Patriot Viper V730 Keyboard Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing & First Look3. Testing4. Final Thoughts5. View All Pages

So far, Patriot has proven itself as a contender in the high-end peripheral market with its flagship V570 mouse and V770 keyboard offering feature-packed additions to its line-up. The V730 keyboard instead fills the mid-range portion of its Viper range, offering mechanical switches for a competitive price, but can Patriot stack up against established brands in the lower end market?

Despite its relatively low cost of £70/$80, Patriot assures fans that the V730 is, in fact, the perfect starter mechanical keyboard and that’s easy to believe considering it manages to pack Kailh Brown switches and full N-key rollover alongside media keys and customisable lighting effects powered by red LEDs.

Specification:

• Switch: Kailh Brown mechanical
• LED colour: Red
• Number of keys: 104
• Anti-ghosting: N-Key rollover via USB
• Cable Length: 1.8M (6’)
• Approximate Dimensions: (LxWxH) 220x458x44mm
• Approximate Weight: 1.1 kg / 2.42 lbs.
• 8 Multimedia Keys
• Interface: x1 USB
• Warranty: Two years

As usual, Patriot runs with its red and black theme for the V730 packaging, with the keyboard showcased on the left hand side and its title displayed in the top right. The back of the packaging tells us a little more about what to expect from the keyboard with an infographic in the centre.

Paired with the keyboard is Patriot’s standard set of two snake head logo stickers and a small quick start guide.

The V730 houses its 104 raised mechanical keys in a sleek, aircraft grade aluminium chassis, giving it a solid feel with very little flex. The palm rest is attached to the keyboard itself, keeping palms comfortable yet suitably gripped with its rubber-like material. The Viper snake head logo appears in the bottom right corner of the palm rest, while the back of the keyboard features and edgier design.

Keen not to overcrowd the sleek design, the V730’s media keys are function based, accessed via holding the FN key and pressing between numbers 1-8. This includes the Play/Pause, Stop, Previous Track, Next Track, Player On, Mute, Volume Down and Volume Up keys respectively.

Similarly, the keyboard isn’t bogged down by the need for software to control its lighting. Using the function key once again, users can choose between five different lighting profiles and six lighting effects from the Function Keys at the top and even record customised profiles via the F12 key.

The Viper V730 is a full length keyboard, including a complete numpad that houses even more function keys. Kailh Brown switches actuate every key on the board, with no other options currently on the market. Red LEDs sit above each switch underneath the key cap, again with no options for other colours.

Turning the keyboard around reveals a sticker with all of the relevant information including the model number, power rating and origin. To the top right and left are flippable stands to make the keyboard a little more ergonomic by propping it up.

The single USB connector is gold plated, attached to a braided cable sporting Patriot’s signature red and black theme across its approximate 1.8 metre length.

To test the Viper V730, I used the keyboard for approximately two weeks where I got a feel for the board while editing photos, articles and gaming.

Starting with the keyboard’s backlighting, the V730 sports bright red LEDs that work through on-board controls rather than through Viper’s various peripheral software which I found a little finicky in the past.

The lighting controls are situated across the function keys, from F1 all the way until F11. F1 to F5 provide pre-set lighting modes to cater to various genres of gaming. Some of the default lit keys are harder to discern than others due to odd key combinations, but FN+F2 is clearly for MOBAs and the default for FN+F4 and F5 seem split between RPG and first-person shooters.

None of this particularly matters, however, as FN+F12 enters a “backlight recording mode” which allows the user to select any of these pre-sets and customise them to their liking on a per-key basis.

When the function key is held down, F6 to F11 gives the user a choice between six different lighting modes that Viper dubs Radar/Wave Modes, Ribbon Mode, Ripple Mode, Sidewinder Modes, Raindrop/Reactive Modes and Breathing/Static lighting. I often stuck to my own customised profiles or the static pre-set, however.

At first, this software-free approach can be daunting but is very easily learned given just a short period of time with the keyboard. Patriot even offer the ability to dim and brighten the keys as they choose along with 8 media keys including the standard play, pause, stop, previous track, skip track and volume buttons. This is a bit of an inconvenience in comparison to dedicated media keys, however at the V730’s price point, it is difficult complain about.

The Viper V730’s aluminium chassis is top quality, giving the board a sturdy feel with little to no flex. The built-in wrist rest sacrifices some of this sturdiness in favour of comfort, which it does particularly well with its softer finish and angle. It is an annoyance that it can't be detached, but I often find little to no need to ever remove the wrist rest from other keyboards that I’ve used, so that is a minor gripe.

The Kailh Brown switches proved to be a lot louder than their Red counterparts on the premium V770, and currently there are no other options to choose from. They still provided a great deal of tactile feedback as well as a deeper sounding click than that of its Cherry MX rival. The specifications are, in fact, relatively similar to its rival with 50g actuation force and an actuation point of 2mm and a total travel distance of 4mm. My preference still lies with Cherry MX Reds but Kailh didn’t dim my skills in-game aside from taking some time to adjust to the different feel.

Patriot’s Viper V730 served me well for the time I used it, even with minimal typos which often come as a standard when I try out different switches.

Taking everything into account, Patriot has an impressive mid-range keyboard in the V730 that helps cement its Viper gaming line-up across multiple markets.

Often, mechanical keyboards around the £70/$80-mark compromise by removing the numpad or forgoing features that have come to be expected in gaming line-ups. Of course, the V730 has compromises of its own such as its immovable wrist rest, but retaining features such as on-board lighting profiles and media keys helps place it above most contenders in its price bracket.

The main faults surrounding the keyboard lie with the lack of variety in key switches or lighting colours other than Viper’s signature red. The former is actually a problem across most models of Patriot keyboards, though more lighting options can be found in the higher end V760 and V770 keyboards which each sport RGB for a premium on the V730’s price tag.

But it’s these savings that make the V730 a true bargain, as for every sacrifice Patriot has made, it offers a lot more in return.

It might not be as glamorous as its bigger brothers, but the Viper V730 is perfect for casual gamers or those just starting to embrace their first mechanical keyboard. It offers solid aluminium casing, packed with features to boost aesthetics and functionality that go above what would be expected at its price point, all while making minimal compromises to the overall design.

Patriot’s Viper V730 mechanical keyboard can be found on the official website for $79.99 in the US. UK residents can get their hands on one from eBuyer for a cool £69.99.

Pros

• Pricing
• Great build quality.
• Mechanical switches.
• Wrist rest.
• Media keys.
• LEDs with on-board control.

Cons

• Just one type of mechanical switch.
• Wrist rest isn’t detachable.
• Function-based media keys can be fiddly to use.

KitGuru Says: While I believe there are better keyboards out there, particularly for those with a focus on typing, the Viper V730 is a great keyboard that handles anything – at a competitive price point. Its extra features not only help it stand out from the crowd, but make it worth considering for gaming and relaxing with some music/video in the background.

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