For today’s gaming keyboard review, I am checking out the Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard. One of the coolest aspects of this keyboard is the ability to switch from tactile, clicky or linear and smooth.
I have reviewed many gaming keyboards and typically, you choose from red (smooth/quiet), brown (moderate), blue (clicky loud noise), (Note: other brands have yellow, orange, green) but this one gives you the choice to utilize two different styles that works for you.
The Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard is 104 keys as there are some who absolutely need the numeric key, especially if they want to switch from gaming to work. And it offers full N-key rollover (and being 60 million keystroke rated).
The keyboard offers per-key backlighting and it can be customized or you can use one of the seven presets.
Now, the official website mentions you can customize with Acer QuarterMaster software, but finding this software, going through community discussions, it’s not easy. If anything, you can find QuarterMaster software released in 2019 and wonder, “Am I supposed to use this?”. And similar to the discussions which I saw in the community, QuarterMaster is not detecting the Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard (as of June 18, 2022), hopefully this will change with a pending update.
So, with that out of the way, here are my thoughts on this gaming keyboard.
Acer Predator is a popular gaming brand. And with bigger gaming brands, similar to sneakers, you pay for the brand. This is not limited to Acer but many other prominent name companies who specialize in the gaming hardware industry.
Acer’s Predator gaming line is one of the top brands from their Helios or Triton gaming laptops, their Orion towers and their popular X28/X38 gaming monitors. And when it comes to gear, you have the Cestus gaming mouse line and the Aetheon line.
The Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard is a mechanical, wired keyboard that features a removable wrist rest and as mentioned the ability to switch from tactile, clicky or linear and smooth.
The clicky is not blue key clicky but I would compare it with brown key. While the other is more red key. But I do find both to be to my liking when typing. In fact, I am typing this review, constantly going back and forth and if anything, I do like both. You can switch through the lever on the upper right and the color will change from red to blue, depending on which position the lever is pointed.
The lever has a textured volume roller around the lever to decrease/increase volume.
While QuarterMaster customization was not detecting the keyboard at the time of this review, I was able to switch to various presets via the Fn key and the ins, home, del, end, page up and page down keys above the arrow keys.
I do like the fact that the W, A, S and D keys have a metallic blue color but these key caps can be replaced depending on you, may it be PBT doubleshot keycaps, rubber key caps, etc.
I do like the heavier base and for the most part, the responsiveness of the keyboard.
While I primarily use a a ten keyless gaming keyboard, I actually will start using the Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard for gaming and work for awhile because I like the feel, the response and for the most part, I am liking this keyboard so far.
But the question that many will want to know is if it’s $200 worth it?
Having reviewed a plethora of gaming keyboards and seeing the quality go up with smaller gaming keyboard makers, it’s a competitive market. But while these smaller gaming keyboard makers sell theirs at under $100, let alone under $50-75, the big brand companies remain consistent in their pricing and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Do I recommend the Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard, yes I can definitely recommend it because I do like it. But the $200 pricepoint may be high for some gamers. Some who stand by the Predator gaming brand are surely going to buy this keyboard (or the 301 TKL).
But if price wasn’t a factor, I will say that I do like this keyboard a lot. Tested it on various games already and I do like the feel and response.
Aside from the QuarterMaster not working at this time and it being an expensive mechanical gaming keyboard, I’m not going to ding much points from my rating, because this is a solid keyboard.
The Acer Predator Aethon 700 Gaming Keyboard is recommended!
