Armaggeddon Stealth Raptor MKA-7 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Since my last review of the Armaggeddon Black Hornet MKA-3, I haven't been seeing anything new in Armaggeddon's product lineup. It was only by chance that I saw this new baby on the shelves, fancy that!.... gave a call to Armaggeddon and within a few days I am checking out the all new Stealth Raptor MKA-7 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.



The Stealth Raptor comes into the market at RM499 (MSRP) but I found that you could get it cheaper in retail stores (for about RM450-ish). This places it in rivalry of other top branded mechanical keyboards... I thought Armaggeddon is supposed to emphasize on affordability? Unlike the previous flagship Black Hornet, the Stealth Raptor is a full-sized 104-keys keyboard with a choice of 4 types of Cherry-MX switches available. Coming in at the same price should mean a better value since the Stealth Raptor looks to have more features as well.

Here are the features straight off from the website:

• Available In Red, Blue, Black and Brown Cherry MX Mechanical Switches
• High quality Cherry MX switches and long life up to 50 million operations
• 3 segments total 104 mechanical switches built-in with backlight effects.
• Unique “Maldives Blue” LED backlight
• 6 fully Macro-AbleTM keys
• Adjustable keys effective time in 7 speed transmission from 1ms ~ 16ms
• Adjustable polling rate: 125Hz/250Hz/500Hz/1000Hz
• Multimedia keys with built-in program
• Adjustable keys response time
• Adjustable backlighting effects on keyboard button
• Characteristic keycaps for WASD and arrow keys
• Gaming mode option for deactivation of windows key
• 1.8 meters multiflex cord wrapped with ultra-durable cable jacket.
• 1 Megabyte Built-in onboard memory
• USB cord management system design for your convenience

Packaging

The Stealth Raptor comes in an overall black box with gold / yellow accents. The front featured the keyboard itself with big rugged styled text depicting the name. A small window reveals the directional keys for users to test before making their purchase. Some features of the Stealth Raptor were also highlighted around the window for quick reference.

The back contains a plethora of information in regards to the Stealth Raptor. Every feature, every switch, their actuation weights, keyboard i/o layout, even a small specification in multiple languages are all stuffed at the back. It feels a bit too 'crowded' to be honest. Armaggeddon could do well with a map of the keyboard's layout.

The sides are further inscribed with the contents and specifications of the Stealth Raptor while the two end flaps have the usual Armaggeddon logo and branding.

The Unboxing

Everything slides out from the side flap encased in a plastic shell, and in the box you'd find the Stealth Raptor keyboard, instruction manual, driver mini-CD, a bag of silver replacement caps with key puller and replacement rubber feet.

I am glad that they finally decided to include the key puller, absolutely essential for 1st time owners in my opinion but Armaggeddon stuck to providing silver keycaps which has little function aside from changing the colours; Would've been nice if they are textured or has some unique properties that would make the keycaps special. The package is also missing a wrist rest; I actually loved the wrist rest that came with the Black Hornet MKA-3, not too sure why they didn't include that this time around.

The Keyboard

The Stealth Raptor MKA-7 is heavy and built like a tank with no flex to it. the layout is standard QWERTY. Matte black and fingerprint proof they keys are what you would expect from a good gaming keyboard today. The slanted area below the spacebar seems like some sort of a wrist rest, it's not obtrusive but not a lot of use being there.

We have the blue version under the keycaps.

Compared to my trusty Logitech G510, the Stealth Raptor has a slightly smaller footprint and brighter LEDs at that. Though I'd say that the packaging mislead me to believe that the Stealth Raptor will have uniform Maldives-blue LED lighting instead of the permanent orange LED on some parts.

Cabling is said to have "ultra-durable cable jacket" which looks like a normal cable, honestly, I was expecting some sort of special braided cable. This terminates to a USB plug and 3.5mm audio jacks for the audio passthroughs on the Stealth Raptor.

The USB and audio pass-through are placed conveniently at the side of the Stealth Raptor and right above them are two smaller buttons and a dial.

I like the idea of the behind the combination. By default, the dial would serve as the LED brightness and mode controller (brightness level adjustment, off, gaming lights and pulse), the buttons? not so much for them to do until an audio jack is plugged in then you'd find the dial functioning as a volume controller; you could still control the brightness and mode of the LED by pushing the light button then.

Neat feature? oh yes, but it could do with more robust button and dial like the rest of the mechanical keys. They feel mushy and the dial is a sorry excuse of one to take up space on any mechanical keyboard of this caliber. The LED function may also be controlled with the Fn+Scrl Lock keys to switch between the modes mentioned above.

The underside of the Stealth Raptor looks very similar to their Black Hornet, cable management channel up at the top part, two rubberized raisers at the two upper corners and four grippy rubber feet at the lower part keeps the Stealth Raptor from sliding around when you're busy gaming. In the center is a sticker that tells the users which Cherry-MX switch is on the keyboard, serial number and the warranty expiry.

The Driver Software

The software driver of the Stealth Raptor is very straightforward, 4 tabs with the usual Armaggeddon themed colours and "OK", "Apply" and "Cancel" buttons at the bottom right.

Atypical of Armaggeddon's software you will land on the "Home Base" screen upon first run of the driver software. Nothing you can do here other than read the badges and admire the military themed background, though clicking cancel will close the window.

In the Button Settings tab Nearly all keys (Windows, Function, F1 to F12, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Insert, Home, End, Delete, Page Down and Page Up keys being the exceptions) can be programmed to other keystrokes. All you have to do is to click on the keys you wanna re-program, type the alternative keystroke and click on apply. A total of 5 different profiles is available for users to program a truckload of combinations to the Stealth Raptor. Profile indicator is still missing though so one would still need to look at the software to see which one is active.

Six Macro keys can be programmed at the third tab... wait.. where are the macro keys you ask? they are right above the arrow-keys. Yup that's right, the Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down are also macro keys M1 to M6 and are only active in Gaming Mode (Fn+Prnt Scrn). These can be programmed to do multiple keystrokes, particularly useful of you're doing a combo in an MMO or action game. If games are not your thing, these can be set to other functionalities such as media keys, windows command keys, shortcuts or simply turned off.

Placement of the macro keys here are a bit weird but I suppose those of you who are into MMO and strategy games will be pleased having them there rather than off to the far left side of the keyboard. The Stealth Raptor also allows users to swap the ASDW keys to the arrow keys with ease (Fn+Windows key).

Finally the Advanced setting tab allows you to set the Polling rate (125Hz to 1000Hz), turn the Windows key on/off, set the key response time and light intensity.

Conclusion

As with other Cherry-MX blue switch keyboards, using the Stealth Raptor takes you back to the early days of computing. Keystrokes are smooth and responsive in both gaming and typing which is expected from a decent mechanical keyboard. If you don't like blue switches, you could opt for either Red, Brown or Black variety. The Stealth Raptor is solidly built and with a 2-year limited warranty gives users a piece of confidence in their purchase.

But the Stealth Raptor is far from being the perfect keyboard. As much as I liked the feel of the keys, Armaggeddon could do away with the orange LED backlit on the gaming zone. It'll probably look sharp with all the LEDs being Orange too. Audio and USB passthroughs are indeed a welcomed inclusion but I wish Armaggeddon had implemented a more decent control button and a larger click-dial for the sound and lighting adjustments; the idea behind it is a good one though. Then there is the cable, just weave-braid it will do.

Pros:

• Built like a tank
• Fingerprint-proof
• Selection of MX-Cherry mechanical keys
• USB and Audio pass-throughs
• Multiple profile switching with onboard memory

Cons:

• Needs to rethink on the Orange LED
• Mushy sound/light button & dial
• No wrist-rest, slanted area below spacebar is not necessary
• Seems to be too pricey to compete in the local market

Thermalright Archon SB-E X2

For those of you who haven't a clue, Thermalright is a leading brand that specializes in producing high quality cooling components for the PC of today. Since 2001, Thermalright have brought us a few innovative solutions such as the wire fan clip mounting, the introduction of Heatpipes, the first 120mm fan mount and convex copper contact points which we are familiar and widely used today.

Previously, I had an unboxing article on the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E X2. Truth be told, A.P.E.S supplied two Thermalright products for unboxing and review; so once again, I thank the team for providing this great product for unboxing & review. And now..... meet the Thermalright Archon SB-E X2.

Product Specification

Here is the spec sheet straight from the official Thermalright website.

Heatsink Specifications:Dimension: L155 mm x W53.6 mm x H170.2 mm Weight: 750g Heat pipes: Eight 6mm Copper Heatpipes Fin: T = 0.5 mm ; Gap = 1.9 mm Fin Pcs: 28 + 6 + 5 = 39 pcs Copper Base: C1100 Pure Copper Mirror Finished base with Nickel Plating Motherboard to Fin: 27 + 8 = 35 mm
TY-141 FAN Spec (x2) Dimension: L152 mm x H140 mm x W26.5 mm Rated Speed: 900~1300RPM±15% Weight: 175g Noise Level: 17~21 dBA Air Flow: 28.3 - 73.6CFM

The Archon comes in Thermalright's traditional packaging, a square brown box with the Thermalright branding at the top and the name of the product on the lower part of both sides. As I have said before, I like this approach of keeping it simple. It also helps to keep the cost down, at RM265, it's not too expensive either.

The Unboxing

Opening the flap reveals the Instruction booklet and sticker on top of the accessory box.

Setting those aside, you find soft foam that covers the included fans.

And finally, removing the fans will reveal the Archon heatsink which is further protected with an extra wrapping of clear plastic with a pack of "do-not-eat" to keep things dry.

Here is everything that comes out of the box.

Accessories Pack

The accessories pack contains everything you will need to mount the Archon in your system. here is a list of all the items inside the package:

1. Anchoring Bracket Mount x1
2. Intel Multiple Support Backplate x1
3. AMD Backplate x1
4. Pressure Mount Adjustable Mounting Plate x1
5. Screw Pillars x4
6. LGA2011 Screw Pillar Type C x4
7. Thumbscrew cap x4
8. White Plastic Washer x4
9. Backplate Cap x1
10. Andled Wrench x1
11. Anti Vibration Pad x8
12. PWM Y-Cable x1
13. Thermal Paste x1
14. Fan Clip x4

As with the Silver Arrow that I unboxed before, the mounting parts are well made and doesn't bend under pressure; definitely not one of those plastic backplate braces that you'd see on other offerings. Other small gestures such as the rubber noise dampeners and PWM Y-cable adaptors really tells you how detailed Thermalright were about quality.

The Heatsink

Compared to the dual tower fin stack of the Thermalright Silver Arrow that was unboxed recently, the Archon features a slim tower design that is aimed to provide clearance to tall RAMs without sacrificing the cooling potential. Even with both fans installed, the total thickness should not cover even the first RAM slot on a crowded Intel socket LGA2011 motherboard. We shall see how the arrangement looks like once we get it anchored to my system.

The Archon employed eight 6mm heatpipes is arranged in a U-shaped, zig-zag array which is divided into different sections of the fins stack ensures even distribution of heat out of the CPU. This is two more than the Noctua NH-D14 given the size of the Archon in comparison.

A look from the bottom shows the unique distribution of heatpipes spread into different sections of the fin stack. Another tradition of Thermalright: the nickel-plated copper contact point is polished to mirror finish.

The Fans

The dual TY-141 PWM fans supplied in Thermalright colours may not be everyone's cup of tea but the double ball bearing 140mm PWM fans are supposedly very silent, rated at only 21dB(A) during operation, thanks to their Silent Torpedo Blades design. The sleeving on the TY-141 is thick and of good quality as well which would be a boon to cable management.

Here is how the HSF assembly looks like with both fans mounted.

Mounting The Archon

Prepping my CPU, nothing much, might be an antique to some of you. I took the motherboard out of the chassis to show you guys the mounting process, flipping the whole chassis is somewhat not ideal.

Placing the AMD backplate at the back of the motherboard.

Securing the backplate with the screw pillars.

The anchoring bracket mount comes next...

and is secured with thumbscrew caps.

The heatsink comes next, just remember to apply the thermal paste and peel the protective sticker before this process. Secure the heatsink with the pressure adjustable mounting plate.

Thermalright's proprietary Pressure Vault mounting mechanism is very ingenious indeed. Unlike most HSF mountings where you have to adjust every screw to increase the mounting pressure, this one allows you to increase the mounting pressure simply by twisting the centre screw after securing everything else. Thermalright supplied a wrench for this, each 1/2 a rotation from the middle point of the pressure adjustable mounting plate supposedly adds 10lbs (about 4.5kg) of pressure to the mounting, ensuring good contact.

I undid the mount to check the spread of the thermal paste. Looks good to me.

After re-mounting the Archon, I mounted the fans to check the RAM clearance. From the picture above, you can tell that I wasn't disappointed with Thermalright's claim of the Archon being a thin cooler. those of you with fancy tall RAMs will have no trouble with the Archon, the 140mm fans could even aid in cooling the RAMs.

Just another shot of the Archon fully mounted, not too shabby.

Testing

The Thermalright Archon SB-E X2 will be pitched against the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ (push/pull) on an AMD PhenomII 710 x3. Temperatures will be recorded via CPUID HWMonitor v1.23.0. for both Idle and load. Since this is a 95W TDP CPU, I ran Prime95 (v25.11 build 2) on blend test to max everything out along with the MSI Kombustor to load the GPU to produce the extra heat in the chassis.

Cooler	Idle (°C)	Load (°C)
CoolerMaster Hyper 212+	29 - 35	53
Thermalright Archon SB-E X2	23 - 28	38

Truth be told, I wasn't expecting any major improvements, with the Malaysian weather being the way it is and besides, the Hyper 212+ has kept the temperatures down all this time, but looking at the results, you could imagine how I was dead wrong. I mean just look at the differences! 6 to 7 degrees C improvements on idle is probably not much difference but the load is a whopping 15 degrees C lower! and for the record, this is done in a non-air conditioned room. I'm very impressed indeed.

Conclusion

So if you're looking for an improvement over your CPU stock cooler, the Thermalright Archon is should definitely be on your shortlist. I was already impressed by the design at first, from the mirror polished heatsink to the meticulously designed mounting system, Thermalright's dedication to quality is the finest I've seen. I need not say anymore about the performance, the numbers do not lie.

Okay, there are probably something that would prevent you getting the Archon. First of all, your chassis would need to have a clearance of 170mm for the CPU cooler as most users I know will most likely have mid towers or smaller chassis. The sheer size and weight of it will deter some users as well, the idea of having a big chunk of metal hanging from their motherboard is not to everyone's taste even if they have a full tower chassis and would opt for water-cooling loops instead; the colour combination of the two fans are not helping in this sense either.

Having said that though, the Archon's advantages outweighs it's disadvantages. This is an air-cooler that would rival the performance of many AIO water cooling loops! (according to multiple sources) and being at about half the price of AIO water coolers will allow users to get their hands on a more decent parts for their Rigs. Aside from that, there is no worries of leakage and the low maintenance means more time for gaming and less time fussing about.

I think this will be my top HSF for quite some time and builds.

Pros:

• Excellent quality and design
• Affordably priced
• Cooling capabilities rivals AIO loops
• Solid mounting system
• Doesn't block RAM slots

Cons:

• A little heavy and tall
• Odd coloured fans

Unboxing: Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E

At the time of writing this article, most PC users would prefer or wish to get an All-In-One (AIO) water cooling unit for their CPU. Due to the sheer number of brands and model of these, we often forget to look at the classic Heat-Sink and Fan (HSF) assembly.

Thermalright is a leading brand that specializes in producing high quality cooling components for the PC of today. Since 2001, Thermalright have brought us a few innovative solutions such as the wire fan clip mounting, the introduction of Heatpipes, the first 120mm fan mount and convexed copper contact points which we are familiar and widely used today.

I have with me the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E, a classic representation of the third party HSF. It is one of the best, if not the best air cooling HSF in the market, matching and even beating the performance of most AIO water cooling units in the market while keeping the cost affordable for most enthusiast. The Silver Arrow retails at RM269 which is affordable for more people compared to AIO watercooling units. A big thanks for the team at  A.P.E.S for providing the unit for this unboxing and review.

I thought that it would do justice to the Silver Arrow to test it in a modern overclocked CPU, hence this article will cover the unboxing part while Goldfries will be covering the testing on his more updated-Haswell system.

UPDATE -> Thermalright Silver Arrow Review

Here are the specifications in the official Thermalright webpage:

Heatsink Specifications:Dimension: L154 mm x W103 mm x H165 mm Weight: 750g Heat pipes: 6mm heatpipe x 8 units Fin: T = 0.3 mm ; Gap = 2.1 mm Fin Pcs: 10 + 12 + 80 = 102 pcs Copper Base: C1100 Pure copper nickel plated Motherboard to Fin:30 + 8 = 38 mm, 38 + 8 = 46 mm, 45 + 8 = 53 mm
TY-141 FAN Spec Dimension: L152 mm x H140 mm x W26.5 mm Weight: 175g Rated Speed: 900~1300RPM Noise Level: 17~21dBA Air Flow: 28.3~73.6CFM Connector: 4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)
TY-150 FAN Spec Dimension: L170 mm x H153 mm x W25.5 mm Weight: 190g Rated Speed: 500 - 1100 RPM Noise Level: 22~34dBA Air Flow: 38.2 - 84.2 CFM Connector: 4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)

The Box

Thermalright shipped their Silver Arrow SB-E in a plain brown box, not too much to say about it except that it has the name of the product printed on the sides and the Thermalright logo at the top. I personally like this approach, it shows that they don't spend too much of the budget decorating the box, focusing on the product's performance instead.

Inside, the Silver Arrow is protected by soft foam on all sides with the Silver Arrow heatsink wrapped loosely in plastic bag. The accessory box is lodged between the two towers in the middle which protects the middle part of the heatsink as it's wrapped with two pieces of thin soft foam as well.

Contents

Pulling out the contents, we have the beefy looking Silver Arrow heatsink, an accessory box and two PWM fans (one being the TY-141 140mm and another TY-150 150mm) though I'm not particularly fancy of the colour of the fans. I'm missing the installation guide but that is easily procured at the official website. There should be a sticker as well in the actual retail package.

Assembly Package

The accessory box contains the assembly package which is sealed tight. Here is the list of items inside the assembly package:

1x Anchoring mount

1x Metal back plate

1x Mounting plate

4x Screw nut

4x LGA 2011 Type B Screw Pillars

5x M3 L10 screw

7x M3 L6 screw

4x TY-141 fan clip

2x TY-151 fan clip

4x Intel (small) washer

4x AMD (big) washer

8x Anti vibration pad

1x Back plate cap

1x Wrench

1x PWM Y-Cable

1x Thermal Paste

I'm impressed with the assembly package, quite a mouthful but impressed. The mounting system has solid metal mounting plates that doesn't bend when force is applied, which gives me a sense of security mounting a hefty chunk of copper and aluminium onto the motherboard. The inclusion of anti vibration pads and a PWM Y-cable are nice touches that I haven't seen in most other CPU coolers.

The Silver Arrow Heatsink

1st impression? Shiny!! very shiny indeed. Every inch including the 6mm heatpipes are polished to a mirror finish which should make it pop out in any system thanks to the nickel plating. Taking the product shot was difficult due to the reflections but it was manageable. It is a bit heavy though, 750g compared to the 626g of the CM 212+ that is currently mounted in my system but is still lighter compared with some other dual tower giants out in the market.

The size is understandable, as even with AIO water coolers, surface area plays a huge role, more surface areas means better heat dissipation. With double fin design array stacked against eight 6mm heatpipes, the Silver Arrow a huge total surface area. RAM clearance will be an issue as well should you're using a tall fin array.

Thermalright are one of the few manufacturers that has mirror finish mounting point, from the shot above, you could see that the nickel plated mounting surface is very reflective. Now, I know that it was proven that a mirror finish doesn't contribute to the heat dissipation of the cooler but what you have is clear surface that lets you detect any dust particles prior to mounting the heatsink. Just remember to peel off the protective sheet of plastic before installing it.

Just an extra shot of the "shininess" of the Silver Arrow and a closer look at the double-fin design.

The Fans

Finally, here is what the Silver Arrow with the fans look like. Thermalright provided two fans of different sizes, one being a 140mm fan while the other a 150mm fan.

As I've said, I'm not particularly fond of the colours but their main function is to dissipate heat from the fins of the heatsink; besides, these should accommodate military-themed PCs out there. Dubbed as Ultra-low noise PWM fans, they do feel to be of high quality and should be able to do their jobs nicely. The use of Double ball-bearing and specially designed Silent Torpedo Blades should provide a good cooling performance.

I do like the sleeving on the wires, however, they might've missed sleeving the PWM Y-cable; not that you'd see them after mounting the Silver Arrow due to the sheer size of it.  

Thermalright supplied three pairs of wire clips to mount up to three fans onto the Silver Arrow. These clips onto the grooves at the side of the fin stack which is easy to do but lack the kind of solid feel as opposed to the heatsink mounting mechanism but being the first to introduce wire clips I'd think they know what works best.

Conclusion

The Silver Arrow SB-E is a beautiful beast of a cooler. If you're looking at an AIO watercooler but couldn't afford it, then the Silver Arrow is a great alternative which should keep the CPU temperatures in check even in the most heavily overclocked systems.

If there are anything to complain about the Silver Arrow, most would point out that the size and weight are not desirable. I also wished that the bundled fans would look better but seeing that you could change them or repaint them makes the problem insignificant, though I would wonder how will I connect the third fan with a the PWM Y-splitter supporting only two fans.

As I've mentioned, the review/testing will be done by Goldfries at www.goldfries.com as my aged system will not show the true potential of the Silver Arrow.

Pros:

-Beautiful & shiny heatsink

-Solid mounting system

-Mirror polished mounting surface

-Inclusion of PWM Y-cable and anti vibration pads

-High quality fans with thick sleevings

Cons:

-Very big and heavier than most coolers

-Funny fan colour combination