Steelseries APEX M750: Good, but not good enough for the price

Kevin Hofer

3.7.2019

Translation: machine translated

The Apex M750 is now finally available in our shop. The keyboard is great for gaming, but doesn't offer too much else.

Until now, I was unfamiliar with Steelseries products. So when I stumbled across the Apex Pro at Computex, I knew I definitely had to test it. But before that, I had to try out another keyboard from Steelseries. The fact that the slightly older Apex M750 is new in our shop is reason enough for me to take a closer look at it.

Shape and texture

The keyboard comes in DE layout. If you order from our shop, you will also receive a pack of CH layout keycaps from Glorious PC Gaming Race. So with a little dexterity - which you should have as a gamer - you can swap your keycaps.

With its soft, rounded corners and edges, the keyboard looks calm and unobtrusive. Apart from the RGB, there is nothing to suggest a gamer keyboard. I like the look of the keyboard.

What I like less is the texture of the top plate. On the homepage, Steelseries writes:

Steelseries is using the finest marketing language here. But that doesn't hide the fact that when I touch the keyboard housing, I have anything but the impression of stroking aluminium. To me, it feels more like some generic plastic.

The keycaps, on the other hand, feel very good. At least the ABS keys in DE layout. Let's see how it looks when I replace them. The keycaps from Glorious PC Gaming Race are also made of ABS. They offer almost more grip than the original keys. It's a shame that the keycaps don't have the same font printed on them. I like the font of the original better.

What also strikes me: You can only raise the keyboard with the keyboard supports supplied in two sizes. A bit of a hassle if you regularly adjust the height, otherwise you're fine with it because the keyboard stands bombproof on the rubber feet.

The switches in detail

Steelseries uses its own QX2 switches. These are linear RGB switches. They are comparable to the Cherry MX Red: the actuation force for both is 45 grams, the total travel is 4 millimetres and the actuation point is 2 millimetres. The click is not audible, but the keyboard is anything but whisper-quiet. The thing makes a lot of noise for a keyboard with linear switches.

Despite their similarities, I find that the Cherry MX Red and QX2 switches are somewhat different. I find the typing feel a little more pleasant with the QX2. It is simply more satisfying to type on them. But the difference is minimal. Speaking of typing: I wouldn't recommend the M750 for office use. It's too loud and triggers too quickly.

How to play with it

In all honesty, I've never tested a gaming keyboard that didn't fulfil its intended purpose perfectly. This is also the case with the Apex M750. 2 millimetres of travel to the actuation point and the low actuation force of the switches make the Apex M750 suitable for competitive gaming. It triggers precisely and is very reliable thanks to anti-ghosting and N-key rollover.

The M750 has never let me down when playing various games. Gaming with it is fun. As a fan of clicky switches, I also like the fact that the keyboard is not completely silent. If you play with headphones, the noise will hardly bother you. However, if you enjoy your game sound via speakers, the typing noise can be annoying.

Software top

Settings are made via the Steelseries Engine 3. The software is intuitive and the setting options are numerous. You can adjust the RGB lighting or assign different functions to buttons. I've rarely been as impressed by a peripheral configuration tool as I am with Engine 3, so I have to give Steelseries a big thumbs up.

Good, but expensive

The Apex M750 is a good keyboard. Perfect for playing competitive games. But that's actually all it does. It is only suitable for office work to a limited extent. It also offers few extras for a keyboard in its price range.

For example, I miss a dedicated volume control. I'm used to that from keyboards in this price range. Just under 200 francs is not exactly cheap for a keyboard. One or two extra features would be nice.

Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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