By: Jadon Lee
June 19, 2020
With the adjustments of how courses are being delivered online this semester, I am finding it very essential to have a comfortable office setup at home. Before, it was quite simple: We could go to school, study, and come back home to rest. Now, our education is primarily being delivered through online sources like videos and Zoom lectures. With the upcoming spring semester, it seems that the courses will continue to be taught online given the prevalence of COVID-19. Using online resources, I figured a lot more of the course assignments and examinations would have changed to some form of written format. Given this, I feel that it is very important for individuals to have a decent keyboard that they can spend hours typing on. You might remember my 1STPLAYER Bullet Hunter MK6 review, which was my first real experience of using a mechanical keyboard daily. Through my experience with the Bullet Hunter, I realized the superiority of mechanical switches. The typing and gaming experience felt immensely better on mechanical keyboards compare to its membrane cousins as they are much more tactile and responsive. The benefits of mechanical switches are something people should consider more when considering in investing in a new keyboard. After gaining more experience with mechanical keyboards, my expectations of the capabilities of keyboards has grown. Reminiscing aside, 1STPLAYER has now sent over their DK 5.0 mechanical keyboard for us to play with. I was once excited to try out a mechanical keyboard for the first time, but I am once again excited to try out another model from 1STPLAYER. Will the DK 5.0 hold up against not only 1STPLAYER’s past keyboards, but also the keyboards I have been using? Let us keep reading to find out!
This review unit of the 1STPLAYER DK 5.0 came in a rectangular box covered in tape with the 1STPLAYER logo all over it from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. This package traveled with FedEx International Priority and was packed very tightly and securely. Inside was the retail box containing the keyboard, which seemed to be in a relatively perfect condition, having no noticeable marks on the box.
The box design for the 1STPLAYER DK 5.0 is very simplistic, having the name of the keyboard on the left while having a couple other features about the keyboard along the bottom; the most useful of them being the RGB driver control. The black box keeps the design simple. The sides of the box just emphasize how the keyboard is mechanical alongside some random words and images that I still do not know the meaning of, even after reviewing three of their products. The back of the box displays the layout of the keyboard itself.
Before we continue, here are the specifications for the 1STPLAYER DK 5.0, as posted on their website:
Type: Wired Keyboard
Interface: USB
Normal Keys: 104
Keyboard Dimensions: 439*128*38 mm (W*L*H)
Weight: ≈1.1KG
System Requirement: Win2000/XP/Win7/Win8/Win10
Out of the box, you will receive the keyboard itself alongside the user manual. The keyboard is securely placed inside the box wrapped in a bit of bubble wrap, keeping the keyboard itself quite safe. This keyboard does not come with additional switches or keycaps. The user manual contains information about the function key combinations to adjust the RGB. There is really nothing special about this packaging, which is kind of disappointing when considering what the Bullet Hunter MK6 came packaged with additional switches. 1STPLAYER simply provides the essentials with the DK 5.0.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Conclusion
