CM Storm QuickFire TK is a No Compromise Compact Mechanical Keyboard

Advanced Functions

Just like on a Laptop, pressing the Function (FN) key at the same time as any of the F1-F12 keys enables a secondary function for this key. By holding the FN key depressed for 3 seconds you can lock the FN key so it always on. Pressing the FN key for 3 seconds again restores the F1-F12 keys to their default functions.

• Function (next to right control) + F1 toggles the lights on and off
• Function + F2/3 adjust the brightness
• Function + F4 toggles the mode (All keys, WASD only, Cycling)
• Function + F12 disables the windows key

Media Keys

In FN-Lock mode F5-F11 act as media keys and let you control your media player as well as your speaker/headset volume.  All of this information can be found on the cmstorm.com product page.

Checking the product features

Let’s look at the product features. First,  1000Hz/1ms polling rate is much quicker than a regular gaming keyboard.  However, this is more hype than a special feature considering that the Cherry Blue MX switches have a debouncing speed of 5ms. That means that anything over 200MHz is pretty meaningless. It’s fast enough for a superhuman gamer or typist is what we need to take away from this. Polling speeds have meaning for the mouse but not so much for the keyboard.

What do 50 million key presses really mean?  Well, if you were to press a single key every second for the next 550 days, you would have made about 50 million key presses.  The Cherry MX keys are pretty durable and will last even the extreme gamer for years.

We have seen how the Cherry Blue MX mechanical switch is an excellent choice – although some gamers prefer the Red, the Black, or the Brown. The main thing we need to realize is that you will probably never wear out your keyboard switches – unlike the cheaper dome switches of the standard keyboards.

Key Blocking is experienced when you reach your maximum key roll over. When two keys are pressed and the third key is blocked as it is on this editor’s Compaq notebook, that is Key Blocking in action, and the keyboard is 2KRO.  In the case of the QuickFire TK compact keyboard, it is dual-rated.  In normal mode, if you press all the keys at once, the first six will register meaning that it is 6KRO.  Using the Function key you can switch to NKRO or #KRO – meaning that all of the keys will register if pressed at once – which can be exceptional for gamers.  From the User’s Guide:

The gold plating is a nice touch ensuring good contact with the USB connectors and longevity for something that will soon become one of a gamers most prized possessions – for years. And of course, CM Sports backs it with a 2-year warranty.  Let’s head for our conclusion.