of blue keys. The keys are slightly raised up off the surface of the keyboard. This made removing them to clean very easy. The fact that the keys are slightly raised also gives the RGB lighting a great look in a low light room. The lettering on the key caps are large print and easy to read, a great feature for the visually impaired.

The MGK 1 without the wrist rest.

The Kailh Blue Switch

The 6 foot braided cable is another great feature of the MGK 1

Here you see the mute button and volume wheel.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Although there are many options these days for mechanical keyboards, the MGK 1 offers more than enough options to be considered as a major contender in the market today. First of many being the genuine mechanical switches with RGB backlighting. Top that with the fact that this keyboard does not require software to control the backlighting. The brushed aluminum back plate gives the MGK 1 a beautiful look on any desk. All of these features combined with the fact its set at a much lower price point of other RGB mechanical keyboards. Most of which are $150 or above. At the time of this review, you can get the Azio MGK 1 RGB at Amazon for $114.99 atht time of this writing. With such a high quality keyboard at such a reasonable price point, I award the MGK 1 form Azio with Proclockers “Elite Hardware” award. This is an excellent keyboard for gamers and enthusiasts a like. If you decide to pick this keyboard up, you will not be disappointed!