Question 1

Is it backlit?

Accepted Answer

No.  It's basically just a plain keyboard.  The only lights are the various "Locks".

Question 2

Is it compatible with mac?

Accepted Answer

Hey Anton, To use with Mac restart with keyboard plugged in. An  identification program window comes up push continue. It asks you to push a key by the shift key on the left then the right. Then it asks for compatibility choose ISO (European). [Do not choose ANSI] after that it is good to go. I did not check to see if any features are disabled but the usual things work well.

Question 3

It appears many people are having problems with the USB port. How well does the PS/2 port work?

Accepted Answer

Hello, the issue people are referring to is the actual USB port on the back side of the keyboard. Both the USB to Mini USB, and PS/2 to USB both go in that one port. Running PS/2 will give proper Full key roll over where as the USB to USB will restrict it. I have had mine for a long time and have never had the issue those have explained. I also have my cable strapped down and my keyboard on a keyboard tray so the cable is always out of reach from being accidentally yanked on as well enough slack to prevent pressure from building. I had one friend who had the issue after I recommended it and Newegg replaced it instantly and he has had his for almost a year now without any issues. It was most likely a bad batch but since then it seems the issue has been resolved.

Question 4

For the keyboard, does the f11 and f12 key work as volume up and down? Pretty much all of the fn keys, do they work as media keys? If not, could you tell me how to get them to?

Accepted Answer

They are do not work as media keys as there is no modifier to enable that functionality. There is probably some third party tool which would allow you to to map some keypress combinations to do this, but it is not supported by the hardware itself.

Question 5

For the keyboard, does the f11 and f12 key work as volume up and down? Pretty much all of the fn keys, do they work as media keys? If not, could you tell me how to get them to?

Accepted Answer

This is about the most barebones, no thrills mechanical keyboard you can get on the market. There are no media keys, Hence it's cheap price. As far as a way to Get them to, I'm sure there is. But it would most likely involve cracking open the casing to solder in some extra bits and pieces onto the board. There could also be a way to remap the layout and add your own media functions, but it could screw with the drivers.  Doing either will void the warranty. If you are looking for a mechanical keyboard with media keys, this is not the board for you.

Question 6

I guess I'm naive about different categories of Key Switches.  So much focus on Cherry Blue \ Black in the nomenclature sure led me to believe this keyboard was lighted; also, why can't I even get the 'backspace' key to delete?  That's how much I know about keyboarding on this RK-9000BL...  I is a an easy keyboard to use otherwise.

Accepted Answer

I believe that the "BL" was in reference to the Cherry BLue switches.  However, if you don't mind a bit of noise (the Blues are known for being a bit noisy), the feel of the keyboard is wonderful.  Insofar as not being able to get the backspace key to delete (the previous character, I assume), that could be a defective switch, though that seems somewhat unlikely.

Note that the keyboard is NOT necessarily a good one for gaming -- they Blues are best for typing -- though some prefer the lighter (and quieter) feel of the browns.  If you do a google search for "feel of cherry blue brown keys", the 2nd page of results had some good links about the different switch types at superuser, techreport, daskeyboard, furiouspaul.

taugrim had some info about use of o-rings to quiet down the blues.

Hopefully that give you a start on your hunt for the perfect keyboard.

BTW, I believe that some of the other (more expensive) Rosewill keyboards come with backlighting (but, that isn't something that I care about particularly much, so I can't offer you much there -- though the Cooler Master CM Storm / Quickfire Pro (one of my "Cherry Brown" mechanical switch keyboards) has some interesting control over backlighting and other things).

Question 7

Does this support Windows 8?

Accepted Answer

Yes.

Keyboard Interface	USB or PS/2
Design Style	Gaming
Palm Rest	No
Normal Keys	104
Mechanical Keyboard	Yes
Key Switch	Blue Cherry MX
Keyboard Color	Black
Dimensions	1.52" x 17.32" x 5.43" (H x W x D)
Type	Wired

Operating System Supported	Microsoft ME/ 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7
System Requirement	USB Port or PS/2 Port

Rosewill RK-9000 - Mechanical Keyboard - Cherry MX Blue Switches

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Model
Brand	Rosewill
Model	RK-9000

Item#: N82E16823201040