be quiet! does Keyboards! Light Mount & Dark Mount

When a brand best known for its silent PC cases, fans, and coolers enters the mechanical keyboard world, expectations are high. be quiet! has done more than dip a toe with its debut keyboards, the Light Mount and Dark Mount. Though these two mechanical keyboards share DNA, they’re far from carbon copies. One is a refined, feature-rich centerpiece built for tinkerers and power users; the other is a streamlined yet capable performer that prioritizes silence and simplicity over modular bells and whistles.

But are they both equally compelling, or does one steal the spotlight?

Light Mount: Sleek Simplicity

The Light Mount is aptly named: lighter in build, feature set, and weight (0.91 kg). But don’t mistake minimalism for mediocrity.

The Light Mount Keyboard is housed in a completely black, minimalist carton box, with the brand’s name prominently displayed on it.

The product’s specifications, various certifications, and essential data about the keyboard are shown on the rear side of the box.

The Light Mount’s package contains the necessary elements: a manual, a USB Type-C cable, a keycap puller, and a handy wristband to help maintain a more ergonomic posture for your wrists.

This full-sized keyboard features a clean layout, with five dedicated macro keys, per-key ARGB lighting, enhanced by a tasteful top-facing LED bar and side strips.

A media wheel doubles as a mute button. be quiet!’s IO Center software allows you to fine-tune everything, supporting layered effects, Microsoft Dynamic Lighting, and per-key customization.

The RGB is vibrant but not overbearing—a highlight that doesn’t become a distraction. The brushed aluminum top plate gives it a premium sheen.

At the same time, the underside is made of ABS plastic, offering a visually cohesive and sturdy build that also helps keep costs and weight down.

The side and top RGB strips dazzle without overpowering, although the top bar can appear slightly washed out in uniform white settings. Still, the overall lighting system is precise, rich in saturation, and highly customizable via software.

The three-stage folding feet provide excellent height adjustment, and the magnetic memory foam wrist rest is pure ergonomic bliss.

Light Mount Typing Experience

Our Light Mount review unit featured the Silent Tactile switches—think of these as a quieter, more tactile alternative to the Cherry MX Brown. The typing experience is satisfyingly soft with a cushioned bump mid-actuation. The triple-layer sound-dampening system—featuring foam above and below the PCB, plus silicone in the base—makes the keyboard eerily quiet, especially for a full-sized mechanical keyboard.

Keys are extremely stable with little to no rattle. Long typing sessions feel effortless, especially with the attached magnetic memory foam palm rest, which feels both luxurious and supportive. Sometimes you might accidentally press the dedicated macro keys, though, since they are right next to the Capital and Shift keys.

It’s a joy to use in both productivity and gaming. Actuation is responsive and precise, even if you don’t get bleeding-edge gaming features or variable actuation points.
The Light Mount, priced at €160, offers a simple yet elegant, understated design for those who want quiet power without distractions.

Dark Mount: Modular Muscle

The Dark Mount is the enthusiast’s playground. It’s not just a keyboard—it’s a platform. At nearly €220–260, the Dark Mount is a statement piece. This keyboard is built like a digital fortress, with a brushed aluminum top, full PBT double-shot keycaps, and a modular, multi-part design.

The Dark Mount comes in a black package with an impressive illustration of the keyboard on its front side. At the rear, we find the product’s specifications. Due to the font color, one has to look closely, and even then, it won’t be easy to make out what is written. Plenty of other details are also present.

I was fortunate enough to be included in the package, and be quiet! included many extras, in addition to the regular ones. As such, eight spare Display Keys are included, along with three dampening layers and their accessories, and eight switches to swap and try.

The typical items are the manual, the USB Type-C cable, and the keycap puller. Two palm rests are also provided for ergonomic extended use of the keyboard.

The brushed aluminium top returns, but the ABS undercarriage and 1.59kg weight make it feel both premium and portable. Unfortunately, some materials (like the numpad connector or dock buttons) feel a bit cheap next to the PBT keycaps. The Dark Mount arrives in multiple pieces: the TKL main board, detachable numpad, media dock, dual wrist rests, and magnetic stackable feet.

With up to 18 different configurations, it’s more than a keyboard—it’s a playground for creators, streamers, and professionals who want their workspace dialed to perfection.

The ARGB lighting wraps around the entire frame in a 360-degree underglow that syncs (mostly) with the keys. However, the rear RGB strip doesn’t always line up with the numpad, and the media dock’s white backlight looks stark and out of place in an otherwise fully customizable lighting ecosystem.

You can switch the numpad and dock between the left and right sides via USB-C connectors. Everything feels secure, although the USB-C covers are easy to lose, and the magnetic palm rest isn’t quite as sturdy as the Light Mount’s unified version.

Dark Mount Typing Experience

Our sample came with Silent Tactile (Black) switches, featuring a 55g actuation force. These switches offer a denser and more deliberate feel, ideal for daily work, coding, and writing, where misclicks are a no-go.

With three layers of sound-dampening and pre-lubed stabilizers, this keyboard takes the “silent” concept seriously. The typing feel is plush and premium. However, due to its ABS plastic base, the board has a touch more flex and movement than some heavier competitors, especially during intense gaming. The Dark Mount is bold and unapologetic—a flagship centerpiece, if you can handle the quirks.

Switches & Typing Feel

be quiet! introduced two proprietary mechanical switches in both keyboards: Silent Linear (Orange) and Silent Tactile (Black). Both are pre-lubricated and use hot-swappable sockets compatible with 5-pin switches. be quiet!’s Silent Switches are designed in-house but are likely manufactured by an OEM (rumors point to Kailh or Gateron). They’re available in:

• Orange (Silent Linear) – 45g actuation, smooth and soft, ideal for gaming.
• Black (Silent Tactile) – 55g actuation, with a subtle bump, perfect for typing precision.

Both are pre-lubed and hot-swappable (5-pin), delivering a refined typing experience with virtually no ping or spring noise. That’s thanks to triple-layer dampening: foam above and below the PCB, plus a thick silicone pad at the base.

Dark Mount’s switches feel slightly more “thocky” than the Light Mount’s, but both are impressively muted—among the quietest mechanical keyboards on the market. Dark Mount is the Swiss Army Knife of keyboards—powerful, flexible, but occasionally fussy.

Performance & Gaming

With N-key rollover, 1,000Hz polling, and consistent key actuation, both keyboards hold their own in fast-paced games. The stabilizers are factory-lubed, ensuring a buttery, rattle-free experience across the spacebar, shift, and enter keys.

If you’re a competitive player seeking bleeding-edge responsiveness, you may find better value elsewhere. But if you crave silence, these boards are unmatched.

• Polling Rate: Both keyboards offer 1000Hz polling and N-key rollover, standard for gaming.
• Gaming Feel: Silent switches require some adjustment, mainly if you’re used to clicky or tactile feedback. However, in fast-paced games, both models provide fast and accurate response times.

The Light Mount prioritizes comfort and acoustics, while the Dark Mount adds utility. But neither pushes hard into esports territory, so if you’re looking for Rapid Trigger, analog sensing, or adjustable actuation, you might need to look elsewhere in the same price tier.

Modularity & Extras

Dark Mount: All the Toys

• Modular Numpad with 8 LCD display keys (customizable via IO Center).
• Eight programmable “Display Keys” (built-in Stream Deck).
• Modular Media Dock with volume slider, 4 media buttons, and a small screen.
• Detachable wrist rests for both TKL and numpad.
• Magnetic stackable feet for personalized height.
• Dedicated RGB controls

The experience is impressive, but not flawless:

• The numpad is a bit wobbly (be quiet! mentioned I had an early sample).
• The USB-C connectors can misbehave.
• The LCD screen glitches and sometimes fails to refresh.
• And no USB passthrough, which is a letdown at this price point.

Still, there’s something delightful about snapping on a numpad to the left side for macros or placing the screen where it fits your setup best.

Light Mount: 

While it lacks the modular showboating of its sibling, the Light Mount still brings:

• Five programmable macro keys
• Volume knob
• Memory foam palm rest
• Three-stage feet
• Per-key and top-bar ARGB
• Hot-swappable switches
• Full N-key rollover at 1000Hz polling

Light Mount proves that minimalism and functionality aren’t mutually exclusive. What it lacks in modular expansion, it makes up for in focus. It’s a clean, more straightforward, and intuitive, full-sized board with zero gimmicks, and for many users, that’s all they need. , and for many users, far more practical.

Software: IO Center

Both keyboards use be quiet!’s IO Center, a newly developed app that’s surprisingly polished for a first-gen release. Compared to Mountain’s buggy Base Camp, IO Center is a triumph. It’s stable, responsive, and deeply customizable.

The app is Windows-native, but be quiet! thoughtfully includes a fully-featured browser version for Mac and Linux users—something very few brands bother with.

While not as deeply integrated with apps like Twitch or OBS (yet), the Dark Mount’s Stream Deck-style buttons’ custom macro and shortcut support still make them highly useful.

IO Center software enables users to create and save multiple profiles, each with its own unique lighting effects and key assignments, which can be easily switched between.