ASUS Integrates ROG BIOS Functionality Into Claymore Mechanical Keyboard

ASUS’ Claymore mechanical keyboard was originally demoed during Computex last year and showed a great deal of promise. Since then, the company has been working extremely hard to separate the Claymore from other mechanical keyboards currently dominating the peripherals market. One major change is the option to remove the number pad section and position it on the left hand side. This adds a large array of macro keys or you can even disregard it entirely and create a TKL layout. Of course, this isn’t an exclusive feature and other keyboards in the past have adopted a similar design. The more interesting development revolves around dedicated BIOS function keys and provides the end-user with various commands providing they are using an ROG ASUS motherboard.

According to Tom’s Hardware, ASUS has implemented a BIOS key which boots directly into the UEFI without having to frantically time the correct key presses. It’s even possible to adjust CPU and RAM overclocking settings from the keyboard. Another neat feature is the ability to cycle between XMP profiles and configure system fan RPM values. In addition to the enhanced BIOS functionality, there’s the usual array of RGB colour customization and dramatic lighting effects. I’m also quite fond of the keyboard’s style which makes it look unique. It seems every major manufacturer has moved into the peripherals market and released a high-end mechanical keyboard. It will be interesting to see what kind of switches the ASUS Claymore comes with. Ideally, I’d love to see more gaming keyboards with switches designed for typists such as Cherry MX Blues.

The Claymore is scheduled for release in Q2 this year and more official information regarding its price, and specification should be unveiled shortly. It’s always going to be difficult to compete with Corsair, but the BIOS features might just be enough to shift units in impressive numbers. When the product is finally released, we should have an in-depth review detailing the feel, build quality and unique selling points.

Which is your favourite mechanical switch type?