Epomaker GK68XS Review: Features, Performance, and A Great Price

Are you looking for a keyboard with a ton features and a great value. Epomaker’s GK68XS is a 65% mechanical keyboard that is packed with features like Bluetooth connectivity and a hotswappable PCB.

Today we will take a deep look at Epomaker’s GK68XS and see if it is right for you.

The Verdict

Top view of the Epomaker GK68XS mechanical keyboard — GK68XS with a custom keycap set

The Epomaker GK68XS is a great value keyboard for those wanting to join the custom mechanical scene without spending their life savings. For the price, it is one of the better 65% keyboards you can get coming with a whole host of features such as Bluetooth and a hotswapable PCB.

You also get a variety of switch choices, pretty decent stabilizers, and a decent keycap set.

For anyone wanting to start modding their keyboard but don’t want to give up the arrow keys with a 60% board, Epomaker’s GK68XS is a great option.

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In The Box

The Epomaker GK68XS is packed with things in the box. Besides the keyboard, inside you will see:

USB-C Power Cable: You get a braided cable that is well made and is detachable. The cable does the job and looks pretty decent.

Split Spacebar Module: This can be swapped with the big spacebar to allow 3 buttons rather than just one. Changing it in and out is as simple as removing 3 screws.

Extra Keycaps: In addition to the keycaps already on the board there are a few extra keycaps for things like a split spacebar, mac specific keys, and for alternate modifier keys.

Extra Switches: If you use the split spacebar there are some extra included switches. They will be the same kind of switch as the rest of your switches.

Keycap and Switch Puller: A wired keycap puller is included. It is better than the cheap plastic one that many companies throw in the box. The wire puller won’t scratch your keycaps. The keycap puller also functions as a switch puller on the other side so you can swap out the stock switches for anything of your choice.

Manual: The manual will explain how to control the RGB lighting, where to download the software, and how to control the secondary functions and shortcuts on the board.

The board has tons of features and it gives you everything that you need to make the most of them. It is very nice to see at a board at such a good price.

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Build Quality

Side view of the Epomaker GK68XS mechanical keyboard

The build quality is adequate for the price with a plastic case with a tilt for more comfort. It is quite simple which I appreciate and has a nice angular design to the case where it tapers down. There are also acrylic and aluminum versions of this case albeit at a much higher cost.

In my opinion, it looks nice however, it has a hollow sound. This is especially bad when you press the space bar since there is some reverb in the sound. If you get this board I’d highly encourage you to put some foam. It is a quick mod that takes about five minutes and makes it sound so much better.

At the back of the case, it has an indented USB-C port. This is quite nice to see because many budget boards still have not switched to USB-C or allow a detachable cable at all.

On the bottom, four rubber feet keep the board from sliding around too much however there are no flip-up feet so you cannot adjust the height. This is not too much of an issue because the case is already at a comfortable height.

The Keycaps

PBT DSA keycaps for the Epomaker GK68XS mechanical keyboard

Epomaker’s GK68XS comes with a pretty nice set of PBT keycaps in the GSA keycaps profile. The legends are dye-sublimated for long-lasting quality. There are also a few extra keycaps in case you want legends for mac or you want to use the split spacebar.

PBT material means that the keycaps will not develop a shine over time. They have a slight texture to them so they are easier to grip onto.

The GSA profile has a uniform height among the keys and is a pretty low profile. There is a slight curvature in the center of each keycap so they mold to the shape of your finger. These keycaps are quite comfortable to use but may take a couple of days to get accustomed to.

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The Switches

Gateron Black mechanical keyboard switch

You can order the GK 68 XS with a variety of Gateron switches. You get linear, tactile, and clicky options.

Gateron Red	A light linear switch with a smooth travel. Actuation force: 45 g Travel distance: 2 mm
Gateron Black	A heavy linear switch with a smooth travel. Actuation force: 60 g Travel distance: 2 mm
Gateron Brown	A medium weight tactile switch with a light tactile bump. Actuation force: 55 g Travel distance: 2 mm
Gateron Blue	A medium weight clicky switch. It has a loud sound and sharp tactility. Actuation force: 60 g Travel distance: 2 mm

Gateron provides some of the best switches for pre-built keyboards. Their linear switches are often smoother than the competition and their tactile switches have a slightly more noticeable bump than Cherry options. Also since this board is hotswap, you can just change out the switches if you want to.

The Stabilizers

Stabilizers from the Epomaker GK68XS mechanical keyboard

With the GK68XS you will find minimally lubed plate mount stabs. Stock they sound rattly and are a bit scratchy but they have quite a bit of potential if you are willing to mod them.

Stabilizers are very important to how a board sounds and in this case, the GK68’s stabilizers are much better than boards from bigger gaming brands such as Logitech or Corsair.

We found that after making some mods to the board by lubing the stabilizers and adding foam to the bottom of the board helped the stabilizers feel quite smooth and not sound nearly as rattly. If you want that perfect sound for your stabs we would recommend going with some better plate amount stabs from either Durock or Novelkeys for a better experience.

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The Software

Although the GK68 does have software support, it is one of the weaker areas of the board. The software does provide useful functionality but it is complicated to use. It took us some time to understand the software. We found that the interface is not that easy to work with or nice to look at.

While the software does have some issues, it provides a ton of functionality. If you want to remap buttons or have more in-depth lighting then this is the way for you.

In our experience, we found that we did not need it that much as most functions like changing lighting or using a macro can be enabled with a simple key combination but having dedicated software is very nice to see.

RGB Backlighting

Top view of the Epomaker GK68XS mechanical keyboard with RGB lighting on

The GK68 XS features per-key RGB backlighting with a variety of onboard presets. You can change them using different key combinations or via the software.

The onboard solution is a quick way to change lighting but if you want more control the software provides tons of options. It is important to mention that using the software will take some time to understand.

The only issue I faced was that there is seemingly no combination to make a static color unless you want a simple white backlight. I figured you can change to the color-changing mode and just pause it on the color you like but I would have still liked a dedicated key combination.

Hotswap PCB

One of the most exciting features about this board is the fact that it features a hotswappable PCB. This means that you can change out the switches without needing to solder any switches. It takes just a few seconds to replace a switch.

The PCB supports both 3 and 5 pin switches and it is north-facing. This means that the keyboard supports switches from most switch manufactures including Kailh, Cherry, and more. The fact that the sockets are north-facing means that there could be interference with Cherry Profile keycaps.

A hotswap PCB is great for those who want to mod their keyboard to make it sound or feel better. They are also great for those who may want to try different switches.

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Bluetooth Connectivity

Another exciting feature of the GK68 XS is Bluetooth 5.1. You can connect up to three devices. With the 1900mAH battery, you can get a day or two of use out of it depending on if the lighting is on and how much you use the keyboard.

The latency is quite good but I did sometimes notice a delay when playing video games or typing very quickly. In most cases, this is not an issue and I found the connectivity to be quite good.

Conclusion: Should You Get The GK68XS?

Angled view of the Epomaker GK68XS mechanical keyboard

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If you heavily rely on arrow keys and want a good value board the Epomaker GK68XS is an excellent option. It delivers excellent performance and tons of features.

For the price, it comes with some good options such as Bluetooth and hotswap sockets which just makes modding and using the board a lot more convenient. The board also has great switches, keycaps, and stabilizers considering the price and the competition.

The main downsides are the plastic case which, unfoamed, sounds quite hollow, and the north-facing switches, causing interference with cherry profile keycaps. There are other boards that may address these issues but if you want a board now and do not want to wait months for a board to arrive or you prioritize Bluetooth, this is a fantastic option.

If you are interested in the Epomaker GK68XS, consider checking it out on Amazon for a great price.

As always thanks for reading and if you are interested in more keyboard content check out our keyboard page.

Please join our Discord if you have any more questions.

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June 18, 2021

Are Mouse Bungees Worth It?

If you use a wired mouse one of the issues that you may face is your wire dragging on your desk, getting caught on something, or ruining your flicks while gaming. This can get very annoying and even cost you a game if it happens in the midst of a final gunfight.

Luckily there is a solution to fix this issue with wired gaming mice, mouse bungees. Mouse bungees are very useful and are commonly used among competitive gamers. If you want to learn more about mouse bungees and how one could improve your gaming experience, keep reading to find out.

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Their Purpose

Mouse bungees are supposed to mitigate the snagging and dragging of a mouse cable on the desk. They achieve this by lifting the cable using an arm made from a spring. This reduces the friction and therefore drag from the cable on the surface of a desk. It can also mitigate problems like your cable feeling inconsistent because it hits things on your desk.

Mouse bungees help you almost forget about the cable and if set up well can make the mouse feel almost wireless. However, this depends on the type of cable your mouse has. If it has a nice flexible cable like most of the high-end mice, it feels great, however, a more traditional one feels better but not as good.

Additionally, if you have anything on your desk it would help it getting stuck or help the cable from falling behind the desk. For example, I used to have a monitor stand which was quite intrusive and a mouse bungee helped a lot with the cable getting stuck.

Overall a mouse bungee should help improve the experience of using a wired gaming mouse. It should make the gaming experience more consistent and make sure that you have to worry less about the mouse and more about the game.

How To Set One Up

Setting up a mouse bungee is pretty simple. You just need to route a part of the cable through the bungee. The confusing part is finding what is right for your setup.

Generally, I put my mouse bungee a couple of inches above my mousepad and fully extend the arm. Then pull the cable through the arm so that I am able to move the mouse all around my intended mouse area. I would then pull the cable a little more so that there was some wiggle room.

You really just have to play around with it until it feels good. However, make sure not to use too little of the cable, or else the mouse bungee could pull on the cable. Just play around with the positioning until it works well for you.

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Do You Need A Mouse Bungee

Needing a mouse bungee really depends on your situation and your priorities. Ultimately it is up to you and how much the wire bothers you. If you find that the cable is snagging or dragging too much then definitely consider one. However, if it doesn’t annoy you, it might be better to save money.

A mouse bungee could help you while gaming to play better and more consistently. I’ve found that when using different setups, having a mouse bungee makes me more consistent. If you game on different setups then a mouse bungee could be very useful.

If you have a very messy setup and you find that your wire gets caught on things often, then a mouse bungee could be very useful for you.

Who Uses Mouse Bungees

Many people who want the best out of their mice use a bungee, such as pros. Mouse bungees are very common among competitive gamers that use wired mice. Although wireless mice have become very popular recently in the gaming scene, they still are very expensive.

Professional gamers need a smooth experience so they use bungees. Also, when they go from tournament to tournament they need to play consistently and a mouse bungee allows them to do so.

Many competitive gamers that are not even pros still use mouse bungees because of the benefits they can provide. Those who play games where sudden flicks of the mouse are common often utilize mouse bungees and benefit from them.

Buying one won’t make you a pro but it could help depending on your setup.

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Solid Options

There are many great options for mouse bungees on the market that all compete with each other. Since there aren’t really features in bungees getting one that works properly and reliably is the main goal.

Some good options are the mouse bungees from Razor, Zowie, and Glorious. All of these are great, more traditional options, with hefty bases to avoid them from moving about. There are cheaper options that still provide the same experience but may not have as nice of a build.

Our Favorite

Zowie has been known for making some of the best equipment for esports and competitive gamers. Their CAMADE II gaming mouse bungee is no different.

The CAMADE II is well built with good materials, it supports most mice, and features two height options. You can’t go wrong with this bungee because it is tried and tested by many streamers and pros. Personally, this is the mouse bungee that I use and I have no complaints about it.

RGB Option

If you love RGB then Razer has you covered with their Gaming Mouse Bungee V3 Chroma. Like the Zowie option, it uses strong materials and it is also a great option that you can’t go wrong with. RGB peripherals are often a great way to add more to the look of your setup and its theme. The lighting works with Razer’s Synapse software.

This bungee is exactly like the non-chroma version of Razer’s Mouse Bungee V3 but adds vibrant RGB lighting. If you still want the great performance of this bungee but you don’t want RGB then you can save money and go with the non-RGB version.

White Option

If you want a white mouse bungee that matches your setup then Glorious’ Gaming Mouse Bungee is the one for you. Like the other two options, it delivers great performance and you should have no complaints about it.

Glorious gives you basically everything you could want is a mouse bungee with the option to get it in white in addition to black.

Alternatives

Tape Mod

If you don’t have to money to buy one but still get bothered by the cable getting dragged there is still an option. You can tape the cable up to your monitor which lifts the cable over the desk.

This would reduce the drag however is, of course, less effective. This method also won’t look as nice as using a bungee with it is an easy way to save $10 to $20.

Wireless Mice

Additionally, if a cable really bothers you, and your budget permits, it is possible to buy a wireless mouse. This completely gets rid of the cable and makes a mouse bungee obsolete, however, it is not a cheap alternative.

We wouldn’t recommend getting a wireless mouse over a wired mouse and a bungee if all you care about is performance. If you also care about the looks of your setup and you want a clean, simple solution then a wireless mouse is great, assuming your budget permits.

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Conclusion

Mouse bungees are very useful if you have a wired mouse since they prevent the cable from snagging and dragging across the desk. They lift up the cable above the desk preventing it from touching the desk causing unnecessary friction. This should hopefully improve your gaming experience.

A mouse bungee won’t instantaneously make you a pro but it could help you play better, more consistently, and also improve the overall experience. They are a great way to improve the experience of a wired mouse without paying the premium for a wireless mouse.

Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this article then consider checking out some of our other mouse content.

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April 21, 2021

Razer Viper Review: Your Next FPS Mouse?

The Razer Viper competes in a heavily saturated market of low-weight gaming mice with competitive prices. Razer delivers excellent performance alongside a shape that has allowed the Viper to become a very popular option.

Let’s take a closer look at the Razer Viper and see if it could be the right mouse for you.

The Verdict

The Razer Viper is a gaming mouse featuring a lightweight, accurate sensor, and popular shape among many gamers.

Its shape and weight make it very popular for those who game often, especially those who play FPS titles. The light weight makes flicks easy with the shape with an ergonomic design that is friendly for claw and fingertip grips, grips often used for gaming.

The mouse features RGB, friendly software, and onboard memory to store presets. This makes the software customization pretty easy.

There are no major downsides with this mouse but the price is occasionally overpriced for a wired mouse. Paying $80 or over may not be worth it if you do care about wireless connectivity. Also, it is worth mentioning that due to the side buttons being on both sides you may find that distracting and have to adjust to it.

Overall Razer delivers a fantastic option for gamers if you think this mouse suits you then check out the Razer Viper on amazon.

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In The Box

Manual: This tells you everything that you need to know to use the mouse and in case you run into any issues.
Razer Stickers: The stickers have the razer chroma lighting and look like something you would get with a CPU.
The Mouse: The mouse is packaged nicely with the cable tied to keep it all neat in the box.

Build Quality

Angled view of Razer Viper on wooden desk.

The Razer Viper has an exceptional, lightweight build, coming in at 69 grams. This is very light for a gaming mouse and it does so even without having holes. There are some slightly lighter options but those do have holes in their frame. So, if that bothers you, this is one of the best choices.

Mice with honeycomb shells often have issues in the long term with cleanliness as dust and dirt can get in and although no super common, can cause issues. It is nice to see that Razer didn’t opt for the honeycomb design.

The shell is made of high-quality black plastic with rubber for the sides providing additional grip. Mine has a little rattle when shook, however, I’ve owned mine for a long time. Although I have this issue it is common with many mice. This is because scroll wheels will often move around a bit.

The Viper has an amazing flexible cable that doesn’t slow the mouse down. It also has great feet with a smooth glide.

Overall the build is quite nice and delivers a standard experience among many high quality gaming mice.

Shape and Comfort

The Viper is a medium-sized mouse with an ambidextrous shape. It is ideal for a fingertip grip as well as a claw grip. Palm grip works as well if you have smaller hands however, ambidextrous designs are better suited for the other grip styles.

The great compatibility with claw and palm grips makes this mouse a great option for gamers.

The sides have a rubber texture and are indented quite a bit making them easy to grip and it has a fairly large hump that does not get in the way when claw or figure gripping it but is comfortable when palm gripping. The shape works well for FPS games which require very precise aim.

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Switches and Scroll Wheel

The Razer Viper has optical switches that have a nice and satisfying click. Razer claims that these switches have lower actuation times and longer life spans. Also, they are meant to eliminate double clicking issues. In my experience, these are amazing switches but there has not been a perceivable difference compared to ordinary switches so I would not recommend buying this mouse based solely on that.

It also possesses side buttons on each side allowing you to use this mouse with either hand. These are smaller than most to avoid accidental clicks. I’ve gotten used to them however, I still prefer bigger side buttons on one side.

The scroll wheel also is top-notch with nice, tactile steps.

Additionally, to avoid accidental clicks, the DPI button is on the bottom. There is a light on the bottom of the mouse which changes color based on the sensitivity.

Sensor and Polling Rate

The Razer Viper utilizes the Razer 5G optical sensor with a DPI range of 16,000. You can change the DPI in increments of 50. Most people use a DPI of 1200 or lower, but the high range shows the great accuracy of this mouse.

The sensor is one of the most accurate ones in any gaming mouse at the moment. During my use, I have encountered no issues. It is very light too and helps the mouse achieve such a low weight.

As for the polling rate, the Viper supports the standard 1000Hz and you can change it for whatever reason in the software.

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Chroma RGB Lighting

One feature that the Razer Viper supports is their Chroma RGB lighting. The Razer logo lights up with decently bright RGB lighting. It also features a lot of customization.

It is quite bright, and you can choose the color and effect. The effects include breathing, spectrum cycling, reactive, audiometer, and static. Additionally, there are more advanced effects in Chroma Studio which allows you to customize the RGB more in-depth.

Useful Razer Synapse

Razer Synapse software being used to control Razer Viper mouse.

The Razer Viper utilizes Razer synapse which provides a deep level of customization. You can change the lighting of the Razer logo on the back, edit button mappings, change the sensitivity, and more.

The DPI can be changed be in increments of 50. Things like polling rate can be changed too.

Buttons can be remapped to do various functions. If you want to remap the side buttons to have different functions you have the option to do so. There are a total of 8 buttons and all remapabble.

You can set all your settings to various profiles. These changes will save to your system as well as the onboard memory of the mouse. If you make a synapse account, your profiles get saved to it so if you log in on another computer they will transfer. This is very useful if you use your mouse on multiple devices.

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Onboard Memory

The Razer Viper has onboard profiles that will allow you to save specific settings like lighting, sensitivity, and button mappings to the mouse.

The onboard memory is helpful if you use your device with multiple devices or take your mouse to different places. It also enables you to keep all of your settings without Synapse running.

If you don’t like to use software this is nice because you can quickly save your profiles and then uninstall or not run it in the background.

Conclusion: Is It Good For Gaming?

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The Razer Viper is one of the mice for gaming, especially if you are interested in FPS games, requiring high precision. Its accurate sensor and responsive switches paired with its low weight and comfortable shape make this mouse solid in all kinds of gaming.

Even though the mouse may not be wireless, the cable is very light and flexible making it not have issues. The Viper also features things like RGB lighting, onboard memory, and Razer’s powerful synapse software.

The only issue that I faced was that the buttons are a bit small and are on both sides so that takes some time to get used to. Aside from that, the original price was a bit high but it has been on sale for quite some time, anywhere from 25 to 50% off.

If you think the Razer Viper suits what you want and the games you play, check it out for a great price on Amazon.

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February 20, 2021