The be quiet! Dark Mount is a modular mechanical gaming keyboard with a media dock and a numpad with additional LCD buttons, both of which you can reposition to suit your preferred layout. It also emphasizes quiet typing, with silent linear or tactile switch options and multiple layers of sound-dampening material inside the case. You can customize its RGB lighting and other settings using downloadable software or a web-based interface.
Our Verdict
The be quiet! Dark Mount is very good for casual gaming, though its relatively high and less consistent latency makes it less suitable for fast-paced competitive play where timing is important. It has good build quality, but the detachable numpad can shift slightly if you use the keyboard forcefully during tense gaming moments. Its backlighting is impressive, with a floating keycap design that exposes more of the lighting and a wraparound lightbar that casts light onto your desk. Clear shine-through legends also make the keys easy to read in darker rooms.
Good build quality.
Extremely quiet typing noise.
Extensive RGB lighting and clear shine-through legends.
Eight dedicated LCD macro keys.
Higher latency than many dedicated gaming keyboards; less suitable for competitive play.
Minor build quality issues; detachable numpad module can shift around slightly during use.
The be quiet! Dark Mount is good for office use. Its plastic chassis has a sturdy aluminum plate that adds rigidity, although the numpad shifts slightly if you type forcefully. Otherwise, it offers excellent typing quality with very smooth, consistent-feeling switches. It's also extremely quiet and unlikely to bother those around you, even in highly noise-sensitive spaces. Its standard-height profile is most comfortable with a wrist rest; thankfully, it includes separate wrist rests for the main keyboard and numpad. Magnetic feet provide several typing angle options, though they're fairly easy to dislodge if you frequently move the keyboard. Unfortunately, this is a wired-only model and doesn't support Bluetooth or multi-device pairing.
Good build quality.
Extremely quiet typing noise.
Excellent typing quality.
Eight dedicated LCD macro keys.
Wired-only.
Minor build quality issues; detachable numpad module can shift around slightly during use.
The be quiet! Dark Mount is a wired-only keyboard that isn't suitable for use with mobile devices or tablets.
The be quiet! Dark Mount is very good for programming. It has good build quality, though the detachable numpad can shift slightly if you type forcefully. Typing quality is excellent, with smooth, highly consistent switches that are extremely quiet. You can assign macros to any key, including the eight dedicated LCD buttons on the numpad module. However, macro recording requires the downloadable Windows software and isn't supported by the more basic web-based interface. Its standard profile can make typing somewhat tiring without a wrist rest, but separate wrist rests are included for the main keyboard and numpad. Magnetic feet also provide several typing-angle options. It has per-key backlighting and a wraparound lightbar that casts light onto your desk, with clear shine-through legends that make the keys easy to read in a dark environment. Unfortunately, it's a wired-only model, so it doesn't have Bluetooth or multi-device pairing capabilities.
Good build quality.
Extremely quiet typing noise.
Excellent typing quality.
Extensive RGB lighting and clear shine-through legends.
Eight dedicated LCD macro keys.
Wired-only.
Minor build quality issues; detachable numpad module can shift around slightly during use.
The be quiet! Dark Mount isn't well-suited for an entertainment or home theater setup. It's large, heavy, and awkward to use on your lap, especially with its media dock and numpad attached, although it can be more manageable on a nearby table. Though, its wired-only connectivity means you'll need to stay within cable reach of your device. That said, the media dock provides a full set of dedicated media controls, and the clear shine-through legends make the keys easy to read in the dark.
Extensive RGB lighting and clear shine-through legends.
Complete set of dedicated media controls.
Wired-only.
Large and heavy for lap use, especially with modules attached.
The be quiet! Dark Mount provides decent raw performance that's more than suitable for everyday browsing, work, and casual gaming in any genre. However, its single-key and multi-key latency is only satisfactory, making it less suitable for fast-paced competitive games, such as FPS titles or rhythm games, where precise input timing matters more.
Higher latency than many dedicated gaming keyboards; less suitable for competitive play.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The be quiet! Dark Mount is available with silent linear or silent tactile switches. We bought this keyboard with silent linear switches. See a photo of our unit's label.
Be quiet! produces a separate product called the be quiet! Light Mount, which is also designed for quiet typing, but it has a conventional full-size layout with fixed media controls and lacks the Dark Mount's adjustable media dock and numpad with LCD keys.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The be quiet! Dark Mount is a mechanical gaming keyboard with a modular numpad featuring extra LCD buttons and a separate media dock. You can reposition both modules to suit your preferred layout. It also emphasizes quiet typing, with layers of acoustic foam and silent mechanical switches. It's a standout option if you want modular flexibility and typing that's quiet enough for noise-sensitive spaces. However, while its latency performance is more than suitable for casual gaming, many competing keyboards are better suited for fast-paced competitive play.
If you don't need modular components, more conventional mechanical keyboards with silent switch options, such as the NuPhy Node Series, may offer better value while providing better gaming performance. If you want more extensive customization for gaming and streaming, the Corsair GALLEON 100 SD offers more versatile LCD button controls through its integrated Elgato Stream Deck, along with lower latency, making it better suited for competitive play. However, the Corsair lacks the Dark Mount's modular flexibility, its typing noise is louder, and it's considerably more expensive.
For more recommendations, see our picks for the best quiet keyboards, the best gaming keyboards, and the best mechanical keyboards.
The Corsair K100 RGB and be quiet! Dark Mount are gaming keyboards with mechanical switches. The Dark Mount is significantly quieter, making it a better option for shared or noise-sensitive spaces. It also has a modular media dock and numpad that you can reposition to suit your preferred layout. The Corsair, on the other hand, offers significantly lower and more consistent latency, which makes it the better option for competitive gaming. It also has an extensive set of dedicated media controls, but they're fixed in place.
The be quiet! Dark Mount and Mountain Everest Max are mechanical gaming keyboards with modular numpads and media docks. Both also have hot-swappable PCBs, but the Dark Mount comes with extremely quiet silent switches and is the better option if you're concerned about typing noise. The Everest Max, on the other hand, offers a wider selection of stock switch options at purchase. The Dark Mount also has a web-based configuration interface, while the Everest Max only has downloadable Windows software for customization.
The be quiet! Dark Mount and Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro are mechanical gaming keyboards with full-size layouts. The Dark Mount has extremely quiet switches and a modular numpad and media dock that you can reposition to suit your preferred layout. While the Razer lacks this modular flexibility, its much lower and more consistent latency makes it the better option for competitive gaming. The clicky Green switches we tested on the Razer are dramatically louder than the Dark Mount's switches, though the Razer is also available with silent Yellow switches, which we expect to be much quieter.
The be quiet! Dark Mount and Corsair GALLEON 100 SD are both full-size mechanical gaming keyboards. The Dark Mount has a modular design that allows you to reposition its numpad and media dock to suit your preferred layout. Its extremely quiet switches also make it a much better choice for shared or noise-sensitive spaces. The GALLEON 100 SD has an integrated Elgato Stream Deck with programmable LCD buttons in place of a conventional numpad, offering more extensive customization for gaming and streaming. It's much louder and lacks the Dark Mount's modular flexibility, but its much lower latency makes it a better choice for competitive gaming.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
