Finally, after a long wait, we were able to get our hands on Mountain Everest Max gaming keyboard and we talk about it in the our review. It is a decidedly inviting product, in particular for one detail: being modulate. What does it mean? It means you will have one available 101% full keyboard, but which you can also use at only 60%. The product, in fact, consists of a keyboard with layout TKL, for an numeric keypad with four additional keys, one media dock and Wrist Rest. All elements separated from each other, which can be easily combined to have a more than complete product. Are you curious to see how it behaves? Without too much ado, therefore, let's go into the details with our review of Mountain Everest Max.
Mountain Everest Max review: everything and more
During the our Mountain Everest Max review, we were struck by every little detail, starting with its packaging. We were amazed to see it arrive, as we did not believe it was a keyboard: the box is big and heavy. The keyboard is housed in the upper part, while the various drawers containing all the accessories are located in the lower part.
Once the amazement for the packaging is over, it's time to pick it up and evaluate its solidity. The first impression is excellent: the Mountain Everest Max immediately seems very robust to us. The keyboard is composed of a metal plate a little particular; consists from two plates within which a Diffused LED via a small plastic cover. The lower part, on the other hand, is made of plastic and has a good space for the routing of cables.
As regards the layout, as mentioned at the beginning of our review, the Mountain Everest Max, presents a reduced one, TKL. In addition, however, in the package, we find the number keypad, with four extra macro keys. The colors available are Gunmetal Gray and Midnight Black, both very sober and clean. It all crowns a beautiful one RGB LED lighting manageable both through the keyboard itself and through Base Camp, Mountain's management software. Different effects and customizations are available, moreover, the transparency of the two metal plates makes the diffusion of light even more particular.
La keyboard is height adjustable with different levels, but unlike other similar products, it does not have plastic tilting feet, but magnetic feet. Despite not being glued together, the attraction is strong enough to keep them in place. I didn't encounter any problems while writing, while I have to be honest, there were some small movements during the intensive game.
What switches do we mount?
The version we tested has some switch Cherry MX rossi, but you can also buy the keyboard with variants brown o blu at the same price. Alternatively it is also available in versions Silent Red e Speed Silver for a cost of 10 € more. THE keycap are made of plastic ABS, very smooth and pleasant to the touch, as well as quite resistant. There is also the possibility of purchasing keycap in PBT directly on the site.
Another very interesting feature is thehot swap, that is the possibility of replacing one's own switches without particular effort. We can replace the Cherry MX Reds with any other switch, simply by removing the switches and inserting others. There is no welding, therefore, the process can be done by anyone. Really handy in case you have to screw up a switch. In the package there are also different switches, one for each type, so you can feel the feeling.
The strong point is modularity
La real gem of this Mountain Everest Max, however, is its modularity. We talked about it at the beginning of our review and now let's get into a little more detail. As mentioned, despite the keyboard featuring a basic TKL layout, it achieves its own completezza thanks to a whole range of accessories. The first is a simple magnetic palm rest, comfortable and functional. The second, on the other hand, is the modular numeric keypad. It is a functional accessory, equipped not only with the classic keys, but with four extra macro keys. These are very similar to the keys on the Stream Deck, transparent, glossy and LED illuminated. It is possible not only to customize the associated functions, but also the image that appears on the small screen.
The numeric keypad connects to the keyboard through a USB-C port and can be placed on the right or left, without differences. This is certainly an interesting and pleasant function that allows you to have a great deal of freedom in the composition. This can also be even more convenient for left-handers who generally place the mouse on the opposite side to right-handers.
The last accessory supplied is the multimedia dock, which can also be connected via the USB-C port. This is a small bar that features some physical buttons and a wheel with a large display. This features a color IPS screen that allows us to view the main selectable functions. The physical keys have direct access to classic multimedia functions, such as volume increase / decrease, start a track and so on. Among the functions on the display we can adjust and change the LEDs or we can view some characteristics of our computer, such as the use of RAM, or the CPU.
Mountain Everest Max review: feature packed thanks to Base Camp
Although many of the features, especially related to lighting, can be managed through the multimedia dock, the headboard is fully programmable through the management software. During our review of the Mountain Everest Max, therefore, we dived a bit into the interior of Base Camp, management softwareAnd. Inside we find all the information relating to our peripheral and all the functions that we can attribute to it. First of all we find a section where to manage all the RGB LED lighting, from color to effects. In common with other similar products, you can select the speed of each individual effect, or customize the colors of the keys independently. We can also adjust the brightness which, in my opinion, is very good: sufficiently high and well distributed.
In addition to lighting management, we can handle all assigned functions and macros to the individual keys. We can program shortcuts on the number pad and change key icons with the mini display. The program is quite simple to manage and you don't need any special skills to become familiar with it.
We are ready to tell you about his performances
After telling you far and wide about the aesthetic features, it's now time to push our Mountain Everest Max review to the side of the performance. To test all of his abilities we took her with us to the Battlefield fields and then relaxed together in writing some articles. First impact? Perfect. The keyboard is solid and sturdy, proof against our every keystroke. Among the technical features we find a 1000 Hz polling, an N-Key rollover system for anti-ghosting and red base switches.
During our games we never felt a lack or an inefficiency: every key pressed was matched by an action in the game. All fast, precise and functional. Perfect not only the switches, which we now know really well, but also the stabilization of the same. Then the functions for the numeric keypad were excellent, which also helped me a lot during the management of live performances and OBS. Yes, because after the latest update, keyboard and software are fully compatible with OBS too. A perfect synergy for those who need to stream.
Mountain Everest Max review: is that a yes?
Having reached the final stages of the our Mountain Everest Max review, we can say with certainty that it is a yes. The keyboard is really excellent from every point of view: complete, versatile and robust. It performs great in game, adapts to writing and is fully customizable. The price is not the lowest, let's talk about €250 for the most complete version. It is also possible to buy the version with the ITA layout, without price differences. Although we are aware that this is an extremely expensive product, we can be more than satisfied with its quality.
