Customer Ratings & Reviews

First of all, I hate gaming keyboards. They're loud and the keys are too big and it's hard to type on them and I understand that's the point of a mechanical keyboard, but anyway. This keyboard is amazing! I'm a photographer/business owner/casual PC gamer, and I needed a backlit keyboard, so I thought why not put some money into it? (and this one isn't even expensive!) I found this one after considering the Corsair K55, and the display model for SS had me pretty sold, this was the last one left, so I grabbed it. The feel of the keys are very smooth, they don't click loudly when pressed, and are very responsive. The color spectrum is soooo nice (remember, photographer) and the software instantly loads when you hook up the device, and makes it really easy to customize and setup macros. The magnetic wrist rest is super helpful! It didn't look like it was going to do much but I really like it. There isn't anything I don't like about this keyboard, it's comfortable to yse and I like that it has a volume wheel and multimedia button at the top, too. Would recommend this keyboard and steelseries to anyone.

This item was returned and up graded to a non-gaming

I actually ended up returning because it’s a membrane keyboard and I was looking for mechanical keyboard. Either way works okay.

The Apex 3 offers many great features at a price point that doesn't overwhelm. The keyboard has a quality feel and features a durable aluminum frame. The magnetic wrist rest offers a comfortable, smooth feel and is easily removed or added. Use the steelseries engine software to control the 10-zone RGB illumination which can be personalized with many effects from different color options to reactive effects that tie into game play. Default max brightness can be adjusted and zones modified to suit your taste. Nice response from the keys and fairly limited noise from the gaming switches; no noticeable lag. The keys did feel a tad bit higher, but took minimal time to adjust to. Dedicated media controls are typical and volume control wheel is always a great feature to have. The three-way cable routing is a nice feature that not all keyboards have. Hopefully one doesn’t have to test out the IP32 water resistant capabilities, but it’s nice to have given the unforeseen spill. At this price point the Apex 3 offers great quality and performance for the price.

The SteelSeries - Apex 3 is an awesome offering in world of entry level, gaming keyboards. I personally own the Apex 7 and was eager to try out this model. Certainly, this isn't a high-priced mechanical keyboard that utilizes Linear or 'Clicky' tactile switches - but the amount of features you do get - along with Steel Series reputation - is something worth taking note of. Key to Steel Series success is their consistent build-quality, no matter which tier of product you spring for. Form, fit & finish are always superb. I personally like the Steel Series take on the shape and rise of their Apex line and the Apex 3 is no exception. The inclusion of the wrist support is another amazing feature considering the low price. For me, a physical scroll wheel to control volume is a must and the Apex 3 has that - with a precision feel. No sloppiness at all and a great tactile surface. I've experienced volume wheels on keyboards costing more than 200 dollars that feel like ... well ... junk. Not here. The same attention to quality is offered on the full Apex line - no matter the price. RGB lighting on this particular model is by no means extravagant but it is still very effective and beautifully executed. For the budget conscious shopper, this RGB offering is quite good. Consistency across the board is nice even with the limited lighting zones. Honestly, I wasn't expecting that. Speaking of consistency, the switching action of the keys on the Apex 3 is great, along with their quiet operation. Key travel isn't excessive and wobble not present. I enjoy typing on the Apex 3 and it rivals many competitive offerings costing two to three times as much. These feel like 'Browns' to me but much quieter. One of the biggest reasons I'm a huge fan of Steel Series products has to do with their well-executed, smooth running Steel Series Engine software. This software doesn't throw goofy Windows Events like most, if not all competitor suites do - much less crash your Windows environment or conflict with other peripheral control software like the 'Hub' so painfully does. I've owned and tried all the major brands and software bugs; constant software revisions and software crashes are a pretty common experience. Not with the SS Engine software. And it's easy to pick up and learn. By no means complicated, it is visually balanced in both its layout & function and it simply works. Beautifully. Sure, this keyboard doesn't have a USB pass through port, no discrete key by key RGB control... no fancy displays or high-end mechanical switches... but if you blind tested it again many keyboards costing 100 bucks + you'd be hard press to tell the difference in many cases. I've dedicated mine to be used when I have my gaming laptop 'docked', so to speak, to a larger monitor at a desk station. It's a great solution for that type of arrangement. The Apex 3 offers tremendous value for the money spent. It's a great solution for those on a tight budget or for anyone wanting a keyboard to add to any computer type - gaming or otherwise. It's quiet, responsive, well-built and the software is solid. Oh ... and RGB. Highly Recommended!

Junk keys intermittently work different ones at different times but now one day after store return policy !!!

Failed to work out out of the box. Tried it on two different systems and both said it was an unrecognized device.

"My gaming keyboard from Best Buy is absolutely incredible! The RGB lighting is vibrant and customizable, and the keys have a satisfying feel that's perfect for gaming and typing. The build quality is solid, and it feels like it's built to last. Best Buy had a great selection, and the staff helped me pick the perfect one for my setup. Setup was super easy, and it’s made a huge difference in my gaming experience. Highly recommend both the keyboard and Best Buy’s service!"

The Steel Series Apex 3 keyboard is a gaming keyboard that offers just about everything you want in a gaming keyboard at a fraction of the cost. Steel Series are no strangers to the gaming world however the real question comes down to how well it stacks up to its competitors and if this is the right fit for you. This review is going to be done strictly from a gaming stand point so hopefully this review will serve to answer any questions you have. I don't want to get too much in to the specs as they can be read and pulled off of Best Buys site but i do want to talk about is a few basic key features. Out of the box along with the key board you will get a attachable hand rest which for me is always a nice feature to have to help prevent fatigue. And yes this has RGB lighting for all you RGB fan boys however customization is limited. So for me personally there are a few things i look for in a gaming keyboard. One of the key features that draws me to a good gaming keyboard is the keystrokes and positions. Based on what game im playing and the style of game, this will determine the keyboard i want. First things first lets talk about the keys and the style it uses. On the box they claim to be called silent keys which makes me feel that this a revised version for a mechanical key set up. However upon inspection and game play the keys don't feel or sound like your typical mechanical keys, which is a good thing based on the type of game your playing. What i mean by this is the keys are very silent and make absolutely no noise which is a very nice feature to have as the mic can usually pick up on your typing during game play. Also they are not as sensitive as a mechanical keyboard but they also don't require a very long key stroke. This keyboard has a nice happy medium in regards to the keystroke and input. Mechanical keys are a nice feature to have for FPS (first person shooter) however as a fan of MMO's mechanical keys can become very annoying as their sensitivity level is so high that if you simply breathe on it wrong(obviously an exaggeration) it will activate that key stroke causing you to pop unwanted abilities. This keyboard is a great fit that offers a solution to both styles of game play for FPS and MMO gamers as myself. Now another key feature i like to look at on my gaming keyboard is the functionality available through optional key features. What i mean by this simply put is that i want my keyboard to be able to handle as many task as possible preventing me from having to use my mouse to open up other key items. For example during long raids and tournaments i like to stream music and switch between my different mods. The keyboard i currently use right has the windows key so i can turn on my game bar or task window to bring up different mods or discord as well a separate area with a scroll wheel, mini mouse pad and play/pause buttons. These small features allow me switch between songs, adjust volume and make minor adjustments all without me having to leave current game play. The Apex 3 lacks some of these features as the only real useful feature it has a scroll wheel. As dumb as it may sound this is a really big disappointment for me as i like to stay immersed in game play and hate when i have to break that immersion. It is actually that much of a big deal to me that i spent double the amount of the Apex 3 series just to get a nicer keyboard that offered more features. Maybe this wont bother you but for me it was the deal breaker. Here's the bottom line. As a entry level keyboard this a phenomenal set up and quite honestly in my opinion probably one of the best ones out there at this price point. The key strokes are beautiful and the raised keys make it easy to find the position your looking for. RGB lighting makes it really shine at night but on top of that offers added visibility. Even though the lack of features made me want to stray away from it the keystrokes were so great that it made me really fall in love with how well it felt during actual game play. So should you buy this set up? Well that depends. If your a new gamer or your looking to upgrade without breaking the bank then yes absolutely buy this keyboard as it is a very beautiful set up. Im almost positive you will not find a better keyboard for this price. Now if your a more avid or experienced gamer then you may want to save some money and get something with more features as you may find the set up a little lack luster for your taste. Over all at this price point you can not beat its features and talent.

Does not work! After spending the extra money for a keyboard several keys don’t work or respond…keyboard is useless and now I just use the stock keyboard

I revised this item to have a quiet keypad. But it is not at all quiet.

Overall this is a really nice keyboard. The wrist rest is magnetic and at a perfect angle to match the height of the keyboard. The key switches are responsive at a good level. Not too much travel and you get feedback without feeling like you need to find the bottom of the keyboard tray. My real issue is the back light. While it is perfectly fine for rainbow or solid color, you are limited to regions. There are 10 vertical rectangular regions about 2 inches wide that don't end where there is a keyboard break. For instance: * The number pad regions bleed over to include part of the right arrow, pause, page up and page down keys. * Half of the left arrow, INS, DEL and Print Screen keys are in the same region as the right most keys in the main key area. * You can not color WASD different from surrounding keys. * I like having numeral and F keys a different color, there is not a horizontal region. I just feel a couple minor adjustments to the lighting would have made this look like a premium keyboard. Unfortunately the look and feel don't match. The feel is honestly top notch. It is hard to get over the look though. Because of how the keyboard reacts and feels, I am only knocking one star off. In all honesty the lighting just kills it for me and I should give it a 3 for that alone. That seemed to be harsh considering what is good with the keyboard. I wish there were half stars. I would recommend this to a friend depending on what they were looking for. If they wanted a good performer with a solid feel. This is the keyboard for them. If they want a good performer with good looks...I would say look elsewhere. Normally I would say with mice or keyboards to go check them out in store to see how they feel to you, but the limits of the hardware lighting can only be seen after installing the software. One other note, as of the time I installed the software, there is only a SteelSeries Engine for WIndows and MacOS.

Broke last than a month, actually in 20 days some keys stopping working and my deadline to return expired 15 days after purchase. Waist of money.

it was very good the quality was good i got it on sale which was also good it was water proof i havent tested that out yet but ive seen videos. The only bad thing i would say is it gets dirty pretty easily. Other than that its great good keys the colors look good and the wrist rest pad is nice to very handy.

Pros • Sweat/water resistant • Fully programmable keys • Removable magnetic wrist rest • Nice RGB effects for low light rooms Cons • Keystrokes are somewhat uncomfortable • Where’s the game mode? • RGB effects not great on bright rooms I’m going to start by putting the cons out of the way. There were three things that I did not like and one that is good and bad at the same time, depending on the situation as I will describe below. The first thing is that I found the keyboard somewhat uncomfortable for typing although not so much for gaming. I don’t think it affects accuracy but even with the removable magnetic wrist rest, which by the way feels solid and has a strong magnet that actually works, it felt too high. Maybe it’s just my fingers that are not very long. The second is that although you can program the keys with the very nice Apex software, it doesn’t seem to have a gaming mode to disable keys you don’t use while gaming. To me, it is more than an inconvenience because I tend to hit other keys that disrupt the game and it happened once while I was testing. Since a software update would probably fix it, I wonder why they didn’t add that feature. Maybe they will in the future. The third one is the brightness of RGB. Yes, I like it when it’s all dark but my entertainment room is bright most of the time, so I was somewhat disappointed that it is dim and you can’t brighten it up. I wish the RGB effects synchronized with my computer and mouse but I understand that they are all from different manufacturers, so it is not really an issue. Other than the above cons, I was able to play most games with good accuracy. I don’t agree with their “whisper quiet” description but it is mostly quiet compared to some other keyboards. Maybe my ears are too sensitive? Anyway, it doesn’t matter much when you’re playing a game and since this is the intent, I have no complaints about it. I am taking their word for water resistance or as I prefer to look at it, sweat resistance since that is probably more common that water being splashed on it. Or maybe not since I was drinking coffee while I was writing this. I was careful not to drop it on the keyboard. So no testing here. For the target it was designed for, it is worth it unless you want to spend a lot more money for a higher end model.

Nice heavy illuminated keyboard that does not slide around on a smooth desk. I like the magnetic wrist wrest which is easily removable, yet fairly secure in use due to the magnets holding it in place. I am a touch typist at about 80WPM who data mines large datasets when teleworking at home, the combination of decent weight, silent keys, illuminated keys, and the removable magnetic wrist rest made this Steel Series Apex 3 Full Size Wired Membrane Whisper Quiet keyboard, a goo choice for me.

So far so good! I was looking for a nice, quiet keyboard that was also responsive and easy to clean. This keyboard hits all those marks, No noisy clacking, never any delay in button pressing, not as many cracks and crevices for dirt and clutter to get into, and the wrist rest was unexpectedly nice - I've never used one before, and it is magnetically detachable, but I find myself enjoying it. They keys are angled upwards a little bit, which is something I'm I wasn't used to and my only mild complaint. Otherwise, hard to beat, especially for the price.

The new SteelSeries Apex 3 is a great value oriented mechanical gamer keyboard. Keys have great travel and feel. The mechanical switches are very quiet too. No rollover issues or ghosting noticed. Keyboard construction is surprisingly solid and the overall look is considerably more premium than I generally see at this price point. Lighting looks great and offers a variety of effects. Frankly, I don't think there is another keyboard at this price that is even remotely as good. SteelSeries did a great job and if you are on a budget this should be a no-brainer. I do want to point out that the Best Buy description says it has an OLED display. It does not.

I love this keyboard. It came with a magnetic wrist support and software to control the keys and RGB lighting. I like that besides the tactile feel of the keys that the volume button on the right is a scroll wheel which gives it that touch of luxury. There are left/right arrow keys on the left of the keyboard which makes remapping of the keys less work. Also there is a special hot key that can be programmed to launch the software or perform a special function. The multi zone lighting is bright and evenly lit. Well done.

I have used several gaming keyboards in the past and while I do not think this is the best every I do think that overall it is a very good keyboard. let me start off with my complaint the only real complaint I have about the board is the volume control is a bit small for my liking it works well and is not overly sensitive but overall i did not find it as convenient as I thought I would. The good the keyboard i very responsive and much quieter than most gaming keyboards. I never felt I did not have complete control of my character playing Destiny 2 or Gears 5. I like the option you have for the rgb and overall the keyboard is very nice looking. I also was very appreciative the wrist rest was magnetic to the keyboard and overall very comfortable. I would highly recommend this keyboard for someone looking for a gaming keyboard.