Forget Gondor, Drop's latest LOTR-themed keyboard has my approval because it's got a tiny little sword on the Enter key

A close up image of the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Gondor CSTM80 gaming keyboard

(Image credit: Drop)

As I have repeatedly told every boss I've ever worked for, I'm a simple man. And as a simple man, I'm pleased by simple things—like the latest Drop Lord of the Rings-themed keyboard, complete with a sword graphic on the Enter key. It's the little things in life, or in this case, the pointy, swingy, stabby things.

Okay, so it's not technically the first LOTR-themed Drop keyboard with a sword on a keycap. That, to the best of my knowledge, was the Drop Black Speech all the way back in 2023. But the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Gondor CSTM80 keyboard is a much more subtle affair, and something you could actually take to work without revealing your Hobbit-appreciating tendencies to the rest of your office chums.

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The Drop + Lord of the Rings Gondor CSTM80 keyboard sitting on a desk — (Image credit: Drop)

The simple black, white, and grey colourway is downright discreet, and I appreciate that in my, err, LOTR-themed keebs. Some of the other graphics are perhaps less so, such as a fully-fledged horn of Gondor on the left hand side.

I fully expect someone in the comments to tell me that it's actually Gondor's horn, or somesuch. What can I say, I liked some of the movies, I fell asleep reading the books. Do with that information as you will.

Anyhoo, the bad news is it isn't cheap. $199 of your finest dollars gets you this sort of nerdery, but it is remarkably well-featured for all that cash. You get removable gaskets, PBT keycaps, Gateron KS-3 Milky Yellow Pro switches (we really have run out of names now, haven't we?) and of course, hot-swappable switch sockets.

No enthusiast gaming keyboard is complete without them. Oh, you also get per-key RGB lighting, so you can choose to light it up in green to side with the elves, or go full Sauron with a red theme when you're feeling spicy.

"We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt." That's a quote Google informs me is in the Lord of the Rings book I didn't properly read. Still, it seems somewhat apt. Go type the truth, Gondor fans, and swing your metaphorical swords with pride.

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Andy built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 12, when IDE cables were a thing and high resolution wasn't—and he hasn't stopped since. Now working as a hardware writer for PC Gamer, Andy's been jumping around the world attending product launches and trade shows, all the while reviewing every bit of PC hardware he can get his hands on. You name it, if it's interesting hardware he'll write words about it, with opinions and everything.