Published: April 21, 2016 | Source: Corsair | Author: Bryan Waters

Corsair K70 Rapidfire RGB Gaming Keyboard Review

Conclusion

It’s no secret that the original Vengeance K70 is still one of our favourite keyboards. The design was a step ahead of the other mechanical keyboards around at the time, and years later the refreshed version, here in K70 Rapidfire RGB guise, is every bit as fantastic as the original.

Indeed it does everything so well that it is difficult to find any faults at all, nor have much to say beyond it’s brilliant. If there is a feature on the K70 Rapidfire RGB, and there are plenty, then you can be sure that it’s done even more wonderfully than you can hope.

However, some of you may be wanting a conclusion that’s less concise, so here are our thoughts in a slightly more fulsome fashion.

The first thing that strikes you is still that gorgeous aluminium chassis. It looks seriously expensive with its brushed black finish, and the build quality is equally impressive. There is no flex, no twisting, no wobbly bits at all. Even the media control keys have no squidge to them. Everything is as clean and crisp as a freshly laundered collar. Even when it’s off the font choice on the keycaps gives an air of modernism to the whole package. With a cable as robust as the chassis and a volume wheel guaranteed to withstand a nuclear war, there is no doubt that the physical parts are bombproof.

The star of the show has to be the new Cherry MX switches with a reduced actuation height. Taking their cue from the popularity of the lightest of the Cherry MX range the Rapidfire Cherry MX Speed RGB are all things to all people. The 45g actuation pressure ensures that you don’t get fatigued after marathon sessions. In and of itself that’s impressive enough but the reduction of the actuation height (or depth if you want to be pedantic) from the standard 2mm of a Cherry MX Red to a mere 1.2mm on the K70 means that you almost have to rewire your brain to make the most of them, but when you do you can fly across the keyboard in a way which makes even the most devoted user of a flat keyboard jealous. Halving the height has a tremendous effect upon the speed of your typing. For once “Rapidfire” isn’t just a marketing term to entice the ignorant, but instead it is a genuine reflection of the capabilities of the product.

The software is extremely powerful, giving you fine control over even the most complicated elements. If you want the ability to do it with a keyboard then it’s fair to say that the combination of CUE (Corsair Utility Engine) software and the K70 keyboard will enable you to do it. The most impressive fact is that the simple stuff, like changing the lighting, is still easy to perform. Yes if you want a repeating multi-stage timed macro it will require some time ‘under the hood’, but if you just want a good looking keyboard with pretty lights then that is simple enough to do as to not be irritating. And what pretty lights they are. With a clear surround on the physical switch, and a heavy bolt font on the keys, there is a serious amount of light visible to the user and all the colours are beautifully represented.

With so much to laud it’s almost impossible to find things to complain about. If we were being supremely nit-picky then perhaps we might want Corsair to combine the silence of their Strafe Silent switches with the looks and short throw of the K70 Rapidfire RGB. But if this K70 was as quiet as the Corsair Strafe Silent RGB then every other keyboard on the planet would have to pack up and go home. Otherwise there is absolutely nothing negative to report. And even that is just a matter of personal taste.

The Corsair K70 Rapidfire RGB manages to bring something new to the extremely crowded mechanical gaming keyboard market, and does so in such a way as to stand out. The halving of the key actuation makes a serious difference to the responsiveness of the K70 and you owe it to yourself to check it out. An easy, and indeed the first, winner of our OC3D Enthusiast Award.

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