HyperX Alloy Elite 2 Keyboard Review

(Image: HyperX / Aaron Scoble)

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Penned by Aaron Scoble

Aaron grew up in Eugene, Oregon and reviews products for High Ground Gaming.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

When rating components in my gaming setup, I typically evaluate each peripheral based on how it performs in my favorite titles. But as someone who comes from a history of using whatever was most readily available (usually a busted keyboard and a mouse that’s developed a wandering mouse wheel), I’m not too picky. 

That said, the most significant factor for me when it comes to keyboards is how it impacts my typing experience.

When it came to my review of the HyperX Alloy Origins, I was only aware of the tactile difference between it and my old “crunchy shift” keyboard. Now that I’ve had a bit more experience with fully functioning keyboards, I can make more of an educated deliberation on quality.

So, with that in mind, let’s move onto the actual review of the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 keyboard. 

First Impressions

First, I want to point out what the keyboard is lacking (for me, anyway) before diving into what it does well. After all, this is about what I have noticed with my keyboard after about four weeks of using it, and the positives didn’t stand out to me until I took a closer look.

The Alloy Elite 2 is a rather beefy keyboard. It is significantly larger than the Alloy Origins in the width department. My desk is currently acting as both a work and gaming station, and it isn’t the largest ever. So whenever I transition from one task to another, I have to shift things around quite a bit. 

Stemming from all that movement, I couldn’t help but notice the design of the keyboard’s legs. They are far too interested in returning to their original position. So much so that any slight movement of the keyboard caused them to slam back against the body of the Alloy Elite 2, and it just became a chore to turn them back.

With only out-of-the-box height and slightly-not-out-of-the-box height to choose from, I found myself deciding against using the legs at all, despite how much I enjoyed them for the Alloy Origins.

Top that with the Alloy Elite 2 coming in with a hefty price point of $130 or more, and that’s all crucial information to consider. 

Is Two Better Than One?

What do you get for the relatively high price?

Good question!

Namely, what you get is quick media control. If you’ve read my XPG Summoner Keyboard review, you know how much I appreciate this aspect. Being able to adjust, mute, skip, and pause most media quickly is an excellent touch for a keyboard. But, from this benefit comes my biggest gripe with the Summoner as well.

That secondary USB.

Imagine, if you will, having your cables managed, and then having the nightmare of one keyboard taking up two of your USB slots. 

“But hey,” one might say, “it gives you a USB slot in the back of the keyboard!”

Well, I’m normally one to admit where I’m wrong. But the only instance where I’ve ever used that USB port was when plugging in my HyperX Cloud Flight S headset to charge, and that’s because the charging cable is roughly a foot long!

Since I’ve already allotted the USBs on my PC, I made an executive decision. After discovering which USB powered the keys themselves, I opted not to use the second USB, which limited some functionality. A bummer.

Lowkey Beautiful

However! That’s not to say that everything the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 brings is an annoyance. To start with, this keyboard comes with the HyperX Pudding Keycaps!

These keycaps feel so smooth, it’s like typing on a cloud! With their excellent transparency, lots of the keyboard’s RGB backlighting even bleeds through! Let me just say for the record: this keyboard is a real beauty. 

As for software? The NGENUITY app is slowly becoming more developed and easier to use. Each time I return to the app, I am pleasantly surprised. 

Not only are the options nearly limitless, but it’s become much easier to configure my HyperX keyboard’s timing, pattern, key differentiation, and much more. It feels like an entirely different program from when I first used it.

And of course, the feel of the keyboard switches themselves is out of this world. I have the Red Linear, just like in the Alloy Origins, and the feel of the keycaps makes me immediately prefer the Alloy Elite 2. There’s no contest. The actuation point is impressive, the colors are great, and there is very little that one could need from a keyboard that can’t be found in the Alloy Elite 2.

Verdict

Even with all the good, I can’t honestly recommend the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 for the average user. 

Almost everything positive about this keyboard is in the Alloy Origins for $40 less. If you want the Pudding Keycaps, that changes things, of course. But you’re still paying about $10 more for quick-access media, an “additional USB port,” and about two inches of taken space. 

If you have a functioning wireless mouse and currently don’t have that same audio control with your headset, go for the Alloy Elite 2. What it brings to the desk is undoubtedly worth the price. But if you’re like me, and neither of those two criteria match? Go for something a little more reasonable like the Alloy Origins. 

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• Best Gaming Keyboards
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