Acer Predator Aethon 301 TKL – Hardware Review
Acer has recently treated us to a fun peripheral kit that is comprised of a headset, a keyboard, and a mouse. We recently took a closer look at the headset, the Galea 311, which proved to be a very sturdy and quality device for a budget-friendly price. We did find the grip a bit too tight, but this is often a matter of personal preference. Now, we are taking a closer look at the second product, the Aethon 301 TKL, which is a gaming keyboard. We were curious what this compact gaming keyboard had in store for us. After a few gaming sessions, we found out that this is quite the powerhouse.
Design
The Aethon 301 TKL is a compact and stylish gaming keyboard. The device has a matte black coating for most of its frame and keys, and the W, A, S, D keys come in a blue-silver-like color tone, clearly marking your movement keys for many different games. Other than that, the keyboard actually has a very modest design. The RGB lighting is presented in all colors of the rainbow, and it looks quite spiffy when your keyboard is plugged in. Of course, those who don’t want too much flashiness can always turn off the lighting altogether.
Comfort
Acer has opted to put a traditional frame around its keys, and thus you will not see elevated keys as you do on many recent gaming keyboards. This makes the upkeep slightly more difficult, as you’ll have to remove the keycaps in order to clean the keyboard. We did love the fact that a key-puller was included in the frame of the keyboard, making sure you always have one nearby and that you cannot lose it easily. Other than that, the keyboard offers the basics. You have two raisers, which make it a bit more comfortable to type.
The keys are finished in a sort of matte plastic, which is fairly easy to keep clean, but fingerprints are quite easily visible on this. Regular cleaning is advised if you want to keep the device in pristine condition.
Specs
- Weight: 970g
- Connector type: USB
- Gateron blue switches
- RGB Dynamic lighting
Overview
Truth be told, this is going to be one of the shortest keyboard reviews on the site. The device is a plug-and-play keyboard, and after that, all you need is basically marked on the keyboard itself. The FN key serves to access the functions of your keyboard, and this encompasses the ability to increase or decrease the intensity of the lighting, or perhaps turn it off altogether. Other than that, you can lock the windows key, choose the ‘breathing’ pattern of the RGB lighting and you also have access to an array of media buttons via the aforementioned FN key. The basics are all there, and we found the overall experience very pleasant.
The keyboard uses Gateron blue switches, and they are quite fun to work with. The keys have a proper click to give you feedback when the actuation point is reached. That being said, these keys are less sensitive than, for example, the Cherry MX red switches. You’ll also notice that if you have to use the same button over and over in rapid succession for games, you’ll always have to make sure you release the key far enough to reach the actuation point again. For some games, this might not be that ideal.
Conclusion
Acer’s Predator Aethon 301 TKL is a fun, compact, and affordable mechanical gaming keyboard. While the device could have used a few more advanced functions, this one is a great gaming companion for pretty much all types of competitive games. Only games that require very quick keypresses from the same button(s) over and over may suffer a bit in terms of performance. Nonetheless, we loved the experience, the overall design, and the base functions that it had to offer.
Acer Predator Aethon 301 TKL - Hardware Review,
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