MSI STRIKE 600 Silent Gaming Keyboard Review

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 11, 2025 20 Views 8 Min Read
MSI STRIKE 600 Silent Gaming Keyboard Review



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PC component and peripheral maker MSI has a reputation for being a trusted name when it comes to quality products for PC gaming and content creation, and the company’s latest range of mechanical keyboards aims to deliver out-of-the-box convenience and top-shelf features at a more consumer-friendly price point. The STRIKE 600 Silent Gaming Keyboard is one of MSI’s wired options from its mechanical keyboard line, and it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with more expensive devices while delivering flawless performance across a variety of applications.

After spending a few days putting the STRIKE 600 through its paces, I can confidently say that it holds up to anything you can throw at it and is incredibly easy to set up and customize, making a strong case for replacing my other keyboard on my gaming PC as my primary device. Though it’s marketed as a gaming keyboard and contains some bespoke features that cater to its use in that area, my experience with the device proved that non-gaming tasks related to content creation, productivity, and writing all work equally well on the STRIKE 600. This full-size wired gaming keyboard offers a surprisingly comfortable and tactile experience when typing, aided by its suitably chunky-feeling — and quiet — Kalih Midnight Pro mechanical switches.

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MSI’s STRIKE 600 Silent Gaming Keyboard is a Dependable and Versatile Peripheral

After breaking into the MSI STRIKE 600’s sleek packaging, it becomes instantly obvious how quality the keyboard itself is after picking it up and taking it out of its protective sleeve. A general rule of thumb for mechanical keyboards is that they should have some heft to them, as heavier keyboards tend to signal higher-quality components while the opposite also generally holds true. The STRIKE 600 feels incredibly solid, as if it were built to last, and it has a similar feel and density to some of the other mechanical keyboards I’ve used over the years, many of which were double or triple the MSRP of the STRIKE 600.

It’s also worth mentioning that the static appearance of the keyboard is something to behold. Before the device itself is even plugged in and powered on, the MSI STRIKE 600 features a sleek, gun-metal grey aluminum alloy case with a subtle, laser-etched “MSi” rather than the company’s signature dragon logo, and similarly appealing matte black MSI octagonal keycaps. Some keyboards designated for gaming are often readily apparent as such, but you’d be forgiven for assuming the STRIKE 600 is just a nice, professional quality keyboard without gaming-specific features or RGB when it’s first out of the box and sitting on a desk.

After plugging the STRIKE 600 and powering up my PC, setup was incredibly straightforward and hassle-free, and the onboard RGB took me by surprise with how bright and saturated it was. I opted to forego installing any of the recommended software save for the MSI Center, which is the primary means of controlling the keyboard’s RGB and setting up custom profiles as well as downloading any necessary drivers. But as someone with an ASUS motherboard, I use Armory Crate to control and sync all my RGB devices to a custom gradient, and it was a totally smooth and seamless process integrating the STRIKE 600 into that repertoire, ultimately making MSI Center a redundant piece of software except for driver updates and adjusting the three customizable user profiles.

Finishing the visual customization and discovering the onboard RGB controls that the STRIKE 600 offers was just the first steps, though, as any good mechanical keyboard needs to be put through a variety of tasks before it can be fairly judged. Though I typically gravitate toward mechanical keyboards with clicky, blue switches, I was surprised how satisfying it felt to type on the STRIKE 600’s Kalih Midnight Pro silent tactile switches, not to mention how much quieter it was. The STRIKE 600 bills itself as a high quality, but silent, mechanical keyboard, and it’s arguably the first one I’ve used that strikes an ideal balance between noise considerations and a satisfying feel for someone who counts Gateron Blue and Kalih Speed Bronze among their favorite mechanical switches. Extending the keyboard feet underneath the STRIKE 600 only added to the satisfaction and comfort of typing on the device, especially when paired with its ergonomic keys.

But while it’s entirely possible to use the MSI STRIKE 600 as a traditional keyboard for more standard productivity tasks, its main use is for gaming, and this is where the device truly shines. The inclusion of hybrid 6+N key rollover proved to be an immediate highlight over my standard keyboard when playing games like Path of Exile 2 or STALKER 2 — where the keyboard does a lot of the heavy lifting for different in-game functions — eliminating the potential for ghosting when trying to multi-task and sequence a series of inputs. Combined with a quick-access hotkey for the keyboard’s gaming mode profile, the MSI STRIKE 600 is a quiet and responsive peripheral that provides everything needed for a variety of gaming genres without disturbing anyone in the vicinity.

It is worth noting that the STRIKE 600 doesn’t totally forego the need for adjustments and customization after that initial setup (especially if you happen to use a different RGB controller other than MSI Center), but the ease with which those adjustments are possible highlights the keyboard as a quality peripheral that offers a surprising amount of customization at a significantly reduced cost. Typing and gaming on a mechanical keyboard is one of those things that, after trying it, it’s impossible to go back from, but it also typically requires a substantial investment. The MSI STRIKE 600 is a gaming keyboard that also happens to double as an incredibly responsive and satisfying device for typing, and it’s consumer-friendly price point positions it as an excellent entry-to-mid-level option that leaves other budget competitors in the dust.

The MSI STRIKE 600 Silent Gaming Keyboard is available for purchase from third-party retailers linked on MSI’s official website.

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