HyperX first launched in 2002 making high-performance RAM sticks but they’ve since ballooned into one of the biggest players in the gaming peripheral market. I bet if I asked you to imagine a stereotypical gaming headset, it’d most likely look a whole lot like HyperX’s own Cloud 2 gaming headset. Razer, Logitech, Corsair and HyperX were always considered the go-to brands, but as we’ve seen in recent years, this simply just isn’t the case anymore.
So, where are we in 2025? Hall-effect switches and custom keyboards have become a massive thing, more and more people are using IEMs for gaming, and most of the de facto gaming mouse recommendations, especially at the lower price bracket, aren’t necessarily from brands once considered the go-to choices. So how do the Alloy Rise 75 and the Pulsefire Saga Pro, two of HyperX’s newest releases, hold up in 2025?
HyperX Alloy Rise Gaming Keyboard 75
The first product on the table is the Rise 75 — a 75% form-factor tri-mode mechanical keyboard coming in at $277 AUD. This isn’t cheap, considering the numerous options out there today that aren’t just from your big box stores. Chris and I aren’t strangers to the custom keyboard scene nor the more generic gaming keyboards, so overall, we found the Rise 75 to be somewhat of an interesting intersection between the two. I’ll explain what we mean.
Packaging is kept pretty simple. The cardboard box contains the keyboard itself, a detachable USB C to A cable, a keycap and switch puller and paperwork. It would have been a nice addition to include a keyboard carrying case, foam inserts or even plates, but that may be asking a bit too much for a product like this.
Build & Design
The Rise 75’s build is predominantly plastic with a little visual flair sprinkled in. Everything but the removable top plate and badge is plastic, which is a letdown considering nowadays full aluminium keyboards can be had for half the price of the Rise 75. The chassis creaks substantially when flexed, and is lighter than one would expect for a keyboard of this price tag, at just under a kilogram. Whilst a heftier keyboard generally means better build quality and sound, those who will be ferrying the Rise 75 around often will appreciate its lighter weight. Branding is subtle, with a HyperX logo on the top plate and additional branding underneath.
The removable top plate is held in by magnets and detaches quite easily, which is a nice touch, but it does feel somewhat flimsy. HyperX do sell additional plates separately (with corresponding knob included), available in black, white or navy, although they do not seem to be stocked on HyperX’s AU site or at any other major retailer. A removable metal badge on the side adds another bit of customisation potential, though the badge pack will set you back $25 USD.
Like the majority of 75% keyboards on the market, the Rise 75 features a rotary knob that can be used to control volume and mute/unmute audio (reprogrammable via software). An FN key is used to access the second layer of keys, such as media controls and RGB brightness; notably, HyperX have already gone ahead and programmed a variety of controls on the second layer, with symbols on the side of some of the keycaps. At the top of the case sits the physical toggle to switch between on/off, Bluetooth or 2.4Ghz.
I do like the Rise 75’s RGB lighting on both sides of the case — it’s evenly and well diffused, adding a subtle glow that helps break up the otherwise uninspiring black aesthetic of the case. This can be configured to the user’s liking in the software. Flipping the Rise 75 around, you’ll find single-stage risers for a different typing angle, and a nook for the wireless receiver held by pretty strong magnets so it won’t be falling out on its own.
Inside the Keyboard
Whilst the Rise 75 may be customisable on the outside, it’s not so easy opening up the keyboard itself. 11 screws are used to attach the plastic top case that sits beneath the removable top plate to the bottom case, with ribbon cables connected from the PCB to the rotary knob and batteries. Opening up the keyboard reveals a thin layer of plate and case foam, PCB-mounted stabilisers (I can see some lube!) and a non-flex cut plastic plate; the specific material is not mentioned. Though the Rise 75 is technically gasket-mounted, the rubber gaskets are on the stiffer side and don’t allow a lot of give. Interestingly, the plate itself is screwed onto the PCB, and the case foam glued onto the bottom case.
Considering the complexity of the keyboard (case lighting, physical BT/2.4Ghz switch, ambient light sensor, etc.), I do not recommend tinkering with the keyboard unless it’s necessary or you’re familiar with keyboards.
In Use
The Rise 75 comes with HyperX’s own pre-lubed red mechanical switches, which are quite light and have a shorter travel than what I’m used to, though this will likely appeal to gamers. They are higher-pitched than the Oil Kings Chris has been daily driving but are very smooth, also allowing shine through RGB, so no complaints on the switches themselves. It would have been nice if HyperX offered a barebones kit alongside the prebuilt version.
The Rise 75 in its stock configuration offers good non-competitive gaming performance; more on this later. The switches are non-fatiguing and can be used comfortably for hours on end, and HyperX have made sure to include features such as Windows lock when in gaming mode. In non-competitive games, I didn’t notice any noticeable difference in latency between Bluetooth, 2.4Ghz or wired. The overall typing experience, however, is average at best. The Rise 75’s stabilisers are unevenly lubed and the keyboard’s primarily plastic build lends itself to a rather hollow sound signature lacking in body. Fortunately, the Rise 75 is gasket-mounted, meaning a softer, bouncier typing experience, though this is more up to personal preference.
Here’s a sound test we did of the Rise 75.
The keycaps are love-it-or-hate-it. I understand that the scratchy, rough finish is most likely to improve the ‘grip’ on the surface, and it does just that, but it ends up looking and feeling a bit tacky. HyperX haven’t abandoned the gamery font of yesteryear either, which I’m not a fan of but this is down to personal preference. The RGB shinethrough is also inconsistent at best, where the Windows key, J, C and B keys suffer from uneven backlighting.
As expected, you’ll find per-key RGB customisation on the Rise 75, which doesn’t get super bright but is dimmable. Additionally, the inclusion of an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the brightness depending on your room lighting is a thoughtful idea, as it means you won’t have to worry about manually changing modes to conserve battery. This is all controlled via HyperX’s NGENUITY software, which can be sourced from HyperX’s website directly or from the Windows Microsoft Store. Apart from controlling the lighting, there is not much else besides programming macros and shortcut keys on the keyboard, though this is perhaps a good thing as the app won’t be hogging system resources in the background. If you’d rather not install another app to control your lighting, you can configure the lighting directly through Windows settings — a feature I really appreciate.
Is it Worth it?
Let’s address the elephant in the room: is this a hall-effect keyboard? No. This is a huge disappointment since the Rise 75 is a gaming keyboard, after all. This is akin to a smartphone releasing in 2025 with a micro USB charging port(!).
The advent of hall effect switches and their ‘rapid trigger’ capabilities have granted them a serious competitive advantage over traditional mechanical switches in gaming performance. It’s an unfortunate surprise and letdown that HyperX did not opt for hall-effect technology in this keyboard. The Rise 75 aims to blend elements of both custom and gaming keyboards, but ultimately doesn’t quite excel in either category. Whilst it offers some gamer-appealing features, there are other options on the market that may deliver a better overall experience in terms of sound, feel, and performance — often at a more competitive price point. If you’re particular about any of these aspects, it’s worth exploring a few alternatives before making your decision.
HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse
HyperX have also sent what they call their “most customisable gaming mouse yet”, the Pulsefire Saga Pro, priced at $179 AUD. Disclaimers: When it comes to mice, I’m a man of simple tastes. For everyday tasks, I use a basic Dell wireless mouse and Chris uses an MX Master 3S. For gaming, I use a modified Logitech G305 with Kailh silent switches all around. Right off the bat, there were a few things that stood out to me in my time with the Pulsefire Saga Pro.
Build & Design
The Pulsefire Saga Pro is built well, with its matte black plastic body clocking in at 72 grams, which isn’t the lightest out there but is certainly acceptable given the feature set and customisability of the mouse. This is nearly 25% lighter than my G305, which makes for a noticeable difference with certain genres like first-person shooters. It’s not something I thought I’d appreciate as much as I did, and my other mice feel almost sluggish to use now.
That said, the design is pretty understated, with minimal RGB all around. I would have liked to see a bit more flair, perhaps some additional lighting along the seams, especially as this mouse isn’t trying to be the lightest out there; but if it’s a more minimalist aesthetic you’re looking for, then this might be the mouse for you. The scroll-wheel has minimal side-to-side play, and the mouse doesn’t exhibit any creaking sounds when pressure is applied.
The standout feature of the Pulsefire Saga Pro is undoubtedly it’s customisability. Inside the box, HyperX has thrown in a whole bunch of extra goodies you won’t normally find with other mice. These include grip tape, spare mouse skates, an additional clicker cover, back shell and two more side buttons.
Admittedly, there isn’t much variation among the parts provided. Whilst the alternate shells and buttons offer only subtle differences in shape and feel — I could hardly see, let alone feel, a difference between any of them, even after extended testing — it’s clear that HyperX wants users to take advantage of their official 3D-printable parts. The files are freely available and open up a much broader range of creative and functional options, especially with the 50+ community designed parts out there, many of which I honestly wish had come in the box from the start. An aspect I do appreciate is that swapping out these components is completely tool-free, making it quick and hassle-free to experiment with different configurations.
Still, HyperX’s modular design offers real flexibility, and it’s something I’d love to see more brands incorporate across their products. Unfortunately, we didn’t get an opportunity to 3D-print new shells or clickers ourselves.
In Use
HyperX have included optical switches in the Pulsefire Saga Pro, which, unlike traditional switches, use infrared light to register clicks, which means there’s no physical contacts inside the switch. This brings a couple of clear advantages — improved durability, as there aren’t any metal contacts to wear out or develop double click issues, and much faster response times.
Though I unfortunately don’t have an NVIDIA LDAT to measure latency, in practice, when putting the mouse through a few rounds of Battlefield V and my usual late-night sessions of TF2 at a 1KHz polling rate, I didn’t encounter any issues. Every click felt responsive and immediate (I used the 2.4GHz adaptor which is faster than Bluetooth), and my performance was right in line with what I usually achieve with my traditional switch mice. The Pulsefire Saga Pro is capable of up to a 4KHz polling rate, though I didn’t feel the sacrifice in battery life (30 hours, as opposed to 90 hours at 1KHz polling rate) was necessarily worth it for my non-competitive use-case.
Now, I may be nitpicking here, but at this price point, I really expected to see hotswap capability for the switches. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve installed Kailh silent switches in my daily driver G305 and have grown to really appreciate them; it feels like a missed opportunity with the Pulsefire Saga Pro. For a customisability-forward mouse like this, it would have only made sense to allow hot-swapping without requiring desoldering.
Final Verdict
HyperX have made serious strides towards customisability through the additions of their Alloy Rise 75 keyboard and Pulsefire Saga Pro mouse to their product lineup.
The Rise 75 delivers an interesting value proposition through its hotswap capability and swappable plate and badging, though it ultimately falls short when compared to the competition, in both modding capability and gaming performance. The Rise 75 is neither here nor there; had HyperX released the Rise 75 with hall-effect switches and a lower price, the Rise 75 would be a genuine competitor in today’s keyboard market.
HyperX’s Pulsefire Saga Pro, on the other hand, stands out for its modular design, good build quality and optical switches, perfect for non-competitive gamers. Notably, the Pulsefire Saga Pro does not try to be the lightest or most performant mouse, instead opting for creature comforts such as RGB lighting and a full plastic shell without speed holes. Whilst the included accessories don’t offer much diversity and hot-swap capability is missing, the toolless customisation and HyperX’s strong support for both official and community 3D-printed mods make the Pulsefire Saga Pro a flexible choice for those who like to tinker.
We would like to thank HyperX for sending the products to review.
See here for more information about the HyperX Alloy Rise Gaming Keyboard 75 and HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse.
