SteelSeries Apex M500

The Apex M500 costs $100, though you might be able to find it cheaper. It’s the same price as a full-sized, single-color mechanical board from Corsair (Strafe series), Razer (BlackWidow X Ultimate), or Cougar (Attack X3), and it’s $10 cheaper than...

Affordable. Cherry MX Red switches. Programmable keys. 104-key rollover.

Lacks dedicated macro keys. Backlighting is only blue and occasionally uneven.

Conclusion The SteelSeries M500 is a solid, well-built mechanical gaming keyboard for gamers who like to keep their gaming experience high-quality but simple. While the M500 doesn't come with features like wrist rests, per-key lighting, or dedicated...

Great for typing and gaming ; Incredibly solid construction ; You can customize every button on the keyboard using the SteelSeries Engine software ; Single color LED may bother some, but I like it quite a lot

Lack of custom LEDs may be a con for some

When it comes to mechanical gaming keyboards, you’ve definitely got options. If you don’t need all of the crazy RGB lightings, but want a keyboard that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, the SteelSeries Apex M500 should be on your list. For its...

– Simple design ; – Cherry MX Red switches ; – Cable management on the bottom of the keyboard ; – Great performance ; – Nice illumination ; – Price

– Only available with Cherry MX Red switches ; – USB cable not braided

The best part about testing a gaming product is we get to play games! For the Apex M500 since it is designed for eSports and competitive play I decided to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Unreal Tournament, and Star Wars Battlefront. All of these...

Authentic Cherry MX keys ; Streamlined design ; Straightforward software ; Inventive cable management

No choice of key types ; Macro recording could be more streamlined

The SteelSeries Apex M500’s intelligent physical design and comfortable keys offer an attractive prospect to eSports aficionados.

The SteelSeries Apex M500 is a great option for competitive gaming or if typing quality is key, but spending a little more will deliver the features that the M500 is lacking.

...Steelseries has made one of the best bare-bones mechanical keyboards we’ve seen...

Worked out of the box with no download. Very sturdy, solid and no twist or flex. Love the smooth matte finish Adjustable back-lit brightness Nice long and supple cord. Routing channels to direct the USB cord to the left, center or right.

No USB port Only blue back-lit Problems with Steelseries 3.7.4 - Slow to install, slow to load, multiple reboots and ultimately doesn't work.

- Quality everything - Keys are quieter than other Cherry MX Red that I have used - N-Key rollover - Several macro functions - Intuitive sofware - Great cable management - Easy access to brightness levels - Steelseries logo is the function key The Apex...

- Small characters can be difficult to see - No wrist rest A character, number, or function symbol etched at the bottom of a key are dimmer than what is etched at the top. The smaller characters like comma (,), period (.), single quote (‘), etc. can be...