Acer Predator Aethon 500

Tactile, clicky key switches good for typing and gaming. Customizable RGB lighting. N-key rollover. Useful software.

Expensive for non-Cherry switches.

Bottom Line: The price is high, but Acer's Predator Aethon 500 mechanical gaming keyboard may find an audience with typists and gamers alike who prefer the tactile and clicky feel of Kailh Blue switches over those made by Cherry.

Well-constructed and durable-feeling ; Macro keys ; Volume roller is easy to find and adjust

Keys use two different typefaces for some reason ; Volume roller sticks awkwardly out from the side of the keyboard ; Very pricey, considering it uses Kailh Blue switches

The Acer Predator Aethon 500 isn’t a bad keyboard, and if you’re buying an Acer Predator PC there’s no reason to throw it out. We’ve come a long way from the old rubber-dome pack-ins that came with a lot of prebuilt machines.

Good game performance ; Discrete media keys ; Macro keys and profile button

Strange, uneven design ; Clunky software ; Falls short of similarly priced competitors

Keep the Acer Predator Aethon 500 if it came with your new Acer PC; otherwise, you could do much better for the same price.

Aluminium chassis is stylish and durable ; RGB lighting is bright and attractive ; Decent yet underwhelming performance

Doesn't do enough to justify expensive price ; Wrist rest is ugly and uncomfortable ; Key switches can be found in far cheaper keyboards

It's difficult to recommend the Acer Predator Aethon 500 when superior examples exist for at a cheaper price

Aluminum chassis ; Dedicated macro and media keys

Too pricey ; Included software is hard to find

The Acer Predator Aethon 500 is an expensive keyboard. And, while it has an enjoyable metallic feel and decent performance, this keyboard does little to make up for its high price tag.