be quiet! is therefore eyeing PC gamers, and those looking for high-performance, comfortable, and above all, ultra-quiet keyboards. Priced at €259.99, the Dark Mount is not a keyboard to be taken lightly. We are still talking about a gaming peripheral that immediately places itself at the top of the range with such a price. This is not a bad thing in itself, but the competition is fierce and some very big brands have already been established for many years. It remains to be seen if be quiet! has the ideas and, above all, the financial muscle to come and crash the party. Spoiler: the answer is yes, hands down.
The Dark Mount can be intimidating, but it is above all really accessible
Upon unboxing, the Dark Mount keyboard is seriously imposing; it's even rather intimidating, especially since it comes in a kit. The association with Mountain is immediately apparent. The keyboard is divided into several blocks that you can fit together as you see fit. There are several assembly options, and it all depends on each individual. Thus, there is a central block that makes up the classic keyboard and all its keys, but without the numeric keypad.
The latter is precisely one of the detachable elements that can be placed on the right or left side according to your wishes. Moreover, assembly and disassembly are done in no time. The notches are clearly visible, although remarkably well hidden by small magnetic plates so as not to be unsightly, and a small push button under the numeric keypad which will be used to pop out the USB-C socket on one side or the other. It is with this connection that we will associate it with the central block of the keyboard.
3-in-1 All-Terrain Keyboard
The numeric keypad also has all its keys obviously, but even more since it has a small HUB of eight customizable buttons similar to a Steam Deck. You can integrate all kinds of shortcuts, whether it's to manage your PC, streaming options, or launching certain applications. Finally, a third block is installed on the upper edge of the main keyboard. This is a media control module that's completely ordinary, but also more comprehensive. Here you can manage your profiles, keyboard brightness, or even media applications like Spotify, for example.
The icing on the cake, and we can clearly applaud it, is that there is absolutely no prior programming to do. Whether it's the shortcut buttons on the numeric keypad or the numerous options on the media block, everything is already calibrated and works perfectly as soon as the keyboard is connected. Finally, the software part will only be used to customize everything as you wish if you feel like it, but as it is, it's functional and more than enough for those who aren't used to rummaging around in software. Clearly, be quiet! did a nice job.
The Dark Mount is ultimately quite classic visually
In terms of pure design, even though the keyboard is atypical in its design, it remains very classic. RGB under each of the keys, an excellently finished aluminum casing, and small magnetic pads that can be stacked to change the tilt. We might have expected more little things, given that the Dark Mount looks a bit over the top when unboxing, but that's not the case. It's not a bad thing; it makes it relatively accessible and, above all, allows us to focus on the essentials.
The Dark Mount comes with a braided and reinforced USB-C cable to connect to the PC, as well as several pads and a pair of tweezers to remove keycaps and switches if necessary. A fully equipped kit, in short. It also comes with two excellently made wrist rests. One fits over the main keyboard, the other under the numeric keypad. Again, everything is magnetic, making it durable and easy to install and remove. Note that the coating of the wrist rests is quite surprisingly soft, clearly our hands are very comfortable.
An imposing keyboard, but also extremely comfortable. One of the best in its category
Unfortunately, all these little extras make the Dark Mount a clearly imposing keyboard. We're talking here a keyboard larger than any 100% when fully assembled. Whether it's modular or not doesn't change much, except that you'll be strongly advised to have a good amount of space to get the most out of it. Not to mention that in terms of handling, the numeric keypad is a little further away than on traditional keyboards, and you'll have to relearn how to tame your muscle reflexes. At first, the misfires will be regular. But that doesn't matter, if you have the space, and after a little time getting used to it, you'll have one of the most comfortable keyboards on the market right now in your hands, and without forcing it.
be quiet! is clearly flawless in terms of comfort. The keys are large and soft, coated with high-quality PBT, and we have to applaud this loud and clear since some very big brands don't take this risk for the French market. We haven't completely disassembled it, but the keyboard has several layers of silicone to ensure both optimal typing comfort and top-notch noise reduction. The result is clear; it works wonderfully.
The keyboard is extremely quiet, with a small, slightly high-pitched thud when you press it, but that's it. It's clearly one of the quietest I've tested in recent years. Not to mention that the keystroke is incredibly soft, barely resistant and very responsive. You can feel it cushioned when pressing, which is very pleasant. In game, the Dark Mount also shows excellent performance with a responsiveness to the hair and the possibility of customizing its key mapping of course.
A real lack of connectivity
Finally, the only thing we can criticize it for is its lack of connectivity. The Dark Mount is in fact limited to wired mode. There is no possibility of switching it to wireless mode, whether with a USB dongle or via Bluetooth. For sedentary PC gamers, this won't be a particular problem, except that you'll need to plan for some cable management. However, it won't be a problem for mobile gamers. In any case, the be quiet! Dark Mount is clearly not designed to be carried around. The keyboard still weighs more than a kilo, it is in several pieces and even if the box allows you to store everything perfectly, it is necessarily imposing and does not fit everywhere.
Technical characteristics:
- Model: Dark Mount
- Dimensions (H x W x D), (mm): 256 x 456 x 52
- Dimensions without wrist rest (W x L x H), (mm): 174 x 456 x 52
- Total weight: 1.5 kg +
- Weight without wrist rest: 1.35 Kg
- Switch type: be quiet! Silent Linear mechanical (also available in a tactile version)
- 5-pin switch support, Cherry MX form factor
- RGB backlighting
- FR layout, ISO layout
- Materials Aluminum top-plate, ABS bottom, PBT keycaps
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