EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Final Thoughts

EVGA sat on the Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for years and now that it has finally been released, I am glad that EVGA didn’t just let it die off and end up as vaporware. The Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a well-built unit with some solid features, but the style and design choice are definitely going to be limiting factors. I really like the overall experience provided by the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, as it offers an excellent user experience with some relevant features that appeal to gamers. Typing and gaming on the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard really had me loving the Kailh Brown switch and EVGA did the right thing by outfitting this keyboard with these switches, as they compare very well to the MX Brown. Heck, I might even like the Kailh Brown switch more than the Cherry MX Brown, though it would certainly be nice to try them both out on the same keyboard frame to get a true comparison between the two. The layout of the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard was really practical, with proper key spacing across the keyboard and macro buttons in practical locations. The adjustable wrist-rest of the EVGA Z10 was done well and provided a very comfortable experience when compared to the wrist rests you get with Corsair keyboards and the like. The ability to program each key on the Z10 Mechnical Gaming Keyboard through the EVGA Unleash Software was a welcome feature and for being new software, EVGA Unleashed worked pretty well, though EVGA should do a better job of labeling sections of the software.

The LCD screen of the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, while certainly looking cool and reminding me of one of my favorite keyboards of yesteryear, the Logitech G15, is largely a gimmick that went unused by myself. The ability to display time and date information on your keyboard is neat, as is the ability to display information from Precision X, but I just don’t find this functionality necessary and never once did I turn to the keyboard LCD out of necessity during a gaming session or general use. I feel like Logitech did a better version of this screen with their G19, as you could program that screen to do some interesting stuff and even play Youtube videos. That was ten years ago and I feel like EVGA has put an LCD on their keyboard while not taking the technology that was available so long ago and bringing it forward. With Twitch and Discord being so popular, it would have been nice to see the screen capable of doing integration with those programs. I understand wanting to add cool features and be different, but this LCD screen is likely adding a price premium to the Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, while not being a feature that many people truly desire. The red LED backlighting of the Z10 Mechnical Gaming Keyboard looked good and uniform, reflecting slightly off of the back plate and key caps, but limiting the keyboard to just red lighting at a $149.99 price point isn’t going to cut it in 2018.

The EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard has a great build quality to it and the typing experience is excellent, but the design just seems to be stuck in the past, with a single-color lighting scheme and LCD of limited use. If you are an EVGA fan who has been anticipating this keyboard, or just a consumer looking for a unique new gaming keyboard with solid build quality and some interesting features, I can definitely recommend the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard at $149.99, especially since it includes a pretty good free mouse when you buy it directly from EVGA, the EVGA Torq X10. For users who want something with more of a minimalist design, featuring RGB lighting and quality switches from Cherry MX or Omron, I fully recommend either the Corsair K70 LUX RGB ($129.99 on Amazon) or the Logitech G513 (review coming soon, $149.99 at Amazon) both of which offer solid build quality, RGB lighting and USB pass thru.

The EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard sports a unique design, solid build quality and surprisingly good Kailh switches, along with some very useful features for PC gamers. Unfortunately, the single-color lighting scheme of the Z10 is a few steps behind given the RGB offerings from various manufacturers. The$149.99 price point of the Z10 is slightly high given what EVGA is offering as a total package, but that is the MSRP and I am sure we’ll see this keyboard settle in price to a more friendly territory. Still, I totally recommend the EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard to users who dig the style and find the features useful, as despite a lack of RGB lighting and Genuine Cherry MX switches, it’s an absolute joy to use throughout the day.

Legit Bottom Line: The EVGA Z10 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is well-built and an absolute joy to use, but the red and black color scheme paired with the overall design scream “2005.”