Steelseries APEX M500 Mechanical Keyboard Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Steelseries APEX M500 is available on Amazon UK for a very reasonable £97.67, and Amazon US for $88.49. Obviously, those in the US are getting a better deal here, but both prices are pretty accurate for their respective regions vs competitor products.

Overview

Steelseries have a rock solid reputation in the gaming market, as it seems they can do no wrong. They have a long history of award-winning products that are loved by gamers at home as much as they are by the eSports community, and the APEX M500 is a prime example of why. When it comes down to it, this is a pretty simple keyboard, with no major standout features or freaky design choices to give it that “gamer appeal” that we so often see. You can put this on your desk, and it’s just an everyday keyboard.

When it comes to gaming, the Cherry MX Red switches are stunning to play with, as they offer lightning fast responses, a snappy return rate and are great for those games that require you to really hammer away at the keys; I’m looking at you League of Legends and CS:GO! Anyone familiar with MX Reds will feel right at home here, that’s for sure.

The build quality is rock solid, it’s a simple keyboard design with very little to go wrong. I would have liked a detachable cable, but that’s hardly a deal breaker, and a nice surprise was the very durable feet on the base, as so many brands still use cheap plastic ones that break if you do so much as look at them, but that’s not the case here.

The software suite is a nice bonus too, not essential for operation of the keyboard, but serious gamers will certainly want to tap into that powerful macro engine. Don’t worry though, you can save your profile right into the keyboard, meaning it’s compliant with most tournament rules.

Pros

• Rock solid build quality
• Simple yet effective design
• Powerful LED lighting
• Easy to use software
• Excellent macro engine

Cons

• None

Neutral

• No detachable cable
• No dedicate macro/multimedia keys

“If you’re looking for a straightforward, no fuss, gaming keyboard, the SteelSeries APEX M500 is a great choice. From working in the office, to top-level eSports competitions, it won’t let you down.”