Mechanical keyboards have been huge in PC gaming for a number of years now. Most major PC accessory companies offer a number of options for gamers to choose from based on form factor and mechanical switch type. For anyone looking to get into mechanical keyboards, the options can seem a bit overwhelming. Do you want full size, compact, or tenkeyless? What type of switch will work best for your particular style? If these are some of the questions you have asked yourself while looking into a mechanical keyboard, Glorious PC Gaming Race has an answer for you with its Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard.
The GMMK is a fully modular keyboard that lets users easily swap out a number of different switch types to find an experience that works for them! You will still need to decide for yourself about that form factor business, but whichever you decide on, Glorious has a GMMK for you! Glorious was kind enough to send out a pre-built GMMK complete with Brown switches for me to check out and even for PC gaming vets, there is some functionality here you might find interesting.
What’s In The Box
The GMMK comes in a nice two-tone black and white box with neat shiny/glossy accents. An outline of the GMMK is dominant along with the name. Since there are a number of configurations the GMMK can come in, this glossy outline approach is brilliant to me. Along the top of the box is the list of features of your selected GMMK and a contents list. On the back, you will find a design statement for the GMMK along with measurements of your selected model and a complete list of tech specs. Inside you will find the GMMK, detailed user's guide, switch swapping guide and puller, product brochure, info about Glorious PC Gaming Race, and finally a sticker.
Aesthetics And Build Quality
The GMMK is rather unassuming by design with a wonderful minimalist approach to it. The brushed aluminum top side screams: “I am here for one thing and one thing only, to play games!” That doesn’t mean the design is completely bland though; a wonderful beveled chrome edge runs along all four sides of the frame providing a pleasing contrast to my models all black aesthetic. The escape key shows a bit of humor as Glorious as a brand buys into the PC master race concept. If you don’t care for this particular version of the escape key, 2 replacements came bundled inside the box. I think I need to rock the Glorious key here personally, everything else just feels insulting!
The keycaps present on my build use double shot ABS injection, giving them a very solid and sturdy feel. Each character is cleanly cut and allows for the RGB lighting to shine through without issue. I also appreciate that secondary characters are lit unlike those found on other brands. I would also like to take a second to appreciate the way the RGB lighting glows onto the bottoms of adjacent keys thanks to the open frame design. This look is extremely pleasing to me and has me seriously contemplating picking up a pack of Glorious’ aura keycaps to make the effect even more profound! After a month of use, the keycaps show little sign of fingerprints or smudges; very impressive as I specifically have been trying to get it dirty!
Underneath each keycap on my review unit is a Gateron Brown switch which provides a good tactile response when pressed. It has been a while since I have used a Brown Switch and even though they aren’t my preferred they are solid performers. But hey, that’s kind of the point of this entire keyboard; I can swap them at any time for something else more my style! If you need an idea of what options are available, Glorious offers a convenient Switch kit that includes 14 different types for you to try out before ordering a full 104 piece set. Ahh yes, the White has my preferred level of clickiness! Pulling the existing switches requires some precise placement of the removal tool and force, so I have no concern about them falling out on their own.
To round out the GMMK’s design is a curved plastic bottom that houses the keycap removal tool and a wire channel that gives the braided cord three areas of escape. The cord is roughly 6 feet long and comes with a gold plated end connector. I am also a fan of the included USB covering that will keep the connector clean while not in use or during transport. The traditional set of keyboard legs are also present, which give the GMMK an optional 8° angle of incline. The entire frame has a good weight to it and is very sturdy. Thanks to the swappable nature of the switches if any start to break or die for, reasons, you can easily pop in a new one as long as the board underneath is still intact!
Gameplay
Getting started with the GMMK was a bit rough for me at first thanks to its full height design. For almost a year now I have been using a half-height keyboard and going back resulted in some great misjudgments in travel distance between keys! After a day of reacclimating, the experience on offer began to unfold. The pre-equipped Brown switches proved suitable for any task I required, be it gaming or typing. Keystrokes provide a solid tactile feel and once engaged, register on screen in a snap, making activation of an ability or ultimate in a sticky situation as reliable as you can hope for! To further put the GMMK to the test, I put it up against my number one controller test game: Mega Man X4. The Windows 98 version of the classic title can be played purely on Keyboard and it was an experience that took me right back to the early 2000's. It's also pretty fun to show all these modern gaming devices working under Windows 98!
But rather than call it good with the Brown switches, I wanted to go the extra mile for all of you and get into the spirit of what the GMMK is all about: swapping the switches for the ultimate personalized experience. So I personally prefer clicky, lower pressure switches, so I have been a fan of White. But rather than swapping the entire board over to White switches, I wanted to try out something a little more unique. Instead, I swapped my more common FPS genre keys over to White switches and left the remainder of the board on Brown. With this setup, keys that are used in-game would move easier than ones not used and allowed for me to have an additional sense for when my fingers were on the proper keys. It worked out far better than I thought it would, to be honest, and I have loved using it in-game. Unfortunately for me this makes typing feel inconsistent, so I am going to have to swap the whole board over to White or back to Brown if I want to be able to do more than game. Still, it was a neat experience and shows what the GMMK can do for enthusiasts and newcomers alike!
Another great thing about the GMMK is its ability to be run without any additional software. All preset RGB lighting modes can be set using a hotkey function. I do recommend installing the software at least once, though, as it will let you change the GMMK's polling rate up to 1000hz instead of the default 125Hz. All of my experience has been based on this faster polling. Custom RGB lighting and additional macro keys can also be set here. Thankfully the software isn't obtrusive so it isn't the worst thing to leave installed on your system.
What It Could Have Done Better
Up until this point, I hope I have shown that the GMMK is a top tier offering because it pretty much is! The only things I have come to dislike about the keyboard come down to preference and nitpicking. I wish there was a dedicated set of media buttons instead of needing to use the function key. I also wish that Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock, were properly labeled. Lastly, the font on some of the keys is a bit confusing. I also wish the underside had a slot for the switch removal tool just like the keycap tool. Like I said, nitpicky… I think my only real complaint about my time with the GMMK was figuring out which software to download from Glorious's site. They have a number of different options and want you to get the one based on your serial number. Well, none started similar to my serial number, so I took a chance with the "other" option and it seems to have worked out.
Verdict
For newcomers and enthusiasts alike there is a lot to like about the Glorious PC Gaming Race GMMK. For mechanical keyboard noobs, the GMMK provides a great way to try out a variety of switch types to find your preferred fit without needing to shell out for entirely new models. For the seasoned PC vet, the customization of individual switches depending on your tastes and preferences without having to perform surgery on the keyboard can’t be beat. Best yet, the pre-built GMMK options available come in at a reasonable $110 for top-tier performance compared to $150+ for top offerings from other brands. Even if you think you might never use the functionality the GMMK offers on a normal basis, it still rocks to know that if a key starts to die it can easily be swapped without needing to replace the entire board. There is seriously a lot to love about the GMMK, so check it out!
