In a Nutshell
HyperX Alloy Origins is a well-made mechanical gaming keyboard that lacks additional features, but can boast with compact dimensions and pleasant key switches.
- Excellent build quality
- Very good switches
- Beautiful bright RGB
- Affordably priced
- Software is slightly limited
- Keycaps feel quite cheap
For a full-size keyboard, the HyperX Alloy Origins is probably the sleekest keyboard that we’ve had a chance to test from this brand. It’s the company’s latest peripheral device for gamers who value elegance, priced in perhaps the most challenging segment of the market – the one with models just over a hundred dollars.
Alloy Origins is a full-size mechanical keyboard, equipped with the company’s own mechanical switches, which HyperX has been manufacturing for some time. The keyboard boasts an elegant minimalist design and a space-saving philosophy, which will surely be appreciated by all players who own smaller desks. There is no palm rest, and there are no multimedia keys, so you are forced to use a combination of the FN key and the selected function keys to control the multimedia. In the same fashion, you can select user profiles and activate Gaming Mode, which temporarily disables the use of system keys, such as the Windows key. As it offers nothing more than the basic keys, it’s no surprise that its dimensions are quite modest, and that its body extends only about half a centimeter away from the space covered by the key caps.
HyperX Alloy Origins Specifications
| Type | Mechanical |
| Operation Style | Linear, Tactile, Clicky |
| Backlight | RGB (16,777,216 colors) |
| Light effects | Per key RGB lighting and 5 brightness levels |
| Connection type | USB Type-C to USB Type-A |
| Anti-ghosting | N-key mode |
| Life Span (Keystrokes) | 80 million |
| Dimensions | 442.5 x 132.5 x 36.39 mm (W x D xH) |
At the bottom of the keyboard there are four rubber feet and two hidden folding feet, which can be used to adjust the tilt of the keyboard to 3, 7 or 11 degrees. These hinged feet are also rubber coated and do a great job of preventing the keyboard from slipping from the surface. The key caps on this keyboard are marginally larger than usual, although an inexperienced finger is likely to ignore this. They are slightly concave and nicely guide the fingers to the correct pressure. Below them you can see the elegant RGB lighting, which can be adjusted for each individual key thanks to the powerful, but still relatively unstable NGenuity driver. This driver is available exclusively on the Windows Store, and as it’s still officially in beta and gets updated on a weekly basis, we won’t be blaming it for some small bugs, especially since we could do everything we wanted with it (i.e. record macros, reprogram keys, modify lighting patterns).
Alloy Origins comes in ISO and ANSI versions, with HyperX Aqua, Red and Blue switches. The model we had the chance to review featured Aqua switches. These are the company’s counterpart solution to the Cherry MX Brown tactile switches, which deliver relatively little resistance and shallower pressure recording, at just 1.8 millimeters, which in theory can ensure faster typing. Only in theory, because our typing tests say that our performance on Alloy Origins is about the same as on a regular keyboard, equipped with brown switches. In addition, the switches are very comfortable to use, and the keys do not wobble and do not produce unwanted sounds even when we press them harder than usual. A well-made metal foundation certainly contributed to this, too.
Overall, the HyperX Alloy Origins is the most classic mid-range keyboard you can buy right now. It does not stand out from other keyboards, and it isn’t special in any way, but its excellent finish and overall quality make it an interesting choice for all those who are looking for a new gaming keyboard.
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