Corsair Gaming K70 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review
by E. Fylladitakis on September 22, 2014 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Keyboard
- Peripherals
- Corsair
- mechanical
- RGB Backlighting
Introduction
It has been twenty years since Corsair's first retail products hit the shelves and the company has undoubtedly come a very long way since then. What started as a small memory manufacturer is now a major global supplier of advanced computer components and peripherals. Today is the dawn of a new era for Corsair, as the company announced the establishment of their own gaming brand. The new division has been christened "Corsair Gaming", and with the name comes a new department and logo. The focus will be on the development of high performance gaming peripherals.
Alongside the announcement of their new department, Corsair is also releasing several new products, with the much-anticipated RGB keyboards being among them. The company dropped the "Vengeance" series name and the new keyboards are just called by the brand name and model. That means we're now looking at the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB (and not the keyboard formerly known as Vengeance K70 RGB or some variation on that theme).
This keyboard has probably had more hype between its announcement and release date than any other keyboard in the history of humankind. Ever since the first demos of the keyboard found their way into pictures and videos back in January, there have been myriad rumors about the capabilities of the keyboard and the new Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) software. Some people even suggested that this is "just a Vengeance K70 with RGB LEDs", which could not be further from the truth. The truth is that the new Corsair Gaming K70 RGB introduces many new functions and far greater customizability than any previous Corsair mechanical keyboard.
Today we finally have a chance to go hands-on with the shipping hardware. Join us as we examine the keyboard, its capabilities, and the new CUE software.
Packaging & Bundle
We received the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB in a well-designed, attractive cardboard box, capable of providing more than enough protection during shipping. Inside the box is a minimalist bundle of just a few leaflets and a full size wrist rest. The wrist rest has a corona-treated surface that gives it a soft, comfortable rubber-like feeling. Corsair apparently ditched the extra set of contoured, textured "gaming" keycaps that we saw supplied with the Vengeance K70 and the Vengeance K60. As we mentioned in several previous articles, very few (if any) gamers would actually swap keycaps before gaming so Corsair understandably realized that this was little more than an unnecessary extra cost.
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ol1bit - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
Mine should be here Thursday! I've been waiting for something like this to replace my Saitek Eclipse II. I often type in the dark and lighted keyboards are helpful, even with my 35+ years of Computers. I love the size, no extra keys on the side. I am sadly space constrained, after years of having a huge corner desk, but that's another story....JaredNihilist - Thursday, September 25, 2014 - link
Done a read, search and a Googling...but just to confirm, there's no audio jacks included? Couldn't find any evidence there was in the new K95 either. I kinda love having a short-lead, clip-on microphone plugged into the keyboard, especially since I use 'proper' headphones for all my audio rather than a headset. It keeps out of the way and can bugger it off without having to rummage around the back of my case/have cables hanging off the front of my case.DiHydro - Friday, September 26, 2014 - link
While the RGB backlighting is cool, and I love the feel of mechanical switches, I would *not* buy this keyboard. The logo is just too much. I am not a professional gamer, I don't need to advertise what brand accessories I own! Also, not having a removeable USB cord, a la the WASD Code, is a draw back. I do like the volume and media buttons, those are a nice touch.piiman - Saturday, October 11, 2014 - link
" I don't need to advertise what brand accessories I own! "It had a logo even on the old version so you'd be advertising either way.
aithos - Friday, September 26, 2014 - link
Anyone who works with a computer and stares at the same thing for extended periods of time is going to miss things no matter how thoroughly they checked them over. It happens to writers, programmers, people who do marketing, etc. You get so familiar with the work that things that are obvious to a new set of eyes get overlooked, that's one of the primary reasons you have a separation of duties in the first place.You may not like the writing style, but pointing out a typo should be blamed on the editor and not the writer. Just like a programmer who misses a formatting issue isn't at fault, that is the analyst/testers job.
ol1bit - Saturday, October 11, 2014 - link
This is my first Mechanical Keyboard, and it rocks for most stuff! I have all my standard games keys mapped out in a different color's etc. The software blows for easy of use, and I'm a developer of 30+ years. With so much complexity, you'd think they'd have a compiler for writing custom apps.The only complaint I have about the hardware is it is dark till windows boots, which is really stupid for a lighted keyboard. So hitting the right keys for your password is tricky in the dark. I hope they have a fix for that soon!
LanderLawrence - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
Ever used a Logitech G710+ keyboard? It has Cherry Mx Browns with some kinda of dampening. How does it compare to those rubber o-rings?LanderLawrence - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
Why'd my reply get tacked onto te end? I could have sworn I replied @zyxtomatic 's comment.LanderLawrence - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
@RoninX , I've got a Razer Black Widow Ultimate right here and have had it just over a year. Just to respond to your post I've just posted my experiences with it here [http://www.anandtech.com/comments/7911/razer-black...]. That's actually in the comments of the review of a newer version of the keyboard. Seemed more appropriate than here or in the capsule review of the actual model.From what I'm reading about the K70's & K95's, as long as you get a good one, they seem preferable to me.
Mostly my Razer experience has been good. See my comments in the other article for details. Basically t's worked exactly as advertised, no more, no less. All the blue LEDs are still burning, but every pain I could have anticipated from reading reviews and the docs is still there. Specifically those pains are:
(1) non-standard key layout
(2) they require you to run their software (and newer versions require an internet connection) even for functionality which is 100% contained in the keyboard - there's a Record Macro button and it doesn't work unless you've got Synapse installed.
LanderLawrence - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
For the record, E, I quite enjoy your writing style. Most of what I read in reviews is more casual than I'd like and I find your style refreshing. :-)