Introduction

Zalman Tech., or simply Zalman as shall be referred to henceforth for convenience, is an established presence in the PC DIY business sector. Established in 1999, they have focused on manufacturing and selling products that are often good value for the money - cases, CPU coolers, case fans, and more. They have since branched out to cover peripherals as well, but the business philosophy has not changed. In a world where $80-$100 mechanical keyboards are claimed as budget, Zalman has introduced the ZM-K650WP for those with a real budget in mind and looking for something better than the $15 Dell keyboard that came with your OEM office PC. Thanks again to Zalman for providing the sample for review.


The Z-Machine Gaming Gear K650WP, also referred to as the ZM-K650WP, is not a mechanical keyboard. It is a membrane keyboard that comes at a price point where even the cost of clone mechanical switches would have exceeded what the entire product comes in at, let alone something such as the popular Cherry MX switches. To make this a more attractive product, Zalman has added dedicated media keys and water-proofing to a full-size keyboard. So let us now take a detailed look at the keyboard by beginning with the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Zalman uses a blue and white color scheme on the product packaging here, with an illustration of the product and salient marketing features and specifications on front, of which there is more on the back and sides. A single flap in the middle helps with keeping the contents inside in place.


Open the box and the keyboard stares back at you, inverted. Below it lie the provided accessories - a user guide and female PS/2 to male USB Type A adapter. This particular review sample was first sent to the previous keyboard reviewer at TechPowerUp who had opened it and perhaps tried it out, so the PS/2 part of the adapter was not in the best of shape. I have no reason to believe a new unit will have any such issues, however. Note that you will need this adapter to use the keyboard with a USB interface, and Zalman tells me that new units come with it pre-installed on the keyboard's cable anyway.