SteelSeries - Apex 3 Full Size Wired Membrane Whisper Quiet Switch Gaming Keyboard with 10 zone RGB Backlighting - Black

This is the budget level keyboard that has many of the features that higher priced gaming keyboards provide. With the SteelSeries Engine software installed you can customize the 10 RGB zones for your illumination desire. The lights are bright, but kind of broad, so you can’t make individual keys light up like the SteelSeries Apex 5 or Apex 7, but can create shifting, steady, breathing or even audio visualizer color patterns. Just a word of advice, I didn’t realize it at first, but you have to select the zones you want to change for them to take effect, then save it to keep it that way. The keys are soft and quiet and since it uses a rubber membrane it gains water resistance. With the Steelseries Engine software you can also configure each key to be a different key, function or macro. With the Profile key combo you would think you can easily switch between the different configurations you design, but you can’t, not yet at least. You can however use the SteeleSeries icon in the tray tool and select the various configs that you set in the Engine software so that you can have a different color background that coordinates with your programmed key functions that might have macros assigned or such. The macro record and brightness keys work as described though. Just make sure to go in and give the macro a new name in the macro editor as you won’t be able to assign it with the generic name it creates. The added media button is a simple way to play/pause any media player as well as to quickly adjust the main system volume. The ability to route the cable through three different areas is something I forgot keyboards used to have as most of them now just have a static cable out the back. This is nice for anyone that wants to keep cables neatly to one side of the desk. The magnetic wrist rest appears to be made of the same material as the body of the keyboard. I wouldn’t say it is soft, like I think of a gel wrist rest, but it is helpful to give that added edge. Overall, if you desire an illuminated gaming keyboard without paying the premium, this is a nice one to have.

Great keyboard really recommend I just switch to keyboard but ima keep upgrading keyboards once I get better this just the start

Nice product! I recently started Keyboard and Mouse and this has been working really nice for me so far and awesome rgb lightning

Really impressed with this keyboard. While this is the lower tier keyboard from SteelSeries, I think it’s still a decent keyboard for gaming or for just normal use. The keyboard has soft keys so it doesn’t have that click when you press the keys. Some people prefer that however I don’t. I like the fact they keys are fairly quite. The LED lights on this keyboard are very cool. I have mine setup at 2 seconds intervals and it cycles through the range of colors on the keyboard. Really like this aspect more than anything else. Nice rainbow of colors on my desk. One issue I noticed is the height of the keys. With the LEDs, it adds a bit of height to the keys which takes a bit of getting used to. The magnetic wrist rest helps a bit but typing on this keyboard does take a little getting used to. That said, still a solid feeling keyboard and the lights alone make it worth the purchase.

Love this keyboard, shopped around for a bit. I'm extremely picky about keys and keyboards. The response to the keys is phenomenal and the switches are extremely quiet. If you like Blue switches for their sound don't buy this keyboard, if you don't like blue switches because of their sound BUY THIS DANG KEYBOARD! Your significant other will be dead asleep without being disrupted as you and the squad game late into the night!

I've been testing the Steelseries Apex 3 RGB gaming keyboard for a few days and so far, my experience has been good. At first glance the keyboard looked a bit large but it's actually a standard size and shape. The keys are quiet and super responsive, key caps and wrist rest are nice and soft, RGB backlighting is vibrant. The plug and play setup was a breeze and the Steelseries Engine software made it simple to change the colors of the backlight, set the key bindings and change the polling rates which is great for aesthetics and gaming. It also included one of my favorite features which is the media control wheel. The only thing that I’m not a fan of is the extra springiness of the keys but, I guess that is the trade I have to make for them being quiet. With all that being said, this is still a great keyboard.

The keyboard is nice BUT the symbols accessed by the shift key are reversed on the keys. So while '5' being above '%' is no big deal, '[' being above '{' or '=' above '+' can be a real pain. Why on Earth did they do this????

This is my first Apex SteelSeries keyboard, and I'm really impressed. For the price, this easily bests other brands available at Best Buy and elsewhere. Plus, if you have a significant other, roommate, or co-worker that can't stand the loud typing from a previous mechanical keyboard, this will easily appease them. The keys feel great when pressed, the audible click is noticeably quieter, and the software makes configuration easy. Using the SteelSeries Engine Software (which can be downloaded from steelseries dot com), you can set the back light brightness (default on max), set key bindings for your favorite games or use, and configure the lighting. It comes with some basic presets, but can select from the RGB lighting space for the entire keyboard or for select zone. This won't allow customization of individual key colors, like others, but the zones make selecting areas of the keys for color coordination. The live preview option on the software didn't work for me, but your experience may be different (it was just stuck on red). Once you save a setting, you'll see the keyboard colors change based on the selections you made. The media controls are fairly basic, the scroll wheel controls the volume, and the white lit button below it controlled play/pause and skipping of tracks (double tap for forward, triple for backward). If you want to control the back light from the keyboard directly, simply hit the Apex button, located near the right CTRL key, and hit the F11/F12 keys. The F9-12 keys can be used with the APEX button to allow for Macro recording and Profile switching (if you've setup multiple profiles in the app).I found using the Function keys easy, and recording a macro was also fairly simple. Gaming with this keyboard was very satisfying, as the keys have a nice feel, and have a pretty quick response. The magnetic wrist pad was comfortable, and easy to install since it's just using magnets. The IP32 water resistant covering, under the keys, mean it takes spills fairly well. I don't recommend spilling anything into the keyboard, but it's a nice touch for those who like to drink their favorite beverage and experienced an accidental spill. In my testing, a water test passed with flying colors, only requiring that I tilt the keyboard a few degrees to let the water out, and then let it dry. It didn't skip a beat. Overall, for the price this mechanical gaming keyboard is hard to pass up. It offers an excellent, comfortable feel during use with no lag, and is much quieter compared to others. It lacks individual key colors, but the 10 zones are well aligned for some customization of colors. The app experience is actually pretty great, and you'll likely be prompted for a firmware update (which was SUPER quick).