Corsair Raptor K40 Review

[section_title title=Closer Look] Closer Look

First up is the outer packaging of the Raptor K40. Corsair have taken a similar approach to the packaging as they do with their other products namely a given colour on a black background, in this case, we’ve got something that resembles their AX line of PSUs in the black and red. Corsair are also keen to point out the configurable LED spectrum available too. The back gives us a more direct look at the keyboard than the front and offers some other tidbits about the K40 in various languages.   Lifting the lid open and you’re greeted with the K40 itself which is nice. Too often you have to fight through packaging to get a look at the goods. The Corsair Raptor K40 doesn’t ship with any accessories of note apart from the usual quickstart and warranty guides.

The actual styling of the K40 comes across as very Corsair like. The black and gun-metal grey colour scheme definitely oozes Corsair and this is only backed up by the LED keys allowing you to customise it to whatever colour scheme you’ve managed your computer around – even if it’s the somewhat questionable ‘Asus Gold’.

  Below is the programmable G keys which can have macros assigned to them or simple key presses, functions and Windows commands. The ‘MR’ button is used to start macro recordings. The other ‘M’ buttons are essentially for profile switches, at least, that’s what appears to happen since Corsair’s quickstart guide doesn’t actually mention the M buttons at all. The button that looks eerily like the Windows Store is actually a padlock and locks the Windows key from functioning, presumably to stop you from hitting the key by accident if you trying to press Ctrl or Alt during a game. On the right-hand side of the K40 is the media keys. Having dedicated keys is quite nice rather than be consigned to the usual Fn+ X combination some keyboards ship with. The small light bulb button allows you to flick through the keyboard three LED brightness settings and off.   Even though the Corsair looks like it’s quite high in profile form this angle I had to make sure the legs were extended as it felt like I was typing on a completely flat keyboard. Whether this is an issue will be down to individual preference.   Last but not least we have the USB connector. It’s nice that Corsair have gone with a funky red connector rather than a simple black one. Corsair have also decide to exclude any cable braiding which is a bit of a shame, really. The Initial impressions the K40 gives off is that you’re getting a worthwhile piece of Corsair kit for your money. If there’s anything to be said against the K40’s design at this point it is that it seems odd there’s a strong showing on the media capabilities where the keys are concerned. But despite this there is no ability to plug a headset into the K40 nor are there spare USB slots. This complaint may be asking too much of the price tag but even that’s a weak excuse in light of the lack of a headphone jack. How does Corsair fare on the hardware side of the K40? Let’s find out.