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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Dimensions
    2. Build Quality
    3. Ergonomics
    4. Hardware Customizability
    5. Backlight Features
    6. Backlight Clarity
    7. Cable & Connector
    8. Wireless Versatility
    9. Macro Keys And Programming
    10. Extra Features
    11. In The Box
  5. Typing Experience
    1. Typing Quality
    2. Typing Noise
    3. Switches
    4. Keystrokes
    5. Latency
  6. Performance
    1. Single-Key Latency
    2. Multi-Key Latency
    3. Data Transmission
    4. Chord Split
  7. Software and Operating System
    1. Configuration Software
    2. Computer Compatibility
    3. Wireless Mobile Compatibility
  8. Comments

SteelSeries Apex 9 vs ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Apex 9
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Feb 06, 2025 09:55 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated May 13, 2024 08:37 PM

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Amazon.com
SteelSeries Apex 9 Picture
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Picture
ConnectivityWired
Size
TenKeyLess (80%)
Switch Type
Optical
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
Yes
Hot-Swappable Switches
Yes
ConnectivityWired
Size
Full-size (100%)
Switch Type
Mechanical
Hot-Swappable Switches
No
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. RGB

Variants

  • Apex 9 TKL (Black)
  • Apex 9 Mini (Black)
  • Apex 9 Mini (FaZe Clan Limited Edition)
  • Vulcan II Max (Black)
  • Vulcan II Mini (Black)
  • Vulcan II Max (White)
  • Vulcan II Mini (White)

Review

See SteelSeries Apex 9 Review
See ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Review
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Our Verdict

SteelSeries Apex 9

ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini

The ROCCAT Vulcan II and the SteelSeries Apex 9 are wired mechanical gaming keyboards. The ROCCAT boards are available in a full-size or compact (65%) form factor, with linear Red or tactile Brown ROCCAT Titan II Optical switches. On the other hand, the SteelSeries boards are available in a TKL (80%) or Compact 60% form factors and use OptiPoint optical switches. These keyboards have higher-quality keycaps and better build quality overall. They also have lower latency, though both the ROCCAT and SteelSeries keyboards offer exceptional gaming performance.

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Black
Apex 9 TKL
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Black
Vulcan II Max
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Black
Apex 9 Mini
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Black
Vulcan II Mini
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FaZe Clan Limited Edition
Apex 9 Mini
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White
Vulcan II Max
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White
Vulcan II Mini
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Read more

Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.7
9.0

Operating Force 
 

34 gf
46 gf

Build Quality 
 

8.5
7.5

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.2
10

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Top Picture
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Top Picture

Size 
 

TenKeyLess (80%)
Full-size (100%)

Height 
 

1.6" (4.1 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)

Width  

14.0" (35.5 cm)
18.2" (46.2 cm)

Depth 
 

5.0" (12.8 cm)
6.0" (15.3 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
9.3" (23.5 cm)

Weight 
 

1.41 lbs (0.640 kg)
2.27 lbs (1.030 kg)
Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.5
7.5

Build Quality Close Up  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Build Quality Close Up
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
ABS
Show text

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
6.0

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Side Picture
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
No

Split Keyboard 
 

No
No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered
Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

4°
2°

Medium Incline 
 

7°
4.5°

Maximum Incline 
 

11°
7°

Home Row Height 
 

33.3 mm (1.3")
30.8 mm (1.2")
Show text

Hardware Customizability 
 

7.4
3.8

Customizability Overview  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Customizability Overview
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes
No

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Plate-Mounted
Non-Customizable Design

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u
6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u
1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes
No

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style
Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

Non-Customizable Design
Soldered

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

Backlight Features 
 

10
10

Backlighting Picture  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Backlighting Picture
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Brightness Max
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Brightness Min
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Brightness Min

RGB 
 

Yes
Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

Backlight Clarity 
 

8.0
9.0

White Shot  

SteelSeries Apex 9 White Shot
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini White Shot

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wired

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)
No

Length  

7.5 ft (2.3 m)
5.9 ft (1.8 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
Not Detachable
Show text

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
No Batteries
Show text

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

5.5
5.5

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0
0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

Yes
Yes

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes
Yes

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Extra Features
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Dedicated
Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

Yes
No

Control Knob 
 

No
Yes

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

No
Yes

Windows Key Lock 
 

Yes
Yes

Lock Indicator  

Caps Lock
Caps, Scroll & Num lock
Show text

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Bundle Picture
ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini Bundle Picture
Show text
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
Show text

Typing Noise 
 

7.5
7.8

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

52.2 dBA
50.9 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

No
No
Show text

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

SteelSeries Linear OptiPoint Optical
ROCCAT Titan Linear

Switch Type 
 

Optical
Mechanical

Feel 
 

Linear
Linear

Analog 
 

No

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

34 gf
46 gf

Actuation Force 
 

35 gf
47 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.1 mm
1.8 mm

Total Travel 
 

3.2 mm
3.8 mm
Show text

Latency 
 

9.2
10

Latency Video  

Latency Wired 
 

3.0 ms
2.0 ms

Latency Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A
Show text
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.2
10

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

3.0 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±0.4 ms

Wired 
 

3.0 ms
2.0 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

PCB (Estimated) 
 

2.0 ms
Show text

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.9

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

Key Press 
 

3.0 ms

Key Release 
 

9.0 ms

Data Transmission 
 

8.7

Multi-Key Raw USB  

SteelSeries Apex 9 Multi-Key Raw USB

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

USB Polling Rate 
 

1,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

1,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

Yes

Chord Split 
 

7.6

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

6.8 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

9.7 ms
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Tour  

Software Name  

SteelSeries GG
ROCCAT Swarm

Software Windows Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

Yes
No

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

Profiles 
 

6+
5
Show text

Computer Compatibility 
 

10
10

Windows 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

macOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux
Windows, MacOS & Linux
Show text

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

0.0
0.0

Android 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

iOS 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

iPadOS 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

Check Price

Black
Apex 9 TKL
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Black
Vulcan II Max
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Black
Apex 9 Mini
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Black
Vulcan II Mini
Searching
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FaZe Clan Limited Edition
Apex 9 Mini
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White
Vulcan II Max
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White
Vulcan II Mini
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Back to Top

SteelSeries Apex 9

ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

SteelSeries Apex 9 vs ROCCAT Vulcan II Max/Mini: Main Discussion

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