Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard Review: Specifications & Price

Introduction Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard

(Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard)When it comes to keyboards, things like customizable RGB backlighting and media controls matter, but the most crucial aspect is how the keys feel when you press them. The Patriot Viper V765 stands out because it uses Kailh Box White switches, offering an exceptional clicky typing and gaming experience. This surpasses the performance of keyboards with Cherry MX Blue switches, which are commonly found in its competitors. With vibrant RGB keys and a sleek aluminum chassis, the Viper V765, priced at $89, not only delivers an excellent keyboard experience but also provides great value for your money.

Specifications Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard

Pros And Cons Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard

Design Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard

The Viper V765 has a sleek appearance with its gunmetal gray aluminum surface and angular corners. It resembles a glam-rock spaceship, especially with the RGB light panels on the sides. However, the dark gray color may not stand out as much in well-lit areas.

Despite being a full-size keyboard, the V765 is surprisingly compact at 1.1 x 18.4 x 6.4 inches. It’s easy to carry in a small backpack, weighing just 2.5 pounds. The top row features media control keys and a volume dial, adding functionality without sacrificing portability.

One design downside is the keyboard’s short retractable feet, providing only 0.5 inches of lift. This creates a slope that might not be steep enough for some users. In comparison, larger keyboards like the classic-style Unicomp offer a more comfortable 0.75 inches of lift.

The V765 connects to your PC through a 5.9-foot braided USB cable. While a removable cable for better portability would be a nice addition, many full-size keyboards opt for built-in cables to prevent accidental disconnection.

Included with the V765 is a small wrist rest, measuring 1.75 inches deep and 0.5 inches high. It attaches magnetically and has a soft touch surface. However, some users may find it too shallow and low for optimal support, leading them to prefer other wrist rests with greater depth and height.

Typing Experience Patriot Memory Viper V765 Keyboard

If you want a keyboard that’s quiet or has a smooth, flat feel, this might not be for you. The Kailh Box White switches are loud and make a distinct clicking sound when pressed. As someone who loves clicky keyboards, I found these switches to be a game-changer. They let me type quickly and comfortably, even more so than my other favorite keyboards.

Introduced in 2017, Kailh’s Box switches get their name from the plastic casing that protects them from liquid and dust. Keyboards using these switches, like the Viper V765, are rated as IP56 water-resistant.

The white switches on the Viper V765 have slightly less travel than Cherry MX Blue and Razer Green clicky switches. While the latter have 4mm of travel and actuate at 2mm, Kailh White Boxes actuate at 1.8mm with 3.6mm of total travel. The shorter distance allowed me to type quickly while still having enough room to press the keys without hitting the base too hard.

I can’t be certain I typed faster, maintaining my usual 95 to 100 words per minute, but my fingers felt less tired afterward. The only drawback is that raising the feet on the Viper V765 doesn’t elevate the back of the keyboard much. I would have preferred taller feet for a steeper slope.

The shorter distance is beneficial for quick and repeated key presses during gaming. When playing Dig Dug, I could pump up the bad guys faster than on my regular keyboard because I could hit the spacebar more quickly. My colleague, Andrew Freedman, used the Patriot V765 to play Battlefield V and said he could move around and engage the game with ease.

RGB Lighting

Similar to many of its rivals, the Patriot Viper V765 comes with keys that can display 16.8 million colors, and each key is customizable. What sets this RGB keyboard apart is its eye-catching light strips on both sides of the chassis. Initially, these strips were set to a plain white, and the instructions provided no guidance on how to change them using either the Viper application or the keyboard’s manual. After reaching out to Patriot, I discovered that you can toggle the strips between white, off, and a rainbow animation by pressing the Fn and right CTRL keys.

The keyboard includes 10 pre-installed RGB animations, ranging from Radar (where colors change in a circular pattern) to Raindrops (colors filling in one key at a time) to my personal favorite, Wave (where colors sweep over the keyboard). You can activate these modes by using the Fn key in combination with one of the function keys. Additionally, you can adjust the speed, brightness, and direction of these animations using keyboard shortcuts.

For more personalization, the keyboard allows you to create up to five custom profiles. In these profiles, you can choose individual keys to light up in your preferred colors. This means you can customize not only the overall look but also specific keys, such as making the WASD keys and others stand out with distinct colors.

Viper Software

The Patriot Viper software isn’t very impressive. You can use the app to set up the same lighting effects and custom profiles that you can do with keyboard shortcuts. It gives you detailed control over the RGB values for each custom key.

Within the app, you can make keyboard macros, but there are other third-party apps for Windows that do more. You can also adjust the response time and report rate to reduce lag, although we didn’t notice any lag even with the default settings.

If you have other RGB peripherals, the Viper V765 doesn’t work with their software. So, if you use Razer Chroma, Corsair iCue, Asus Aura Sync, it won’t control the Viper. Unlike these better RGB apps, the Viper app doesn’t save your settings to the cloud. You can save your settings to a file using the import/export function, but you have to copy it manually.

On the positive side, you don’t need to keep the Viper software running in the background. It doesn’t use up memory unless you’re actively using it. You don’t really have to use it, even for making profiles. Since all the custom RGB profiles are saved in the keyboard’s memory, you probably don’t need to export a profile to keep your settings if you switch to another computer.

The Bottom Line

Even though it’s not the best keyboard out there, the Patriot Viper V765 gives you a really good typing experience because of its excellent Kailh Box White switches. I do wish the little feet that pop out for typing were a bit higher to make it more comfortable, and if you have other colorful accessories, you might want better software or at least the ability to use apps from other companies.

If you’re not a fan of keys that make a clicking sound, then this keyboard might not be the one for you. But when you think about the price and all the cool features, plus how awesome the keys feel when you press them, the Viper V765 is a solid choice for people who love playing games or typing a lot.

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