The Fnatic Streak 65 is Fnatic Gear’s latest 65% mechanical keyboard that is made even smaller, lighter, and more compact than the already small Fnatic miniSTREAK TKL keyboard. Featuring a 65% layout, low-profile switches and keycaps with a detachable USB Type-C cable, the Fnatic Streak 65 was launched back in October 2020, and it’s now finally available in Malaysia. We got the opportunity to review one of the earlier review units, so let’s get your questions about this board answered.
Fnatic Streak 65 – Specifications
Cable | USB Type-C Detachable |
Format | 65% Layout |
Switch | Fnatic SPEED (Low-Profile) Kailh Choc V2 |
Weight | 420g |
Switch Actuation | 1.0mm |
Switch Total Travel | 3.2mm |
Polling Rate | 1000Hz |
Size | 316 x 109 x 20-28mm |
MCU and Memory | NXP / 8MB |
Lighting | RGB 16.8m Colours |
Additional Features | Custom Low-Profile Keycaps FN Layer Functionality Detachable Cable |
What’s In The Box?
- Fnatic Streak 65
- USB Type-C Cable
- Quick Start Guide
Design
The Fnatic Streak 65 is a mechanical gaming keyboard that has a 65% layout. Not only does it save horizontal space, it also saves vertical space as the entire board is designed to be low-profile. From the custom low-profile keycaps down to the low-profile Kailh Choc V2 switches.
On the back, you will find the USB Type-C port for connecting to your PC with a custom magnetic piece that can be removed. This seems to be a future feature where users might be able to 3D print their own magnetic piece to be placed here. Fnatic fans would also receive a limited Founders Edition of the keyboard, which comes with a custom nameplate #1 to #65, a certificate, and premium stickers that correspond to the #number edition keyboard they received.
On the bottom, there are two single angle adjustment rubber feet with two additional rubber padding so the keyboard doesn’t move around when you’re gaming or typing.
Case
When I picked up the Fnatic Streak 65 box, I thought this was another mechanical keyboard that had a plastic casing. I was ready to forgive Fnatic for that choice, but to my surprise, the board’s upper casing was actually aluminium, with plastic on the bottom. It has rounded edges, very minimal bezels, extremely lightweight, and it still retains a great amount of sturdiness. There is no flexing, it doesn’t wobble or rock on a flat surface, and the board itself just feels the right size.
The case is a 65% layout, and I think Fnatic nailed it by choosing this layout over the 60%. This is because a 65% board would have just that extra space for the arrow cluster and the additional four keys – Insert, Delete, Page Up, Page Down – to be included onto the board. That means you’ll still get most of the keys you’ll need from an 80% board, but in a 65% size. Not to mention the extra space you’ll get on the right side of your desk for your mouse movement.
Obviously, if you’re someone who truly needs the numberpad, then the Fnatic Streak 65 might not be for you. However, if you can give up the numpad and rely on the number row at the top, the Streak 65 is a great compact board to own. And if you’re worried about the media and function keys at the top, don’t worry, they’re still there. They’ve been positioned into the number row and they can be accessed by the pressing the FN key combo.
RGB Lighting
The Fnatic Streak 65 is fully decked out with RGB lighting all over, so you’d have access to 16.8 million colours on your keyboard. The colour is bright, vivid, and vibrant, but there is a bit of light spill onto the side of each keycap. The RGB lighting also comes through the legends very nicely, and it doesn’t glare at all.
However, if you’re looking at the board from the bottom at about a 45-degree angle, the LEDs on the spacebar does shine directly at you. Not a dealbreaker at all, just thought you should know.
The only LED indicator you’ll get on the board is in the Caps Lock key itself. As for customization, the Fnatic Streak 65 does come with multiple lighting profiles, and they can all be accessed through the company’s Fnatic OP software (which is currently still in early access). Nonetheless, the software works well in changing and tweaking each lighting profile.
What I found interesting with the Fnatic Streak 65 is that when you plug the USB Type-C cable in, the board will “start up” by illuminating “F, N, A, T, I, C” in that exact order in the brand’s signature orange colour before loading your default lighting profile. Very nice touch, Fnatic.
Cable
The cable that was included with the Fnatic Streak 65 is a rubberized USB Type-C cable, and that’s about it. It would’ve been nice if the cable was braided so there was added protection, especially when you’re transporting it around with you.
I ditched the cables and went for a magnetic detachable USB Type-C cable, so that I can easily pull out and attach the cable right back via magnets. This makes it a lot more convenient for me, especially when I want to bring it with to work.
Keycaps
The Fnatic Streak 65’s review looked so good until we have to talk about the keycaps. This is to me, the only disappointing feature about the keyboard, because it is a painted ABS material instead of using matte PBT keycaps. Once you’ve used the keyboard for a while, you’ll start to notice oil and fingerprint smudges on the keycaps and I didn’t really like that. If you don’t pay attention to them, then it’s fine. But when you do, they just don’t look that nice.
Speaking of the legends, the media and function row legends are side printed on the front of the keycaps.
In terms of feel, you won’t really feel the oil accumulate on the keycaps, so I guess it’s fine. But you do see the smudges, so you might want to wipe them from time to time. Again, not a dealbreaker, just something you should know.
Switches
The Fnatic Streak 65 comes equipped with the FNATIC Speed switches, which are actually the Kailh Choc V2 linear switch that has its stem colour customed to the Fnatic Orange colourway. These v2 stems are now also Cherry MX profile compatible, meaning you can switch the keycaps out to any keycaps that use the Cherry MX stem design. But do keep in mind, that certain keycap profiles may bottom out and touch the case, so the experience won’t be as good as the stock keycaps that came with the board.
The switches have minimal wobble, and feel really secure in place. The top is transparent to allow for better RGB lighting passthrough, and you can even see the inner workings of the contact leaf in the switch.
These switches are rapid fast, with a 1.0mm actuation, 55g actuation force, and a 3.2mm travel. What this means is that you don’t need to press down too far to get your key registered, and you can type or execute commands faster when you’re gaming.
Sound
When it comes to the sound, the Fnatic Streak 65 sounds amazing. Being a linear switch, the Kailh Choc V2 sound really nice and quiet, and they’re absolute pleasure to type and game on. The stabilizers are also custom coloured in Fnatic Orange colourway, and are factory lubed, so they come off smooth with no rattle right from the get go.
However, with my unit, I did hear a spring ping only in the left portion of the space bar. The rest of the keyboard sounds fine, and all keys sound good with a nice depth to it.
Typing Experience
The typing experience on the Fnatic Streak 65 is an absolute treat, thanks to the switches and the overall low-profile design. Coming from a TKL board, I did have to get used to the shorter right shift key, but once I did, I was typing faster and more accurately than before.
Apart from that, I also had to get used to the function and media keys being embedded in other keys on the board. In about two days, I was already able to memorize where each key is to execute the FN commands for it.
The four keys on the far right column are set to macro keys which you can set in the Fnatic OP software. For me, I’ve set the first two keys to be “Del” and “Print Screen” as those are the keys that I use the most in my daily life. Apart from macros, you can also re-map the keys to something else, open a file, launch an application, or open a link. You can customize both the key itself and its FN key command, which is nice.
That being said, we do hope that Fnatic will add more features and keys to the key bindings section of the Fnatic OP software because there’s a lot of potential of what commands can be set to those four keys. For example, switching audio devices on the fly.
Gaming Experience
Gaming on the Fnatic Streak 65 is fast and accurate, so no complaints there. Because of the low actuation travel, I’ve learned to press the keys lighter, resulting in me moving to my next key much quicker. Playing Genshin Impact on this allows me to change my characters quicker, access my NRE faster, and dodge enemy attacks more frequently.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to love about the Fnatic Streak 65, and the cons are just too minor to make you not get it. Priced at RM469, it is obvious Fnatic put in a lot of work and has taken in a lot of feedback, and showed their sincerity in the Streak 65. It has great build quality, excellent compact size, has one of the better switch options in the market, and it’s got a detachable USB Type-C cable. The RGB lighting is just an added bonus on top of all those features.
For a factory pre-built gaming mechanical keyboard, the Fnatic Streak 65 is a hell of a looker, and it will definitely into any gaming desk setup. Obviously, you don’t get hot-swappable switches, but the Kailh Choc V2 will definitely make you fall in love, especially if you’re a fan of linear switches.
Special Thanks to Sun Cycle Malaysia for sending over the Fnatic Streak 65 for review!