CIY X77 Hot-Swappable Mechanical Keyboard/RGB Gaming Keyboard/USB C/Anti Ghosting/N-Key Rollover/Compact Layout 87 Key/Detachable Magnetic Upper Cover/Wired Keyboard for Mac Windows

A review for the average person! I have only ever had one mechanical keyboard before and I am definitely not as in to keyboards as most of the other reviewers. I like mechanical ones because they sound and feel nicer than normal ones and I enjoy the pretty colors - thats enough for me. Previously, Ive owned a more expensive mechanical keyboard ($150+) that was ultra, ultra customizable in every backlight mode, so I didnt realize that that wasnt the standard. This one didnt even automatically have a program to customize anything at all, I had to go to the website and download it myself. Which was fine, just an extra step if you want it. The program does have more modes than the fn+f9 gives you, but youre stuck with rainbow/random or one solid color for all of those modes. (My other keyboard allowed me to use the ripple mode with pink as the middle color, purple as the second, and blue as the third color, for example. Or breathing with just white, green, and blue. This keyboard lets you choose either rainbow or solid color, no further customizations beyond that.) It was actually super tricky to figure out how to even make the keyboard lighting look like what the amazon picture looks like, but I got it eventually. You have to download the program and go to gaming mode. From there you can select the color you want, and select specific keys you want to light up as that color. You can then choose a different color and select different keys, etc. When you do this, theyre just constantly lit though. No cool effects. And thats all fine, truly. I was just spoiled by my more expensive keyboard. I didnt buy this specifically for the color options though. I found a setting I like enough and its fine. If I had known, I MIGHT have looked for one with better customization options, but... this is fine. In terms of the keyboard itself, it feels fantastic. My old one had blue switches and Im already an extremely loud typer, so it was a little silly how loud it was. I liked it! I preferred it over a regular keyboard for sure. But that one was a gift, and I also didnt even know there were other options. I got the brown switches this time though and I do prefer them over the blues. Theyre easier to press and still make the satisfying noise, its just sort of a smoother experience all around. I dont know how to describe it, other than it feels and sounds like velvet. I understand that people like blue switches because they like to KNOW when theyve pressed the key. I think you still get that with these but its just... easier to press them. I guess if youre a pretty heavy handed typer or double-tap or hit two keys at once a lot, blues would be better for you. But if you prefer a more agile experience while still getting the clicky noises, browns are definitely the way to go. Im happy with this keyboard for the price. Im only disappointed with the color customizing options because I was used to having more and an easier experience, but again, not the end of the world. Id recommend for sure, ESPECIALLY if youve never owned a mechanical keyboard before. Also, if anyone needs a quick explanation - -Blue switches are the loudest and take the most effort to press (Its not /hard/ to press them but you do need to type with some force. Its going to be harder to accidentally hit a key, more than anything.) -Brown switches are easier to press and make a quieter, still satisfying noise. A good middle ground. -Red switches from what I understand are much quieter and take very little effort to press. There are others but Im not sure where they all fit in. As far as I know, these are the three standard (?) switch options. Oh, I also like that this keyboard doesnt have the numpad. I never even thought to buy one without that before. With my current desks pull out tray, I always had to have my other keyboard slanted to get it to fit next to my mousepad, but this one fits perfectly! The packaging felt a little iffy, but it arrived fine so its whatever.

I type all day long for work--and find this kind of keyboard is more accurate, less tiring and since I learned touch typing on an electric typewriter years ago, it allows me to type rapidly. The mechanical feel, for me, is a must. This keyboard is affordable and does the job--important that it has the numerical pad section which I definitely need and some gaming keyboards of course do not include. So this is perfect for my non-gaming use. The decorative lights are pleasant when working in dim light.

Im a noob when it comes to mechanical keyboards, so I cant really give much feedback on the mechanical keyboard specific features, such as the replaceable keys and stuff... But I really do love this thing! Ive been using my laptops built in keyboard for the longest time, but recently I switched to a KVM setup so I can seamlessly switch between my Linux and Windows machines. Thus, I needed a keyboard that I could attach to the KVM set up and I decided to go with this one. I love that the keys give that little click as you type on them. I also like that this keyboard is compact, as it frees up a lot of desk space thatd be wasted otherwise. The backlit keys are nice too, although I wish there was a way to make it so they didnt go in a wave motion along the keyboard. Still, this keyboard is very aesthetically pleasing and is for sure going to grab peoples attention. I cant suggest it enough!

The CIY X77 keyboard is a great entry-level mechanical keyboard for those who dont need a numpad. I tried this beside the CIY X79 and I was very confused to find that, despite both switches being marked as linear red, they sounded drastically different. The X77 sounded a bit thonky, kind of hollow and plastic. The X79 sounded a bit clackier, certainly louder than the X77, but the sound was more pleasant, so it became a worthy trade-off. I realize these are two different types of boards (the X79 has floating keys above a metallic background and the X77 is encased). After I received the X79, I no longer loved the X77. The white with RGB rainbow effects is GORGEOUS and makes the black RGB pale in comparison, figuratively, of course. Im not quite sure what about the sounds was un/pleasant, but I might go back and record them for this review. For comparison, I most recently had a Corsair with silent reds and Im typing this review on a Royal Kludge RK96 (a very interesting 90% keyboard that I wish came in RGB). The Corsairs keys were the quietest of all without needing any modifications. The RK is second in sound level, followed by the X77 and then the X79. Ive also added Pwnage PBT keys to the RK and it seems to have made it a bit louder but not unpleasant.

TLDR: This is a gem of a TKL keyboard and a very nice unit if you intend to either use it as-is out of the box, or if you intended to take it apart and build to suit your particular preferences. Out of the box, the entire keyboard package is solid and provides a great typing experience, especially for the price. The stabilizers are impressively good, with my unit having a lot of grease in the important areas to quiet it down (though it improves with extra lubrication). * Detailed Review * Other reviews say the keycaps are just meh, but in reality the font is really nice and crisp. Many other gaming keyboards in this price range have fonts where the double shot/shine through tooling causes letters like O, Q, R, A, D, B, etc. to be broken with a layer of plastic that prevents the light from continuously shining through. However, these keycaps appear as a traditional font without that problem. Additionally, the caps have more of a PBT texture to them than other ABS keycaps Ive used, which is a pleasant surprise. I think some of the more meh or negative reviews are due to the thinner walls compared to nicer keycaps, but I find these pleasant to use and enjoy the feel. The included switches are in my opinion heads and shoulders above similar priced keyboards with Outemu switches. They have Jixian markings, and are a Kailh style case but the inside is 98% Gateron design. Ive never had a genuine Cherry brand switch to compare, but the design is so similar to my Gateron switches that I had to look at them side by side in order to notice the subtle differences, which were mainly in the size or shape of the metal contacts being ever so slightly different. My keyboard came with Red switches, and while I intended to replace them with Red or Yellow Gaterons, I decided to simply lube these and give them a try long term. I tested some Kailh and Gateron Reds in this case (they fit fine into the hot swappable sockets) and I actually like the sound (lubed) they made better than lubed Kailh Reds or lubed Gateron reds, as they seems to sound slightly deeper and are about as quiet as the Gaterons. Everyone has their preference, but if these hold up long term I will be very happy. If you are intending to use a linear Red type of switch I think these are great. Comparing Red spring strengths, I found these to have slightly stiffer springs than Kailh Reds, which in turn is slightly stiffer than Gateron Reds. I simply held each switch stem to stem and pressed them together to test spring stiffness, using several switches to ensure consistent findings. Edit: These Jixian switches are as stiff as Gateron Blacks, but ever so slightly less stiff than Kailh Blacks. Definitely not Red in in the traditional classification despite them being red in color. I took the case apart and added some foam in the bottom and some felt-like material between the PCB/Plate layer (bought on Amazon). The plate seems to be just painted white steel. The steel plate is the bulk of the overall weight. The plate finish is fine but nothing exceptional. The included stabilizers are actually very nice. They are designed without the little nibs that all the online videos say you need to clip off. They fit tightly in the plate and didnt wiggle around. I did use a sticky cloth tape on the plate when I reassembled the stabilizers just to be sure they would be extra tight, but out of the box they were very good in this regard. Finally, as others have pointed out, its nice to see a removable USB-C cable but I wasnt able to use another standard USB-C cable from my phone - it just didnt fit far enough into the case to plug in. I may have to widen the opening if I want to upgrade the cable. The included USB-C is adequate and quite soft and flexible, but is only about 4 feet long and is quite thin. Its the cheapest feeling/looking part of the entire package. In short, I added foam under the PCB, lubed all the switches, re-lubed all the stabs, used a sticky cloth tape in the stabilizer mount and the same tape on the PCB under the stabilizers. I also added a felt-like modifier between the PCB and plate. Im very happy with the final results and will probably keep the stock keycaps and switches (this isnt my main keyboard). For reference, Ive used a 1STPlayer DK 5.0 keyboard in both TKL and full size styles (with Outemu Red switches), and this is much nicer out of the box, has the benefit of hot-swappable switches, and has some different RGB lighting options if that matters to you. It is very easy to recommend this over the 1STPlayer. Ive also customized a Hexgears GK705 full size, hot swappable keyboard. This and the Hexgears seem to use the same great stabilizers and the Hexgears has a nicer plate in my opinion, since it has a brushed aluminum finish and this is just painted. The quality of the two are similar enough to call it a toss-up and you would choose a winner based on your preferences (RGB vs single LED color on the Hexgears), though I prefer these Jixian switches over the default Kailh switches on the Hexgears (switches become irrelevant if you have a favorite in mind.) I do like these ABS keycaps on this CIY unit better than the stock ABS keycaps on the Hexgears. This is definitely a gem of a keyboard and I expect it will become very popular in the keyboard modding community. I wish they made it in a full size keyboard option.

Great value for the price. I love the fact that as a keyboard enthusiast I can easily mod the keyboard to get a premium feel and sound. Great for anyone with a tight budget and who wants to start modifying keyboards.

This is a great budget board especially if you like to tinker/mod. The stabs are good and tight but will need some tuning as most do. Build quality is great. For my build I put in some gateron pro yellows, pbt keycaps amd some foam. The plate is made of cheap steel so stock it sounds very hollow/pingy. To get mine sounding right I put in some zipnfit shelf liner with some orings on the top 4 standoffs and now she sounds great. Rgb is ok, not very bright. For 50 bucks this is some insane value. The removable silver cover is also cool if you want to paint it or something.

I never used mechanical keyboards before even though I heard a lot of good things about them. So I didnt really know what to expect when I placed the order after reading all the reviews. I received the keyboard today and tried the keyboard for a few hours. This one feels amazing, very solid yet keys are easier to register, so much better than the other basic keyboards I have. The biggest reason for me to purchase this one is the ability to make changes to this keyboard as switches are hot-swappable because I am planning to do that. Like what was mentioned by other reviewers, this keyboard offers unbelievable value as a start kit. I just placed another order for a different configuration. :)

I really enjoyed this keyboard. The features are all easy to use and find and the customization is well done. 5 pin set up. I needed something that I could travel with. LEDs could be a bit brighter (on the black one). PROS: Includes keycap puller (a nice one) Quick response Hot swappable Cherry Profile CONS: LED could stand to be a bit brighter (on the black one)

My college-age son is quite experienced with computer gaming and has been using this CIY X77 keyboard for several weeks now. He reports to me that this keyboard does its job well. He said that overall the keyboard feels really good, but the keys rattle a bit (at least this is true for the one we recieved). He says that the rattling makes the keyboard seem a little cheap, although otherwise it doesnt feel cheap at all. Despite the rattle, he says the keys work and feel great. One thing he wanted to be sure to put in this review is that he chose the red switch version, and he said that the red switches are louder than any other red switch keyboard he has used before. Although of course he did not expect them to be silent, still, he was surprised at the sounds the keys make since they have red switches Overall, despite these minor issues, he is very happy with how well this keyboard feels and performs. And of course the RGB backlights are awesome and so much fun.