The 65% layout here is very welcoming to small-handed gamers, but few beyond the competitive crowd will get the most out of this TMR gaming keyboard's rich feature set. Even so, for the price, I wish this wired keyboard was just a bit more head-turning.
Highly customisable via MagCrate
Cheaper than the MX 8.2 Pro
ESportsBeat's got your back
Our experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you. Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
I'm not one for snap judgments, but when this keyboard first crossed my desk, I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose. My initial ire centred on the plastic construction and the pricing. To be fair to this 65% gaming keyboard, it's a sturdy bit of kit with minimal flex that also offers TMR switches. That magnetic tech's level of precision goes some way to justifying the $185/£140 price tag, but I wasn't sure if it went quite far enough.
To state my own biases, the Cherry XTRFY K5 Pro TMR Compact couldn't be more different from the mechanical keyboard that I actually use every day, the Be Quiet Light Mount . Beginning with the obvious, the K5 Pro TMR is far smaller and far from quiet. The Cherry MK Crystal magnetic switches actuate cleanly and offer plenty of key clack—unfortunately, that comes with a pretty THUNK-y space bar that I do not care for.
Add to that the fact that its orange stripe design and plastic construction pales in comparison to the Light Mount's brushed aluminium top plate, and you can see why I was so cool on it to begin with.
Mind you, Cherry isn't calling this 'compact' for nothing. As a 65% design, there's no numpad, dedicated macro keys, or pleasingly tactile media controls to speak of. Credit where credit is due, that allows the layout to feel far from cramped.
The direction keys are shuffled inwards towards Enter and Control, with the left arrow key jutting out, but Delete, Page Up, and Page Down are given a few millimetres of breathing room to visually balance the design.
Cherry K5 Pro TMR Compact specs