On the front of the box is a picture of the GAMDIAS Hermes 7 Color keyboard. Right of it Gamdias Hermes 7 color name, below that some feature are highlighted, such as the seven-color neon light spectrum, metal plate for added durability, fourteen different lighting effects, and the GAMDIAS certified mechanical switches. Left and right side have nothing fancy to show, just corporate information on right and logo on left. Top and Bottom advertise more features of keyboard which we will go through in this review. Back has the technical specifications and OS requirements. Packaging is not to cluttered and gets the correct information across.
Gamdias Hermes 7 color Technical Specifications are as follows:
Key Switch: GAMDIAS certified mechanical switches
Key Switch Type: Blue
Dimensions: 458 x 220 x 44 mm
Weight: 1.1KG
Built-in Memory: 8kB
Polling Rate: 1000Hz
Multimedia Keys: 7
Switch Lifecycle: 50 Million
Backlit: 7 colors
Anti-ghost: N-Key rollover
Windows Key Disable: Yes
All-Keys Lock: Yes
Cable Length: 1.8m (Braided Cable with Gold-plated USB Connector)
Interface: USB
WASD& Arrow keys Change: Yes
Consecutive Attack Mode: Yes
Customizable Lighting Effects: Yes
Model No.GKB3000
Inside the box there is user manual with installation instructions and how to change color pattern instructions as Gamdias does not feature a software. All the ways for configuring the backlight and other keyboard functions will come through different key combinations instead of through software. Box also contains 2 Gamdias Stickers.
The keyboard weighs in at 1.1 kg and feels quite sturdy in hand or on the table while using because of its weight. Aluminum back provides rigidity to keyboard. All the keys can be removed without keycap remover but they do sit well in their place and require some effort to remove. Exposed plate design makes cleaning the keyboard fairly easy.
Wrist rest is not detachable though. Though the wrist rest cannot be removed which is disappointing but it is quite big and comfortable to type for long hours. The wrist rest uses the same materials as rest of the keycaps which is quite slippery to be honest. The keyboard features N-Key Roll Over, this means that each key actuation is scanned independently to ensure they are all recorded.
F1 to F4 are the first set of special keys. F1 in combination with the Function key will launch your default media player, while F2 and F3 in combination with the Function key will skip backwards or forwards, respectively. Fn + F4 will switch your WASD and arrow keys. Pressing Fn + Q will enable Consecutive Attack Mode, which means if you press the key and hold it down, it registers as multiple key presses. The Windows key can be locked by pressing it in conjunction with the Fn key. To indicate that the Windows key is indeed locked, along the top right a small light will light up under the Gaming title. Unfortunately, there are no user-programmable macro keys.
From F5 to F8 are more media key functions. Fn + F5 will Play or Pause, F6 through to F8 plus the Fn key will either mute, decrease, or increase the volume, respectively. Fn + F11 allows you to lock all the keys on the keyboard. Fn + F12 lets you set preset lighting configurations, and to save them with the different keys from one to five. These presets are saved to the onboard memory, which is 8KB. Moving further along the top of the keyboard, there is a way to reset all the settings on the keyboard back to factory using Fn + Pause Break.
The certified mechanical Blue switches used in Gamdias hermes 7 color are actually made by TTC. These boast a fifty million actuation lifecycle, and according to TTC’s website, are similar to Cherry MX Blue switches. If you bottom out your keys, you will also hear a hollow metallic sound. This is generated when key hits the mechanical plate and reverberates through the hollow chasis of the keyboard. At the back of the keyboard is the model number with few other details. The 1.8m braided cable leads out from the middle of the keyboard and is not detachable. The USB connection features gold platting which is assumed to provide better connection but in fact does not impact performance.
There are fourteen different backlight options to go with on the GAMDIAS Hermes 7 Color, all of which are accessible via keyboard commands only. Using the function key in combination with the number row ‘6’ to ‘0’ reveals some of the first lighting options. At number 6, you can adjust the lights to zig zag through the different rows starting at the top right. Fn + 7 is a simple breathing mode. Number 8 makes the lights wave outward from whichever key you pressed. At number 9, the colors start on the outside top right, and works its way inward around the outside edges, circling closer and closer to the center before restarting. The last of the lighting functions is at 0, and this lights up each key press with the corresponding color for a short amount of time. The rest of the lighting effects are found above the arrow keys. Fn + Ins is a simple wave starting at the left working its way to the right. Fn + Home is sort of like a snake slithering over the keyboard. Fn + Del is another wave, but with a different rotation. Lastly is Fn + End, which is just a static, all the keys are on deal. Fn + PgUp or PgDn will speed up or slow down the lighting effects, respectively. The numbers on the top row from one to five are the presets, and can be configured using a few commands in conjunction with the Fn key.
