Page 4 - Conclusion
The be quiet! Light Mount Silent Linear has a few advantages to note, but it is not as silent as I had hoped. The first advantage is the stunning ARGB LED lighting. The brightness is quite good, and be quiet!'s IO software provides a great deal of customization options for light patterns. The light strips at the top and back add more lighting to the overall keyboard. All LEDs are well-diffused with no noticeable bright spots. The overall physical look of the keyboard is also clean and elegant, especially the brushed aluminum top plate. The use of PBT keycaps is appreciated due to their resistance to wear. The stems in all the switches are factory lubricated to ensure a smooth and pleasant typing experience. Likewise, the stabilizers are also factory lubricated to prevent any rattling. Some other notable features include the five programmable macro keys, volume knob, adjustable typing angle, comfortable wrist rest, 5-pin hot-swappable switches, and full N-key rollover support. However, there are some important improvements to consider. As mentioned in the name, be quiet! designed this keyboard to be silent, but the stem rattling of the switches completely undermines this goal, which I believe is a major oversight. The rattling also drowns out the satisfying and calming sound produced when the keys bottom out, which results in an overall slightly unpleasant typing sound. In addition, there seems to be some quality control issues. There were a lot of stubborn grease stains scattered throughout the top plate. Two minor improvements could be made by increasing the brightness of the light strips on the back and adding support for wireless. At press time, I was able to find the keyboard for $140. There are many keyboard options at this price, but the be quiet! Light Mount Silent Linear can be a good consideration for those who value advanced ARGB lighting.
be quiet! provided this product to APH Networks for the purposes of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
6/10 means A product with its advantages, but drawbacks should not be ignored before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 6.5/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The be quiet! Light Mount Silent Linear is a clean and elegant keyboard with stunning ARGB LED lighting, but it can be more silent with improvements to its design.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. A Closer Look - Disassembly and Internals
4. Conclusion
