Gaming keyboards with mechanical switches and RGB lighting are often priced at over 100 euros. Our test shows whether the relatively cheap Trust GXT 865 Asta with 60 Euros can keep up with the more expensive competition and whether the keyboard is a buy recommendation.
The Design and the Workmanship
The design of the keyboard is simple. Trust has dispensed with unnecessary gimmicks and produced a keyboard whose design has been reduced to the central elements. With the lighting switched off, the keyboard is practically completely black, without any colour accents or a striking logo. As soon as the lighting is switched on, the design can be changed by the different modes according to personal preferences.
The workmanship is overall very high quality. Trust did not use a metal case, but you can’t expect that from a keyboard in this price range. Since the plastic used has a high-quality effect, there is no point of criticism when it comes to the choice of material. You won’t find any clacking, production errors or faulty gap dimensions with the Trust GXT 865 Asta.
Another positive aspect is the good workmanship of the cable, which has a high-quality sheathing that prevents cable breaks. On the underside of the keyboard there are also large rubber feet that effectively prevent slipping. There’s also a cable duct to keep your desk tidy and a key cap remover holder to prevent you from losing it. The fact that Trust attaches importance to quality despite the low price is also shown by the additional cap on the USB plug of the cable, which ensures that no dirt accumulates there during transport. Even much more expensive keyboards often don’t have these little “gadgets”.
| Dimensions: | 444 x 133 x 41 mm |
| Weight: | 1152 g |
| Lighting: | RGB illumination (7 modes) |
| Switches: | mechanical switches (5ms response time, 4mm resolution distance, 45g actuating force) |
| Lifetime: | over 50 million trips |
| Key Rollover: | N-key rollover |
| Cable: | 1.8 m sheathed USB cable |
| Price: | € 32.99 * |
The Switches
The switches are probably one of the main reasons for the relatively low price of the gaming keyboard. Instead of relying on expensive Cherry switches, Trust uses mechanical GXT-RED switches, the name of which indicates an in-house development.
The switches are still supposed to withstand 50 million keystrokes and thus play in the same league as keyboards that are more than twice as expensive. Also available is N-Key-Rollover. Ghosting is thus completely avoided even if several keys are pressed at the same time.
The linear switches are most similar to Cherry-MX-Red switches. It is therefore important to note that the switches are relatively loud when typing and the keyboard is therefore not suitable for sensitive family members, roommates or for use in offices. All in all, the switches of the keyboard are especially suitable for players of fast games such as shooters. Users who mainly type should rather look for an alternative with other switches.
The Layout and the Ergonomics
Trust has not used separate macro or media keys on the GXT 865 Asta Gaming keyboard. Instead, there is a separate FN key with which the most important media functions can be used directly via the double-assigned F keys.
The so-called “Angle-Stands” make it possible to individualize the height of the keyboard. Unfortunately, the keyboard is relatively high even with folded Angle stands. Personally, I didn’t notice this negatively while playing, but when writing long texts with the ten-finger system, where I usually place my wrists on the table, it turned out that an additional palm rest would improve the ergonomics even more.
However, since the keyboard is mainly aimed at gamers and not at people who often write long letters, I don’t think this can really be rated negatively. In addition, this “shortcoming” can already be completely eliminated by a favorable wrist-rest.
A special gaming mode also allows you to deactivate the Windows keys so that you don’t accidentally switch back to the operating system during the game. The only negative thing I noticed was the shape of the Enter key, which is relatively small compared to most other keyboards. This initially led to frequent incorrect entries, since I have been accustomed to a different layout for years and the acclimatization takes relatively long for this reason.
Unfortunately, it must also be noted negatively that the keys with deactivated lighting are difficult to read. As soon as the lighting is active, however, all keys are more than easy to read.
Thanks to the supplied tool, the keycaps can be easily removed to clean the keyboard as easily as necessary.
The Setting Options
Trust did not program a software for the individualization of the keyboard with the GXT 865 Asta. The setting options are therefore relatively small and can all be changed directly using the key combination.
Probably the most important setting options are the different modes of RGB lighting. A total of eight preset modes are available. Users can also create individual modes and store them in the keyboard’s internal memory.
In addition, the brightness of the selected lighting setting can be changed or the lighting can be completely deactivated. It is also possible to customize the speed of color changes for some RGB lighting modes.
The keyboard can be used without the installation of drivers with Windows 7, 8 and 10.
Conclusion on the Trust GXT 865 Asta Review
The Trust GXT 865 Asta is a real value-for-money firecracker. Compared to my normal Zowie Celerita gaming keyboard, which is more than twice as expensive, the differences in workmanship quality and switches are minimal. This is particularly impressive when you consider that the functionality of the cheap Trust keyboard also includes RGB lighting, which the Zowie keyboard does not have.
All gamers who can do without a well-known brand manufacturer such as Razer and Co. and are instead looking for a good gaming keyboard at a top price should take a closer look at the Trust GXT 865 Asta*. There are no real points of criticism after several weeks of use. Only the longevity could possibly be a little less than that of the more expensive competition, but this will only become apparent in the coming years.
Trust GXT 865 Asta
Design and Workmanship
Switches
Ergonomics and Layout
Adjustment Options
RGB Lighting
Value for Money
Good gaming keyboard with excellent value for money. A buy recommendation for all players.
