This compact mechanical keyboard from SteelSeries syncs up with Discord

Have you ever missed a message in Discord because you were too focused on the task at hand? SteelSeries seems to think this a real problem, and so it has integrated Discord chat notifications into its Apex M750 mechanical keyboard, which can be configured through accompanying software. That same feature is also available in a new tenkeyless model, the Apex M750 TKL.

The new "tournament sized" keyboard ditches the dedicated number pad found on its bigger brother for a compact footprint that is less wide at 370mm versus 454mm, and less deep at 35mm versus 46.7mm. According to the spec sheet, it sits slightly higher at 160mm, versus 153.5mm.

"The keyboard was designed for competitive esports. Its durable design and small size are easy to transport to tournaments or events without fear of it being damaged. The 10-keyless design optimizes the spacing between the keyboard and mouse, bringing gamers’ hand's closer together to improve ergonomics for long gaming sessions," SteelSeries says.

Everything else about the Apex M750 TKL is the same, including the QX2 key switches. It is still not clear what company produces these key switches for SteelSeries—Gateron and TTC are a couple of names that have been thrown around—though according to TomsHardware, they're clones of the Cherry MX RGB.

Manufacturer aside, the QX2 switches have a 4mm travel distance and 2mm actuation point, and are rated for 50 million keystrokes. For the sake of comparison, the QX1 switches found on some of the company's other keyboards, such as the Apex M800, have a shallow 3mm travel and 1.5mm actuation.

The keys sit on an aluminum alloy frame with "zero flex," in case you managed to find and purchase a keyboard that bends like a paper plate and told yourself, 'Never again!'

You can purchase the Apex M750 TKL now for $120, which is $20 less than the full-size Apex M750.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).