Corsair Gaming K70 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]

So this is it, I’ve made it to the end of the review after what seems like a lifetime playing around with lighting effects: so I’ll say this now – do not buy this keyboard if you are not a fan of backlighting. It’s the first product on the market that allows you to change almost every aspect of the lighting and Corsair can only provide us with more options and firmware updates in the future that will take backlighting customisation to the new level. If you want a decent gaming keyboard with no frills, get the K70 or other non-backlit keyboards, as you will get a fair bit more for your money – as a lot of the price of the K70 RGB goes straight into the fancy LED back-lighting system.

Overall, the keyboard is fantastic. It has an aura of quality; no doubt because of cool brushed aluminium plate and soft-touch palm rest and not only that, but it performs like a champ – as you would expect from most mechanical keyboards. Corsair Gaming have done well to launch the K70 RGB with MX reds as they are often considered the best switches for gaming (although this is highly subjective) and it’s good to see that they are following up with MX brown and blue switches. Unlike the other mechanical keyboards manufacturers out there, that have opted to use the inferior Kailh switches, Corsair have stuck to quality and went with the original Cherry MX switches – quality over price. I love the additional media keys, like I do with most keyboards that have dedicated keys, but the inclusion of the metal volume wheel is the icing on the cake for me.

The software is another aspect of the K70 RGB that really stood out for me. It’s incredibly sophisticated when it comes to programming the LED effects and you really have to read up and watch tutorials before you get the swing of things. Since the keyboard is so new, there are several bugs that I do hope get fixed soon. I know Corsair tend to be on the ball when it comes to updates, so fingers-crossed that we see something shortly after launch. Ignoring the cloud aspect, it’s very similar to Razer’s software in terms of features and layout. Corsair Gaming have consolidated the various peripheral drivers into one package which covers them all – ideal.

Awesomeness aside, I did have some issues with the keyboard, one of which was fundamental to me – the construction of the keyboard was not level. Either a rubber pad was too thick, or the plate was bent, but it resulted in a wobbly keyboard, not dissimilar to those annoying tables you get at restaurants. Every time I typed, it would tap the desk – very annoying! My solution was to fold a piece of paper in half twice, not perfect, but it did the job. I hope that this is just down to my particular sample being a one-off or early version. My next minor criticism is the irony of the backlighting on a gaming keyboard – especially if you have animated effects. Of course it can be useful to colour different areas in depending on their function in a game, but the fancy effects were just far too distracting and I found myself turning them off most of the time. Don’t forget a lot of the price is for the LEDs and R&D that has gone in to developing this new lighting technique, so again, if LEDs are not a must have, don’t consider this keyboard – if you do want backlighting, look no further

Negative points aside, I really like the K70 RGB. I love how I can change the LEDs and effects to whatever I want. Sure, my enthusiasm may not last long – as many keyboard enthusiasts have said, but the keyboard looks great on your desk and performs just like most other mechs. I’m happy that Corsair have stuck with their ethos of quality and performance over everything else, the last thing we want to see is another reputable brand succumbing to the cheaper switches out there. I look forward to seeing the bigger (K95) and smaller (K65)  brother keyboards that have been announced, in addition to the new Corsair Gaming line. At the end of the day, it’s all about price: Corsair already have a fantastic keyboard – the K70, but if backlighting and great macro software is a must and you have deep enough pockets, then don’t look elsewhere, as Corsair Gaming have the features, quality and performance all packed into a superb looking keyboard, so for these reasons, I’m very pleased to award the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB Mechanical Keyboards our most prestigious award (and a few others):

I’ll leave you with this amazing effect that SmSumodude20 from the Corsair forums has created and made available to download (I even installed some clear key caps to display the great lighting effect):

[ratings”]