HyperX Origins 2 1800 Mechanical Keyboard Review

Whilst most keyboard these days involve phone screens and thumbs, there’s always room for that traditional setup. Whether it be tapping away a game review or putting fingers to good use in PC games, the humble keyboard still sits proud within a setup. Of course, a bog-standard office keyboard can well do the job – but these are often not the most ergonomic, nor the most durable either.

Gaming keyboards have taken off over the last decade or so, with optimisations to improve comfort over longer sessions, customisable insides and – more recently – RGB flare. Yes, those glowing strips have become a must-have feature for gaming credibility. Apparently. And yes, this reviewer has too succumbed to the allure of the lights.

These days there are many keyboards and gaming accessories, that finding an ideal fit within a budget can be a challenge. Switches? Keycaps? A myriad of keyboard technology to add to the confusion.

With a range of headsets, keyboards and mouse at its disposal, HyperX has tried to keep things simple – accessories with gamer flare that work out the box, but also have customisation to allow enthusiasts to dive further. One device that tries to fit that balance of “just works” and flexibility is the HyperX Origins 2 1800, a mechanical gaming keyboard that the brand note is “designed to be customised”. With a more premium price compared to some more budget-friendly keebs, is this a worthy upgrade for your gaming setup?

Lifting the Origins 2 1800 out the box and it is a surprisingly heavy beast, weighing in just shy of 1kg. Certainly not something to rage lob across the room during a heated online battle, that’s for sure! Please don’t. Compared to a bog-standard office keyboard, this model has presence – in both looks and mechanics. It’s not one that’ll be nudged about easily and allows for comfortable, longer typing sessions with grips to keep it in place.

A lot of the weight does come from what’s beneath the hood, so to speak. Most generic keyboards are primarily slabs of plastic with rubberised membranes to detect key presses. Perfectly usable, of course, but that’s about it. The difference with mechanical keyboards is, as the name suggests, the more mechanical action when typing. Within the Origins 2 1800 are essentially sheets of layered material, mounts and stabilisers to provide a smoother, slightly bouncier and satisfying feel.

Out the box, the setup simply works. Hook up a USB-C cable and it’s ready to roll. To be fair, if a keyboard didn’t do that, then many questions would be asked. Feel wise, the keys have a matt finish and the default typing sound a slightly clacky, light feel. It’s glide worthy, with a good level of resistance and a snappy 1.8mm actuation. Despite not being a full 100% layout, the more compact feel does deliver a more than usable compromise – there’s a good travel with the full-size keys, and all the essentials are well considered, placement wise. Touch typists and WASD warriors can quickly adapt here.

One of the benefits of a mechanical keyboard, in general, is the ability to customise. The HyperX Origins 2 1800 is no exception, with fully hot-swappable keyboard 5 or 3 pin-switches for compatibility with the myriad of options out there. Fancy a more thocky, quieter feel than the default? It’s certainly possible! Interestingly, some of the inside sound-dampening silcon can also be taken out, all without having to brute force it.

The whole keyboard is enclosed within a nifty semi-transparent black shell by default, a nod to the much-missed ’90s transparent tech. Millennials, you can rest easy, there is a resurgence it seems. A handful of screws later and the outer casing can also be swapped out – with a number of colours available to add a bit of pop to a desk setup.

Beyond typing out word documents or angry emails to utility providers, from a gaming standpoint a good keyboard also needs a good, snappy response time. The HyperX Origins 2 1800 more than delivers, with the wired connection offering an 8000-polling rate, allowing for spit-second moments to be captured without hesitation. It does live up to the claim – with presses feeling responsive, even for this aging reviewer’s reaction times. The wired connectivity also helps with this, ensuring that players can start a match knowing their setup will be reliable.

Beyond the physical tweaks, the keyboard is fully compatible with the NGENUITY software – allowing the different lights to be customised. Yes, the keyboard does feature a super bright array of RGB colours. Brightness, patterns and more can easily be tweaked, plus macros and remapping for those wanting to drop in a few custom functions for convenience. It is a shame, though, that the app (at time of writing) is reserved for Windows users only.