[section_title title=”Introduction”]
Introduction
Manufacturer: Corsair
Model: K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE
Price (UK): £149.99 @Amazon.co.uk (At the time of review)
Price (US): $TBC @Amazon.com (at time of review)
Corsair is a well known brand within the peripherals market, who provide a wide range of premium gaming products, including headsets, mice, mousepads and keyboards. Quality and performance have always been the key points for Corsair, so it’s of no surprise that they have been continuously pushing the boundaries by implementing new technologies that give you an edge over your gaming adversaries.
In focus today is Corsair’s mechanical keyboards range, which are easily recognisable by every gamer. Corsair managed to secure exclusivity on a number of switch types from Cherry, like the RGB and the MX Silents. This has proved to be a great success for them, so again, I was not surprised to hear that they have done it yet again with a new switch type – the MX Speed. For those that don’t have a vast knowledge of mechanical keyboards, there are a number of brands and types of switches, with the most popular being from Cherry. Since their patent expired, a number of “clones” have appeared from the likes of Gateron and Kailh, which both purportedly have an inferior build quality to them, however Cherry have managed to stay on top by continuously releasing more switch types. Currently, the most popular are MX red, blue, brown, black, RGB (clear housing, with red, blue and brown stems) and silent. MX speed is the latest creation from Cherry, of which Corsair has exclusivity for 6 months. These new switches have a silver stem and clear housing for RGB backlighting. They are almost identical to MX red switches, with a linear motion and 45cN actuation force, however the characteristic which gives it the name “speed” is that the actuation point has been decreased from 2mm to 1.2mm. Now this isn’t a first per say, as Razer created their own switches and moved it by 0.2mm, however Cherry believe that this much shorter distance, provides that distinct edge over everyone else.
As you can see, the distance is the shortest yet. These new switches have been integrated into Corsair’s premium line of keyboards, so in this instance, the K70 RGB, with K65 and potentially the K90 to follow. Taking into account feedback from the previous K70 RGB keyboard K70 has also had a bit of an update. The new keyboard with MX Speed switches is dubbed the K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE. Interestingly, Corsair have also opted to produce a K70 RAPIDFIRE, with plain red backlighting and a cheaper price point, for those that find the RGB feature too much of a gimmick. Let’s take a look a the features of the K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE…
Features
- Ultrafast mechanical gaming keyboard: ultrafast 1.2mm actuation and light 45g switch force for truly unrivaled response time.
- 100% Cherry MX Speed RGB key switches: ultrafast performance with the precision and durability of gold contact Cherry MX mechanical gaming key switches.
- Aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminum frame: with light weight and rugged durability you need for a keyboard that’s going to see a lot of action.
- 100% anti-ghosting and full key rollover over USB circuitry: no matter how fast you go your keypresses will always register.
- Advanced lighting control and large font keycaps: experience dynamic, vibrant multi-color backlighting.
- The power of CUE: sophisticated macro programming and fast, fluid dynamic multicolor illumination for an enlightened gaming experience.
- Detachable soft-touch wrist rest: the comfort you need for marathon gaming sessions.
- Dedicated multimedia controls: the control you need to adjust your audio without interrupting your game.
- USB Pass-Through Port: Positioned for uninterrupted game play and ready for your mouse or wireless headset adapter.
- FPS and MOBA keycap sets: Textured and contoured keycaps provide maximum grip and enhanced feel.
Specification
- Key Switches: Cherry MX Speed RGB, mechanical, 45g actuation force, 1.2mm actuation distance, guaranteed durability for >50M keystrokes, gold cross-point contacts
- Backlight: Individually lit and per key programmable LED Color RGB
- USB Pass-through: Yes
- Report Rate Selectable 8ms, 4ms, 2ms, 1ms and BIOS mode
- Matrix: 100% anti-ghosting with full key rollover on USB
- On-Board memory: Yes
- Media keys: Six dedicated multimedia keys, incl. Volume Up/Down roller
- Windows Lock key: Yes
- Wrist rest: Full length detachable with soft touch finish
- CUE (Software): Enabled
- Cable: Braided Fiber
- Dimensions: 436(L) x 165(W) x 38(H) mm / 17.2” (L) x 6.5” (W) x 1.50” (H)
- Weight:1.20 kg / 2.65 lbs.
- Warranty: Two years
