Corsair Gaming K70 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

Performance

The level of lighting effects on the K70 RGB is simply overwhelming, so much so that I could spend all day talking about them and still not cover all of the possibilities. Corsair have gone completely over the top with more effects then you’ll likely ever need, but the level of options on offer means that you should easily be able to create the effects and colour schemes you desire the most; as well as a fair few effects you’ve never seen on any other keyboard before.

You can pick any colour for any key and have your keyboard look like a rainbow of ever-changing colours, or have visual count down timers on your keys, explosion wave lighting effects that ripple the across the keyboard and more. The thing is, it’s a little cumbersome to program the really fancy stuff, but there are enough people (all of whom are more talented than myself) on the Corsair forums who’ve created some stunning effects that you can easily download and apply to the keyboard. I’ve seen everything from Super Mario to the American flag recreated using the lights, crazy stuff! I highly recommend you check them out, as there are plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating these effects such as this Super Mario one and this Knight Rider effect.

The software is nicely laid out and provides features for controlling different multimedia applications via the keyboards multimedia keys, OSD configuration and more.

Macro recording is pretty straight forward and allows you to monitor mouse commands as well as those from the keyboard; macros can be set to any key on the keyboard.

The foreground lighting editor allows you to apply effects at different brightness levels and timers, allowing for endless customizations options for those willing to put in the time.

Lighting effects can be split into customisable zones, with separate effects for both background and foreground lighting per zone.

Gaming Performance

Cherry MX Red switches are always great fun for gaming and the K70’s RGB MX Red switches are every bit as good as any other MX Red mechanical switch. They may have changed the design for some slick lighting effects, but the performance hasn’t been affected at all. The new K70 is a joy to game on, the keys are light and fast, with a snappy “clunk” when the switch bottoms out, giving you great tactile feedback that allows for rapid buttons pressing; a welcome feature for fans of games like Star Craft II.

While over-the-top lighting effects are possible, adding subtle lighting differences to certain zones does have its benefits; such as lighting up the keys 1-5 and WASD so you can quickly see your most vital controls while gaming. You can also apply timers and fade effects to the lighting to let you know about cool down timers for in-game actions and a whole lot more. Flashy lights are one thing, but you can actually use them to benefit your gaming if you put in the effort to program it all.

The macro features are a welcome bonus for MMO gaming as you can apply them to any key, but dedicated macro keys would have been much better. Perhaps these macro features will feel more at home in future models which may feature dedicated macro keys, like those on the current K90.

General Performance

Working, gaming, wasting time, it doesn’t really matter what you’re doing, the K70 RGB is a wonderful keyboard to use; the keys are delightful to type on while you’re writing an email as much as they are for playing Battlefield. The included wrist rest is a good size and when combined with the four adjustable feet on the underside of the keyboard, it’s easy to find a comfortable typing position that works best for you.

The multimedia keys were one of my favourite features of the K70 and I’m very happy to see they’re still in place on the new model. The scroll wheel volume control is of particular interest, as it’s a little more unique than the usual +/- buttons we normally see on keyboards. It’s also great to see that these keys still benefit from customisable back-lighting, despite the fact they’re not mechanical switch keys.