The Glorious PC Gaming Race GMMK-BRN Modular Mechanical Keyboard Review
by E. Fylladitakis on November 1, 2016 10:00 AM EST
The popularity of mechanical keyboards has been rising sharply during the last few years, leading not only to the release of new keyboards from almost every company that is involved in the production of PC hardware, but to the emergence of many startup companies as well. This however has saturated the market, with very few new products actually bringing new, innovative features into the quickly maturing market. Most of the companies are nowadays trying to compete in terms of physical design and aesthetics.
One of the newest startup companies that entered the world of PC gaming peripherals is Glorious PC Gaming Race LLC. The company was founded in 2014 - their name intentionally paying homage to Reddit's popular PC Master Race gaming community - with the purpose of delivering high quality but competitively priced gaming peripherals for the aforementioned enthusiast PC gaming user base. Glorious PC Gaming Race LLC is based in Utah, USA.
In this review we will be having a look at the GMMK-BRN Modular Mechanical Keyboard, the first and only mechanical keyboard that Glorious is currently producing. While the keyboard looks very simplistic at first sight, it is capable of having its switches removed and replaced by the user. This is only the second keyboard that we have seen making use of this feature after the Epicgear Defiant, and there is a major difference: Glorious PC Gaming Race claims that any Cherry MX switch, original or clone, can be used with the GMMK-BRN, not just their own.
Packaging & Bundle
Glorious PC Gaming Race supplies the GMMK-BRN in a simple cardboard box. The artistic theme is black and white, focused on a schematic of the keyboard and highlighting its most important feature: the modular switches. It is a very sturdy box and polystyrene foam slabs protect the keyboard inside it, ensuring safe shipping
Inside the box we found a basic user’s guide, a guide on how to replace the switches (which, strangely, is also included in the main guide anyway), a round sticker, a metallic switch puller and a standard ESC keycap.
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kbhakta - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
AnandTech you're go to source for mechanical keyboard reviews. Can't wait to tune in next week, for yet another mechanical keyboard review.dave_the_nerd - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
Did a company really just name itself a sanitized version of r/pcmasterrace/ ?Death666Angel - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
This was started by Yahtzee, not Reddit users.Lord of the Bored - Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - link
That can't be right. Reddit invents everything.dsumanik - Thursday, November 3, 2016 - link
Lol @ kbhaktaIKR ... mechanical keyboard reviews pumped out 3 times a week, but months for major industry wide announcements
On a side note the amount of food crumbs, pubes and pizza grease that will creep underneath this keyboard's keys is truly frightening!
BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
It's pretty clever marketing actually. PC gamers are a very diverse group of people from all walks of life that don't always understand how commonplace their hobby really is these days. Some of them might feel lost or disassociated as a result. A company named this way might be an excellent way to give them a sense of uniqueness in much the same way outrageous fashion choices make someone feel special even though it often just moves them from one categorical classification to another in the minds of outside observers.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
I grabbed this keyboard on Massdrop with the thought of getting back into gaming. I was looking for something with Gateron reds, but reviews suggested that others in my position found the browns to be perfectly fine for gaming, which is an opinion I agree with 100%. The review states that the Gateron Browns are a direct clone of the MX ones, but I think the bump is much closer to the top of the key travel, and the "linearness" of the Gateron Browns is more than satisfactory for gaming.This keyboard "replaces" my Code Green, which is not great for gaming in my experience. I break the Code out when I have a lot of typing to do, but this keyboard is perfectly acceptable for day-to-day messaging and Facebooking and such. I didn't really realize how heavy Greens are until I started using Browns; I'm wondering if the Browns might actually be better for RSI. We'll see.
My one complaint is the way the Winlock switch works. The key is dark when the Windows key is active, and light when it's disabled, and I REALLY WISH it was the other way around. So far I have not found any combination of function keys that changes that behavior. There is a mode that lets you choose which keys are lit up (defaulting to WASD and the arrow keys) but it does not affect the behavior of the Windows key light.
That being said, every other keyboard I looked at does something similar (or is deficient in some other, worse way). The Code is the only mechanical keyboard that I know of whose layout and behavior are exactly as I want them, but they don't make one with Gateron Reds, so what can you do?
WorldWithoutMadness - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
IMHO, best for RSI is lubed mx red or gateron red, it is lighter and less resistance (tactile).Also change into more ergo shape like mistel barocco or ergodox etc. These 60% ish shape are more suited for typing (not moving your hand to mouse) and full keyboard and mouse combo don't give you good typing posture/
Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Friday, November 4, 2016 - link
I originally wanted Gateron reds, like I said, for gaming over everything else, but these Browns are perfectly fine. I don't even feel the bump unless I go slowly and deliberately feel for it. I got this figuring I could get some replacement switches if necessary, but I don't feel the needBrokenCrayons - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
Bwa ha ha! It wouldn't be funny if it wasn't true.