Steelseries Chiclet Backlit keyboard for P150EM/P170EM

Hi Guys,

I know this has been discussed before but I wanted to round up all of the information gathered so far on this topic.

First of all.

Is this possible?
Yes, this is possible as the keyboard that is being offered by resellers as an upgrade is the same one used in the MSI

Models

Spoiler

GT60, GT70, GT780, GT780R, GT780DX, GT780DXR, GT783, GT783R, GX78

What about Keymapping?
We know that the fn key layout is different on the stock backlit Clevo keyboard compared to the steelseries keyboard, YET resellers such as sager have offered the upgrade and confirm that the key mappings will function properly with the steelseries keyboard installed in a Clevo according to the post below.

We have also had the below post which informs us that steel will be releasing drivers and a new software suite to deal with this issue.

How do I fix this issue with keymapping?
So far if you order directly from Sager ( I have had no confirmation of other resellers offering this service) they will map the keys (or install their own drivers?) correctly and the keyboard will function as displayed.

As for end users ordering their own keyboard such as this. We will have to map our own Fn keys with programs such as these.

What about the backlighting?
Backlighting will work as usual, i.e split up into 3 sections with all of the available colours, though we cannot use the steelseries software suite we can use the stock Clevo software to control the lighting as per the post below.

Comparisons
Stock on top and Steelseries Chiclet on bottom.


Close up of the steelseries in a P170EM


Close up of the steelseries in a P150EM (credit to Mythlogic and Jaug1337 for pointing it out)


Video of Xotic PC's comparison/debut of the Steelseries Chiclet Keyboard on the Sager/Clevo.

Conclusion

I definitely recommend this keyboard to all Clevo/Sager users as it is a very attractive and practical upgrade. The new fn layout is much more efficient and also the chiclet keys are very nice.

 

Nice post +rep.

this makes me excited; i might get the SS keyboard in the future because backlit + chiclet = heaven for me.

also whoever designed the stock Clevo keyboard needs to get fired because they put mute and lower volume around the sleep button (?)

 

So, what happens if you format the drive and do a clean install? You just loose the Fn layout?

 

I would have to assume so as noone has access currently to the Clevo bios/EC to control the keyboard so everything is software based, although I would think Sager would have thought about that and have something setup.

EDIT: thanks for the rep Awaken, you get one too for your very nice review!

 

Edit: Ops, wrong topic, delete this post.

 

^ This. I will give you that for constructive criticism, you're absolutely right. Sager should have never set a sleep mode Fn key close to commonly used features.

On that note, does anyone really use that Fn sleep key?

 

I don't think anyone will know until it is tested. We will have to wait and see.

 

Thank you for this post! I'm buying a 9170 with the Steelseries keyboard and this cleared some things up for me.

 

darn i wish i could put one of these in my p150hm, now that would be a treat haha.

 

Is the only reason you'd go for the steelseries keyboard if you wanted the chiclet style keys? It's good to know that you can get the function keys to work without too much difficulty, but I don't really feel like the efficiency of the fn keys is worth 90 dollars to me. Is there any difference in the backlighting quality or anything other than the chiclet style that should make me want to go for this?

 

its anti ghosting is better than the stock keyboard, so its better for gaming

 

I think people are choosing it because of the said "12 simultaneous key strokes", but I would like to see someone who has it to verify this capability. Better yet I would like to see a comparison between the two keyboards, stock and steel series, when "ghosting" is regarded.

 

Great thread, +rep good job!

also might want to add this picture of the P150EM SteelSeries keyboard working, posted by mythlogic @ http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/658237-msi-steelseries-keyboard-p170em.html#post8530125 enjoy

 

I wish I could swap this in my 7280

 

The SteelSeries keyboard has a very good tactile feel to it for a laptop keyboard.

 

Has anyone found good information about the key rollover characteristics? I want to say someone said something about it doing 8 key rollover, but no word on if it's region-specific or all-keyboard. Seems like that information might be a huge selling point, depending on the details.

 

Stock keyboard on the EM is much different then the one on the HM. I have not heard of ghosting issues with the new stock backlit keyboard.

The answer is not really. Msi has more colors to choose from and a steel series logo. The keyboards are manufactured by the same company.

 

This has always confused me too, it's been that way for a long time too. Who in their right mind would put it next to two of the most commonly used function keys. Put it at F12 or somewhere far far away.

 

Sorry but right now I'm still confused.... so is there any real benefit on upgrading to the steelseries? or is it just personal preference pretty much??

 

Here, read this:
Microsoft Applied Sciences Group

The Steel Series keyboard supposedly has better anti-ghosting (key rollover) capabilities than the stock keyboard, though I haven't seen any assessment and comparison of the two to see if and how much they differ...

 

no it has not,
- it's purely personal and for the looks of the keyboard

 

Thanks a lot for the link, helped me understand more about it

 

Thanks!!! As i wasn't really sure if it was worth adding on once I buy a new laptop

 

Does anyone know if resellers include the stock Sager keyboard when you upgrade to the Steelseries Chiclet one? I can't decide which one I want to go with so it would be awesome if they included both.

 

I highly doubt they do.... but I might be wrong
contact the reseller you are planning to purchase from, they'll provide the correct answer!

 

Normally the stock keyboard is kept, kinda like upgrading another part like hard drive or CPU, the original part is kept. We do offer also getting the sager keyboard as well when upgrading to the steel series. PM me and I can let you know the details.

 

So i tried all the software you suggested to remap the FN key but they all don't work....

 

I am getting the Steelseries so I can't offer a comparison but the Steelseries has much better feel to the keystrokes than any other laptop keyboard I have used. Looks are pointless to me, I only care about feel.

 

Confirmed with Xotic today that the Fn keys do not come remapped. I really want to get this keyboard with my 9170 but I can't justify paying for something that doesn't work as intended.

 

Hm, this contradicts the OP:

Perhaps we can get an Xotic rep to confirm themselves, in their own words, whether the Steelseries keyboard is mapped according to the functions labelled on the upgraded keyboard, or according to where those functions would appear on the stock keyboard?

 

Can anyone confirm that that we can infact re-map the FN keys ourselves with software?

 

A reseller already posted that software would be available later this year from SteelSeries for remapping keys.

 

Directly from SteelSeries about the G-Series MSI Keyboard--

Frequently Asked Questions - Is the SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard on the MSI G-Series notebooks supported by the SteelSeries Engine software?

So, sometime later in 2012, all keys will be able to be re-mapped.

 

But that I'm assuming is if you have an MSI laptop. Would it work on a Sager as well?

 

Not going to say with 100% certainty that it would work, but as it is a software application/driver looking for your DEV and VEN ID, which would match the keyboard you have, there really isn't any reason it wouldn't work as far as I can tell.

 

If that was the case, wouldn't the MSI backlight control application work as well?

 

Not necessarily, no.

 

Anyone that has the P150EM and the MSI SteelSeries keyboard notice that the speaker bar doesn't fit correctly?

Anyone have any solution yet for what you've done to get around that and secure it better other than maybe double sided tape?

 

Hi,

I'm living in Europe and am looking for the Steelseries keyboard in my P170EM based notebook, because the stock keyboard is driving me crazy. You have to press the keys right in the middle, else it will miss the key press often.

Can anyone confirm that the MSI keyboard doesnt have this strange behaviour? Will pressing the keys in the corners register the key press just like any other keyboard I own does?

Is this the right keyboard we are talking about here: http://www.online2design.nl/www/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=36341&category_id=2731&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=15

Also, noticed on the photos on page 1 of this thread in the side by side comparision that the MSI keyboard looks much wider, isn't that a problem?

Can I just swap the keyboard, and it will work correctly without changing any settings (except for the mentioned Fn keys ofcourse).

Well loads of questions, but that's it for now.
Thanks!

 

That definitely seems to be the correct keyboard in the link you posted.

I have a P150EM and have the same problem with the stock keyboard like you and it's driving me mad as well.

In theory the two keyboards are easy to swap. Remove speaker cover, remove screws, disconnect the two cables and then put the SS keyboard in.

..unless it's true what you say, orlyowl_11 - the speaker cover not fitting properly would be annoying. Maybe we can see some screenshots to get a better understanding of what it looks like?

Cheers!

 

+1 on the screenshot idea. That would be helpful to see.

In regards to the functions on the Steelseries...I spoke to an XoticPC representative and was told that the functions on the SS keys would NOT match up to what the hotkeys actually do for the reasons stated in this thread I imagine.

Hope that helps clear things up a little for anyone ordering from XoticPC that might be interested in this upgrade. It seemed like there was a little confusion so I figured I would ask as I myself am interested in this upgrade. I can live with it so long as these drivers coming out will allow me to remap and fix the issue.

 

That's unfortunate, but if they can be remapped later this year, then I guess I can hold tight for a little while.

Anyone mind posting a close-up (and in-focus) screenshot of the stock keyboard (or a link to such a pic, or reference manual, or whatnot) so those of us with the steelseries can see what keys our functions are actually mapped to?

My NP9170 hasn't arrived yet, but that's my only concern on this issue at the moment. As long as I know what keys I need to press, I can wait for the remapping utility.

 

I don't actually have the stock P150EM keyboard on me right now at work, but there are reviews on this forum (look for awaken's review on the first page) that should show what the keyboard stock looks like.

You'll know its the stock keyboard if you see that F3 is mute, F4 is sleep (why????), F5 is volume down, and F6 is volume up.

As to questions for the screenshot for the speaker bar, please see here:

Photo Album - Imgur

and

here with my marks describing what I'm talking about:

imgur: the simple image sharer

If you notice on the speaker bar on the left side where the power button is, it should snap in and be held securely, however, it doesn't actually fit correctly, and causes it to kind of be loose and not fully seated. The power button still works, and I'm sure that if I worked more on it to get better double sided tape to keep it secured it would look better, but it definitely isn't a flush fit as of right now.

 

Thanks for the pics. I see what you mean.

I remember that when my laptop arrived the left side of the speaker cover looked exactly like this and even moved a little when pressing the power button.

Then after I removed it and the keyboard for a RAM upgrade I never have been able to recreate "that loose fit". When putting my laptop back together it snapped in just fine and tight and now it's all good -almost too good since now it actually looks like the left side of the speaker cover sits a tad lower than the right side.

I am not sure if it's necessarily the SS keyboard causing the problem. It might just be the speaker cover being poorly designed itself or even the carbon fibre film on the picture which makes things worse - even though it looks pretty thin. Just guessing.

I am planning to get in touch with one of the resellers soon to buy the SS keyboard upgrade since I am not a fan of the stock one at all. Too stiff for me. When I have installed it I will know for sure.

 

Just to confirm--you had it come with the stock keyboard, and then did a RAM upgrade yourself and replaced it with the stock keyboard and didn't have any issues with the speaker bar, right?

I may take the SS out and reinstall the stock that came with it in the bag as well and see if I can get that secure snapped in fit, and then remove again and go back to the SS keyboard and see what the differences are, if any.

Just holding them up and comparing they appear to be the same size, and the screw points match up as well...bleh.

 

Normally I would go for the feel and look of the keyboard as an ugprade however, I tried the MSI gt70 when they first came out from JR.com but the one i had purchased was a real pain in the a** and I ended up returning it. Many of the keys seems to miss alot when typed and alot I had to literally push the middle of the key with a good amount of force for the key to input. I've done a few searches and had read a few others with similar problems. I personally had a steelseries 6gv2 keyboard and it was great except the positioning of the "\" key which was really annoying but I got use to it. I've been thinking about it and I'm still in phase 1 from xoticpc however I doubt i'd do the steelseries keyboard upgrade cause of the experience I've had already with MSI.

 

Has anyone been able to compare the two keyboards for word processing? I know this is primarily a gaming laptop, but I will be using mine for work as well, and need to be able to type quickly and accurately. I'm trying to decide if I should get the SS or if the stock keyboard will be good enough. Thanks!

 

The SS is supposed and I feel like it is THE best if not the softest

 

Exactly. After putting everything back together the speaker bar fit really snugly.

 

Hmm, nice. That little app helps see it real-time.

I noticed this in BF3 (on my NP6110) where I am pressing W+A+Shift and then need to press X and it won't activate flares unless I release one of the other keys. Just one example of many. I guess you could remap the few keys that are problematic.