| Thermaltake Challenger Pro Gaming Keyboard |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices | |
| Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst | |
| Thursday, 06 January 2011 | |
Thermaltake Challenger Pro Gaming KeyboardThe gaming peripheral market is rife with interesting innovations, some more of a gimmick than useful but still very nice to look at. Today, Benchmark Reviews brings you the Thermaltake Challenger Pro Gaming Keyboard P/N KB-CHP001US. The Challenger Pro has some interesting features worthy of notice but also has a few gimmicks to spruce it up a bit and attract more attention. The LED backlights not only light up the keys but they also light between the keys for a nice effect, the WASD and arrow keys have red replacements and there are also two blanking keys to replace the windows keys, should you choose to use them. There are two USB 2.0 ports in the back to facilitate extra devices and there are also two special points at the top of the keyboard to mount a small hand cooling fan. There are six media keys present and 64KB of onboard memory allows you to store up to 40 macro functions via four profiles on ten macro buttons. The Challenger Pro will work just fine without installing the provided software but you won't have access to certain features such as macro assignment and editing, and full backlight control.
The Thermaltake Challenger Pro has flat low profile keys that make for faster key presses but also makes it easier to push the neighbouring keys aswell. the function keys have been made smaller to make way for the additional media keys and the macro keys at either side of the keyboard make the Challenger Pro slightly longer than normal keyboards. The shape and design are quite aesthetically pleasing and the price isn't too bad. If this is the sort of keyboard you have been looking for then read on to find out if it has what it takes as we test it in a variety of games and applications.
Manufacturer: Thermaltake, Inc. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Thermaltake Features and SpecificationsKeyboard Specification
Hand Cooling Fan Specification
Closer Look: Thermaltake Challenger ProIn this section we are going to look at the Thermaltake Challenger Pro and get our initial opinion.
The box has a nice picture of the keyboard on the front that saves you having to open it up and have a look inside to get a glimpse. Also on the front of the box are the main interesting features of the Challenger Pro
Opening the box is back to front, if you do open it you are presented with this. It is all the main features and specifications of the Challenger Pro and also gives you a glimpse of the software side of things along with instructions on how to use it. This is a rather good idea and means you don't need to dig around for the instruction manual as it is all here.
It is always nice when manufacturers go the extra mile with their products and give you something you wouldn't expect to find, in this case the keyboard comes packaged in a cloth bag. Not really necessary but nice all the same, it just makes the purchase feel all the more worth it.
Bundled with the Challenger Pro you get a multi language user manual and software CD, a detachable 2m braided USB cable, a 30mm hand cooling fan, replacement red WASD and arrow keys, blanks to replace the windows keys and a key removal tool. All these parts come in two nice little baggies to keep them together while packed.
The Challenger Pro is very futuristic looking keyboard and thank heavens that it keeps the standard key layout, with exception to the function keys that have shrunk to make way for the six media keys (top right) and the illumination control and profile switch keys. The macro keys are located nicely so they are within reach for those that like to use them and also not intruding on those that don't necesarily use them.
At the top left and right of the keyboard are locations to plug in the small hand cooling fan. The port is blanked by a small rubber piece that needs to be removed, unfortunately there is nowhere to store this rubber piece and it can easily be lost if you don't replace it when you are done using the fan.
Here is the fan in place, by design you can twist it to face any direction you like dependant on where you have your hand. The airflow is nothing to boast about and you could probably cool your hand better by blowing on it than by using this fan, you have to literally put your hand within millimeters of the fan to get any cooling benefit. Much like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Nice idea just poor execution.
The fan has a hole it can be put in when it isn't being used which is a nice idea and saves you from throwing it away, ahem, losing it. Wink Wink. Thermaltake Challenger Pro Detailed FeaturesLet's take a detailed look at the Challenger Pro's features.
The Challenger Pro isn't a very heavy keyboard but it is well constructed and rigid, the design of the underside strengthens the structure and gives extra rigidity. There are four rubber feet to stop the keyboard sliding around and also two height adjusting foldout feet, I am not a big fan of these foldout feet as they tend to break off rather easy but in this case they seem strong enough, I guess only time will tell.
The cable on the Challenger Pro can be routed off to the side dependant on your needs although you only have one option with regards to direction. Another good idea that was poorly executed.
A closer look here at the folding height adjusting feet, as I have mentioned before I am not a big fan of these as they tend to break really easily although the design used here is a little bit stronger and was able to take a bit of stress but not a lot.
On the right hand side are your first five macro keys, they are quite spaced out and if they were closer together then you could possibly get another two in.
Same story on the right with the other five macro keys. The inlaid plastic around the macro keys is glossy which adds to the nice look of the challenger Pro.
The status LED's are located in the top center of the keyboard, the standard NUM, CAPS and SCROLL lock status are indicated by an LED next to their icon. The 123 icon on the right displays which profile you have activated represented by a different color for each profile: 1 - red, 2 - green, 3 - blue and 4 - purple. You can cycle through the profiles using a pre defined (123) key on the far right of the keyboard.
The Challenger Pro has two built in USB 2.0 ports that allow you to connect extra devices, although as the sticker states each port can only support a max of 100mA power consumption so before connecting a device just check how much power it requires.
Another interesting feature of the Challenger Pro keyboard is the addition of replacement red keys, these can be seen in the images above and below. These keys give the Challenger Pro a unique look but any gamer will all ready know where the WASD and arrow keys are located and should be able to find them without looking.
In the next section we will look at the software user interface and the lighting effects of the Challenger Pro. Software and EffectsTo gain full control of the Challenger Pro keyboard you must first install the user interface software, I have noticed a couple of bugs that need resolving though. Firstly, every time windows loads the lighting controls are set to default which means that the Tt logo is illuminated and the backlight is at 100%. Secondly, each time you load the user interface all the lights go out and need to be activated again, small annoyances but they are there all the same. Really the software should remember your lighting preferences The user interface is easy to navigate without instructions, across the top the four profiles are separated into tabs, on the right you can control the lights on the keyboard (backlight and Tt logo). Below the lighting control is a timer, supposedly for timing your gaming sessions or in my case, how long till Call of Duty Black Ops crashes again.
Below the session timer you have three buttons, one to save your profile set from the user interface to your computer, one to load a profile set from your computer to the user interface and then finally a button to upload the current settings to the keyboard's onboard memory. To the left are the macro keys, each key has a drop down box from which you can select pre defined commands (cut, copy, paste, undo, all, find, new, print, save, launch and macro). The first nine functions are commonly used functions and it's nice to see them pre made. Also very useful is the launch option that when selected prompts you to specify an application that you would like to be launched by that key. Selecting macro opens the following window...
Pretty self explanatory and once again easy to navigate. Recording macros takes only seconds and they can be edited when done as well. You have the option to save your macros to your computer and to load any macros you may have on your computer.
By default the Tt logo is illuminated and can be quite annoying, it is good for when you want to show off but is otherwise not really needed so I like to turn it off..
The illumination effect is quite nice and not too bright, the backlight has 3 levels of illumination (low, medium and high) in the image above the level is set to high. You are also able to turn off illumination, this can be done either in the user interface or by pressing a special key on the keyboard situated on the far right of the keyboard next to the profile select button. Testing & ResultsTesting MethodologyTesting an input device is simple, all one needs to do is use it, unfortunately there are no quantative benchmarks to run, no numbers to compare, and no software used that can test the quality of the hardware. Testing an input device like the Thermaltake Challenger Pro Gaming Keyboard is going to be based around personal opinion and preference. For instance, I really like the effect of the backlight around the keys, but this might not be to everyone's taste. In this section I will present my unbiased opinion with regards to the use and operation of the Challenger Pro and report back any improvement benefiting directly by its use in various games and programs listed below. Your mileage may vary slightly and as such this should be taken as a guide only. Test System
Software Tested
ResultsI have been using the Thermaltake Challenger Pro for around two weeks now and prior to using it I was using a Steelseries 6Gv2 mechanical keyboard, because of this I was aware of how inferior a regular keyboard can be compared to a mechanical keyboard when it comes to typing. When it comes to gaming though there isn't really a difference. The keys are low profile and have a short travel distance which makes for an acceptable gaming experience. The macro keys proved more useful for launching programs rather than controlling them for me, but if you use or could benefit from macros more than me then you can't ignore the capability of the Challenger Pro keyboard as you can have up to 40 macros at your fingertips. The main problem I have with this keyboard is apparent when I am typing, maybe it's the adjustment period of the keyboard or maybe it's just me, but I find myself also hitting the keys next to the keys I intend to press which results in a lot of typo's, Caps Lock is the most frequent which is never good when typing. It's not so much now so I guess I am getting used to the keyboard. Also I have to note the issue of the software that I pointed out earlier in the review, when windows starts all of the lights are on regardless of the settings in software, then when I start the software for the challenger Pro all of the lights go out and need to be reactivated. These are real minor points but can still be quite annoying. Thermaltake Challenger Pro Final ThoughtsI would like to use this section to express a view about a trend that has been steadily evolving, I hope a lot of others may share my views about the subject, and that is products that are designed for gamers. To kick start this viewpoint we need to rewind time a little, back to the days before the likes of SteelSeries, Razer, Choixx and Roccat etc ever made gaming peripherals. What were people using to play games before these companies created their revolutionary 'must have' devices?? A short answer is anything that they could get their hands on. Before the days of optical or laser sensors we had to bear the trackball mice and although the IBM model M and other similar mechanical keyboards were around, I'm pretty sure they weren't touted as 'gaming' keyboards. No, we used regular keyboards but people still had significant advantage over others, it wasn't until cyber sports had become popular that these gaming peripheral companies were founded. It's hard to look at a motherboards and memory and CPU's and read the words 'created for gamers' in the features list, the only piece of hardware that is truly designed for gamers are graphics cards surely. We have reached a stage now where the words 'created for gamers' are becoming a little over used, or used purely as marketing to sell a product to a wider market. Gaming mice are making large strides to becoming a whole lot more responsive and feature rich but I can't really see any new innovations that can make any new product individual any more. Most gaming keyboards are a joke with their backlit keys for improved visibility and LCD panels for additional info, sure macro keys are great but when using them in games doesn't it kind of feel like cheating a little? I remember playing Need for Speed: Porsche Challenge on the PS1 and found a little glitch when playing a wager mode between two players, it was possible to load the same car for both players by cloning the memory card. The end result was that I won my own car several times and was able to sell it over and over again and earn a large amount of cash and was able to buy the best car available, which was good for all of one hour and kind of killed the game as I now had nothing to aim towards.
Sure today's games have evolved a lot and we now have the multiplayer aspect to contend with, so now we are pitching ourselves against each other and we need to find that competitive edge. Sure that 5600dpi mouse and that LED backlit keyboard may give you a slight advantage but when it comes down to it nothing comes close to raw skill. My first taste of multiplayer action was in the form of Americas Army, when I started I was rubbish, first I thought it was my RAM holding me back so I upgraded that but no difference was seen. Next I decided to upgrade my CPU but it was the same story. It was then that I upgraded my flailing MX440 Video Card to a more suitable ATI Radeon X800 XT and the difference was immediately apparent. It wasn't until I destroyed my mouse in a fit of rage that I bought into the whole gaming peripheral market ideal in the form of a Razer Krait 1600dpi gaming mouse, which made little difference to my gameplay when compared to the improvement gained from buying that X800 XT Video Card. It wasn't until I learned to watch shadows and listen for footsteps and learn different aspects and routes of maps that I could call myself good. Also being part of a gaming clan and communicating via teamspeak improved my gameplay a lot more than any peripheral ever has. I don't intend to start a mission to debunk the entire gaming peripheral market segment as there are products out there that really do make a difference, but at the end of the day you need to understand that a particular input device won't transform you into a pro-gamer overnight and you can also become 'pro' without the use of one of these devices so long as you have good hardware that is related directly to games. I'm talking now about Video and Sound cards that are able to recreate your game of choice with high details because at the end of the day your main weapons are ultimately your senses and your reaction time, skills that are developed over time. This brings me back now to my opening statement, what are you looking for in a gaming keyboard? Hopefully I have been able to put some things into perspective. Thermaltake Challenger Pro ConclusionIn this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the Thermaltake Challenger Pro Gaming Keyboard a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that it is better or worse than a similar gaming keyboard that has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the keyboard is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself. Performance is good and there is no cause for complaint, the keyboard does not make you a better gamer but the red keys will help those who may be new to PC gaming to find their way around a keyboard. The appearance of the Challenger Pro is going to get mixed ratings, due to the graphical nature of this review you can easily make up your own mind. The Challenger Pro is following the tried and tested red and black gaming theme that is always popular with the masses, Thermaltake have managed to pull it off and have designed a very aesthetically pleasing keyboard. You can control the lighting which is handy for when the novelty wears off. The Challenger Pro is a little heavier than your standard keyboard but not by much, it looks and feels very well constructed (even the folding feet). The detachable braided cord is a nice touch but a little OTT as I have never had a keyboard that has suffered damage to its cord before. Functionality is mainly good with the Challenger Pro, the media keys are a nice addition and the blanks for the windows keys are a blessing for an FPS gamer such as myself. The red replacement keys are a bit of a gimmick but if you want to show off then by all means throw them on, after all if you are looking at the keyboard when you are gaming then you won't see the screen. The logo and backlights are an interesting feature but I'm just glad they can be turned off as the logo is quite bright and really doesn't need to glow. The cable routing could have been executed better like having the option to go to the left or the right dependant on your setup, as it is you can only slightly offset the cable to the left and this has no real benefit whatsoever. The Thermaltake Challenger Pro will set you back $55.99 at Newegg.com. This is a reasonable price considering the alternatives and also considering the overall presentation of the whole package. I would only recommend this keyboard to someone who needs or wants the extra features offered by the challenger Pro, otherwise just go old school and get a regular keyboard and spend the money elsewhere. Pros:
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