SteelSeries Apex M500

The SteelSeries Apex M500 is a great option for competitive gaming or if typing quality is key, but spending a little more will deliver the features that the M500 is lacking.

The Apex M500 costs $100, though you might be able to find it cheaper. It’s the same price as a full-sized, single-color mechanical board from Corsair (Strafe series), Razer (BlackWidow X Ultimate), or Cougar (Attack X3), and it’s $10 cheaper than...

Affordable. Cherry MX Red switches. Programmable keys. 104-key rollover.

Lacks dedicated macro keys. Backlighting is only blue and occasionally uneven.

Conclusion The SteelSeries M500 is a solid, well-built mechanical gaming keyboard for gamers who like to keep their gaming experience high-quality but simple. While the M500 doesn't come with features like wrist rests, per-key lighting, or dedicated...

Great for typing and gaming ; Incredibly solid construction ; You can customize every button on the keyboard using the SteelSeries Engine software ; Single color LED may bother some, but I like it quite a lot

Lack of custom LEDs may be a con for some

When it comes to mechanical gaming keyboards, you’ve definitely got options. If you don’t need all of the crazy RGB lightings, but want a keyboard that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, the SteelSeries Apex M500 should be on your list. For its...

...Steelseries has made one of the best bare-bones mechanical keyboards we’ve seen...

– Simple design ; – Cherry MX Red switches ; – Cable management on the bottom of the keyboard ; – Great performance ; – Nice illumination ; – Price

– Only available with Cherry MX Red switches ; – USB cable not braided

The best part about testing a gaming product is we get to play games! For the Apex M500 since it is designed for eSports and competitive play I decided to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Unreal Tournament, and Star Wars Battlefront. All of these...

Authentic Cherry MX keys ; Streamlined design ; Straightforward software ; Inventive cable management

No choice of key types ; Macro recording could be more streamlined

The SteelSeries Apex M500’s intelligent physical design and comfortable keys offer an attractive prospect to eSports aficionados.

Worked out of the box with no download. Very sturdy, solid and no twist or flex. Love the smooth matte finish Adjustable back-lit brightness Nice long and supple cord. Routing channels to direct the USB cord to the left, center or right.

No USB port Only blue back-lit Problems with Steelseries 3.7.4 - Slow to install, slow to load, multiple reboots and ultimately doesn't work.

- Quality everything - Keys are quieter than other Cherry MX Red that I have used - N-Key rollover - Several macro functions - Intuitive sofware - Great cable management - Easy access to brightness levels - Steelseries logo is the function key The Apex...

- Small characters can be difficult to see - No wrist rest A character, number, or function symbol etched at the bottom of a key are dimmer than what is etched at the top. The smaller characters like comma (,), period (.), single quote (‘), etc. can be...