The Mountain Everest Max is a highly customizable keyboard. It's a modular keyboard that comes with a detachable media dock and Numpad, so you can place them on either side of the keyboard or remove them entirely. There are a few variants, and the Everest Max version comes with these accessories, including a wrist rest. If you don't want them, you can also buy the Everest Core version that's just the TKL board, and there's even a barebones variant if you want to use your own switches and keycaps. When you purchase it, you get the option of choosing between different Cherry MX switches, and it's also hot-swappable, so you can use whichever compatible three-pin switch you prefer. As for customizing the settings, the Mountain Base Camp software is easy-to-use for reprogramming the keys, but unfortunately, it doesn't work on macOS or Linux.
Our Verdict
The Mountain Everest Max is excellent for gaming. All its keys are macro-programmable, and the dedicated software is easy-to-use, but it's only available on Windows. The keyboard is available with different Cherry MX switches, so you can get the ones you prefer, and it's hot-swappable. It's also customizable, as you can remove the Numpad if you want some extra space on your desk. Its latency is low enough for most competitive gamers, but it's still a bit higher than other gaming keyboards.
- Hot-swappable and available with different Cherry MX switches.
- All keys are macro-programmable on Windows.
- Modular keyboard with removeable Numpad and media dock.
- Acceptable ergonomics with a nice wrist rest.
- Dedicated software not available on macOS or Linux.
- Low latency, but not as low as some other gaming keyboards.
The Mountain Everest Max keyboard is decent for office use. It's available with different switches, and it's hot-swappable, so you can get the ones you prefer the most. Typing feels great because its included wrist rest is comfortable, it has acceptable ergonomics, and the keys are stable, but the ABS keycaps don't feel as good as PBT. Nearly all keys work on macOS or Linux, but the software isn't available on both, so you can't customize the settings.
- Hot-swappable and available with different Cherry MX switches.
- Modular keyboard with removeable Numpad and media dock.
- Acceptable ergonomics with a nice wrist rest.
- Dedicated software not available on macOS or Linux.
- Comes with ABS keycaps instead of PBT.
The Mountain Everest Max keyboard is wired-only and isn't designed for use with mobile devices.
The Mountain Everest Max keyboard is good for programmers. Typing feels great because it has acceptable ergonomics, and the Cherry MX Brown switches on our unit are light to type on. You can also get it with different types of Cherry MX switches, and it's hot-swappable, so you can choose whichever you prefer. You can reprogram any of the keys through the dedicated software, which is only available on Windows, and not macOS or Linux.
- Hot-swappable and available with different Cherry MX switches.
- All keys are macro-programmable on Windows.
- Acceptable ergonomics with a nice wrist rest.
- Dedicated software not available on macOS or Linux.
- Comes with ABS keycaps instead of PBT.
The Mountain Everest Max keyboard is disappointing to use as a home theater PC keyboard, but it's not designed for this. It's wired-only, so you have to connect it directly to the TV and have it close to it. It also lacks a trackpad, but it has dedicated media keys and full RGB backlighting.
- Modular keyboard with removeable Numpad and media dock.
- Wired-only.
- Lacks a trackpad.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 29, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3.1, which adds a new estimated PCB latency test to the Single-Key Latency section and a new Analog test to the Switches section of this review. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Oct 30, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3, which overhauls how key input is evaluated. We've added new tests for Single Key Latency, Multi Key Latency, Data Transmission, and Chord Split. We've also introduced a new Raw Performance usage and adjusted how the Gaming and Office usage scores are calculated. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Jun 21, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update introduces new Backlight Features and Backlight Clarity test boxes. We've also added a new Switches test box, added additional test comparisons to our Hardware Customizability test box that we introduced with our last Test Bench. For an in-depth look at our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
- Updated May 26, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.1. This update adds several new tests addressing Hardware Customization, Macro Keys And Programming, and Wireless Mobile Compatibility. We've also added new objective evaluations to the Typing Noise test, and we've simplified several tests and removed several others that were no longer relevant. For an in-depth look at all our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Mountain Everest Max with Cherry MX Brown switches. It's a modular keyboard that comes with a Numpad, media dock, and wrist rest, and the only differences with other keyboards in the Mountain Everest lineup are the included accessories, which you can see below. The keyboard itself is TenKeyLess, but it's considered full-size when you attach the Numpad.
| Name | Size | Available Colors | Numpad | Wrist Rest | Media Dock | Cherry MX Switches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Everest Core Barebone | TKL | Gunmetal Grey, Midnight Black | No | No | No | None | Barebones keyboard |
| Mountain Everest Core | TKL | Gunmetal Grey, Midnight Black | No | No | No | Red, Blue, Brown, Speed Silver, Silent Red | |
| Mountain Everest Max | Full | Gunmetal Grey, Midnight Black | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red, Blue, Brown, Speed Silver, Silent Red |
All variants are compatible with Mountain's accessories, like the wrist rest and numpad, meaning you can get the Everest Core variant with the wrist rest and media dock if you don't want the Numpad with the Everest Max version. Their keyboards also come with the standard ABS keycaps, but you can buy extra PBT sets with various color schemes, too.
If you have a variant of the Everest Max gaming keyboard that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update it. You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Mountain Everest Max keyboard is a highly customizable gaming keyboard, and it's great if you don't always want to use the Numpad, as you can just remove it. The hot-swappable switches are also great if you want to replace them. For a high-end gaming keyboard, there are a few downfalls, like some of its build quality issues, the lack of dedicated software on macOS or Linux, and the latency is higher than some other high-end gaming keyboards. There are cheaper options available with better gaming performance, like the Corsair K100 RGB.
Also see our recommendations for the best gaming keyboards, the best keyboards for programming, and the best mechanical keyboards.
The ASUS ROG Claymore II and the Mountain Everest Max are both excellent modular gaming keyboards. They each come with detachable Numpads, meaning you can use them as TKL keyboards, but the wrist rest on the ASUS is full-size, so it sticks out from the side if you use it in TKL mode, but the Mountain comes with a TKL sized wrist rest. The ASUS is available with proprietary linear or clicky optical switches, while the Mountain is more versatile because it's hot-swappable, and it's sold with different Cherry MX switches. You can use the ASUS wirelessly, but only through its USB receiver, and if you use it wired, it has lower latency than the Mountain.
The GLORIOUS GMMK PRO and the Mountain Everest Max are two customizable keyboards, but they're customizable in different ways. The GLORIOUS is a 75% barebones keyboard that doesn't come with any switches or keycaps, meaning you have to buy those separately to personalize it to your liking. On the other hand, the Mountain is sold with keycaps and switches, and it's a full-size modular keyboard, so it comes with a Numpad and media dock, but you can place them how you like or remove them entirely. Also, the switches are hot-swappable, so you can put in whichever you prefer, and the Mountain is also sold in a barebones variant like the GLORIOUS.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro is better for gaming than the Mountain Everest Max. They're each customizable keyboards but in different ways. The SteelSeries is only available with linear OmniPoint switches, and you can adjust their pre-travel distance on a per-key basis. It also has lower latency for a more responsive gaming experience. On the other hand, the Mountain is a modular keyboard, so you can remove and move around the Numpad and media dock as you wish, and the switches are hot-swappable, so you can use whichever you prefer.
The Corsair K100 RGB is better for gaming than the Mountain Everest Max, but they're different types of keyboards. The Corsair is a full-size keyboard with dedicated macro keys, and it feels better-built because it has PBT keycaps instead of ABS like on the Mountain. It's only available with linear switches, and the latency is much lower. On the other hand, the Mountain is a modular keyboard with a detachable Numpad, so you can remove it to make it TKL. It's available with different Cherry MX switches, and it's hot-swappable, so you can put whichever switches you prefer.
Test Results
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