Pros: -The switches are a joy to type on
-The backlight led's can provide some neat effects
- beautiful, brushed aluminum backplate
- Removable key caps make cleaning much easier
- Replacement gaming key caps are cool, even if slightly gimmicky
- Worked with linux mint 17 out of the box, including on-the-fly macro recording

Cons: -The associated software is far too big for what it does, and defaults itself to a start-up program on Windows, even though you only need to use it when you want to change settings.
-Can't see the caps- and scroll- lock indicators from a normal, seated position as they are covered up by the top row of the numpad
-The wrist rest's design is rather poor. It cuts in for, presumably, aesthetic reasons, but the cut lies just where one's right wrist would normally be resting, making typing harder on the wrist than it should be.

Other Thoughts: - The fins on the side make it rather larger than a regular keyboard, so double-check the dimensions if you're short on desk space
- It comes with a few bells and whistles that I haven't made much use of (usb and headphone pass-through, multimedia control buttons, etc.)
- This is my first mechanical keyboard, so I don't have much of a base for comparing this to other mechanicals, but the difference between this and a standard membrane keyboard is huge. I might have listed as a con that it really spoils you for other keyboards. I'm tempted to bring it to the office with me so I don't have to type on anything else.
- On my old membrane keyboard, I averaged about 60 wpm; I'm up to around 70 after switching to this keyboard, sometimes as high as 75.
- There seems to be some confusion on this point, but the led's for this keyboard are red, not rgb.

Manufacturer Response:

.
Hi Sean

Thank you for your G.Skill purchase and review. Glad to hear you like the form and functionality of the keyboard. Using genuine Cherry MX switches, typing can be much more enjoyable especially for long sessions. With the many features of this keyboard, each user can find comfort and convenience for daily use. This is a perfect item for a work office environment.

We sincerely appreciate the feedback you provided. We will make note of the issues you mentioned and possibly apply it to future models/revisions. One thing you should keep an eye out on is the G.Skill Download page for this product. Upgrades are frequently released to add features and functions, and all that information can be found on the G.Skill website. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/

Pros: G.Skill has been known for years for their excellent RAM kits, but recently they've ventured into the Gaming peripheral market, and the Ripjaws KM780 is an amazing first effort from this enthusiast brand.

G.Skill builds their line-up around the super popular mechanical Cherry MX switches; there are numerous which makes it a daunting decision for a novice, so I will do my best to simplify your decision-making process.

Do you want RGB Lighting? If Yes, you will want to go to the KM780 RGB section and this will cost you more money for this option. The default option on the KM780 MX line-up is RED ONLY.

What kind of switch do you want? The 3 offered by G.Skill are the 3 most popular for gaming, Brown, Red and Blue. Blue is the loudest and has an audible and tactile "click" that reminds many of old IBM or even typewriters. Brown has no "click" but has a tactile "bump" about halfway through the keystroke and will make an audible noise when the key bottoms out. Red has no tactile bump and has the least friction but still makes an audible noise when the key bottoms out. All mechanical keyboards will be noisier than rubber dome or chiclet style keyboards, so keep that in mind.

This review is of the Cherry MX Brown switches, which are the most popular because they provide some feedback when the key actuates. Personally I prefer the Red switches since there is less resistance when depressing the keys but this is all personal preference. There are many Pros of this keyboard that rival even industry stalwarts like Corsair and Logitech, I will mainly compare against Logitech since I am a self-professed Logitech fanboy.

+Amazing build quality. The keyboard is heavy duty and solid feeling. Ther keyboard has an industrial design with a beautiful brushed aluminum body. There's a G.Skill decal that will be immediately familiar to anyone who has bought their RAM kits and some nice piping trim along with some debossed accents on either side.

+Keys are flush to the body of the keyboard. This is a really nice feature and differentiator compared to Logitech, which have a "well" where all the keys sit. On the KM780, the switches are flush with the keyboard body and the keycaps are elevated above the keyboard body. This makes a huge difference when it comes to keeping your keyboard clean, especially if you have pets. Just a quick spray of compressed air will keep your keyboard clean!

+Braided and gold plated cable connectors. Really super high quality here, nice and long and wonderfully built.

+USB passthrough and Mic and Headset ports. There are cable inputs that extend the cable from the back of your PCs I/O plate to keep this all near the keyboard to keep your cabling nice and clean.

+Built-in Mouse Bungie- Again great attention to detail, Logitech used to offer stuff like this but have since stripped everything down. On one of the back rails, there is a little flip up clip that allows you to keep your mouse bungied which gives it some slack and reduces drag/resistance on the mouse itself. Great feature!!!!

+Wrist rest is enclosed. Its not completely solid, but it is finished on both the front and back and feels much more solid than many hollow backed wristrests. Texture is nice as well.

+Gaming keys. This version comes with gaming keys and a keycap removal tool that can be used to replace the standard key caps to help you find your FPS homekeys faster. Great for those who do a LOT Of gaming, although for standard users not sure how useful or desirable this is.

+Backlighting and key caps look excellent. Very clearly lit, all main function lights show up clearly on numpad and F keys. Remember, if you want something besides Red, you will want to pay the extra for the RGB.

+Standard media keys and 6 Gaming keys. No gaming keyboard is "complete" without these and both Corsair and Logitech, the originator of the Gaming keyboard have these features.

Cons: While the keyboard is excellent overall, there are a few cons that I found, nothing worth taking points off for.

-The software is not "universal" meaning the RGB and Red versions have different versions of software. The update did go off flawlessly however.

-The backlighting can be controlled, but the increments are not very granular and overall, the dimmest setting was still bright imo. From what I saw it only does 0/33/66/100 for intensity.

-While the wristrest is wonderful quality, it still uses the "pincer" style insertion which can break and it is built to be symmetrical which isn't that functional when your right hand is in the center of the keyboard when actually typing.

-The spacebar does not feel like the rest of the keys but most mech keyboards I have used have this same problem. There is just 1 mechanical key in the middle and 2 fake keys balancing it on either end. It would be nice if Cherry made a wider, more sturdy spacebar key.

-The gaming keys are comical imo, they are so exaggerated I could not see myself using them unless I ONLY used the keyboard for FPS gaming. The slopes of the keys are so extreme that you might bruise your fingers when typing WASD, its just weird imo. Obviously they are optional, I would be more inclined to use them for the "G keys" so my pinky knew instantly what they were hitting.

Other Thoughts: What can I say, I am incredibly impressed with G.Skill's first foray into the gaming keyboard market. They got pretty much everything right and even managed to beat some of the more well established industry stalwarts like Corsair and Logitech in some feature areas. Build quality is on par and maybe even better (the brushed alum is awesome!). Price is right as well, it is comparably priced against similar options from Logitech and Corsair.

Main thing is to do some homework first on the type of Cherry MX switch you prefer and if you want to pay more for the RGB featrure, and you should be all set!!!

Pros: Soft taps of the brown mx switches make this keyboard feel so nice.
The back lit keys are the perfect brightness.
Driver/utility installation is easy.
Haven't played to much with the customization yet but it looks very user friendly.

Cons: none.

Other Thoughts: I love this keyboard. It's definitely the right buy for a nice, red, back lit mechanical keyboard.

Pros: I purchased two of these keyboards as I was doing two separate builds. The build quality seems to be great, the keys feel natural, the switches are awesome. Lighting is great and adjustable.

Cons: As I said above, I purchased two of these keyboards. MAJOR problem is that BOTH of them failed within 3 weeks! The first one failed within a week. For no reason one key decided to keep inputting when it was not being pushed, then a second. There's no fix to this!
One week later the second keyboard began malfunctioning. I would boot up my system and the keyboard would only have a few random keys illuminated and only those keys would work. I tried a different USB slot and it worked again. A few days later it did it again, so I changed the port once more. A few more days go by and it does what the first keyboard did.. The left Ctrl, Backspace, and P key are inputting for no reason. That makes two for two, G.Skill! Either I'm extremely unlucky, or you made a critical error somewhere with your product.

Other Thoughts: Buyer Beware.

Manufacturer Response:

.
Hi Seth

Glad to hear you like the design and high quality build construction of the RIPJAWS Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. We will be glad to help you with the issues you are having. If the keyboard is strangely executing or inputting incorrect values, please check for the latest firmware and software versions. The software must match the specific firmware, so make sure they are not mix matched as that can cause strange problems. Visit the Official G.Skill web page for details. [direct link below] When experiencing illuminating problems or the need to re-plug, check if another USB port has the same result. You may need to tweak USB port settings in BIOS to accommodate the type of device being used. Some motherboards have ErP/EuP settings that can affect the keyboards functionality when power saving mode is enabled. So check these values, otherwise you should not have a problem with the keyboards. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/

External Link(s):

RIPJAWS KM780 MX Downloads|

Pros: feels good. looks good......when it works right

Cons: Problems with keys not lighting up at boot or some light some dont. have to unplug constantly. had to uninstall and reinstall software multiple times because it was causing the macro keys to program stuff of of no where. Id hit a random key and it would type a sentence i wrote hours earlier. much better keyboards out there. wish i would of bought a logitech instead.

Manufacturer Response:

.
Dear Customer

Glad to hear you like the appearance of the keyboard and it feels good. The RIPJAWS KM780 keyboard is designed for heavy duty gaming and long term use. The high quality build construction provides a solid feel that makes entries easy and comfortable to use. With many special features, you can customize the options exactly to your liking and preference. With regards to the lighting issue, please try different USB ports to see if it is consistent. Also, check BIOS USB and power saving settings such as ErP/EuP as they can affect the keyboard once the system is powered on/off. When experiencing strange software problems, check that you have the latest software that correlates to the firmware. Versions can not be mismatched as each firmware is designed with it's own software. If some keys are outputting incorrect values, load defaults and save to keyboard, then try again. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly. We are certain you can enjoy this awesome keyboard.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/

External Link(s):

RIPJAWS KM780 MX Downloads|

Pros: -cherry MX brown switches which are expensive have not missed a beat. love that sound!
-beautiful! brushed aluminum black anodized deck with nickel colored bead blasted wire frame.
-easy to press switches/keys but not so easy that you get no feedback.
-on the fly 3 levels of red intensity that illuminated every key.
-a usb connection on the back of the keyboard for convenience.
-heavy cabling and quality connectors.
-windows 7 automatically setup the awesome volume control wheel on the top right that i just love!
-3 macro program keys.
-built like a tank, i have a feeling this will last me years not a couple months like other keyboards.

Cons: the only thing i don't like is the placement of the cap/number and scroll lock indicators. i can't see them and they should have been placed above the volume leds.

Other Thoughts: really surprised how much i like this. thanks g.skill for sending me this free for review!

Pros: Great keyboard and design. All keys work. Nice extras.

Cons: Sometimes I have to replug in the keyboard because it didn't register, or only a few keys register, however this is rare.

Manufacturer Response:

.
Dear Customer

Thank you for your G.Skill purchase and review. Glad to hear you like the keyboard design and it is working well. There are many special features to this keyboard you will find useful and many options to customize based on your preference. With the G.Skill Unified Driver System (GUDS), each key output and lighting can be set to it's own custom value. Once saved to the on-board keyboard memory, the settings are retained even if the device is unplugged and moved to another system. The GUDS is not required for the keyboard to work with custom values. Keep an eye out on the Official G.Skill Download page for the latest updates. Revisions will be released to improve the functionality and form of the software. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/

External Link(s):

Official G.Skill Download page|

Pros: Looks durable

Cons: After a few months of normal use, it stopped maintaining a connection to the PC. Eventually it stopped staying connected whatsoever--
USB ports all function properly; the OEM keyboard it replaced has been dusted off and is back in service.

Manufacturer Response:

.
Hi Nathan

We are sorry to hear you are having a problem with the RIPJAWS Gaming keyboard. If you are experiencing connection issues and believe it may be a problem with the keyboard, send it in for RMA exchange and a replacement should work much better. All RIPJAWS Mechanical Gaming keyboards are backed by a 2 year manufacturer warranty, so at any time you feel there is a problem, send it in and we can have a new one out to you immediately. Visit the G.Skill website for complete RMA procedure. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/

External Link(s):

G.Skill RMA procedure|

Pros: -Great Aesthetics
-Fully Customizable
-Great Feel
-Extremely Responsive
-Macro Recording
-Audio Control

Cons: -Didn't need to come with the extra keys...

Other Thoughts: The immediate look and feel to this keyboard is great. The "railing" around the board looks great to me, and I love the angular cuts around this board. The keys are exactly as you expect from Cherry MX Brown switches, extremely responsive and easy to press. The macros on the right are great for my MMO's and the easy access to the profiles along the top left is nice to have as well. The software allows you to light up individual keys, change speed of lighting effects, includes 7 or 8 effects to start, and because of this I say they didn't need to include the extra keys in the box... Nice to have, but I will not be using them because I set up a profile to have my game specific keys lit up. The volume control is very precise, and I really just can't get over how great this keyboard looks in person. I thought it was nice online, but once you unbox it it really provides a great visual aesthetic that I just can't get over. My fiance' stole the one I purchased a few days ago so I will be purchasing another shortly.

Pros: This is a very solidly built keybaod with nice feel.

Cons: The "A" key stopped working after a month.
Software was not very good as sometimes the keyboard was not recognized by windows.
Had to RMA....waiting, waiting waiting

Manufacturer Response:

.
Hi Carl

Glad to hear you like the solid feel of the keyboard. The build quality and quality of components used is second to none. This is a top of the line keyboard with a unique design and special features unlike any other. It is strange a key stopped working, but don't worry, you are backed by a 2-year manufacturer warranty so we can send you a new replacement right away. Visit the G.Skill website for complete RMA procedure. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/