I use my keyboard to the point where the keys wear off fairly quickly, so it’s🌜 only natural that I have to replace them pretty often. I love getting a new keyboard; setting it up and letting my fingers glide over the pristine keys while they still feel all shiny and new. I was recently given the oppo⛄rtunity to test out Monoprice’s Dark Matter Collider TKL Gaming Keyboard, a minimalistic yet sturdy design that gives you the feeling of quality at your fingertips.
I’m a sucker for a good mechanical keyboard. That repetitive click-clack sound is incredibly satisfying, and the Dark Matter Collider TKL also has a strong, robust feel to it without it being overly loud when typing. The linear switches offer a smooth experience that is also very responsive, which is what you want from a gaming keyboard where you need to be able to react quickly. It also feature♏s full N-key rollover, ensuring each key൩stroke is registered regardless of how many you press at one time.
While the N-key rollover is great, the N key itself is terrible. I much preferr💞ed the feel of this keyboard over many others I have tried, and it would have been a firm favorite if it wasn’t for this one issue. A few days into using the keyboard, my N key took on a life of its own and began popping off the board while I was typing. I can only assume I’m maybe hitting it at a bad angle, but it doesn’t matter how firmly I press it back on, it eventually springs off again. All of the other keys are completely solid - as they should be since they’re mounted on an internal steel plate - but for some unknown reason, the N key doesn’t want to stay put. I doubt every Dark Matter Collider TKL has a faulty N key, but it’s something I have to mention while reviewing as it has been the bane of my existence for the past week and a half.
This keyboard was smaller than I expected too, but not in a bad way. A lot of keyboards seem to add a bunch of fancy-looking buttons that you will rarely use just to “ꦏlook cool”, but thankfully, the Dark Matter Collider TKL doesn’t fall into this trap. You’re getting a clean, minimalistic tenkeyless design that offers a sleek alternative to most mechanical keyboards and doesn’♓t take up too much desk space.
I opted for the Cherry MX Red switch option, though Speed Silver, Brown, and Blue are other options you can choose from depending on how tactile you want y✱our keys to be. This keyboard also includes a detachable USB-C cable, so you don’t have to worry about wear and tear so much and can easily replace it or switch it out for a custom cable.
RGB seems like a gaming keyboard staple ꦅnow, and while some people don’t really care whether their keys are backlit or not, it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t look damn stylish. If you want a simple colour scheme or pattern change for the lighting, you can do it rather easily all via the keyboard without having to install an additional program.
If you want to go all out, the Dark Matter Collider TKL features per-key customisable RGB, allowing you to program each key individually and truly make it your own. This does require a little patience as you pick the lighting options for each key, and you might be at risk of a rogue N key flying the coop anyway You can save two custom RGB layouts at a time in case you want to switch it up at any point. This keyboard will also eventually have a programmable macros function again - a godsend when it comes to gaming - but due to an ongoing update, I didn't get to try it out.
Monoprice’s Dark Matter Collider T🔥KL Gaming Keyboard retails for $99.99 and you can purchase it from .
A Dark Matter Collider TKL Gaming Keyboard was provided for the purpose of review.