be quiet! is entering the mouse/keyboard market!

be quiet is entering the keyboard market

A new era of be quiet! has begun

If you’ve been part of the PC hardware community for a while, you will have heard of be quiet! Typically, be quiet is known for its CPU coolers, PC cases, and power supplies. Today, be quiet has officially unveiled a new product line, expanding the company into the PC peripherals market. This year, be quiet is bringing to market its first keyboards and mice.

Last month, OC3D was invited to Germany to have a look at what’s next for the company. We expected to see new additions to be quiet’s existing product lines. What we got was something entirely new. be quiet aims to redefine “silent gaming” with its latest PC accessories. Great news for anyone who enjoys a quiet office, and gamers who dislike loud accessories getting in the way of their immersion.

Today, be quiet has revealed two keyboards. These are the Dark Mount and Light Mount. As we progress through this preview, we will look deeper into these two keyboards and what makes them special.

Dark Perk Mice – releasing this year

Alongside their new Mount series keyboards, be quiet has revealed their upcoming Dark Perk series mice. These mice are designed with high-end gaming in mind. With this in mind, both Dark Perk series mice are “ultra lightweight” and use “the best sensor available.” Sadly, we cannot tell you their exact specifications right now. All will be revealed later this year.

The Dark Perk will be available in two forms. These forms are the Dark Perk Sym and the Dark Perk Ergo. The Sym is a symmetrical mouse, offering users a design that works well in left-handed and right-handed configurations. The Dark Perk Ergo is more ergonomically designed and is intended exclusively for right-handed use. Both versions feature the same internals. The only difference is their grip style.

With these mice, be quiet promises an “unparalleled battery life” during wireless use. Note that both mice have a USB Type-C connector at their front for charging and wired use.

Both of be quiet’s Dark Perk mice will be available later this year.

Key switches

If you want a quiet keyboard, be quiet! has you covered. Both their Dark Mount and Light Mount keyboards will be available with Linear (Orange) and Tactile (Black) switches. Both switch types have been made to be whisper-quiet. Note that be quiet’s orange switches require 45g of actuation force, while their black switches require 55g of actuation force.

Be quiet’s Orange and Black switch types are pre-lubricated from the factory to reduce friction and noise. Additionally, both types use PA66 nylon housings to deliver a muted sound profile.

Note that be quiet’s key switches are hot-swappable with other 5-pin MX-style key switches. This allows users to customise their keyboards to suit their exact preferences.

Sound Deadening

be quiet is living up to their name with their Mount series keyboards. Both their Dark and Light Mount keyboards feature “3 sound-absorbing layers” to ensure that this happens.

First, there is a foam layer between be quiet’s key switches and PCB. Another is under the keyboard’s PCB. Next there is silicon padding at the bottom of the keyboard housing. This ensures that echoing noises are immediately muted, and echo effects are reduced or eliminated.

Be quiet has gone the extra mile with their space bar and enter keys by lubricating their stabilisers and adding extra cushioning to these contact points and the keyboard’s PCB. The Space bar even has foam inside its keycap body to reduce echo noises.

Software

Be quiet’s Dark Mount and Light Mount keyboards both feature per-key ARGB lighting. These lighting elements shine elegantly through be quiet’s PBT double-shot keyboard caps. These key caps are made to never fade or wear out, unlike cheaper painted keycaps. The edges of these keyboards are also illuminated.

To control these lighting elements, be quiet has created its “IO Center” software. This software is available as a standalone app and as a web app. This allows users to customise their keyboards on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The web-based version of IO Center can work on any Chromium-based browser and requires no installation to function.

Both keyboards feature internal memory, allowing users to save their settings directly to their keyboards. This allows custom key mappings, macros, and lighting preferences to remain intact if you move your keyboard from one PC to another.

Using this software, Mount series keyboard users can customise their lighting, macros, and custom keys to suit their preferences. Users of the Dark Mount can also control the eight LCD buttons on their keyboards. These are 140×140 display keys that can give users a fully customisable experience.

Note that some lighting options can be configured on the Dark mount using the keyboard’s Media Dock screen. This allows some options of this keyboard to be configured without any PC software.