Thermaltake Meka G1 Mechanical Keyboard – Gaming Review

When deciding to upgrade to a mechanical keyboard, I noticed the Thermaltake Meka G1 offered everything I wanted with the exception of macro keys, however I rarely use macro’s so this isn’t a deal breaker.  With that in mind, I decided to pick up the Thermaltake Meka G1.

So what does it offer and what doesn’t it offer?  Well, to start the Thermaltake Meka G1 gives you Cherry MX Black mechanical keys rated for 50 million keystrokes,  an independently powered 2 port USB hub, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a 3.5mm mic jack, both on the rear of the keyboard.   I was thrilled to finally have my headset and mouse plugged directly into my keyboard rather than routed under my desk, between my monitors, and along the surface of my desk.  These features however, are only skimming the surface, let’s dive into to the underlying features of the Thermaltake Meka G1.

 

Like most of their products, Thermaltake goes a little further than other hardware designers and tosses in a few ideas that others just haven’t thought of, and makes the Thermaltake Meka G1 mechanical keyboard a one of a kind contender.  For starters, the cable shielding is actually a 1.5m/4.92ft military grade cable.  What does this mean?  Well, it’s wrapped in some sort of durable nylon material, which should protect your cable from any damages incurred by any sort of unintended trauma.

The USB ports are independently powered.  Why is this important?  With many other keyboards, for example the Logitech G15, they simply share the same USB connector for the keyboard and the internal USB hub on the keyboard.  While this is a simpler approach, sometimes the USB hub can be unresponsive due to the keyboard using the bulk of the power from the single USB port.  Thermaltake has fixed this in the Meka G1 by providing a stand alone USB cable dedicated to power the USB hub.  Also included with the Thermaltake Meka G1 is a USB to PS/2 adapter to eliminate any chances of ghosting.  So now that you understand the design features of the Thermaltake Meka G1, lets see how it performs.

Thermaltake Meka G1 Specifications:

• Keyboard type : Mechanical, Cherry MX Black keys
• Size : 8.5 x 6.5 x 3 inches
• Weight : 6.6 ounce fixed weight (non-adjustable)
• Cable length : 1.5m / 4.92 ft
• Macro Keys : none
• Average price : $110
• Ports : 2x USB2.0 ports, 1 3.5mm audio jack, 1 3.5mm headphone jack
• Durability –  Rated for 50 million keystrokes, military grade 5 foot cabling.
• Cables : 1 3.5mm Headphone, 1 3.5mm Microphone, 2x USB 2.0.  PS/2 Adapter provided for anti-ghosting.

Reviewer Information:

• WASD / ESDF : WASD
• Gaming style : First Person Shooters
• Games Tested : Battlefield 3
• Other test : WPM Typing test (10fastfingers.com)

Performance:

Before switching to the Thermaltake Meka G1, I decided I’d take a typing test to see if there really was a different in typing speeds.  After numerous rounds, I averaged around 90 WPM with my low-profile membrane switch keyboard.  So what happened when I switched the Thermaltake Meka G1?  Well, my average WPM jumped from 90 to 106 WPM.  That may not seem like much, but should I type 24/7 that’s 8,409,600 extra words I could spit out in a year.  To compare that to something, there is only around 775,000 words found in the bible.  Lets face it though, we’re not here to improve our typing skills, we’re here to improve our gaming skills.   So join me while I dive into Battlefield 3 and see what happens.

 

 Thermaltake advertises 8x typing speed.  It’s not quite 8x, but it’s definitely an improvement.

So how does it perform in Battlefield 3?

The responsiveness of the keys gives such a good feel that I often find myself hopping around, strafing, and doing the Michael J. Fox bullet dance from back to the future 3, simply because I can.  With my previous keyboard the keys were low profile and it wasn’t easy moving from key to key without hitting something on accident, however the mechanical keys take less weight to depress, and come up so quickly that it gives a much more fluid-like feeling.  In fact, the keys are so easy to depress in comparison to membrane keys that I found myself moving forward on accident the first few days, until my fingers were able to adjust.  One thing that really sticks out while playing Battlefield 3, is the ability to quickly hit “Q” to spot enemies.  Before it was kind of a stretch, but since there is less resistance I find it easier for my pinky to press the button and move back to the “A” key.

One thing to consider as well, is the USB hub’s location to your mouse.  Before my mouse cable would snag on the edge of my desk, but since getting this keyboard I haven’t had a single issue with cable snags since the USB port is conveniently on the right side of the keyboard.  In fact, I probably only have about 12 inches of my mouse cable actually out.  The rest is wrapped up neatly in a velcro cable wrap, which not only reduces snagging, but also makes my desk appear much more organized than before.  This obviously helps out a ton when playing Battlefield, as I don’t lead a player for 5 seconds only to have my mouse snag at the moment I pull the trigger, only to alert him to my location instead of going in for the kill.

Personal Review:

Score : 9/10

I love everything about the Thermaltake Meka G1, from the extra thought put into the cabling, to the extremely comfortable flow of the Cherry MX Black mechanical keys.  I’d give this thing a 10 out of 10 if they included macro keys.  It’s not that it needs it, it’s just something else they could have provided to give me the full experience of a gaming keyboard.  I am most impressed with their continued effort to provide gaming hardware that is protected from issues that can plague cheaper alternatives.  If you’re looking for a quality mechanical keyboard at an affordable price, look no further, the Thermaltake Meka G1 is here.

For more information you can visit the Thermaltake Meka G1 over at their site.