Speedlink Parthica Review

Keyboards purposely designed for gaming are sometimes overlooked by consumers, especially those on a budget. Gamers tend to prioritize the "mouse department", sometimes forgetting how important a nice keyboard is when it comes to quick and reliable presses. Those special features that you see splattered all over the packages of gaming keyboards actually matter, no, I'm not talking about the LED lights, I'm talking about profiles, macros, anti-ghosting and a few others.

With those gamers on a budget in mind, today we are reviewing the Speedlink Parthica, a membrane gaming keyboard that offers some of the most important features a keyboard designed for gaming can have, while keeping the retail price relatively accessible to everyone.

The Parthica comes packaged in a strong and sturdy cardboard box that does a good job when it comes to protecting it, important information if you're thinking about ordering yours online.

Speedlink's typical red and black color scheme is present here, along with some pictures of the product and a bunch of really important and not so important features listed both on the front and back of the box.

Opening the package immediately reveals a quick installation manual and a cd with some drivers that you should probably download from Speedlink's website anyway. Aside from that, there's the keyboard itself and not much else. Price is a very important factor here, so it's a smart move by Speedlink to keep unnecessary accessories out, so that the final retail price does not suffer from it.

I found the Parthica to be a good looking keyboard even when not plugged in, while you can certainly "feel" the gaming vibe oozing from it, the actual design is very elegant.

One thing that immediately surprised me was the construction quality, with most gaming keyboards on a budget, the plastic feels a bit flimsy and even cheap at times, not here. The Parthica feels and looks very solid, there's little to no flex in its structure and the rubberized finish feels really great. I actually wish more companies would give their keyboards this kind of coating as it makes them a lot more comfortable to use.

In terms of visual design and construction quality there were a couple of problems related to the LED's, they're very inconsistent in terms of brightness and even color.

As an example of too much brightness, I would say that the decorative cuts at the bottom of the keyboard are a bit too intense, you can adjust the brightness, yes, but then the rest of the keyboard feels a bit underwhelming in terms of intensity.

The other problem I found was related to the color of the Caps-lock, Num-lock and Scroll-lock lights, they are always blue no matter the color you choose for the rest of the keyboard (purple, blue, red). This means that if you like to keep things consistent in terms of colors, you better choose blue or else you're not gonna make it. It's a small issue indeed but worth pointing out nonetheless.

A thing that surprised us in terms of functionality was the ability to freely configure most of the keys on the keyboard, according to Speedlink's website, there's exactly 93 configurable keys and 15 programmable buttons. This gives you a lot of options when setting up the 5 available profiles, each of the profiles can be partnered up with a specific game or application, what this means is that when you boot up your favorite game, you can have a specific keyboard profile load with it. Certainly useful.

Aside from that, you have all the other necessary and vital features such as anti-ghosting, 6-key rollover, 1000Hz polling rate and internal memory to have all your settings available on the go.

A final note to mention that the software used to properly configure all of these settings is really accessible and easy to use, just as they should be.

Final thoughts

Speedlink did a fine job indeed, there's really nothing particularly wrong with the Parthica, it actually stands out, especially when compared to its competitors within the same price range, as a membrane keyboard, this one has everything you probably want.

Functionality-wise, the Parthica also has most of the necessary features and functions that a gaming peripheral, particularly a keyboard, should have.

Because of all this, I can't recommend it enough, if you're looking for an affordable membrane gaming keyboard, then the Speedlink Parthica might just suit your needs.

The Good

+Rubber coating

+Comfort

+Customization software

+Sturdy construction

+Price/Quality ratio
+Anti-ghosting and 6-key rollover

The Bad
-LED inconsistencies
-Lots of competition within price range

Thanks to Speedlink for providing the review sample

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Speedlink Decus Review

Under the microscope today we have yet another product from Speedlink, the Decus gaming mouse. Much like the Kudos RS which we have reviewed in the past, the Decus is an attractive looking mouse that promises a huge array of customization options and good performance at an affordable price.
Speedlink was a relatively unknown company to me until a couple of months ago, after using some of their products for some time now, I've got to say that I am positively impressed with their quality to price ratio, you can definitely expect more Speedlink reviews at some point in the future.

In a similar fashion to the Kudos RS, the Decus comes neatly and safely packaged in a sturdy and well designed black and red cardboard box. More than simply protecting the product you're about to purchase, this box allows you to take a closer look at the mouse itself thanks to a window placed in the front of the package. This is a smart decision on Speedlink's part, since it permits any interested buyer to quickly test out and decide if they like the shape of the mouse or not.
While it's something extra and totally not mandatory anymore, it's still refreshing to see that the Decus comes bundled with a nice manual and driver cd, something that more and more companies forget to include these days.

While simpler in terms of functionality, the visual design of the Decus is a lot more "over the top" than the Kudos RS. A daring shape combined with tons of flashing lights and buttons quickly reveal that this is definitely a gaming mouse.
The smooth rubberized finish makes the Decus a very comfortable gaming solution, this is especially important for the gamers out there who enjoy their long gaming sessions. Ergonomics-wise this is a competent product, while it may require a few hours to get used to, the almost flat shape of the mouse ensures that your hand will almost never make contact with the sliding surface beneath, well-placed spots on each side of the mouse for your fingers to rest, ensure just that.
Unfortunately the Decus is missing some of the key features of the Kudos RS, particularly the weight tuning system is gone which is a shame, I found the Decus to be a bit lighter than I would've preferred, still it's a minor complaint that is quickly justified by the fact that the Kudos RS is also a bit more expensive than the Decus. Aside from that, the other missing feature is the 4-way scroll-wheel, personally that's not a problem for me but if you're someone who likes to have that function in your gaming mouse, then you might want to look somewhere else.

I've been using the Decus for about a month and a half now, while in terms of construction quality I couldn't shake the feeling that the Kudos RS is the superior choice, I would still recommend the Decus since it's a great option for gamers on a tighter budget.

Final Thoughts
Equipped with on-board memory, 7 programmable buttons and a 5000 dpi laser sensor, the Decus is a safe and very functional choice for any gamer out there.
The Speedlink Decus will cost you something like 40€, much like the Kudos RS, it faces extremely tough competitors and that might just be its biggest problem.

The Good
+Shape
+7 Buttons
+Comfortable
+Versatile laser sensor
+Price

The Bad
-Lots of competition
-A bit light
-No 4-way scroll-wheel
-Missing weight tuning system
-Not as sturdy as the Kudos RS

Thanks to Speedlink for providing the review sample

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Speedlink Kudos RS Review

Today we have for review the Kudos RS, a gaming mouse from Speedlink. This is the first product from them that we decided to test so I think an introduction is in order. Here's a little bit of what they have to say about themselves in their website:
"Speedlink has enjoyed continuous growth since its founding in 1998. Today, the company′s products can be found in over 30 countries in Europe. The over 10 million sound systems and over 15 million game controllers sold impressively demonstrate Speedlink′s market presence.
Speedlink product development is based on a willingness to innovate and an eye for the trends of tomorrow. The fast pace of the market demands great vigilance and a high degree of flexibility. Constant supervision of development work and production as well as the company′s representation on the market guarantees excellent product quality and forms the basis for continuing success."

The Kudos RS comes decently packed in a compact but sturdy black cardboard box, along with a ton of information listed on almost all sides, there's also a few pictures and most importantly a window where you get to not only see the mouse itself but also feel it, this will allow you to quickly understand if the shape is something that will appeal to you or not.
Once the box is open, you will realize that the Kudos RS comes packed with a lot of stuff, the mouse itself is sandwiched between two pieces of see-through plastic, this will ensure that the product will arrive in one piece, even if you ship it from far away. Bundled with the Kudos RS you will find an extra set of plastic feet/skates, a huge quick start guide that comes in a lot of different languages, a CD with the drivers and software needed to configure your mouse if you so desire, finally you also get a small plastic box with 6 additional weights (6g each) that you can use to fine-tune your Kudos RS total weight.

The mouse itself comes in a stylish black and red color scheme that really helps set it apart from the competition. The black segments are actually made out of a very soft and comfortable rubber, while the shiny red parts are mostly plastic. Ergonomics-wise it is also a very competent gaming peripheral, everything seems to be in the right place and within your fingers reach. A word of warning for lefties, the Kudos RS is for right-handed people only.
Once you plug the mouse to your computer the first thing that will catch your attention are the five led's at the center, one of them is in "charge" of indicating which profile is currently active (you can have up to 5), while the other four lights serve to indicate the current DPI level, very simple yet super effective. Both the profile and DPI can be adjusted/changed on the fly thanks to the two buttons that sit right next to the led's, once again, simple but extremely effective.
Other features from the Kudos RS design that you might find interesting is the very rugged 4-way scroll-wheel and the seven programmable buttons, personally I found these buttons to be well placed and easy to reach.

I've been using the Speedlink Kudos RS for about two or three weeks now and I gotta say that I'm very happy with it. While I'm definitely not a professional gamer of any sort, I do play a lot of games, the Kudos RS responded extremely well in most of these. From Hearthstone to Battlefield, this gaming peripheral from Speedlink certainly handled all my requests almost perfectly.
The Kudos RS was the first mouse from Speedlink that I've ever used, because of that, the construction quality was a big concern of mine, thankfully it seems that Speedlink pulled it off. The buttons are very responsive and the build quality overall feels top-notch, not even the scroll-wheel disappoints.

Final Thoughts
With a versatile laser sensor (90-5700 DPI), excellent build quality, great ergonomics and tons of features that allow you to customize your gaming experience just the way you want it to be, the Kudos RS is a gaming mouse for just about any sort of gamer.
Priced at around 50€ the Kudos RS certainly faces a lot of tough competitors, that seems to be its biggest problem in my opinion, while it's a great piece of hardware, a lower price tag would aid in setting it apart from the competition and make it a gaming option for consumers on a tighter budget.

The Good
+Versatile laser sensor

+Comfortable
+Button placement
+4-way scroll wheel
+7 programmable buttons
+Adjustable weight
+Build quality

The Bad
-Price
-Lots of competition

Thanks to Speedlink for providing the review sample

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