Corsair K70 RGB Professional evaluate

The Corsair K70 RGB Professional is acquainted territory for these acquainted with the model’s long-running vary, however it goes out of its method to earn the ‘professional’ in its identify. Sensible design choices make means for a ‘Match Mode’ that provides the gaming keyboard a aggressive edge, and it’s one of the crucial responsive fashions on the market, however not each change is an improve over earlier fashions.

On one hand, it contains extra of every part you need in the perfect gaming keyboard, from profiles to processing, and fewer of the unhealthy belongings you wish to eliminate, equivalent to latency. On the opposite, it additionally it features a wobbly (albeit snug) wrist relaxation, noticeably loud keys, and does away with USB passthrough.

Its $169.99 USD MSRP is a bit powerful to swallow, however the moments you discover it on sale for round $129.99 make the sticking factors sting considerably much less. A everlasting worth drop might even see the Corsair K70 RGB Professional take the gaming keyboard crown, however it’ll be a contest of execs and cons when you don’t wish to wait round for a reduction.

Corsair K70 RGB Professional design

As regular, Corsair pairs a black set of PBT keycaps towards a brushed-gunmetal gray chassis, and raises the highest to attract consideration to its media keys. To the left, there are three buttons to change between profiles, alter keyboard brightness, and lock the Home windows key. Over to the suitable is a textured quantity wheel with a devoted mute button and media controls straight under.

One factor that makes Corsair keyboard really feel so nice is genuine Cherry MX switches, and there’s loads of selection this time round. Our pattern packs Cherry MX Reds, however there are Blue, Brown, Silent Pink, and Pace Silver variants out there when you fancy one thing somewhat completely different. Every secret’s raised to emphasize the gorgeous RGB lighting, letting it shine by means of the complete size of the keyboard. Usually, it retains an analogous premium-feel to its predecessors.

The removable USB-C wire is a welcome addition, because it makes the keyboard simpler to journey with. You’ll have to be sure you pack the Corsair cable particularly, nonetheless, because the indented housing gained’t match any outdated wire. These with a chonky connector merely gained’t have the ability to get previous the case, which is a ache whenever you want a fast alternative. Rivals equivalent to Razer are shifting away from the nook-approach, because it helps with repairability. Hopefully Corsair will comply with swimsuit.

One other level of competition for me is the dearth of USB passthrough in comparison with its K70 MK.2 predecessor. The elevated bandwidth of USB-C lends itself effectively to connecting a number of gadgets, so it’s a disgrace to see the characteristic dropped. Some would possibly argue that it makes wires a spaghetti nightmare, however I’ve at all times discovered it helps me higher handle cables.

Closing a door opens a window, although, because it makes room for a Match change on the rear. Flicking this on instantly disables customized actions and macros, eliminates the RGB backlighting, and disables profiles or profile switching, making it competition-ready. Something that may very well be thought-about towards the foundations in a event is placed on pause till you hit the change once more.

Whereas earlier K70 wrist rests suffered from stiff clips that usually snapped, the K70 RGB Professional solves this drawback by eliminating the clips completely. For higher and for worse, it’s now magnetic, which retains something from breaking however will be fairly simple to dislodge you probably have a behavior of shuffling your keyboard round.

Corsair K70 RGB Professional efficiency

The Corsair K70 RGB Professional is among the most responsive keyboards on the market, because of its Axion hyper-polling know-how pushing as much as 8,000Hz. This makes the response time between urgent a key and the related PC registering the motion eight occasions quicker than your normal 1,000Hz. It gained’t robotically make you a professional, and also you won’t even discover the rise, however it’s there to offer you each edge potential.

It’s an ideal companion to aggressive FPS video games like Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant, by no means lacking a beat. Its full measurement additionally lends to MMOs like World of Warcraft, full with a numpad you may shove all of your macros onto. From Cyberpunk 2077 to Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the K70 RGB Professional dealt with every part like a champ throughout testing.

It feels odd to reward a characteristic that does away with all of the frills that make a gaming keyboard stand out from the group, however I want Match Mode was a typical. Some video games profit from synchronising the, frankly, lovely rainbow lights with SignalRGB so that they react to what you’re enjoying. In others, I might do with out the distraction once I’m concentrating on profitable the spherical. It does precisely what it says on the tin, and also you don’t even want to attend till your subsequent competitors to learn.

Your typing expertise will rely on which switches you select. The linear Cherry MX Reds don’t give the satisfying click on that tactile ones do, however every press is clean, and the stabilisers do a superb job at minimising key wobble. It’s somewhat gentle on sound dampening, with the house bar giving a very thocky clunk, however it has that signature mechanical really feel you simply can’t get with a membrane mannequin.

Corsair K70 RGB Professional software program

One phrase to explain the K70 RGB Professional is ‘versatile’. The 8MB of onboard storage can maintain as much as 50 profiles, and it has on-the-fly macro recording to rapidly create any shortcuts you need. Deleting your recorded macros or going deeper than this requires you to dive into Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE) software program.

Usually, iCUE could be a bit intimidating at first, given it’s one of many extra highly effective packages on the market, however it’s grown through the years and now contains tutorials that will help you discover ways to use it. In any case, you should utilize it to alter the lighting and create themed animations, reprogram keys, create macros, hyperlink profiles with particular video games and functions, and a ton extra.

Corsair iCUE is required if you wish to use the 8,000Hz polling charge, because the K70 RGB Professional defaults to 1K out of the field. Making it opt-in quite than opt-out would possibly seem to be a baffling resolution to some, however it’s a precaution in case your PC or laptop computer doesn’t pack the perfect gaming CPU. Greater polling charges place extra of a requirement in your processor and might trigger lag in video games in case your rig can’t deal with it. Activating the 8K polling charge is simple sufficient, albeit not as obvious that you just really have to.

Corsair K70 RGB Professional verdict

The Corsair K70 RGB Professional first debuted in early 2022 and hasn’t dipped removed from its $169.99 USD MSRP. It packs rather a lot into this price ticket for aggressive lovers, from zippy response occasions to a devoted Match mode, however the premium is perhaps a bit a lot when you’re exterior the skilled gaming sphere.

The K70 RGB MK.2 remains to be out there at round two thirds of the worth, and each the HyperX Alloy Origins and Razer Blackwidow V3 are nice options that respect your checking account. So far as 8K polling charges go, nonetheless, the K70 RGB Professional is the perfect, and it turns into an absolute steal at any time when it drops to round $129.99 USD / £144.98 GBP.

Execs:

• Incredible construct high quality
• Speedy 8K polling charge
• Match change

Cons:

• Loud mechanical keys and reverb
• Finicky magnetic wrist relaxation
• No USB passthrough

Try our information on the perfect gaming keyboard for options to the Corsair K70 Professional, together with low-cost champions and fancy flagships.