Func KB-460 Gaming Keyboard

Testing:

At first when receiving the Func KB-460 I wasn't sure whether I would test out gaming keyboard on my main production system or one of many test systems at Phoronix. However, after handling the KB-460 I decided to try it out on my main system, and I'm glad I did and it's still in use there after several days of testing. Previous to the Func KB-460 I had been using the Razer Black Widow keyboard that also boasts mechanical switches and a very nice build quality. The KB-460 ended up exceeding my expectations while also being much quieter than the Razer keyboard.

While Func doesn't ship any OS X or Linux drivers, the KB-460 will work out just fine and be registered with the normal HID input driver. The Func KB-460 experienced no issues at all when using Ubuntu 13.10 with the Linux 3.11/3.12 kernels. It worked fine albeit without the profile switching support or other handy features provided by the Func Windows software. Fortunately, the multimedia hot keys (via Fn + F1 through F6 keys) did function on Ubuntu Linux without issue. When trying out the Fn + profile keys and viewing the generated input events using "xev", there were separate key codes generated but they aren't handled "out of the box" for any event on Ubuntu. As mentioned already, the keyboard backlight can be disabled using the Fn + 2 keys.

The amount of "gaming" I do is generally limited to testing out games with new graphics drivers / hardware or working on new Linux benchmarks out of games. When running few some Steam Linux games with the KB-460, it worked well and I have no complaints about the keyboard layout, positioning, or other factors. I prefer high-quality, gaming keyboards though on my main system due to the amount of typing I do: generally 80+ hours per week writing hundreds of articles per month and when writing generally doing so at around 100 words per minute. I also prefer a high quality keyboard not hit by n-key roll over limitations when it comes to programming, etc.

In my testing thus far while doing extensive writing (many Phoronix articles and news items) plus various programming for the Phoronix Test Suite and OpenBenchmarking.org, the KB-460 worked out very well. The KB-460 offered everything of the Razer Black Widow while being much quieter. I didn't encounter any instances of keys not being registered or other shortcomings aside from Func not having any Linux software.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day the Func KB-460 is a very well built and durable mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX Red switches. While there isn't any Func Linux software, it works just fine as a USB keyboard and I haven't encountered any issues. I will continue using the KB-460 as it's working great and is equally -- or more reliable -- to the Razer Black Widow while being significantly quieter. Whether you're interested in spending $100~120 USD on a PC keyboard is up to you, but if you decide to go with the Func KB-460, you shouldn't be disappointed in the purchase.