How Much Does it Cost?
The be quiet! Dark Mount is available now from Scan.oc.uk for £229.99 in both Silent Tactile Orange and Silent Linear Orange Switches. While the Light Mount is available for a more affordable £149.99. So while these are both quite expensive, I think they’re competitively priced as far as flagship mechanical keyboards are concerned.
Conclusion
be quiet! has stepped into the peripheral market with a confident stride, delivering two exceptional keyboards in the Light Mount and the Dark Mount. Both keyboards showcase the brand’s renowned attention to detail, build quality, and focus on silent operation. The Light Mount offers a premium typing and gaming experience with its excellent switches, sound dampening, and customisable ARGB lighting, all wrapped in a sophisticated design that would work both at home or in the office. The Dark Mount takes things a step further with its innovative modular design, integrated LCD keys, and customisable media dock, offering unparalleled versatility and customisation, but of course, at an added cost.
Build Quality
True to the be quiet! legacy, the build quality of both the Light Mount and Dark Mount is outstanding. The brushed aluminium top plates exude a sense of premium quality. The PBT double-shot keycaps feel substantial and are designed to withstand years of use without fading. Internally, the multiple layers of sound-dampening material demonstrate a commitment to quiet operation and contribute to a more refined typing feel. Even the packaging reflects the care taken in the design and protection of each component.
Light Mount vs Dark Mount Features
While both keyboards share a foundation of excellent switches, sound dampening, RGB lighting, and aluminium top plates, the Dark Mount elevates the feature set significantly. The Light Mount offers a fantastic core experience with its media wheel and macro keys, alongside a comfortable magnetic wrist rest. The Dark Mount, however, introduces a level of modularity unseen in most keyboards, with detachable components, you could have it as a compact TKL keyboard one day, and a fully decked out streaming control centre the next.
The modularity of the Dark Mount is a standout feature. The ability to attach the numpad to either the left or right side caters to different user preferences and can even transform it into a macro pad for gaming. The hot-swappable nature of the numpad and media dock is seamless and requires no additional tools or software adjustments. While the media dock’s slight wiggle could be improved, its functionality and the integrated display are undeniably useful.
Software and Customisation
The be quiet! IO Centre software provides a comprehensive suite for customising both keyboards. Key remapping, macro creation, and intricate RGB lighting controls are all easily accessible. The Dark Mount especially will benefit from taking the time to set up all your buttons and customisation. However, both keyboards have built-in memory, so you can set it, then leave the software turned off on your desktop if you so desire.
Detachable Wrist Rests
Both the Light Mount and Dark Mount come with detachable wrist rests, a welcome addition for extended typing and gaming sessions. The Light Mount features a single, soft, padded magnetic wrist rest that provides excellent comfort. The Dark Mount offers a two-part magnetic wrist rest, allowing for more flexibility in positioning, especially when using the detachable numpad.
RGB Lighting
While the keyboards maintain a professional aesthetic, the RGB lighting is vibrant and customisable. Both offer per-key RGB with an arched diffuser for even illumination, as well as additional RGB light strips for underglow and edge effects. The double-shot keycaps on both models allow the key legends to shine through clearly.
Daily Performance
In daily use, both keyboards excel. The pre-lubricated be quiet! silent linear and tactile switches offer a smooth, quiet, and responsive typing experience. The sound-dampening technology effectively eliminates unwanted noise and vibrations, contributing to a more focused and pleasant typing experience. The dedicated media controls on both models are convenient, everything is plug and play out of the box, and while software is needed for some customisation, it’s otherwise optional thereafter, which is awesome.
Gaming Performance
For gaming, both the Light Mount and Dark Mount offer the same top-tier performance. The linear switches are fast and precise, ideal for competitive gaming, while the tactile switches provide satisfying feedback for those who prefer it; I find tactile switches are well-suited to gaming while wearing headphones, as you can feel what you’re doing. All the obvious stuff is covered too, such as anti-ghosting and N-key rollover. Dark Mount can have its numpad repurposed as a macro pad, offering a significant advantage for certain game genres; lazy MMO trading macros? Yes please!
Should I Buy One?
be quiet!’s entry into the keyboard market is undoubtedly impressive. The Light Mount offers a premium, quiet, and customisable experience that will satisfy most users looking for a high-quality mechanical keyboard. However, the Dark Mount, with its innovative modularity and integrated LCD display keys, pushes the boundaries of keyboard design and functionality.
If you prioritise a fantastic typing and gaming experience with excellent build quality and subtle yet effective customisation, the be quiet! Light Mount is an outstanding choice. It delivers on its promise of silent performance without compromising on features or aesthetics.
However, if you crave unparalleled versatility and are willing to invest in cutting-edge features like a detachable numpad, customisable LCD display keys, and a modular media dock, the be quiet! Dark Mount is a truly exceptional and innovative keyboard that stands out from the competition. While the Light Mount more than meets the needs of many, the Dark Mount offers a next-level experience, justifying its “even more premium” designation. Both keyboards are a testament to be quiet!’s commitment to quality and performance, making them strong contenders in the high-end mechanical keyboard market.
In short, I think these will both be extremely popular additions to their product range, and I can’t wait to get hands on with their new gaming mice next!
