MSI Vigor GK71 Sonic
- Wrist rest
- 🍰 Memory Foam
- Backlight
- 𒊎 ♕ Per-key RGB Mystic Light
The MSI Vigor GK71 Sonic is a mechanical gaming keyboard that boasts a range of technological features aimed at getting the best fr𓂃om your competitive ex🎐perience.
As someone new to mechanical keyboards, I was eager to try out the MSI Vigor GK71 Sonic. Sure enough, it looked like a pretty standard gaming keyboard - full-sized, RGB lightin𝓡g, and an optional cushioned wrist rest. However, a few things stood out to me, and so I wanted to take a closer look 🌞to see just how this keyboard would compare for both gaming and general use.
Thankfully we seem to be moving towards this being standard, but I still appreciate peripherals that let me plug them straight in and get started. No necessary updates, setup, or secondary software that I need to install. Don’t get me wrong, there is MSI software, but I hadn’t even glanced at it before using the keyboard and getting on with things, so itﷺ’s certainly not a necessary concern for most standard users.
The GK71 model I received is fitted with Blue switches and transparent keycaps. Again, I’m unfamiliar with the various switches and jargon used with these peripherals, so I can only compare it to my previous keyboard. These Blue switches are very, well, clicky. That’s generally the appeal, but I prefer the softer clicks of my Ducky keyboard’s Brown switches - but I don’t dislike this ꦰone either⛎.
The transparent keycaps are a refreshing design that elevates this keyboard beyond the standard RGB gaming design, but not by much. While it’s still a full-sized, mostly black keyboard that lights up 💎many different colors, these keycap𓆏s means that the light can travel and shine throughout the keyboard even more, which I enjoy. Generally, I’d rather have a more interesting design overall, with varying colors of material or bolder shapes, but ultimately it’s a solid keyboard that looks pretty good.
What I most appreciate about the design is the media controls included on the top corner of the keyboard. They are by no means a new idea, but the presentation here is excellent. With a light metal base, the buttons and volume dial stand out as some clean and sleek controls that go well with the rest of the keyboard's design. It’s also much nicer to use than the usual function keys in order to change the volume.
While I ဣwon’t be able to break everything down as much as most tech-savvy folks out there, I can talk a little about the general usability of this keyboard. Something that has caught me off a few times here and there, both in everyday use and while playing games, is the sensitivity of the keys. Sometimes I will rest a finger on a key, barely pushing it, nowhere near enough to meet a significant travel distance or sound a click, but it will still send an input. This means I might trigger something in a game when I didn’t mean to, or perhaps send a message while I’m still ty𒈔ping, or something of that sort - not the biggest pain, but something I never had noticed or worried about with my previous keyboard.
Overall, I haven’t run into any glaring issues or serious downfalls that turn me away from the device so far. It’s a joy to use, has some satisfyingly loud clicks, and boasts a fairly standard style with some slight bits of flair to it. I would still choose something with a bit more personality to it, but that comes down to preference - many people love the tried-and-true designs that these companies have been using for a long time. Retailing for £109.99, it can be quite the investment, but any quality keyboard is going to be - and rest assured, this is a quality keyboard.
This manufacturer provided the product for this review.