CiT Connect Gaming Keyboard 7 Colour LED Phone Rest and USB Hub
My old Dell keyboard is getting a bit long in the tooth. I don’t like changing keyboards but I bit the bullet and ordered myself a CiT Connect Gaming Keyboard from https://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk
I love my Dell SK-8125 keyboard but, being almost 20 years old it’s starting to rattle a little and it can be unresponsive at times; even after a strip and clean. Therefore I decided it was time for a new keyboard.
After a bit of internet research I chose the CiT Connect Gaming Keyboard.
One of the important factors in choosing this keyboard was the USB passthrough for my Dolphin Wii sensor bar. I connected the sensor bar wiring directly to a bluetooth dongle so it only needs to take up one USB port. My Dell keyboard has two USB ports but I only ever really use the one so I was happy with that. I must give the Dell credit. The print is all still intact, there’s been no wear other than the usual shine on the Space Bar. It still feels very tactile, I just can’t deal with the rattling while I’m typing of a night time. It’s also difficult to see in the dark. Even though I can touch-type I still like to see the keyboard. I have small desk lamp positioned above the keyboard so I can see it. This Dell keyboard has served me well.
The CiT keyboard has RGB LED backlighting and, therefore, should be easier to see in the dark. It has an inbuilt phone/tablet rest making it easy to use with my Link Vision 8 tablet; I don’t have to worry about propping it up anymore. I like the aesthetics of it. I’m not a fan of these minimilistic keyboards which are so common today, I like something with a bit of meat to it. The CiT covers that. It also has 26 key anti-ghosting.
I switched keyboards midway through typing this post and I have to say, it’s very comfortable. Windows 10 picked it up straight away without installing additional drivers. I keep hitting Caps lock but I think that’s just because I need to get used to the CiT keyboard being slightly bigger than the Dell. The keyboard is very tactile with a nice clicking sound. The keys are firm so no more rattling.
The LED backlighting works well. I like the voice activation feature although I’ll probably never actually use it. The rubber feet grip the desk remarkably well, it could do with extendable legs though. The keyboard has the same height at the back as the Dell but it kind of leans back. It feels like the back should be raised but I imagine I’ll get used to that. The plastic feels a little cheap and the keyboard doesn’t seem as though it could take much weight being put down towards the front-center.
My concerns
It took a bit of searching to find somewhere with stock because this CiT keyboard has been discontinued. The only concern I have is the price, a gaming keyboard for under £20? What kind of build quality am I looking at? I’m not expecting a lot for the price, it’s more about finding another keyboard with these features if this one doesn’t last.
I’ve mentioned before, I’m not really a PC gamer so I’m not concerned with it being a great gaming keyboard but I do a lot of typing. I don’t want it failing on me in a couple of months. The keyboard is cheap enough to replace but finding another keyboard that has all the features I need is a chore. A biggie is USB passthrough, another being it has to be wired, I don’t want a wireless one.
Hopefully it will last me at least half as long as the Dell keyboard has so I don’t have to go through the hunting process yet again.
