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Perixx PeriBoard-328 Review Kailh Brown Switch Mechanical Keyboard

Friday, February 26, 2021

Going back to the old IBM keyboards from the 1990s, the classic buckling spring type keyboard is the granddaddy of all mechanical keyboards and quite an experience using one because you could get into an almost musical rhythm when typing! 

The click clack sound of mechanical keyboards is, without question, one of the biggest selling points and so are the different variants of mechanical switches available, including brown switch, which are the most tactile of all mechanical switches and also one of the quietest.

MX Brown switches are the most popular but, you can also get Kailh BOX brown switches on full size keyboards such as the Perixx PeriBoard-328, which uses uses Kailh BOX low profile brown switches, which feel like a cross between Cherry's MX red switches and MX browns switches. Kailh BOX feel a tad more tactile than MX brown switches and Gateron brown switches but the PeriBoard-328 Kailh BOX brown switches have a similar actuation (1.5mm) to MX brown switches with a travel distance of 3mm.
Being a mechanical keyboard, the PeriBoard-328 switches make direct contact against the printed circuit; hence no membrane in between like you get with membrane keyboards such as the Periboard-512 keyboard. The PeriBoard-328 isn't as loud as other mechanical keyboards but, it's still naturally louder than a membrane keyboard, which is worth noting, especially if you work around other people and don't want to disturb them. A mechanical keyboard is also not ideal if you do a lot of in-game chatting because the noise from the keyboard will be picked up by your headset's microphone.
The Perixx PeriBoard-328 keycaps can be replaced with aftermarket keycaps; hence you can customize the keyboard. The top and bottom frame of the Perixx PeriBoard-328 are made of plastic (ABS 94HB) while the mid-plate is made of aluminum alloy (60HB). The Perixx PeriBoard-328 has 104 keys in total, all made of ABS with legends that have been laser-etched; hence the legends won't wear off like pad-printed and laser-engraved (with or without infill) keycaps because they have been burned onto the keycap via laser.
The only minor drawback of ABS keycaps, it's that it will develop a shine after after a few weeks of use. All plastic keycaps though, PBT or ABS, develop a shine but a good quality set of doubleshot PBT or doubleshot ABS keycaps should take a many years before they develop a shine. The Perixx PeriBoard-328 keycaps are concave inward apart from the spacebar which is flat. The keys are solid and on't wobble. On the back of the PeriBoard-328 keyboard, there are two height adjustment legs with TPR rubber feet that elevate the front of the keyboard 3.5cm high.
The perimeter of the PeriBoard-328 keyboard has been brushed with a chrome accent finish. The PeriBoard-328 keyboard measures 46cm long, 13cm wide and 2cm high and weighs 625 grams without the cable, which weighs 27 grams. 
The PeriBoard-328 keyboard comes with a detachable 1.4 meter long power cord, which has a firm rubber sheath and a USB-A terminal (for connecting to the computer) and a micro-USB terminal that connects into the keyboard. The female micro USB port on the PeriBoard-328 keyboard is off-centre to the right and, it's slightly recessed.

The PeriBoard-328 comes with Perixx software application that lets you change the polling rate (150Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz and 1000Hz), response time (from 2ms to 20ms), record macros, create profiles (up to 6) and tweak the RGB lighting effect, speed and brightness.
The Perixx software works well and, its lightweight, taking only takes 12MB of storage space. The RGB lighting can actually be controlled from the keyboard itself, using the FN key, which lets you change the lighting effect, as well as assign each key individually (aside from the FN key) with a different color (blue, red, green, yellow, cyan, purple or white). You can buy the Perixx PeriBoard-328 from amazon.

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