MSI just embarrassed everyone with its new $80 keyboard

By Jacob Roach Published January 6, 2025

“Let’s move onto the peripherals.” It’s a sentence I always dread hearing during a CES booth tour, especially among mainstream brands like MSI. I know I’m in for a slew of keyboards that don’t come close to the best gaming keyboards, and they usually come at an ungodly price. But MSI left me gobsmacked at CES 2025 with its new $80 mechanical keyboard.

It’s called the Forge GK600 TKL Wireless, and it puts just about every gaming keyboard I’ve seen to shame. Not only is it packed with premium design elements usually reserved for expensive keyboards like the ROG Azoth and GMMK 3 — it also comes in at that insane $80 price. Even as I’m writing this article, I’m still shocked at the price. The Forge GK600 has no business being as inexpensive as it is.

But I’m sure glad it’s that inexpensive. The Forge GK600 has basically everything going for it. It’s a mechanical keyboard built with a hot-swappable printed circuit board (PCB), so you’re free to add your own switches if you want. The stock switches are really solid — I’ll get to those soon — but a hot-swappable mechanical keyboard for $80 is unheard of, especially from a brand as large as MSI.

Still, the Forge GK700 TKL goes further. It’s wireless, as the name implies, with support for both a 2.4GHz connection and Bluetooth. It also supports up to three Bluetooth connections and comes packed with a 4,000mAh battery.

For me, the real difference is the gasket mount and sound dampening. A gasket mount is the way to get the best sound out of most keyboard and switch combinations, and it’s something you’ll usually only find on a keyboard well north of $100. MSI is offering it here for $80, along with so much else, from the wireless support to the hot-swappable PCB.

I’d be very happy with the keyboard out of the box, though. MSI is using KTT HiFi linear switches on the keyboard, which sound excellent. There’s always room for enthusiasts to throw in something like Gateron Oil Kings, but out of the box, and even on the CES show floor, the Forge GK600 sounds fantastic. It has minimal ping and a fairly deep thock, regardless of the price. The fact that the keyboard is so inexpensive is just the cherry on top.

Now, there is a caveat to all of this. The Forge GK600 is completely made of plastic. Honestly, though, I’m totally fine with that. I love a big, thick aluminum keyboard that feels like a mantle on my desk — something like the Meletrix Boog75 — but at $80, I don’t expect that kind of premium treatment. MSI is using plastic, but it nailed just about every other aspect of this keyboard, and it feels great to type on as a result.

MSI plans to offer this keyboard in two color options, both of which are fairly attractive, contemporary designs for a premium mechanical keyboard. In addition to the keyboard itself, you also get a small status screen on the keyboard. It’s not customizable, but it shows you if Caps Lock or other functions are enabled and shows a small image of MSI’s mascot, Lucky.

I’m not sure when this keyboard will be broadly available — for a company as large as MSI, keyboards certainly don’t take priority — but I’m looking forward to giving it a close look once it’s available. Considering the price, I have a hard time imaging I’ll leave disappointed.