In keyboard land there are few if any company names more recognizable than Cherry. We know them mostly for the amazing switches they produce and sell to anyone looking to make a top end deck. They of course also make full keyboards themselves and the ones we’ve reviewed here at ThinkComputers have been quite nice. Today we’re checking out one more, a business model, the MX Board 3.0. This flat top full Qwerty board isn’t likely to grab your attention if you’re a gamer. Fortunately, the 3.0 equipped with MX Brown switches, is intended for someone with a set of demands other than flashing RGB LEDs. Read along as we find out if the MX Board 3.0 should be your next business partner.
Special Thanks to Cherry for providing the MX Board 3.0 for review!
Specifications
– Choice of mechanical Red, Blue, Black, Brown stem, MX Keyswitches are Rated at 50 Million Actuations to Withstand Harsh Environments and Ensure Long Product Lifetime
– Full QWERTY Key Layout in Full-size 17.5” Form Factor
– USB 2.0 Interface
– 104 Keys
– N-Key Rollover: Simultaneous operation of up to 14 Keys without any Ghosting effects
– Win Keylock: Windows Keys can be disabled
Packaging
Unfortunately our review sample showed up with just the original packaging wrapped in paper. It was mostly undamaged, but doesn’t allow us to speak any further about what kind of shipping protection that you might receive. At any rate, minor dings and tears aside, the MX Board 3.0 does have some classy looking packaging. An all matte black background wraps the entire box while red Cherry lettering and gold product lettering adorns the top. Flip the box to the back and you will find a photo of the board as well as the Facts and Features in three languages, System Requirements, and package Contents all on the left hand side. On the right Cherry has included infographics explaining the four key switch types the board is available with and what makes them unique. Our sample has MX Browns which are ideal for fast accurate typing while still offering the user a sound level that won’t send their annoyed coworkers running to HR.
The only other side of the packaging worth noting is the right side which has the sticker indicating which switch the board is equipped with.
Inside the box you don’t really find very much padding at all. There is a cardboard pop out at the top of the box to keep the board in place and that’s it. Hopefully your retailer of choice repackages the whole box well as this isn’t really enough to keep the board in good shape. Case in point, our board arrived with the right corner popped open. More than likely the box was stacked on during shipping and this caused the board to split. Fortunately this was easily snapped back together, we were lucky, as is this board needs more padding inside the box.
The only additional packaging with the MX Board 3.0 is a plastic bag around the whole board.