Corsair K55 Core Keyboard Review

Conclusion

Conclusion

As you would expect from such a huge manufacturer, the Corsair K55 Core gets a lot of things right.

Some people might get sniffy about a membrane keyboard, but there was a huge stretch of time when it was the only option around. Just because it feels different to type upon than a mechanical, doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Most people won’t even notice the difference. Indeed many people prefer the certainly of the quiet membrane over the noise of a mechanical one. The font on the keycaps is clear and legible, not always the case on affordable keyboards. We like the RGB lighting too. Again, you could be snooty that it’s 10 zones (vertical bands) but at this price, be glad it lights up at all. Lastly the inclusion of media keys is always a nice touch.

Where the K55 Core probably falls down is in the price, compared to other Corsair keyboards. We know the K55 Pro we showed you on the previous page from around £50 but you can find it on sale today for… £40, and it has a host of QoL feature upgrades. But maybe you’re extremely hard up. Corsair’s own Raptor K30 is basically the K55 Pro but without RGB lighting, and only a fiver more. If you want proper media keys, and dedicated macro keys, that’s a tiny price to pay. With the K55 Core only having 12 key rollover rather than NKEY, macros are really useful. Particularly in games that require a lot of key presses in a short time to maximise your gameplay.

Closing thoughts

Whilst we wouldn’t expect a crisp typing experience on a membrane keyboard, we have to say the new media keys on the K55 Core are particularly poor. Some keys are tactile, a lovely positive press. The media keys here – totally lacking skip buttons – are just horrible plastic cheap feeling. But this is a very affordable keyboard from a huge brand. Maybe we expect too much. However, the K55 Core shines brightest by including such comprehensive spill resistance. 300 ml is almost a whole can of Coke. If you’re a very clumsy gamer it could be the difference between rushing to the sink in a panic and having to throw the keyboard away entirely. Our honest advise is try and grab one of the old K55’s while you still can and just give this one a miss. Sure its cheap but thats no reason to not care about some of the smaller details.

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