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Roccat has been one of the top gaming peripheral makers for a long now and looks to continue that reign with its new board, the Suora FX. Built with the same RGB backlighting and mechanical functionality of its predecessors, the Suora FX goes the barebones route and tears off all the unneeded plastic to give you a compact, but versatile gaming board.
It is in essence, the Roccat Suora, but with RGB backlighting added to the mix. The FX is designed to be a full-size gaming keyboard, but with less of the waste and clutter of its competitors and contemporaries in the Roccat line up – while looking extra pretty.
The Roccat Suora FX is designed as a more affordable, slimline design than some of Roccat's other boards, with fewer features but a smaller footprint. Let us see whether the added lighting is worth the bump in price.
Features and specifications
- TTC Brown mechanical switches.
- Advanced anti-ghosting with N-key rollover.
- 1000Hz polling rate.
- 50 million keystroke lifecycle.
- Multimedia functions.
- 6 programmable macro keys.
The Roccat Suora FX packaging is of the kind of quality we have come to expect from Roccat over the years. It has a nice quality cardboard finish, large images of the keyboard itself, as well as a good look at the type of lighting it uses.
You may notice the little image denoting that this keyboard uses “brown” mechanical switches. However notice too that there is no Cherry MX branding. That is because this keyboard does not use Cherry MX switches, but TTC ones. Feature wise they are identical to Cherry MX brown switches, but are presumably cheaper or at least more easily available than their Cherry counterparts.
When we asked Roccat they said that they continue to use Cherry switches in their Ryos MK series but with the Suora series they realised that Cherry could not meet the volume they needed. They said that TTC would be the best option if they wanted to realise Suora. They also iterated that the switch quality is at the same level as Cherry, as well as the price.
The back of the box breaks down a few of the keyboard's main features in multiple languages.
The Roccat Suora FX is a slim keyboard, though not a small one. It has a full layout, including numpad and media keys, though its bezel is drastically reduced from most keyboards. It also does not come complete with a wrist rest – detachable or not – and is not overly light, despite its smaller stature. It is a little more portable than your average full-size keyboard though and retains the sturdy feel of a full sized model.
The whole thing is finished in a matt black paint job, with little contrast between the keys and the board itself. The keys do not feature a white backdrop as some boards do, so there is a uniform look to the entire peripheral.
The keys of the Roccat Suora FX have that typical, slightly concave shape and feature clear-plastic lettering, to allow the backlighting to shine through when the board is powered on.
The keys pop off of the TTC brown switches underneath very easily, which should make cleaning simply. That also makes switching key caps a cinch, but I do worry that it could lead to key caps coming loose during transport if you were to visit a LAN without adequately packing the board.
Notice too that the switches themselves feature clear housings to improve LED light proliferation throughout the key cap. However with the top-mounted LED (and an obvious one at that) there is always the potential for some light not to shine through the indicators that appear at the bottom of the key cap.
Along the top of the Roccat Suora FX are a number of extra functions. The F1-F4 keys have a number of pre-baked lighting options, which offer wave, breathing, reactive and pulsing types. F5-F8 has some quick launch keys for typical Windows software, while F9-F12 has some basic media functions.
The others are located at the far right-hand side and are single push buttons and can therefore be pressed one handed. They are not in reach of your WASD hand, so would likely require removing your hand from something to press them, but the fact that they do not require both hands to press is a nice change of pace from most keyboards.
You will notice too that there is a game mode switch, which does acts like a toggleable EasyShift. Think of it as a CAPSLOCK to EasyShift's Shift function.
The back of the board gives you a good look at the clear housing of the brown switches, as well as the Suora FX logo.
The underside of the board is as bland as you would hope and expect from an already expensive keyboard, though does feature some extendable feet and some rubber keyboard feet.
The cable that comes pre-fitted with the Suora FX is black braided and is smooth enough that it should not catch on much. The USB connector is standard nickel plated with a basic header. Notice that it is all by itself, so this keyboard does not support USB passthrough functions.
Methodology
Testing the Roccat Suora FX meant using it as my main daily keyboard for a period of one week, typing on it for eight+ hours a day, as well as using it for general office tasks and web browsing. Since it is a gaming keyboard, I also tried it out in a variety of different titles from a wide range of genres.
Gaming
The Roccat Suora FX is a lovely keyboard to game on. Its TTC mechanical switches are a good analogue for the Cherry MX browns, if not a little softer at the bottom of they key stroke. It is fast and responsive and as with all Brown switches, these ones have that tactile feedback which means you do not have to bottom them out to feel them activate.
Mechanical keyboards do have some advantages over their membrane cousins and this board is no different. It is fast as all mechanical switches, so gives you a slight advantage in some games – though I have never been enough of a high-level gamer to notice it too much.
Lighting options are decent, though not as fleshed out as something like Corsair's CUE software
The placement of the macro keys on this board was an interesting choice. They are not placed in a way that you could reach them with your WASD hand, so are either designed as quick, one shot commands that you use at the start of a game – perhaps a quick build order for a RTS – or in one of those few games that uses the arrow keys.
Funnily enough though, they are placed well for left-handed gamers who use arrow keys instead, but I doubt that was the main train of thought when Roccat placed them there.
Lacking too is the usual Roccat Easy-Shift function, which is present on a good number of its peripherals.That has been supplanted by the Game Mode button, which acts as a sort of CAPSLOCK-like alternative to the Easyshift Shift function.
Game Mode does give you that same sort of functionality, but not in a quick, on-the-fly sort of manner. It is very specific and only caters to a single remap.
General usage
Typing on the Roccat Suora is lovely. The TTC switches are a great interpretation of the Cherry MX browns and may even be slightly gentler on the fingers which is always a plus when you type for hours on end every day.
The narrower nature of the keys in some places does take some getting used to. If you typically use a full-size keyboard, you may find yourself having to relearn placement a little for the first few minutes, but that is not a huge concern and the learning curve is shorter than you might expect.
I like that media keys are a one handed affair, though I would have liked them to be in range of my WASD hand, as that is the one that is invariably used for keyboard controls. It is easier to reach up from there and press the volume button a few times, than it is to remove my hand from the mouse to do the same.
Comfort
As I mentioned in the previous sections, the Suora's TTC switches are lovely to use and are very comfortable to type on over long periods. There is no included wrist rest with the design, which is a shame – especially at the £120 price point – but they do tend to encourage poor forearm posture, so I am always torn over whether I want them or not.
Despite my reasonably small hand size, I found all keys to be within easy reach – save the macro keys – and the shape and size of the key caps feel great under my fingertips.
Lighting, software
The Roccat Swarm software is the latest version of the back-end that Roccat uses for all of its peripherals. It contains a number of different options to adjust, such as key reaction time and character repeat, as well as a dedicated window for key mapping, which lets you adjust the function of any key on the board. Each one has a primary and “game mode,” function, which acts like a toggle on/off EasyShift, rather than a hold and press.
Macros can be recorded within the software, letting you add some automated function to certain commands if you wish. There are also a lot of pre-made macros you can load in for a variety of games and software. Everything from Command and Conquer 3, to World of Warplanes.
One interesting feature within the Settings menu that I noted, was the ability to add sound-feedback to key presses. This can range from a typewriter, to a sci-fi laser sound. Considering how noisy mechanical boards are anyway, this is not a function I care for, but it could perhaps be useful for those who like to work in headphone and still want to hear that they have actuated a key.
Lighting management lets you pick from one of several presets, such as ripple wave, reactive and rain among others, and you can control per-key backlighting manually if you wish. The software with this keyboard is not quite as fleshed out as with other Roccat boards we have reviewed, as there is no ability to add effects for key releases – the “key event,” portion of the lighting section is non-adjustable.
Overall lighting is easier to understand and get to grips with than some systems out there, but it is not quite as versatile as something like the Corsair Utility Engine.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get the SWARM mobile app to connect to my PC correctly, though this is not exactly anything new. Hopefully the connectivity of its mobile app is something Roccat can continue to work on in the future, as when it does work, it is a fun little tool.
The Roccat Suora FX is a very nice gaming keyboard, that offers a colourful, compact alternative to some of the big boys out there and many of Roccat's own boards. I would certainly take it over the likes of the ludicrously expensive Roccat Skeltr, but what about its more affordable cousins like the non-FX Suora which is around £50 cheaper?
That is a more difficult sell, as the FX has just as much going for it as the standard Suora, but with RGB backlighting making it look that much fancier. The switches are great – though being non Cherry MX, we cannot guarantee that the 50 million keystrokes rating is as accurate – the one-handed media keys are nice and Game Mode is a handy addition, even if I prefer Roccat's EasyShift myself.
It is not a perfect board of course. Lighting options could be more fleshed out -especially since you are paying a premium for that very function – and I would love Roccat to make connecting the Swarm app easier and more predictable. Sometimes it seems to work and others not.
The lack of a wrist rest – especially at this price point – does grate a little. It is not something I get a tonne of use out of, but when you are spending £120, something as simple as a little bit of connected plastic does not feel like too much of an ask.
However, this keyboard is designed to be compact and it does that well. I really like the lack of wasted bezel space, and the fact that the enter key is full size is very welcome – especially on such a space-saving keyboard.
All in all, the Suora FX is a great little keyboard that is solid at gaming and for general usage and typing. Its price actually makes it quite a bit cheaper than many of the RGB alternative keyboards out there, which is a bonus. However, if you are not bothered about RGB lighting, go for the standard Suora, you save a lot of money and get a very comparable product.
You can buy the Roccat Suora FX from Overclockers UK with Brown switches for £120.
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Pros
- TTC Brown switches feel very comparable to Cherry MX alternatives.
- The compact design is attractive and space saving.
- One handed media keys and full size enter key.
- Macro switches and Game Mode offer plenty of customisation.
- Lighting distribution is good throughout key caps.
- RGB lighting is pretty and customisable.
Cons
- No wrist rest.
- Expensive compared to standard Suora just for RGB, but cheaper than many other RGB boards.
- SWARM app still problematic. Software not as fully featured as other boards.
- Macro keys not within reaching distance of left hand.
- Lacks a few features like USB passthrough and audio ports.
KitGuru says: The Suora FX is a great gaming keyboard in a compact package. It is hard to justify the £50 price jump over the standard Suora just for RGB LEDs, but the FX is still cheaper than a lot of its contemporaries from other companies.
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