The 5QS Mark 2 can be outfitted with Cherry MX2A Brown, Red, and Silent Red switches. Das sent me a review unit with its most popular option, the MX2A Silent Reds. The bottom-mount system, large amounts of silicone dampening, and the silent red switches combine to create an incredibly dull typing feel. The switches, silenced using internal silicone strips, are naturally soft and a bit mushy, and the bottom mount makes this mushiness even more pronounced when typing. The sound dampening inside the case absorbs whatever other vibrations and elements of typing feel would otherwise be present. The stabilizers are generic plate-mounted units that, despite being lubricated from the factory, still rattled, even immediately out of the box. This was also made more obvious by the keyboard’s silencing.

In the end, this keyboard’s typing feels soft and sounds nearly silent, while still maintaining some subtle higher-pitched and rattly tones that are unpleasant, but quiet enough to be covered up by headphones, earbuds, or even speakers.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

Unlike many keyboards today, the 5QS does not have hot-swap sockets. This means that unless you’re handy with a soldering iron and don’t like having a manufacturer warranty, you’ll be limited to whatever switches the keyboard comes with from the factory. The Lego-like customizability offered by hot-swap sockets has gone from a novel luxury to an industry standard in modern keyboards, so being absent on this model, at this price, is somewhat disappointing. However, this does mean the 5QS is going to be marginally more reliable than a hot-swappable board, since hot-swap sockets can occasionally fail with extensive use.

Q Functionality

Das’ big selling point with this keyboard is its “Q” software, which is used to customize the RGB lighting and other functions. This can be used to apply animations and patterns to the RGB, along with modifying the individual function of each key.

The RGB can also be configured through individual “applets” you install within the main app. These can connect to external applications and website logins to display information like unread messages, alerts, and system information. Some of the more interesting ones include a four-day weather forecast, value trackers for stocks and cryptocurrencies, and price trackers for flights and video games. Besides that, there are a few timed reminder apps for small tasks like drinking water and standing reminders if you’ve been sitting too long.

While all of these are cool concepts, even the best ones are held back by a major flaw: RGB lights simply are not an efficient way to communicate complex information. For example, the weather forecast applet has multiple color options for different predictions, but only some of these make sense at a glance: White for snow, yellow for sun, and blue for rain. Other options—pink for overcast, and red for thunderstorms—are not very intuitive. Unless you spend a lot of time with this keyboard and adjust your daily routines to acclimate to the new system, I doubt the average person will find it helpful to play a memory game with information that is otherwise two clicks away on their computer. While other keyboards (like Razer’s BlackWidow V4 75% Pro) integrate secondary displays, this solution feels overcomplicated and underwhelming.