Technologies

I Panic-Bought a New PC: How Tariff Fears Led Me to Upgrade Now

Commentary: An expert says prices shouldn’t skyrocket tomorrow, so don’t do what I did and buy out of fear.

Three weeks ago, staring at the PC I built in the summer of 2020, I started receiving invites to preview upcoming games that my old rig just couldn’t handle. Then, President Donald Trump announced the largest slate of tariffs on imported goods I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. So I did what seemed like a sane thing: I panic-bought a prebuilt PC.

It’s generally unwise to make rash decisions on tech products. But, with the pandemic supply chain pains still relatively fresh for many of us, the impulse is understandable. As Trump’s reciprocal tariffs went into effect and were then temporarily paused for 90 days — but ramped up for China, where many PC components are sourced — confusion reigns. It may seem smart to rush out and buy the things that might shoot up in price, but at least for now, they haven’t. My professional tech reporter advice is: Don’t do what I did.

In fact, as Group Vice President for the International Data Corporation’s Worldwide Device Tracker suite, Ryan Reith said, people are doing the opposite and not buying enough.

«I think some panic buying is happening, maybe incremental, but the main thing is the channels are going to have enough [products heading to retailers],» Reith said. «Actually, in June and as we head into July [and] the second half of the year, there’s likely to be elevated inventory in the channel.»

Read more: Tracking Tariff Prices: See How the New Tariffs Are Hitting These 11 Popular Products

In my haste, I rushed to consult a couple of Discord groups full of friends and did some cursory research, finally settling on a prebuilt NZXT PC: For $2,000, I could pick up a ready-made desktop with the specs (Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB of DDR5 RAM) to hopefully last me for at least four to five years of 1440p gaming. I could either bring my old box up to current specs by updating a lot of components or just get a whole new system and save myself the trouble.

But when Trump announced he’d roll back tariffs, and I checked my NZXT PC’s 30-day return policy, I finally took the time to do some serious research. I cleared up some personal misconceptions (my existing NZXT H510 Elite case wasn’t too small for current midrange GPUs) and planned how I could upgrade my current system — a Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080, 16GB of DDR4 RAM — without having to replace everything.

I could’ve gone for a moderate GPU, CPU and RAM upgrade for $700 to $800 and maybe get two to four years out of it — but if my PC is going under the knife, I might as well future-proof it for five years and beyond, right? In what I hoped wasn’t overconfidence (how hard would it be to upgrade my desktop, having never done it before?), I rebuilt my current rig, buying $1,600 worth of parts and praying I wouldn’t brick my system.

As I’m typing this from my new-and-improved computer, I’ll spoil the ending: The machine got built and I didn’t ruin anything (as far as I know). But the whole process was a stressful rollercoaster, a blitz of last-minute research to revise and then re-revise my plans for what would be the best components for my money. From figuring out what’s new in PC parts over the last five years to reading the global trade tea leaves for an unprecedented reality check in our global economy, dropping $2,000 plus tax and shipping on a pre-built PC seemed like the safest reasonable course.

The big thing I learned was that nobody — not consumers, not manufacturers, not analysts looking at the big picture — has a playbook for upgrading your PC in a time of this much uncertainty. Perhaps tariffs will spike prices, and I won’t be able to afford these parts in the coming months or years. Perhaps they’ll go away tomorrow, and I’ll be the fool for upgrading in a hurry. But since certainty is scarce these days, at least I ended up with a sound system.

Early lessons

Knowing what I know now — that supply isn’t evaporating in the next week, that some retailers do bundle deals, that every single component I settled on is the subject of furious online debate about whether it’s truly the best in its category — I would have made some smarter choices to save a little money and spare myself some headaches.

I’ll share my lessons learned, but if you’re similarly watching the tariffs and panicking about upgrading your PC, what I’ve heard is this: Retailers probably have at least five or six weeks of inventory, so don’t expect prices to skyrocket in the next month. Some retailers may have seen the writing on the wall and increased their stock even more. But beyond that is unclear. The tariff situation changes by the day, and a swift resolution or easing could avoid the sharp increases in prices that are expected to hit consumers in the coming months.

Know also that this situation is shifting even beyond the understanding of experts, so make the best choice for yourself without counting on positive or negative shifts. And for all my fellow PC gamers out there who’ve long suffered sky-high GPU prices thanks to cryptocurrency mining, pandemic supply shortages and now AI computation, I’m sorry — maybe someday graphics cards will be affordable again.

A crash course in PC parts — and prices

If you’ve never built a PC, there are a handful of parts that work together to make a proper desktop computer — parts that are customized and miniaturized to pack into consoles like the Xbox Series X/S and PS5, but which come in more standardized formats to slot in and out of a PC. You need all of them, with respectable levels of quality, to run today’s best games.

But it’s not so simple as picking a budget and sticking to it. There are different levels of PC gaming, roughly broken down by screen resolution and frame rate — the big factors that demand better parts as you ask for higher performance tiers. Today’s gaming starts at 1080p, or full HD (roughly 1,920 by 1,080 pixels), the gaming baseline. Then there’s 1440p, or quad HD (approximately 2,560 by 1,440 pixels), which adds more space for sharper details. Finally, there’s Ultra HD, aka 4K UHD or 2160p, which translates to 3,840 by 2,160 pixels and is generally the highest resolution for gaming. Frame rate matters, with 60 frames per second as the current low end that gamers will accept (and computer displays will be capable of), which rises to 120, 144 or 240 fps and beyond.

Pick a resolution and a frame rate, and you’ll have a target for your budget. As I wanted to be 1440p gaming at 144 fps, I figured I’d have to shell out $600 to $800 or more for a decent GPU to play new graphically demanding games coming out at those specs for five years or more.

Figuring out which parts to buy alongside the GPU took days of feverish research — not just what I would need to get the most out of my graphics card, but to make sure they’d work with my now five-year-old case, power supply and NZXT liquid cooler, the Kraken Z63. Finding the right components was a wobbling calculus of balancing interoperability, value, performance and reliability that quickly drove me to madness.

Here’s what I’ll tell you for free: There’s no correct answer. Each part I looked at was the subject of heated debate. There’s a tenuous consensus among fans, YouTube experts and computing journalists about which component is generally the best bang for the buck — but that needs to be cross-referenced with everything else you’re putting into a build. It’s all a hodgepodge of Reddit «would this PC build work» questions and YouTube videos listing a haphazard collection of benchmarks shared by strangers across time and space. Rarely did I get someone with my exact situation and potential build.

What I ended up with was a parts list that roughly matched what other prebuilt PCs in my price range were featuring: an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and 32GB of TeamGroup T-Force DDR5 RAM. My old motherboard couldn’t handle such a new CPU and the newer DDR5 RAM, so I had to swap that out too, for an Asus Tuf Gaming B650-Plus Wi-Fi. With thermal paste, a battery-operated air duster to clear out my dusty case, and an antistatic wristband (more out of superstition than necessity), I paid $1,650 all told. Transparency.

Doubtless, I could’ve found some of those components for less if I’d waited — I begrudgingly overpaid for the GPU. I later learned that a nearby Micro Center was selling my CPU and similar motherboards at a bundled discount. But considering my panic, I figure I made out with a decent setup that’s future-proofed beyond the next few years. It should also be able to handle early versions of games for prerelease previews that may be built with Nvidia’s GPUs in mind, avoiding potentially poor optimization with AMD’s GPUs that developers may not prioritize before release.

Parts in hand, there remained the actual process of rebuilding my PC, and sparing the details, it went about as well as it could. Replacing parts wasn’t too onerous, but each step included secret sub-steps that proved increasingly annoying. Installing a new motherboard? Preload a USB drive to install a BIOS update. Using an old liquid cooler with a new AM5 CPU? Buy a special mounting bracket. Swap out enough parts? You’ll need to find your old Windows 10 key or buy a new one. And then there was the usual trial-and-error as I figured out where the litany of plugs, cords and cables slotted into the motherboard ports.

I could’ve saved all this hassle by sticking with the prebuilt PC, which loomed forlornly behind me as I installed new parts, tempting me to abandon my frustrating crucible in favor of true plug-and-play. But there’s something scrappy about fixing the stuff you have rather than buying an entirely new replacement, and it’s more environmentally friendly to reuse what you can. In reacquainting myself with the ins and outs of my PC, I felt myself earn a bit more gamer street cred, as well as understanding how my pretty box of silicon and circuits makes gorgeous games appear on my displays, all in 1440p at 144 fps, of course.

OK, when should I panic-buy PC parts, then?

Trump’s tariffs will have irregular effects on consumer goods prices, especially those from China. That can change tomorrow, or even in the coming hours, making it difficult to give solid advice for when consumers should upgrade their PCs or pick up other hardware. It’s a mixture of watching past performance and soothsaying the likelihood of the Trump administration making deals with companies, industries and other nations to soften the tariff blows (or avoid them entirely).

Nobody — not even manufacturers directly dealing with these issues — has clarity about the tariffs or their impact, according to the conversations IDC’s Reith is having.

«There’s still this massive level of confusion among some of the largest tech suppliers in the industry about where things are at today, like at any given point today, this hour, this minute and so forth,» Reith said. «And all these companies clearly have uncertainty in making forward-looking decisions.»

That doesn’t mean device manufacturers aren’t doing anything. Between April 2, when Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs, and April 9, when he paused them for 90 days, many companies that Reith and his team at IDC track rushed to fill orders and get inventory into the US. They even «confirmed very confidently» that, as was reported at the time, Apple loaded cargo airliners full of iPhones in India and flew them into America days ahead of April 2. «So there are these types of measures that are being taken,» Reith said, «but none of them with confidence.»

For now, companies are shipping more products to the US during this 90-day pause in reciprocal tariffs than normal because they know exactly how much they’ll cost — and that they won’t have to necessarily charge consumers more or shift their pricing or supply strategy within this window. If nothing changes, when those tariffs resume on July 9, as Trump’s executive order currently dictates they will, those prices could change more drastically.

So why aren’t we seeing a wave of consumers panic-buy big products like I did? On a panel discussion between IDC experts on Wednesday, research vice president Linn Huang noted that prices are increasing so much already that people might not be able to afford to. «Costs have gone up significantly everywhere, and it’s squeezing out the ability for a lot of these consumers to make panic purchases on the commercial side,» he said.

Unlike the early days of the pandemic lockdown when people saved more of their paychecks due to staying quarantined in their homes, people’s incomes are getting drained even faster now. Combine that with uncertainty about whether their business or industry will see a downturn, or even potentially lose their job, and it’s little surprise that consumers haven’t rushed out to respond to tariffs.

Retailers could raise prices in response, but IDC’s experts expect them to lower the quality of goods within their bundled items. For PCs, this could mean offering lower-performance components.

From that perspective, it could be good that I rushed out to get the PC parts I did at around pre-tariff prices. But there’s no way to tell whether things will change for the better or worse tomorrow. All I know for certain is that my old PC feels new again, and all my games — for work and play — are pumping out ultra-quality graphics and high frame rates. At least in this corner of the world, my gaming free time is calm.

Technologies

Tariff Impacts Are Real: These 13 Companies Have Confirmed Price Hikes

More and more companies are confirming price hikes as President Trump’s tariffs are poised to take effect — most recently, a popular smart lighting brand.

In many cases and for many products in the US, the biggest impacts of President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff plans haven’t hit yet — but they could soon, unless the 90-day pause on some rates is extended. Still, numerous companies have already hiked prices or said that they’ll increase in the near-future — including, most recently, a popular and CNET-approved brand of smart lights.

The fact of the matter is that tariffs — a tax placed on the importing of certain products into a country — will ultimately cause prices to go up, with Walmart characterizing these eventual price hikes as «inevitable» during its earnings call last month. Given Trump’s push to place historically high tariffs on goods from almost every country in the world, you can also expect these price hikes to hit a huge variety of products.

This truth has begun to sink in for a lot of Americans. About 38% of consumers feel pressured to make certain purchases before tariffs cause their price to go up, according to a recent survey conducted by CNET. About 10% of respondents said they’d already made certain purchases in hopes of avoiding future price hikes, while 27% said they’d delayed purchases of products costing more than $500. Overall, these concerns about prices were felt the most around popular tech pieces such as smartphones, laptops and home appliances.

To help you keep score, I’ve put together a list of all the companies that have either confirmed or warned of price hikes due to Trump’s tariffs. As other companies make such announcements, you can expect new names to be added here.

Continue on for all those details, and for more, find out why it’s best if you wait on buying a new iPhone.

One item you won’t find on this list yet? The original Nintendo Switch, which will see a currently unspecified price hike on Aug. 1, but only in Canada for the time being. If that increase makes its way south of the border, we’ll let you know.

Best Buy

Without getting into specifics, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry told the Wall Street Journal late last month that it has already raised prices on certain products as part of its response to the tariffs.

e.l.f.

Known as an affordable option in the beauty world, e.l.f. announced in late May that it would be implementing a $1 price hike across its product line in response to the tariffs. CEO Tarang Amin claimed that the reaction from customers was positive, on account of the company’s transparency.

«We’re not trying to pull anything over on anyone,» Amin told Fortune. «This is exactly what we’re facing, and they understand.»

Macy’s

Speaking to CNBC in late May, Macy’s CEO Tony Spring said that price hikes will be implemented on some products due to tariffs, while also emphasizing that other tactics — like discontinuing certain products altogether — will also be a response to rising costs.

Mattel

Known for brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel sounded the alarm over likely price increases during an early May earnings call. While it’s unclear how much the toymaker’s prices have increased since then, the company told investors that it would be, «where necessary, taking pricing action in its US business,» or to put it plainly, raising prices for consumers to mitigate the impact of tariffs.

Nikon

Camera-maker Nikon will introduce price hikes in response to Trump’s tariffs, effective June 23. This move will only target lenses and accessories the company makes and sells, so the cameras themselves are safe for now.

«We will be carefully monitoring any tariff developments and may adjust pricing as necessary to reflect the evolving market conditions,» a statement from Nikon explained. «We wish to thank our customers for their understanding and know that we are taking every possible step to minimize the impact on our community.»

Philips Hue

Parent company Signify announced that prices for its popular and highly regarded Philips Hue brand of smart lights will see price hikes effective July 1. The company also confirmed that this decision was made «as a direct result of tariffs.»

«Signify reserves the right to modify prices based on new or additional tariffs becoming effective in the future,» the company’s official statement explained.

Ralph Lauren

Sales at the luxury goods retailer Ralph Lauren have apparently remained steady amid recent uncertainty, but the company is still forging ahead with a plan to combat tariff impacts by raising prices more than it had already intended to, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Shein and Temu

Trump’s tariffs have made a notable target of China, hitting the country with a 30% rate only after initially hiking it all the way to 145%. Online retailers like Shein and Temu rely on direct shipments from markets like China in order to offer the rock-bottom prices that made them famous, so it’s little surprise now that they’ve had to raise prices.

The Trump administration has furthered the issues faced by these companies by doing away with a rule known as the «de minimus» exception, which used to exclude smaller purchases under $800 from import taxes. With that rule gone, Trump’s China tariffs will now apply to both bulk orders of industrial building materials and those shoes you’ve been looking to buy from Shein.

Subaru

Subaru has hiked prices across almost its entire line. The increase ranged from $750 to $2,055, depending on the model, with only the EV Solterra avoiding any change.

As has become a trend with some companies, Subaru avoided attributing the price hikes to Trump’s tariffs, citing only the common refrain of «market conditions.» Trump has notably disparaged companies that explicitly lay the blame for price hikes on his policies.

«The changes were made to offset increased costs while maintaining a solid value proposition for the customer. Subaru pricing is not based on the country of origin of its products,» a Subaru spokesperson said in a statement to Car & Driver.

Stanley Black & Decker

In an earnings report published April 30, toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker addressed «Price Actions in Response to US Tariffs,» stating that it had «implemented an initial price increase in April and notified our customers that further price action is required,» and was also looking into ways to shift its supply lines to minimize the impact of tariffs.

Volvo

The price impact of tariffs at Swedish automaker Volvo are confined, for now, to just one model: the electric EX30. Initially it was set to start at $34,950 in the US — a competitive price for an EV — but tariffs targeted at imported cars forced the company to raise the price to $46,195, a 32% bump.

Walmart

The biggest grocery chain in the US, Walmart is perhaps the most prominent company yet to announce imminent price hikes due to Trump’s tariffs. During the company’s earnings call in May, CEO Doug McMillan said price hikes would begin by the end of May and impact things like food, electronics and toys.

For more, see why buying refurbished tech helps you dodge tariffs and helps the planet.

Technologies

This Unique Controller Is Cool but Pointless for Most Gamers

The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot has a unique 2-in-1 feature, but most people will never use it.

Pro-level game controllers have been becoming more mainstream over the past several years, offering gamers a host of new features not found on the controllers that came with their systems. These features include extra mappable buttons, swappable gamepads and other customizability options.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a controller that offers two dedicated button layouts within the same device. The Stealth Pivot from Turtle Beach lets you physically rotate the gamepads to reveal a whole new, previously hidden, button layout — all without having to remove anything. It’s a unique take on what a controller can be and I’m here for it.

What I like about the Stealth Pivot

I’ve been impressed with Turtle Beach controllers for a while now, and the Stealth Pivot continues continues the company’s streak of great hardware. The buttons are clicky and responsive and the whole thing feels wonderful to hold. The design is nearly identical to Microsoft’s own Xbox controllers, which is a good thing.

The Stealth Pivot keeps many of the same pro features as its Stealth Ultra controller (and many other pro-level controllers), including adjustable triggers and four additional, remappable buttons. The Connected Command Display is carried over as well, although it’s much smaller than the Ultra’s 1.5″ screen. Amazingly, it keeps all the same features , including being able to adjust buttons and social media notifications.

On the connectivity side, you’ve got a wired connection for Xbox (there’s no wireless support), a 2.4GHz dongle for PC and Bluetooth for mobile devices and compatible smart TVs. There’s a headphone jack at the bottom and the USB-C port for charging or Xbox connection is up top. You can play and charge at the same time, which is a nice bonus.

Two controllers for the price of one

The biggest feature of the Stealth Pivot by far is its rotating gamepads. Basically, you twist down the two joysticks, unlock the gamepads, then literally rotate them 180 degrees to reveal the other set. This second set has a layout typical of controllers designed for fighting games, or really, any game where additional buttons are valuable. So instead of joysticks, there’s a D-Pad on the top left flanked by two two buttons. On the right side, the ABXY cluster shifts downward to make room for two additional, mappable buttons.

So now, instead of having to buy multiple controllers or remove and swap out gamepads (like PDP Victrix Pro controllers), in just a few seconds you can switch from snapping headshots in Call of Duty to beating up bad guys in Mortal Kombat or Tekken. It’s certainly not something I’ve ever seen on any other controller and it works surprisingly well. You can even save up to five digital profiles on the controller so you can have different layouts for each game.

I was impressed by just how good the buttons and everything are on the Stealth Pivot, even with having to cram double the amount of most everything into the same space. Granted, the controller is a bit thicker than most other controllers, but it’s not that noticeable. The hardware and engineering that went into this controller is remarkable.

What I don’t like about the Stealth Pivot

There are some compromises that come with this quick-switch capability, however. The first is that Turtle Beach wasn’t able to include its microswitch buttons, which personally I prefer over the more standard buttons on the Pivot. The joysticks are still Hall Effect, which is nice, but the rest of the buttons are standard. The buttons aren’t bad, they just aren’t as good as on the company’s other pro controller.

Secondly, making room for those rotating gamepads means space had to come from somewhere and the most obvious place was the battery. Turtle Beach says the Pivot gets about 20 hours of battery life, which is probably a bit optimistic. I wouldn’t say it’s terrible, but it’s not great. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that you have to be physically plugged into your Xbox anyway, and you can play while charging — but PC users may want to keep a cable handy.

Also, while you can use the company’s Control Center II app to customize the controller on Windows, Xbox, iOS and Android, the app itself is not very good. The UI is basic and there are some annoying bugs including the inability to rename profiles on the Xbox version. It’s also hard to tell if anything saves after you make changes. There’s no indicator or save button anywhere, and while it does save things in real-time, it would be nice if it let you know it’s happening.

Lastly, it’s disappointing that you can’t connect wirelessly to the Xbox. Wired is fine, and it avoids battery issues, but wireless is obviously more convenient.

Should you buy the Stealth Pivot?

The Stealth Pivot is a really solid controller even without the dual personalities. Personally, I’m not really into fighting games so I don’t need the second set of controls. And super hard-core, e-sport-level gamers would probably want something like a Fight Stick or a more dedicated fighting game controller.

However, if you’re a more casual gamer who enjoys fighting/button heavy games alongside games that use joysticks — and wants to level up your fighting style — the Stealth Pivot might be worth a look, especially since it’s only $130. That is more expensive than a standard controller, but for everything you get with it, that’s a hard price to beat.

Technologies

I Loved Using This Keyboard, but There Was One Thing I Just Couldn’t Get Used To

The Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air is a great gaming keyboard, but it won’t replace my current one.

Gaming keyboards are everywhere these days, and with a plethora of options available it’s not hard to find a good one. They can also be expensive, so it can be difficult to know if the investment is worth the money. It’s with that in mind I got in the new the new Vulcan II Mini Air from Turtle Beach. I have some thoughts.

Turtle Beach bought the company behind these keyboards, Roccat, several years ago, but it only started phasing out that branding in May of 2024. So you might still find the Roccat branding on Vulcan II Mini Air (you can see it on my review sample here) if you buy one in the near future.

What I like about the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air

First things first, the size. The 65%-sized layout is my perfect setup because it still includes the arrow keys. True FPS gamers may prefer a 60% design, but I tend to mix my genres, and I’m also a writer in my work life, so I prefer having arrow keys (and Home/End keys — don’t you dare take those away from me). I don’t miss the dedicated media keys or functions keys too much, but this is certainly subjective.

The Vulcan II Mini opts for optical switches over the more traditional mechanical switches. At the risk of generalizing, optical and mechanical switches primarily differ in how they register the actuation of each key. Mechanical switches use physical contact between two metal plates while optical switches use beams of light to detect the actuation.

I hadn’t used optical switches much before testing the Vulcan II Mini but I can see their appeal for hardcore gamers. The idea is that the light-activated sensors allow for a much shorter actuation point for key presses, meaning there’s less time between when your finger moves to press the key and that key press being registered by your computer.

Turtle Beach says the actuation point of their Red Linear switches is 1.4mm, a decent improvement over the 2mm of most mechanical switches. That said, you’ll likely only notice the shorter actuation point if you’re a hardcore gamer who needs to prioritize every millisecond. Personally, I couldn’t tell a difference compared to my main keyboard with Cherry mechanical switches.

Another big advantage of optical is similar to the advantage Hall Effect switches have in keyboards like the Vulcan II TKL Pro. Since the sensors are activated by light and not physical contact between two plates, there’s less friction with each keypress. So the switches should last quite a bit longer. Most traditional mechanical switches are rated for about 100 million presses. These are rated for 200 million. That’s a pretty significant advantage if you don’t tend to upgrade your keyboard very often.

To be honest, it took me a little time to get used to the feel of the optical switches. They’re aren’t mushy by any means, but they are noticeably softer than the traditional switches I’m used to. Thankfully, they’re more tactile than Hall Effect switches. After a few hours, though, I couldn’t notice much of a difference anymore between the feel of the Vulcan II Mini and my regular keyboard.

The Vulcan II Mini’s build quality is top notch. The aluminum top plate gives it a nice solid feel with no creakiness or give that I could detect anywhere. At 578 grams, it’s also not very heavy either. The included braided cable also feels well-designed. It’s nice that it’s available in white, although I do wonder how clean it will stay long-term. The two-position kickstands allow for some nice ergonomic options.

Customization is one area where Turtle Beach levels things up a bit. Via the Swarm app, you have access to many of the typical customizations for gaming keyboards. But Turtle Beach also adds a secondary function to 29 keys, so you can quickly trigger another action. These Smart Keys are also equipped with dual LEDs that will indicate when the secondary function is active. On top of that, you can store up to five different profiles, so you can set up the perfect configuration for your favorite games.

No self-respecting gaming keyboard would stop you from customizing the RGB lighting to your heart’s content. So of course you can choose from a variety of lighting effects. That includes the AIMO effect, which synchronizes all your Turtle Beach accessories together so the lighting effects are coordinated.

Battery life

Being a wireless keyboard, battery life is important. Turtle Beach says the Vulcan II Mini can clock 240 hours of continuous use without the RBG lighting active, which is a bold claim. I haven’t used the keyboard exclusively for the approximately four weeks I’ve had it, but even with heavy usage, I still haven’t managed to kill it, and that’s with the RGB lights still on. Suffice to say, battery life has been awesome for me.

One trick Turtle Beach uses to accomplish this is a proximity sensor in the keyboard that automatically detects your presence to turn the lights on and off. Logitech does something similar in some of its keyboards, so it’s not revolutionary, but Turtle Beach lets you adjust the effect somewhat by changing the sensitivity of the sensor. At least, that’s the theory. I couldn’t get the Swarm app to save the settings for this when I changed it, so I can’t speak to how effective it is.

As the «Air» name might suggest, this version of the Vulcan II Mini is wireless (there’s a wired option for $119). It can connect to four devices: Three via Bluetooth plus one via an included 2.4Ghz wireless dongle. The only downside I found when connected via Bluetooth was that I could never get it to show up in Turtle Beach’s Swarm app. It showed up fine when using the dongle, but not on Bluetooth.

What I didn’t like about the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air

As cool as the optical switches are, the typing experience wasn’t great. I’m a writer by day, so I always prioritize a great typing experience first and a good gaming experience second. Even after using the Mini exclusively for more than three weeks, I just couldn’t the same level of comfort typing on it as with my Keychron Q81 Pro. I’m willing to acknowledge that much of that could be attributed to the II Mini’s low profile design, which I’ve never found to be as comfortable as a full-size profile.

The wake time for the Vulcan II Mini Air is also significantly slower than many other keyboards I’ve used. I’m not sure if this is because of the proximity sensor or something else, but it sometimes takes up to 10 seconds for my computer to begin registering key presses.

Should you buy the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air?

Overall, it’s a nice keyboard with plenty of excellent features for someone looking for a serious gaming keyboard. The small size means it doesn’t take up much space on the desk, the optical switches provide fast response times and greater durability, and the customization options are nearly endless. For me, though, I struggled to use it as a daily keyboard as it just didn’t offer me the tactility and feel that I prefer, but if you’re looking to upgrade your gaming keyboard, or just dive into the world of gaming keyboards for the first time, the Vulcan II Mini Air is a great choice.