The king of modular keyboards is back. With its ingenious clip-on numpad section, the Be Quiet! Dark Mount is a TKL and full-size gaming keyboard in one, making it incredibly versatile. It's also whisper quiet, built to a high standard, and packed with extra buttons. Not all its features feel essential, though, and it does come at a high price.
Pros
Versatile modular design
Incredibly quiet
Loads of extra features
Keyswitches feel great
Cons
Expensive
Slightly dull design
Modular system a little stiff
The Be Quiet! Dark Mount marks the start of Be Quiet!'s adventures into making gaming PC peripherals, and it makes for quite the entrance. It's packed with features and functions that most other keyboards simply can't offer, making it instantly among my favorite keyboards thanks to its versatility. Its most notable feature, other than whisper-quiet typing, is its ability to come apart, with the numpad section and multimedia buttons able to be removed and placed in different positions.
If this core feature set seems familiar, you'd be right to think so. For a start, the likes of Asus tried such a system before with its best gaming keyboard guide as the best modular keyboard, the Dark Mount has some strong pedigree. However, there's a lot more going on here than just a change of brand.
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Specs
Be Quiet! Dark Mount specs
Dimensions (mm)
333 x 146 x 32.6 (W x D x H)
Weight
Varied, 2,042g (review sample)
Format
Modular – TKL / full-size
Connection
USB-C
Switch type
Be Quiet! linear or tactile (Cherry MX-style)
Switch life
Not stated
Backlighting
Per-key RGB
Extras
Keycap/switch puller, USB-A to USB-C cable, padded wrist rest, modular numpad, and multimedia button section
Features
The Be Quiet! Dark Mount is a keyboard that's defined by its modularity. The most important aspect here is that its numpad section can be detached from the right-hand side and either left out of the way, leaving more room for your mouse to move when you're gaming, or you can even reattach it to the left side of the board. However, note that the whole numpad section doesn't work independently of the main keyboard – it needs to be plugged in to either end to work.
This single feature alone is why the Mountain Everest Max has been my daily driver keyboard ever since it came out. It's just so useful to have all the functions of a full-size keyboard, but also the option to then free up desk/mouse space. No matter how many other lovely keyboards I've tested and reviewed – from the Monsgeek M1W SP – I've always come back to the Everest Max.
Also incorporated into the numpad section are two rows of OLED-backlit programmable buttons, which can be configured to show whatever image you like and perform all manner of functions, from opening apps, typing out a whole load of text, putting your computer to sleep, and running complex macros.
There's also a multimedia buttons section that can be attached to the top of the board. It can either go on the top right or top left and provides play/pause, skip/back, and mute buttons, plus a volume roller and left, right, and select buttons for navigating its built-in screen. This screen provides functions such as a built-in stop watch/timer, controls for the keyboard's backlight brightness and pattern, keyboard profiles, and further media control.
On its rear, this keyboard has a USB-C socket for its detachable cable, while on the underside are square rubber feet on top of which you can place several more rubber feet – held in place by magnets – to raise the back edge of the keyboard.
The keycaps on this board use hard-wearing PBT plastic (rather than ABS) and use doubleshot injection molding to form the legends (letters/numbers). This doubleshot method means the legends can never wear away, unlike with screen-printed legends.
Underneath the keycaps are Be Quiet!'s own-brand switches with linear (45g) and tactile (55g) options available. They're classic Cherry MX-style switches with a cross mount for the keycaps. However, in deg its particular switches, Be Quiet! has concentrated on low noise and stability above all else. To that end, they come with lubricant pre-applied to the switch internals and the key stabilizers, for a very smooth feel, while the tolerances on the switches are also very tight, so there's noticeably very little wobble to the keys.
Further helping to reduce noise are three layers of sound-dampening inside the board. There's a layer of foam between the switches and the PCB, another under the PCB, and then a denser silicone pad fills the bottom housing. The former helps dampen the higher frequency rattles of the keys, while the silicone pad helps eliminate the echoey, hollow sound that can affect some keyboards.
One thing to note about these switches is that they're not analog, optical, or hall effect. They're just standard metal-on-metal switches. That means you can't set up any of the clever new analog functions that have been appearing recently in some gaming keyboards, such as the Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap functions on the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro. You can, though, hot-swap the switches for any other 5-pin Cherry MX-style switches.
Also included with the Dark Mount is a padded wrist rest that magnetically attaches to the front of the board and is split into two sections – one for the main board and one for the numpad. You also get a keycap puller, a 2m long braided USB-A to USB-C cable, and eight of the magnetic feet (four with rubber bases and four extension pieces with plastic bases). The cable is reasonably thick and tough, but it's not as thick as the old Mountain keyboard's one, and it doesn't have the convenient USB-C to USB-C extension cable of that board either.
Also not featured, when it comes to cabling, is the under-board cable routing of the Everest. On that board, the USB-C socket was in the center of the underside of the board, and you could route the cable out from the sides, the front, or the back of the board. Here, though, the USB-C socket is just on the back of the board.
Design
The Be Quiet! Dark Mount has a design that has hints of the build of more boutique boards, by having an aluminum top plate, for example, but largely it has a fairly plain design. Gone are the rounded corners of the Mountain Everest (bottom in the image below), and instead, the board has very straight, squared-off edges for each component, and there are very few frills.
What's more, that aluminum top plate doesn't feel particularly . It's not a thick slab that gives the board a satisfyingly heavy feel. It's a fairly thin plate with a simple black paint finish.
As such, if you're after a keyboard that's both a tool for gaming and working at your PC and a little piece of desk art, this isn't really the one for you. The above-mentioned Glorious and Monsgeek boards, as well as the Razer Blackwidow V4 75%, all deliver more of a visual impact.
Not that the Dark Mount is devoid of ways to liven up your desktop. The line of light that runs all the way round the edge of the board is an attractive touch and, along with the per-key RGB backlighting, it can be used to create all sorts of custom lighting patterns.
Be Quiet!'s IO Center software doesn't yet have the sort of clever game integration as you'll find with Logitech and Razer peripherals, so it can't automatically switch between different modes or lighting settings when you fire up a game. However, it has plenty of built-in patterns, and you can fully customize all the lighting.
What's more, the programmable OLED buttons on the numpad, while primarily there to provide a pictorial clue as to the function of the button, can also just be used to jazz up the look of the board. You can put your gaming avatar on them, your favorite game character, or whatever else you like to make for a fun look.
Software
Be Quiet! is launching a new piece of software alongside this keyboard, called IO Center. This gives gamers a way to customize the function and look of the Dark Mount, along with the Light Mount keyboard that's launching alongside it, and the company's other peripherals, such as its Dark Perk gaming mouse.
IO Center is an impressively slick bit of software for a first go. It runs quickly and without feeling like it's bogged down by ads and other bloat, like in some equivalent software. What's more, Be Quiet! has provided an online-only version of this software too, so you can configure you device without the extra installed software.
IO Center provides access to full customization of the keyboard's lighting, key bindings, media dock functions, and macros, as well as the overall keyboard functions, such as toggling whether the Windows key is active or disabling certain key combinations, such as Alt+Tab or Alt+F4.
There isn't, however, any option to change the polling rate of the board, and again, there are none of the extra features you get for keyboards with analog switches, such as programmable activation distances.
Performance
With no clever analog functions or high polling rates included in this board, it can't make any great claim to be the fastest gaming keyboard around. However, that doesn't mean it's a slouch when it comes to overall gaming performance. Using the linear switch version of the board, its core ability to respond precisely and quickly to fast and complex key inputs is excellent, with n-key rollover ensuring all key presses are ed properly.
The key areas where it arguably falls short for gaming are in the lack of adjustable actuation distance and the lack of analog response. That, in turn, leads to its lack of ability to provide a Snap Tap-like feature.
Starting with the actuation distance, many modern gaming keyboards that use hall effect or optical switches allow the to adjust the point at which the key press is actually triggered. This means you can create a really light, hair-trigger feel for certain keys while reducing the response of others. I've found this useful for ensuring WASD keys only require a light touch while keys around these (Q and E, for instance) I reduce the activation distance so I don't accidentally press them. It's not a feature that's essential for most gaming but some competitive gamers looking to really fine-tune their gaming interface may see it as a priority.
Meanwhile, Snap Tap is Razer's name for a feature it pioneered that allows keyboards to trigger one key as soon as another is released. That is, if you're holding down A to strafe left, you can simply tap D to strafe right and, once you've released the D key, the keyboard immediately reverts back to pressing A for you – you never need to lift that finger. This has profound advantages in certain games where very fast strafing or alternate key presses are useful. Again, the emphasis here is on competitive gaming, though, so it all depends where your priorities lie.
For general gaming and typing, the feel of the Dark Mount is really nice. The lack of wobble in the keys is really noticeable, even compared to far more expensive boards I've tested, and the smoothness is very notable too.
All those efforts to make this keyboard very quiet have paid off too. Measuring from just 20cm above the keyboard, my decibel meter showed just 42dB while typing normally and 44dB when trying to hit a little harder than usual. That's by far the lowest reading I've ever taken. For instance, the Glorious GMKK3 measured 48dB, the Corsair K70 Max measured 61dB, and the Monsgeek M1W SP hit a very loud 62dB. Meanwhile, my previous record holder, the Razer Huntsman V2 measured 46dB.
As for the performance of the modular design of this keyboard, the principle works as well as ever. The system that s them is easy to use yet secure, with a sliding mechanism on the numpad pushing the connection parts out from the required side. Little plastic pieces are provided for covering up the exposed connections on the sides of the keyboard and numpad but I found I simply didn't use these at all – the connections are well hidden enough.
One improvement compared to the Mountain Everest is that the connection is secure enough that you can pick up the board and the numpad will stay attached. On the Everest, it hangs alarmingly loose. However, the downside to this is that it's not quite as easy to detach the parts. On the Everest you could just pull up and away slightly and the numpad would detach. On this board, you need to much more firmly pull them apart first.
Meanwhile, the multimedia section and programmable buttons are nice to have but didn't feel overly essential, I've similarly never got into the habit of using stream decks, though, so your mileage may vary. Regardless I can see a simpler, cheaper version of this board that just has the plain modular keyboard and a fixed play/pause and volume media control would appeal to many s.
Price
The Be Quiet! Dark Mount price is $254.90 / €259.90 / £239.90, making it one of the more expensive standard gaming keyboards around. However, it's no more expensive than the likes of the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro and is considerably cheaper than high-end custom keyboards. What's more, it packs in loads more physical features than the likes of that Razer board, but again you do miss out on any analog keyswitch features.
Alternatives
Razer Huntsman V3 Pro
The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro doesn't offer the same modular design as the Be Quiet! Dark Mount but for a very similar price it does offer loads of programmable functionality thanks to its analog keys. If you're after a keyboard that has the potential for peak gaming performance, it's a great alternative.
Verdict
The Be Quiet! Dark Mount is a keyboard that is likely to divide opinion, with some s seeing it as the answer to their keyboard prayers while others won't see what the fuss is about.
If you want peak gaming performance with a fast polling rate, adjustable actuation, and cutting edge features such as Snap Tap, it simply doesn't deliver those things. Likewise, if you embrace the look and clackity sound of certain high-end or custom keyboards, you won't find that here. Then there's the fact that if you simply don't care that much about having a numpad, all this keyboard's modularity is for nought.
However, if you want a keyboard to be as quiet as possible while still delivering the full mechanical keyboard experience, this is the one. Meanwhile, its modular system is one that I find I can't live without. The numpad is essential for daily work use and the ability to remove it for more mousing space without having to stretch my arm away from my body helps with reducing RSI and just generally feels far more comfortable.
It's not a cheap board but if that quiet, convenient combination of features appeals to you as much as me, it's going to be a price well worth paying.
For more ways to expand your gaming setup, why not check out our best gaming monitor guides.
