Cooler Master Quick Fire XTi keyboard review - Article

Cooler Master Quick Fire XTi
A mechanical keyboard doing R&B        

We review the Cooler Master Quick Fire XTi mechanical keyboard. This Cherry MX mechanical keyboard comes with new RB (yes not RGB) LEDs. Overall a simple looking yet very versatile keyboard with some very cool per key LED lighting features that can animate and has compatibility with macro's, without the use of any software. Let's have a peek shall we ?

As Cooler Master opens up a new chapter in their product line in the QuickFire range they now introduce the XTi, a simple looking yet very cool mechanical keyboard that has red/blue per key LED backlighting while being fitted with Cherry MX mechanical switches. It's not just all about the RGB LEDs and cool lighting animations of course, the keyboard comes in a really sturdy black design and as simple as it is, it just looks incredible (though I'll immediately acknowledge that taste is a very subjective thing). The LED lit Cherry keys are UV coated for long lasting letters, and yeah keys and can be lit and animated per key, withouth the use of software. Basically you can mix two colors, blue and red LED. This allows for a combination of up-to 35 colors per key which can be changed. A few LED animation modes are thrown in as well, wave, breathing and some responsive effects. 

Model Number	SGK-4060-KKCL1 (Blue switch) SGK-4060-KKCM1 (Brown switch) SGK-4060-KKCR1 (Red switch)
Key Switch Type	CHERRY MX Blue/ Brown/ Red Availability may vary by region
Key Rollover	NKRO (Windows only)
Keycaps	ABS, grip coated, removable
Polling Rate	1000 Hz/1ms
Backlight	Full backlit, 35 colors, 5 settings
Windows Key Lock	Yes
Media Keys	Yes (via F keys)
Interface	Micro USB 2.0, full speed
USB cable	1.8m braided, gold plated and removable
Dimensions	43.9(L) *13(W) *4.1(H) cm 17.28(L) *5.12(W) *1.61(H) inch
Weight	1114 g / 2.46 lbs

The XTi keyboard we are testing today has to be one of the more cewl looking keyboards we've ever worked with, it fits my personal  all the way preference. I do like a little bling, but I also like simple keyboards that go back to the roots of their functionality. Well that and it sits sturdy on my desktop with just the right feel of keys. For this XTi model you can pick three different flavors Cherry MX keys (Blue/ Brown/ Red). While red is the more popular version I am slowly growing towards the brown flavored Cherry MX switches myself. We'll explain the differences inbetween them later on in this article. The QuickFire XTi as released under the CM Storm branding comes with a lot of features that should be appealing to you as a gamer. For example gold-plated ultra-low latency USB connectors, and as a mechy the keys have a long-lived, can withstand a good beating, the stuff you as a gamer like so much. We have seen it on several keyboard before already, but the QuickFire XTi is equipped with anti-ghosting capability which means multi-key presses at the same time are an option, again something gamers are after.The overall design if the Keyboard is appealing as well as it comes with a nice black dark design with smooth coating and thus feel.

The background lighting is dimmed so that you can watch and observe the LED animation system a little better.

For a first impression I like to ask you to watch the above video. The keyboard feels extremely comfortable at your hands. Design wise the forms and shapes seem a little simple, however that's until the keys light up with red & blue LED backlighting. The LED backlights can highlight all the keys at once you can choose from a few preprogrammes animations (which can be updated with firmware btw).  Albeit more limited, the keyboard is programmable as we'll show you later in in the article. Priced at roughly 149 EUR / USD this puppy isn't cheap though. For the Quick Fire XTi you can choose from red, blue and brown Cherry MX keys for your preferred key pressure preferences. Anyway, have a peek at the product first ... and then browse our way into the review, in a colorful one.