Gigabyte Aivia K8100 Keyboard Review

Using the Aivia K8100

At first, the sheer size of the Aivia keyboard left a negative impression but after some time testing it, the wrist rest proved to be comfortable, even though it’s made of rugged plastic. Detaching the wrist rest was easy, it just took some unscrewing of the underside.

Figure 9: Loose wrist rest and silicon cover

The keyboard also comes with a silicon cover to protect it from dust. We used the keyboard normally with the protection over it and even played a little, but we recommend it solely for working (and when the keyboard is not in use, of course) since we missed a couple keystrokes because the Aivia is not that precise with the silicon protection over it. But it’s a great feature for those who, like us, have the bad habit of eating grimy food while using the computer. Gigabyte also provides a spare WASD cluster and a very useful tool for removing the keys, good for changing the extra keys and also loosing others for cleaning purposes.

Figure 10: Extra keys, extraction tool and silicon cover

The typing experience is one of the best we had. The keys exert the exact amount of pressure, the response is precise and pleasant. The Aivia K8100 is a great working keyboard. But what about gaming, its primary focus? Well, it features a simple, efficient and comprehensive software (100 macros!) and it has an engine that prevents the misinterpretation of keystrokes – no key left us in a tight spot while gaming. We only have a major gripe: the programmable buttons sit too far away from the regular keys. The hand really has to leave the keyboard and reach for the buttons to engage the presets. In the thick of the action, the performance maybe compromised. It’s better to programm the buttons with non-essential or less urgent functions that can
be engaged in quieter gaming moments. It the buttons were at the left of the regular keys, the pinkie could reach them by reflex more quickly.

The color scheme may not appeal to everyone’s tastes, but it’s nice to have an all-black option that fits on any kind of workspace decor. The sliding touch-sensitive volume control is a nice idea but contributes to the overall big size ot the keyboard. The sleek design could make space for a better placement of the programmable buttons and also the two USB ports: they are located on each lateral of the keyboard’s body, so the plugging of a big pendrive or a headset wireless unit requires extra table room. So the user better have a big enough table for the Aivia K8100.