Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire Mk2 Review

Conclusion

Sometimes you get a product which is correct out of the gate and thus enhancing it isn’t a simple matter. It is much easier to correct glaring flaws than refine something already polished to a sheen.

With the Corsair K70 it was already a hugely successful keyboard with very few areas that could be adjusted to improve it without also bumping its price. As there are so many mechanical keyboards on the market any price shift greatly changes the rivals to a particular model and thus how much it stands out amongst the competition.

The MK.2 version of the Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire all of the adjustments are beneficial ones and thankfully made without increasing the MSRP. The design is probably the biggest shift. It is still totally recognisable as a Corsair keyboard, but now it resembles its bigger brother the K95 Platinum more than the mid-range models. The change of the media keys from the smooth hemisphere type to the larger trapezoid shape allows them to be found and hit with greater consistency than before, something which is also true of the slightly larger volume wheel. The lighting is up to Corsair’s usual high standards, being as capable at rendering subtle shades as it is the searing hues, and all of the keys have the same luminosity. Lastly we like the inclusion of some cable routing channels on the underside of the K70 RGB Rapidfire MK.2, letting you place your headset cable at a very comfortable place.

Beneath the hood is probably where the largest changes have been made. The Corsair logo at the top of the keyboard has changed from being an unlit chromed number to being a full RGB lit item, perfect if you fancy either having something as simple as a contrasting logo or as complex as colour change related to a timed skill. The addition of a 32bit ARM processor and 8MB of profile memory frees you from requiring the software to accompany you to gaming meets whilst also letting you switch swiftly between games or tasks without necessitating a dive into the iCUE software to change profile. 

If you aren’t sure about which of the various Cherry MX switches would be right for you, or perhaps even which is which, then this table might be extremely handy. We know that there are still people who believe that mechanical switch keyboards are more akin to a manual typewriter than something swift like a scissor switch or laptop style. As you can see the “worst” actuation distance – the amount you have to push the key down for it to count – is 2.2mm. That’s almost nothing. The Speed switches on our review model Rapidfire is a single millimetre. Yes it can be depressed all the way to the stops, but it doesn’t take very long for your muscle memory to learn how little pressure you actually need to apply, upon which the Rapidfire cognomen suddenly makes perfect sense.

All in all the refinements to the Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire MK.2 have taken an already excellent keyboard and brought a lot of small quality of life improvements to the table. It isn’t a total game changer so if you’ve been itching to get a K70 then now would be the perfect time whilst shops try and get rid of their old stock, but if you had already saved up for one then you can buy this revised version knowing it is every bit as good as its predecessor yet with some very decent additions to make it even more desirable.

  

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