I thought keyboard OLED screens were a gimmick until I actually used one

When it comes time to buy a new keyboard, I never thought that an OLED screen would become a necessity for me. Is it trivial? Yes, it absolutely is. But after using the ASUS Azoth X for as long as I have, I’ve learned that having this little screen on hand has been incredibly useful.

When the time comes to look for a new keyboard, I know that I’ll be researching to see what kind of switches it has and if it seems like it’ll be a good choice for me. But I already know that my next one will also need to have this little screen in the corner. What I initially thought would be a party trick in my daily life has quickly become something I use daily for various applications. Additionally, it helped me discover that my AIO was beginning to fail, all without needing to access the BIOS.

CPU & GPU temperature monitoring is amazing

It’s great for gaming or for regular daily use

Credit: Shaun Cichacki/MUO

While I’ve spent an ample amount of time refining my PC to my personal specifications, there’s still a lot I need to learn about building them. This, apparently, includes monitoring my AIO a bit closer than I normally do. After discovering that this little screen could be used for different things, including CPU & GPU temperature monitoring, I’ve been keeping a much closer eye on things. Recently, it saved my CPU from hitting incredibly high temps, and I would have likely been oblivious to it otherwise.

Even at idle, my PC was running extremely hot. High 80s and low 90s°C levels of heat. This is not good, and being able to keep an eye on these temps at all times helped me realize that it was time to replace my AIO, which I had had for a few years at this point. Needless to say, seeing these temps helped save me and my CPU for another day. While I may have traded a numpad for a smaller keyboard overall, having a constant way to monitor my PC was more than worth the trade.

Related

I learned the hard way not to ignore these PC noises

Every squeak is your PC’s way of crying for help.

I can also put a fun little visualizer on there, if I want

Now, I’m not always business. There’s always a bit of room for play in my daily life, as well. While it may not sound like the most “exciting” thing to happen, I can also put a small visualizer on the OLED screen of my keyboard to imitate the days of Windows Media Player on my Windows XP. The small rocker knob next to the screen can also be used for media controls, and a press of the button on the side will allow me to swap between controls with just a press.

Play/Pause, skip, reverse, mute, volume up and down — it’s really nice to have. Imagine the knob that’s on a lot of mechanical keyboards, and give it a bit of extra oomph. Is it a necessity by any means? No, but as someone who used the knob on my previous mechanical keyboard like it was going out of style, this is a nice little upgrade that adds some extra pizzazz to my desk.

Armoury Crate offers plenty of uses for the screen

You can even just have a little animation play, if you’d prefer

A keyboard that has features like this is unfortunately going to have some software that goes hand in hand with it. After messing around with iCUE, Razer Synapse, and other software in the past, I’ve grown to appreciate Armoury Crate quite a bit. It’s not perfect, and can be a little cumbersome to navigate around at first, but out of the manufacturer software I’ve used, it’s probably my favorite. Mainly since it offers a ton of customization for my keyboard, as well as tweaks for my GPU and the sort.

But inside the software, I can select what I want my keyboard to display at any time. No matter if it’s hardware information, like temps, frequency, voltage, or usage of my CPU and GPU, custom banners, or basically anything in between. It’s pretty slick, and it’s helped me keep a better eye on how my computer is functioning daily. With the way prices are going on parts, I don’t want to risk something failing me now more than ever before.

Unfortunately, OLED isn’t cheap

Sticker shock is real, but I use my keyboard for so many things

Credit: Shaun Cichacki/MUO

Now, here’s the worst part of all — the price. Depending on the type of keyboard you’re looking to get, you could end up spending nearly $300 on one with an OLED screen. To be fair, there are plenty of budget boards that have smaller displays that do roughly the same things as the one that I have. But I’ve been hopelessly devoted to ASUS for too long now, and I paid the price for it. Regardless of the price tag, my Azoth X has been an amazing daily driver for almost a year, and the build quality seems like it will last me for quite some time.

For example, checking Amazon for similar keyboards with screens, I discovered a Womier 75% Retro-styled keyboard with a colored OLED screen for roughly $76. There are plenty of stellar options available, but be prepared to pay a bit extra for the added convenience of the additional screen. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve grown to love mine beyond words. But if you take good care of your mechanical keyboards and give them a deep clean and some TLC, they should last quite a bit longer than you’d expect.

Brand

ASUS

Wireless

Bluetooth/2.4Ghz Module

Backlight

RGB

Media Controls

Yes

Whenever this keyboard goes, I know I’m going OLED

It’s silly how something so small makes my day so much better

I don’t like to spend a lot of money on myself, unless it’s for something that I know I’ll be using regularly. At this point, getting a keyboard with an OLED screen was more of a little treat for myself, rather than skimping out for another cheap keyboard. Unless an IBM Model M randomly falls into my life by some sort of luck, I know I’ll be springing for another keyboard with a screen when this one bites the bullet.

While some may say it’s a gimmick, the fact that it saved my CPU from overheating by showing me my temps is more than enough reason to keep rolling down the OLED line in the future. Clicky mechanical switches are nice, but that extra bit of usability makes my day just a little easier. That’s more than enough for me to reinvest in it again in the future.