OCZ ALCHEMY REVIEW
By Sushi Warrior

The OCZ Alchemy Elixir is the first keyboard released from OCZ Technology. Most commonly known for their RAM, this is not OCZ's first peripheral (that's held by the OCZ Equalizer mouse). It retails for around 25 dollars US, and I got mine for exactly 23 dollars Canadian.



Oooh, shiny....

So here it is. The OCZ Alchemy. Some of the specs include rubber-coated keys, media/internet keys, replacement WASD and spacebar, control, and shift keys, and membrane style key mechanisms. Membrane mechanisms mean that the key presses down a rubber cone that makes contact with a little membrane circuit board. It is less durable than traditional scissor mechanisms but (if used properly) could be quieter. It's also much cheaper to produce.

FIRST IMPRESSION




When you first open up the box, which by the way has a nice design and would make for a good retail box, there isn't too much to see. Included is a manual, CD for software, and the replacement keys. This was a nice touch, especially for a budget keyboard. Not even the G15 has these . Installation is simple, plug it in and install the software included on the disc. The default media player is programmable, which is nice for anyone who doesn't use WMP (who does?).



TESTING

The Alchemy may lack the sleek design of the Lycosa, and the nice screen on the G15, but overall I have found it to be most appealing to me (a budget gamer) after using all 3. The keys are on the louder side, and it doesn't have backlighting, but the action and feel of the keys is superb. It has all the keys you could ever really need for macros, unless you're an MMO nut, and offers lots of programmability (like profiles, macros, etc.). While gaming, I found the keys to be very suitable, as they gripped well to my fingers and the wrist rest was well placed. It never missed a stroke, and the macro keys can be useful (I never found much use for them in FPS games) albeit a bit of a reach. The only major shortfall of the Alchemy compared to other expensive keyboards is backlighting - it's near impossible for me (someone who glances down a fair bit ) to type a paragraph comfortably in the dark. When typing (like on the forums) I find it to be rather loud, but still what you'd expect from any keyboard. The action is nice, providing good feedback on every keystroke.

CONCLUSION

The Alchemy is arguably the best budget keyboard to hit the market ever. At roughly the price of a cheap Logitech or similar brand, it provides excellent performance, nice add-ons (replacement keys) and software, and the fit and finish of a much more expensive keyboard.

Pros

Nice feel from rubber keys
Good construction
GREAT price-point
Powerful software

Cons

No backlighting (but do you really expect it for 20 bucks?)
Sort of loud
Macro keys are a bit far to reach

Rating out of 10
Price - 10
Peformance - 8
Features - 8.5
Appearance - 7.5

Overall - 8.5

An excellent value, the Alchemy is a perfect fit for any gamer on a budget. Still inferior to the G15 and Lycosa, the Alchemy presents a better value than almost any keyboard on the market.