Epomaker HE65 Mag: A budget gaming powerhouse

I’m usually not a fan of keyboards with a 65% layout, but the Epomaker HE65 Mag may have just converted me. For a compact keyboard, it is ridiculously powerful.

The usual magnetic features are on full display, such as per-key and quad-point actuation, Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap. But the HE65 Mag also features 8,000Hz wireless polling over 2.4G, which we haven’t seen on many other keyboards as they usually require a wired connection — giving the HE65 Mag more flexibility.

The keyboard is also great for typing, and customization is extremely easy via Epomaker Driver. Switch choice is currently limited, so you aren’t spoiled for choice when it comes to customization, which could make you reconsider.

Is it one of the best gaming keyboards out there? Easily. Read my full Epomaker HE65 Mag review to find out why.

Epomaker HE65 Mag review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 65% keyboard with Hall Effect switches from Epomaker
• Who is it for? For casual and competitive gamers alike
• How much does it cost? The Epomaker HE65 Mag is available for $99 / £99
• What do we like? The plethora of magnetic keyboard gaming features, 8,000Hz polling over 2.4G, sturdy build and user-friendly companion software
• What don’t we like? Limited switch choice (for now)

Epomaker HE65 Mag review: Specs

Epomaker HE65 Mag review: The ups

8,000Hz polling over wired and 2.4GHz connections, Rapid Trigger, per-key and quad-actuation — these are a few of the reasons the Epomaker HE65 Mag is a ridiculously powerful keyboard for its price.

Sturdy build

For a budget keyboard, the Epomaker HE65 Mag is built extremely well. Though its body is made of ABS plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap. I tried twisting the keyboard by its sides but it never flexed, which is great news. The aluminum alloy top plate also gives the HE65 Mag additional sturdiness.

Double-shot PBT keycaps add to the HE65 Mag’s appeal as they’re more durable and resistant to wear and tear than ABS keycaps. I’ve tested pricier keyboards that utilize cheap ABS keycaps, like the Razer Pro Type Ultra ($159) and the Corsair K65 Plus for Mac ($179), so it’s nice to see that Epomaker has added them to the HE65 Mag at a much lower price.

The HE65 Mag also sports a metallic knob next to its small TFT color screen. It feels premium and solid, and far better than the one on the Gamakay TK75 HE ($82). The screen itself is bright and feels more detailed than the Gamakay LK75’s ($129).

Responsive Hall Effect switches

The Epomaker HE65 Mag comes with pre-lubed Gateron White magnetic linear switches. They are some of the lightest switches I’ve tested, requiring just 30g of force to activate, ensuring your hands don’t feel fatigued.

Like other Hall Effect switches, Gateron Whites have adjustable actuation all the way down to 0.1mm and up to 4mm in increments of 0.01mm.

You’ll need to download Epomaker Driver on either a macOS or Windows machine to adjust the switches’ actuation. For ultra-responsive gameplay in Hitman and Counter-Strike 2, I set the actuation down to 0.1mm — but keep in mind that keys being this sensitive increases the risk of you pressing one accidentally.

I have had this problem with other magnetic keyboards as well, where the keys have been too sensitive at 0.1mm. This caused me to misfire my gun and give away my position to enemies. This isn’t a con at all, but just something to remember.

Bringing the actuation down to its lowest meant I didn’t need to press switches all the way down for them to activate, so I could swap between weapons quickly. I also played Lies of P for a few hours with the HE65 Mag plugged into my MacBook Pro M1.

I set a higher actuation for the key to swap between legion arms as I didn’t want to accidentally hit it mid-combat. This worked as I intended, and I was very pleased with the keyboard’s performance.

Similar to pricier boards, like the Keychron K4 HE ($134) or the Lemokey L5 HE ($220), the HE65 Mag features quad-actuation, also known as Dynamic Key Stroke or DKS within Gamakay Driver. Quad-actuation is a powerful feature. You can assign up to four actions to one key based on how deeply you press it: two actions on the downstroke, two on the way back up.

Quad-actuation comes in handy in RPGs and FPS titles. For example, I always customize the W key so that short-pressing it makes the character walk while long-pressing it makes the character sprint. You can also use it to customize action keys so that short-pressing makes you aim a grenade and long-pressing makes you throw it.

Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap

Alongside quad-actuation, the Epomaker HE65 Mag also includes Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap. Epomaker has made these premium features more accessible, too. If you want to press keys in rapid succession and want the keyboard to recognize every single input, it’s worth enabling Rapid Trigger. It basically enables near-instantaneous switch reset when lifting.

Rapid Trigger isn’t enabled by default, so you’ll have to dive into Epomaker Driver to do so. Once activated, it makes things like button-mashing in Lies of P feel effortless.

Epomaker Driver also has a feature called Snap Key, which can be toggled on or off. This is the same as Snap Tap or Last Key Prioritization, a type of Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Direction (SOCD) resolution.

As the name suggests, LKP prioritizes the last key you pressed, which essentially makes counter-strafing much easier, as you can draw to a complete stop from a sideways strafe by pressing the opposing direction key. In games where inertia affects accuracy, counter-strafing can be a major advantage, and LKP makes it much easier.

Titles like Counter-Strike 2 prohibit the use of Snap Tap as it is essentially cheating, but I found a use for it when playing Lies of P. Some mini bosses are large and a little slow, so I stood in front of one, rapidly tapped A and D to strafe, and as soon as a boss lined up its attack, I drew to an immediate halt and hit it with my sword — great success.

8,000Hz polling

Most magnetic keyboards I’ve tested have a 1,000Hz polling rate, which is more than enough for casual players, but competitive or pro-level eSports players will want more to ensure no inputs are missed due to latency issues. Thankfully, the Epomaker HE65 Mag packs a whopping 8,000Hz polling rate. Even some pricier keyboards, like the Keychron Q5 HE ($249), lack this.

What’s even better is that Epomaker has managed to deliver 8,000Hz polling over a wireless 2.4GHz connection. We haven’t seen many other decks do this. Polling drops to a measly 125Hz over Bluetooth, as you’d expect. Having tested the keyboard both wired and wirelessly with the dongle plugged in, I didn’t notice any latency issues at all, so input lag was never a concern.

But keep in mind that 8,000Hz polling can be a drain on system resources, and unlike the Lemokey L5 HE ($220), there’s no toggle on the HE65 Mag to toggle between, say, 8K, 4K and 1K polling.

User-friendly companion software

Aside from adjusting switch sensitivity and enabling features like Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap, Epomaker Driver lets you customize the Epomaker HE65 Mag’s RGB lighting and effects, remap keys, record macros, update the board’s firmware, and display the GIF/static image of your choosing onto its screen.

While not as clean as Keychron Launcher, Epomaker Driver is far more intuitive than Gamakay Driver.

Good for typing

Given its 65% layout, the Epomaker HE65 Mag is a gaming keyboard and not really made for productivity, as it doesn’t have a number pad or row of function keys. But if you do want to use it for typing, it won’t disappoint you. The keyboard is fitted with double-shot PBT keycaps, which feel soft to the touch and are comfortable to type on.

As I mentioned before, the HE65 Mag’s Gateron White switches require just 30g of force to activate, which is very light, so your hands don’t feel fatigued after long periods of typing. I wrote this and two other reviews with the HE65 Mag without a problem.

Like I do with other keyboards, I took a series of typing tests at 10fastfingers.com. I adjusted all the keys’ actuation points after every test to compare the HE65 Mag to other magnetic keyboards I’ve tested. I’m pleased with the results as I’ve retained my ability to hit over 100 words per minute with the HE65 Mag.

Massive battery

The Epomaker HE65 Mag is fitted with an 8,000mAh rechargeable battery, which is huge, especially for a 65% keyboard. Epomaker claims the keyboard can last up to 600 hours without the backlight and screen on. I tested the keyboard for four days of use, with RGB and screen turned on, and the HE65 Mag dipped to just 95%, which is fantastic.

Inexpensive

As I’ve noted throughout this section, the Epomaker HE65 Mag is a mighty powerful keyboard, and the best part is that it is not that pricey. Magnetic keyboards can cost anywhere from $130 (like the Keychron K2 HE) to $249 (like the Keychron Q5 HE). I’ve also tested budget magnetic keyboards that just haven’t been up to scratch, like the Gamakay TK75 HE.

But the HE65 Mag is a standout. It’s available for $99 / £99 at Amazon, and is one of the cheapest ways of getting a keyboard with reliable, responsive Hall Effect switches.

Epomaker HE65 Mag review: The downs

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Epomaker HE65 Mag: the only thing worth considering is that its switch choice is limited.

Limited switch choice

As with many other magnetic keyboards, the Epomaker HE65 Mag doesn’t offer many switch options. At the time of writing, you can only get the Gateron Magnetic White switches at checkout. This isn’t surprising, as we’ve always mentioned this as a slight hindrance when reviewing magnetic keyboards. We expect this to change as these boards become more mainstream (which they rapidly are), but it might not be anytime soon.

What’s disappointing is that the HE65 Mag offers just one switch choice as opposed to some keyboards offering two or even three. The good news is that the HE65 Mag is hot-swappable and compatible with other south-facing Gateron magnetic switches, but buying them will cost more.

Epomaker HE65 Mag review: Verdict

While switch choice is currently limited, don’t let that put you off. The Epomaker HE65 Mag is a powerful, portable keyboard that should be in every player’s arsenal for both casual and competitive gaming.

The keyboard offers a plethora of handy magnetic gaming features that give you an edge. What’s even better is that you can continue using 8K polling over a 2.4GHz wireless connection — something not many other decks offer. Customization is easy via Epomaker Driver, and the HE65 Mag is great to type on, too.

If you want highly responsive Hall Effect switches but don’t want to spend too much money, then the HE65 Mag is the cheapest way to get best-in-class features.