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be quiet! spent decades making PC cases and power supplies before touching keyboards. When they finally released the Light Mount in 2025, it immediately became the recommendation for builders who want the quietest possible mechanical keyboard without compromising on build quality or RGB lighting. PC Gamer gave it a 93% score in its Light Mount review. The only complaint: for some builders, the full-size layout with numberpad was simply more keyboard than the desk allowed.Best Gaming Keyboard in 2026
The TKL version launched August 25, 2026 and fixes that problem without compromising the formula that made the original worth recommending.
What Made the Original Light Mount the Recommendation
Before covering the TKL, the full-size Light Mount at about $108 on Newegg deserves proper explanation, because understanding what made it notable is what makes the TKL announcement meaningful. be quiet! Light Mount TKL (about $112)
The Light Mount employs three layers of sound-dampening foam and factory-lubricated switches, resulting in a nice and quiet sound profile, perfect for shared spaces. That description undersells what three foam layers actually achieve. Standard mechanical keyboards produce a sharp, high-pitched click or clack depending on switch type. The Light Mount’s foam layers absorb the return stroke noise, the thock on the way back up, which is responsible for most of the acoustic harshness people associate with mechanical keyboards. The result is a deep, muted sound profile that’s mechanical in feel but acoustically closer to a premium membrane keyboard. For louder and quieter alternatives, see our best gaming keyboard guide.
The factory-lubricated switches are the other significant detail. Switch lubrication reduces friction on every keystroke, smoother actuation, reduced scratchiness, and lower noise. Lubing switches is a process that enthusiast mechanical keyboard builders do manually, one switch at a time, taking hours. be quiet! ships the keyboard with this already done.
The available switch types are be quiet!’s own Silent Linear (Orange) and Silent Tactile (Black). Both are 5-pin MX-compatible, the standard that fits every hot-swap PCB using the MX footprint. Silent designation means the switches have internal dampeners that reduce the bottom-out and reset noise further. Hot-swappable sockets mean you can pull any switch and replace it without soldering. For someone who wants to experiment with different switches or replace a failed switch in future, this matters.
The 3D Media Wheel on the full-size Light Mount is the premium feature that gets mentioned in every review. A multi-directional scroll wheel, push left to skip tracks, push right to fast forward, push up and down for volume, press to pause, all from the wheel’s position in the top left of the keyboard. PC Gamer’s reviewer described it as a one-stop hub for media control without reaching for a separate device. No other keyboard in this price range has this specific implementation. The Corsair Galleon 100 SD takes a different approach with built-in Stream Deck keys, as our review explains.
Build quality uses a metal chassis with brushed aluminium top plate. The weight is substantial, this is not a lightweight keyboard. The per-key ARGB with an arched diffuser on each switch produces even lighting without the hot spots visible on cheaper keyboards. PBT double-shot keycaps with translucent legends don’t develop the oily shine that ABS keycaps show within months of heavy use.
At about $108 on Newegg, the Light Mount full-size sits in the premium keyboard tier. Its direct competitor is the Corsair K100 RGB and the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL, both priced similarly, both with stronger gaming credentials (Hall Effect switches, adjustable actuation). The Light Mount doesn’t compete on those features. It competes on acoustic quality and build finish, and in those categories it leads.
The Light Mount TKL: What Launched in August
The Light Mount TKL is the same formula in a tenkeyless form factor. No numpad. The layout runs 87 keys, full function row, dedicated arrow keys, navigation cluster intact, in a footprint roughly 30% narrower than the full-size.
The TKL retains every feature that makes the full-size worth buying. Triple-layer sound-dampening foam. Factory-lubricated silent switches. Hot-swappable 5-pin MX-compatible sockets. Metal chassis with brushed aluminium top plate. Per-key ARGB with arched diffuser. PBT double-shot keycaps. The same Silent Linear and Silent Tactile switch options.
The compact size leaves more desk space to move the mouse, which is extremely handy for FPS players who prefer low-DPI mouse settings. For competitive gaming specifically, the desk space freed by removing the numpad lets you extend the mousepad further to the right, meaningful if you play at 400-800 DPI where arm sweeps are large. Here is the be quiet! Light Mount TKL listing on Newegg.
The TKL keeps the aluminum 3D Media Wheel from the full-size, placed in the top-left corner, where it controls volume by default and mutes with a press. It also adds 3 programmable macro/media keys, as listed by be quiet!, TechPowerUp and HWBusters. Buyers who want the 3D Media Wheel get it on either model.
The magnetic wrist rest is confirmed for the TKL, same attachment mechanism as the full-size. The be quiet! Mousepad XL at 900×500mm launches alongside the TKL in August, designed as a matched companion product for the keyboard.
Price: What It Actually Costs
Official MSRP is now confirmed: $139.90 / €139.90 / £119.90 for the Light Mount TKL, with Silent Orange and Silent Black variants plus DE ISO, FR ISO, UK ISO, and US ANSI layouts. The full-size Light Mount sells for about $108 on Newegg, well below the $169.90 MSRP it launched at in April 2025. That means the TKL launched above the full-size, not below it.
At its $139.90 MSRP the value case was thinner than enthusiasts hoped. On Newegg today the TKL is about $112 and the full-size about $108, so the gap is only about $4. The TKL saves desk space and keeps the 3D Media Wheel, while the full-size adds a numpad. Pick on layout, not price.
Review coverage around launch already flagged the $139.90 ask as the main knock versus quieter Hall Effect options under $100. If silence and the be quiet! foam stack are your priority, the TKL still makes sense. If price-per-feature is the filter, the full-size at about $108 or a cheaper competitor is the clearer buy.
Who Should Buy the Full-Size vs the TKL
Buy the full-size Light Mount at about $108 on Newegg now if: you have the desk space for a full-size layout, you want a numpad, and you prefer the lower street price. The full-size is a finished, reviewed product with a confirmed price and Newegg affiliate link availability. If you want a keyboard with a built-in screen instead, our Turtle Beach Command Series review covers one.
Buy the TKL if: your desk space specifically requires tenkeyless, silence is the priority, and you accept paying more for fewer keys (about $112 on Newegg, against about $108 for the full-size). The wait is over; compare live street pricing before committing.
Don’t buy either if: your priority is competitive gaming features like Hall Effect switches, adjustable actuation, or Rapid Trigger. The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL at about $160 and the Corsair Galleon 100 SD cover that territory with better gaming-specific specifications. The Light Mount’s value proposition is acoustics and build quality, not switch technology. The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL (about $160) is one of those boards, and our Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL review covers it in detail.
