The PCMK TKL mechanical keyboard is a barebones keyboard that lets you customise freely to show your style. Today, we’re focusing on this product in our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review.
When it comes to these types of keyboards, they allow you to utilise removable keys and switches. Because of that, you’ll get extremely HQ products offering outstanding flexibility which is great for both gamers and regular users.
The PCMK TKL comes in different form factor versions, specifically in ISO, ANSI, or JIS layouts. The one we currently have for review is a specialised one based on our preferences. These can be fully customised on their website.
Here, you’ll get to choose your preferred keycaps and switches. Plus, it’ll come with an option to engrave whatever you want on the keyboard itself.
If you’ve grown interested in this product, continue reading our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review. This is where you’ll get to learn more about its features, design, functions, performance, and more.
Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard Packaging
Before looking deeper into the product, our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review will focus on the packaging and contents.
When our keyboard arrived, it came in an all-black cardboard box that gives off a sleek and premium vibe. Pulsar is also written at the top of the box in bold, black fonts which look great on the package.
At the base, there is some information about the company and the product. Though if you’re searching for product details, you can find these on the sides of the box.
Inside, everything is packed nicely and securely in place which is good since we love organised and neat packages. Here, you’ll find the keyboard together with a USB-C cable, switch + keycap puller, and a hard dust cover. Pulsar included a dust bag, brand sticker, and a manual set as well.
Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard Review – Design and Functionality
The PCMK TKL keyboard that we have for review has a black colour base with matching black keycaps. Specifically, the keyboard has custom-corresponding switches and key covers.
The barebones are only marked by standard parts of the keyboard. With this keyboard, you can use any 3 or 5-pin key switches. You can use Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, or other kinds. For our PCMK TKL, we’re using the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches.
Continuing our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review, this version of the barebone sports a compact tenkeyless design. Meaning, you won’t see the numeric keys here.
Because of its layout and design, the PCMK TKL ends up having extremely compact dimensions. Thus, allowing the keyboard to take up only a very small amount of space on your desk.
It’s obvious Pulsar put in a lot of effort on this product which is evident on the product. The quality of workmanship is excellent especially with the metal upper surface and lower portion that’s made of transparent plastic. The latter is great since it lets you see the keyboard’s interior.
For its base, the keyboard is available in black and white. But as we mentioned earlier, we have the black colour base. Additionally, the company states that they utilise a high-density polymer for dampening vibrations and noise.
In terms of construction, the PCMK doesn’t lack quality. Its exterior has an ABS clear back cover and an aluminium top plate with high-quality double-shot ABS keycaps. Plus, its robust key covers offer great ergonomics.
For the keyboard’s PCMK TKL’s keys, these are big enough for comfort so typing on it feels good.
Since it has a tenkeyless form factor, this barebone keyboard sports 87 hot-swappable switches. With this, you can take them out anytime and replace them even while using the keyboard. Just be sure to use the included special tool for removing switches and keys.
For the PCMK TKL’s overall design and construction, it’s an excellent keyboard. Its compact design is excellent for those who want a compact build or a more spacious desktop.
Let’s continue our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review and focus on its different key features.
Key Features of the Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard
Here are the different key aspects of the keyboard that make it notable and unique. To put it simply, these are the things that make it stand out from the crowd.
Personalise the Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard
The PCMK TKL allows you to build your keyboard the way you want. It’s an excellent entry custom build barebone with a lot of great features. The PCMK TKL is easy to modify and build, making it great for newbies who want custom keyboards.
Compact TKL Size
Pulsar’s PCMK TKL keyboard comes with 87 keys with an aluminium alloy barebone and aircraft-grade aluminium top plate.
Perfect Aesthetics
The PCMK TKL has a cool display back design that adds to the keyboard’s aesthetics.
Quality, Aluminium Alloy Construction
Since the PCMK TKL is made using anodised aircraft-grade aluminium, it offers increased structural support. Plus, it’s built with precision and quality, thus, guaranteeing excellent construction.
Acoustic Perfection of the Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard
With injection moulded high-density polymer damper, the PCMK TKL eliminates vibration noise. As a result, typing on the keyboard has less noise and sounds cleaner.
16.8M RGB LED
The PCMK TKL supports 16.8M RGB LEDs. Also, each key is fully customisable so you can individually change the colours of these.
Hot-swappable Key Switches
You can flexibly swap your mechanical key switches when using the PCMK TKL. It’s compatible with any 3 or 5-pin MX style mechanical switches including Kailh, Gateron, Holly Panda and more.
Fully Customisable with Pulsar’s Fusion Software
Pulsar’s Fusion software lets you fully customise the PCMK TKL. The program allows you to customise each key’s RGB lighting, create macros, set key assignments and more.
Anti-Ghosting N-key Rollover
The PCMK TKL has the N-key rollover that allows it to detect all keystrokes. It prevents ghosting no matter how many times you’ve pressed the keys simultaneously. Even if you press multiple keys at once, your keypresses will all be registered.
This feature is excellent for gaming since it will provide adequate responsiveness in the most critical situations. While testing the product for our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review, we noticed our fastest keypresses also being registered. It never missed any of our commands.
Compatibility of the Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard
The PCMK TKL is compatible with Windows 7 or higher and Mac OS X 10.10 or later versions. Plus, it also works with Android devices and today’s gaming consoles like Sony PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Specifications
When inspecting the product for our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review, we noticed tons of neat things about it. It has lots of notable specs on which we’ll be sharing in this part of the review.
Pulsar’s PCMK TKL is a tenkeyless keyboard with 87 keys. It measures 22 x 355 x 127mm and weighs a total of 498g. For its material, it uses aircraft grade aluminium.
This keyboard features powerful yet comfortable pre-programmed FN keys, 1000 Hz polling rate, and anti-ghosting N-key rollover. For its RGB, it supports 16.8M colours, allowing you to customise the keyboard your way.
The PCMK TKL operates via USB and it uses a detachable USB-C to USB-A cable. For the cable, it’s the Super flexible Paracord Cable with gold-plated USB.
Aside from PC, you can also use it with Sony Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X. For system requirements, you’re required to use a USB 2.0 port or higher. Also, you’ll need Windows 7 or later, and Mac OS X 10.10 or later.
For your peace of mind, Pulsar included a 2-year limited warranty on the PCMK TKL. What’s good is that you’ll have a return period of 30 days from the time you purchased the product.
Hands-on with the Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard
Of course, we didn’t skip on testing the product for our Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard review. This is where we’ll let you know about our experience while setting up the keyboard and using it. It’s to let you know if the PCMK TKL is the keyboard for you.
Aside from the keyboard, we will talk about its software and how it worked.
To customise the keyboard’s settings, we downloaded and installed Pulsar’s Fusion software. It’s available for free on Pulsar’s official website.
Fusion software worked well during our tests and it was easy to use too. Thanks to its simple and user-friendly interface, we were able to quickly find the keyboard’s settings.
Through Fusion software, we were able to create macros and customise the RGB LEDs of each key. Even these were easy to do, so you don’t have to worry if you aren’t a tech-savvy individual.
As we mentioned, we got our PCMK TKL in special packages that came with black keycaps and Speed Silver switches. Because of that, we had to take some time to install the key switches and keycaps.
It took us less than an hour to complete and everything was easy to install. So basically, we didn’t have any complaints in this section. Once completed, we got a fully-functional and cool-looking keyboard with excellent RGB lights.
We saw each of its switches featured per-key RGB lights. Then, the Pulsar logo on the right portion of the keyboard was also illuminated.
When we had the lights on, the result was very attractive in terms of its design. But of course, its performance was just as respectable and notable.
If you’re installing switches, we recommend moving the PCB then holding its hot swap sockets in place. We did this and applied pressure on both the top and bottom portions.
Additionally, put extra care when removing, installing, then reinstalling the switches since the pins are quite easy to bend. If these get bent, they’ll end up damaged and no one wants that, right?
When it comes to the actual performance of the PCMK TKL, it was simply great. We had a lot of fun utilising it. Its Speed Silvers were excellent for gaming since they had smooth keystrokes, and shorter actuation points, thus, making them faster.
No matter what game we played, It was highly responsive with no lags and delays. This keyboard performed efficiently and its anti-ghosting feature really worked well.
For its internal pads, we noticed that these really absorbed noise when we were typing. Its shock absorption was also amazing and we didn’t have any issues with that. To put it simply, Pulsar did an outstanding job when it comes to eliminating noise.
For lights and programming, they exceeded our expectations so kudos to Pulsar for those as well.
Overall, the PCMK TKL delivered excellent performance. Based on our experience, it’s easy to recommend for those who want an efficient and fully customisable keyboard.
Pulsar PCMK TKL Mechanical Keyboard Review Summary
Pulsar is a fairly new company based in Korea. They just started last year in 2021 which is why they aren’t widely known yet on the market.
Despite being a new company, Pulsar puts a lot of focus on the production of gaming peripherals. And when it comes to gaming keyboards, they have a different approach compared to other gaming peripheral manufacturers around.
Pulsar makes keyboards that you can fully customise: from the keycaps, all the way to the key switches. And with the PCMK TKL, you can use the Fusion software for customising its RGB LEDs, key assignments, and macros.
Since it has a DIY approach, choosing the ideal key switches based on your typing or gaming needs is possible. Also, the keycaps can be changed and each key’s RGB LEDs can be customised based on your preferred design.
With the PCMK TKL being fully-customisable, you can purchase key switches and keycaps according to your preferences. So when adding the total costs of these, it’ll come out slightly higher than a regular keyboard. But unlike the latter, you can completely personalise the PCMK TKL.
Overall, this mechanical keyboard is an efficient product with a great design and build quality. We recommend it to those who want to start customising keyboards and even experienced users as well.
If you want to learn more about the PCMK TKL mechanical keyboard, visit Pulsar’s official product page for more details.
