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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 14, 2026

Jamesdonkey R4 vs Velocifire/GDK Lab KV1 65

Get the Jamesdonkey R4 for knob and qmk.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Jamesdonkey R4

Knob

Build quality in the bottom 50% of 75% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • No numpad.

Get the

Velocifire/GDK Lab KV1 65

Build quality in the top 30% of 65% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • 65% layout. No function row and no numpad.

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

Jamesdonkey R4

Velocifire/GDK Lab KV1 65

  • Layout size

    75%

    65%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Knob

    Yes

    No

  • Display

    None

    LED

    A case display rather than a typing feature

  • QMK

    Yes

    No

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Jamesdonkey R4
  • Velocifire/GDK Lab KV1 65
Performance
54
44
Build quality
66
75
Productivity
63
53
Customizability
79
61
Portability
77
66

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Case material: Aluminum
  • Mount style: Gasket Mount
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Jamesdonkey R4 vs Velocifire/GDK Lab KV1 65 specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

9 of 20 specs differ

Jamesdonkey R4

Velocifire/GDK Lab KV1 65

Typing & switches

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%
65%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
No

Display

None
LED

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

—
1,000 Hz

Battery

4,000 mAh
Wired only

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Aluminum

Plate material

—
Aluminum, FR4

Keycaps

PBT
—

Weight

1,900 g
—

Dimensions

45 x 150 x 329 mm
—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
None

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2024
2026

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

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