New Corsair Gaming Keyboards

The K70 RGB is barely out and it already got lots of negative reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...6022&cm_re=corsair_k70-_-23-816-022-_-Product

I really wanted an illuminated mechanical keyboard, but after reading the reviews on every new model, I'll pass. It's a complete lack of respect for the consumer and for their own brands.

Mechanical keyboards should be built to last, especially at this price range.
Everything that's on the shelves now is a prototype, a test product with no quality control.

My Logitech G15 v2 failed after 5 years of daily gaming. The "W" key broke and the WASD and C keys have faded. Thats it, the rest works like a charm.

Did the "W" key broke because it was poorly built? No, it broke because I played shit loads of racing games with it, on top of a great selection of MMOs.

I'm now looking for a used G15 v2 as I cba to spend $200 to test a mechanical keyboard.
 
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This was on my must buy list.

But that tramp stamp logo. What was corsair thinking.
 
Despite the logo I picked up an MX Brown RGB as soon as it came in stock on Newegg, but now it looks like it's out of stock. Mine was shipped already (should be delivered today)... wonder if it was a mistake.
 
Got it today. Software is abysmal as others describe. I'm mostly going to use it in all white mode, so I've got that working for now. Doing anything fancy is a real chore right now so I would advise people hold off until Corsair gets their act together.
 
I have the K60, M65 white and M60. most of my PC build is corsair.
I burned through a bunch of their headsets, such terrible quality.
My experience has been that Corsair quality has gone to shit. I like some of their cases and such, but its getting harder to say their are better made than razor
 
This was on my must buy list.

But that tramp stamp logo. What was corsair thinking.

Same here. I was probably going to get the K95 RGB, but I'm not sure if I want it anymore with that terrible logo.
 
We hear You.

As many of you know we launched our new Corsair Gaming line of peripherals this week. We’ve received a ton of feedback on the products and new logo. We are amazed and humbled by the passion our customers have for the original Corsair sails logo. The ship + sails are here to stay and will continue to be used on all Corsair PC component products.

However, we know many of you prefer the classic logo on our keyboards, and you’ve made your voices heard. For those of you looking for the new K70 RGB with the original sails logo, it’s currently available in North America from Newegg – just look for the SKU CH-9000063-NA. What’s more, as a direct result of your feedback, we will continue to sell and manufacture the Vengeance K70 and Vengeance K70 RGB with Cherry MX Red switches, with the sails logo, via select retailers and Corsair.com.

Let’s keep talking!

Link
 
we dont "prefer" the classic logo, it is just less ugly, should put it beneath the keyboard for all i care, that'd be better.
 
we dont "prefer" the classic logo, it is just less ugly, should put it beneath the keyboard for all i care, that'd be better.

Fortunately the new logo on the K70 is small and not really all that noticeable but I have no idea what Corsair was thinking. The sails logo is classic and unobtrusive, the new logo is just straight-up awful. It just makes zero sense.
 
Corsair is really losing some customers here. I returned my K70 RGB and purchased a CM Storm Rapid I Tenkeyless. Absolutely love the simplicity and feel of the keyboard. No ugly logos or ridiculous software to deal with. It just works and its backlit.
 
There is a update http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816034
updated version of the K70 RGB might of got the bugs out...

This was announced on the Corsair forums. Component wise its the same keyboard. The main issue people are having is not really the hardware. Its the dreadful software to make the changes. I returned mine because honestly having yet another piece of software running plus the software itself being so cumbersome to use is not worth the hassle. I got myself a CM Storm Rapid I Tenkeyless and LOVE IT. I am typing on it right now.
 
Sooo.. I am returning my K70 RGB... for one I think it's broken... many of the functions do not work, key's not doing what they are supposed to - I try and re-map and they just don't work... the brightness key doesn't work... type lighting still doesn't work after a couple fw and software updates... and now the KB is blue screening my machine randomly.. so it's out! I just spent hours trying to sort out sudden system instability on my gaming rig and it was the KB! So I am calling the egg tom. I am still within my 30 days so I hope they don't give me any grief about it.

seems like games are running smoother without that damn software running in the background also.. that software was downright bad. I wanted to like the KB but just too many issues and I don't have time for this.. I need my gear to work right.
 
Sooooo are they gonna make the m65 RGB - black color with the regular (non lame) logo of the 3 masted ship?
 
I've got the RGB version of the K95 and I've not had any problems with it. I will say that I agree 100% on that new logo looking like it belongs on some skanks lower back.
 
Ended up returning my K70 RGB. I really wanted to love this KB but the software is such a timesink, it's like a mini-game in itself. I think the shoddy launch tacked on with the "gaming" logo change has hurt their brand image/reputation for most of the Corsair enthusiasts out there.
Just going to hold out for a Shine 4 or Legend, Ducky never disappoints...
 
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Ended up returning my K70 RGB. I really wanted to love this KB but the software is such a timesink, it's like a mini-game in itself. I think the shoddy launch tacked on with the "gaming" logo change has hurt their brand image/reputation for most of the Corsair enthusiasts out there.
Just going to hold out for a Shine 4 or Legend, Ducky never disappoints...

I dunno if I'd go that far. The software was a disappointment sure but I'm still a Corsair enthusiast through and through.
 
I'm still holding out on Corsair hopefully changing the logos for the MX Blue version of the K70...
 
I'm basically done with Corsair and the keyboard was the final straw. For the record, I don't give a fuck about the logo...

Anyway:

So a quick update.

My Corsair is being a right pain in the ass. It was working fine but now some of the reassigned keys are not responding.

For example, my FPS profile has the following reassignments:

Insert ==> Esc
Delete ==> Tab

Keypad Enter ==> Right Shift

This is because I mouse with my left hand so I use the NumPad and adjacent keys with my right hand for movement etc.

This was working fine, just yesterday in fact. Today, no dice...

If I set it to a profile/mode without reassignments the keys work just fine and perform their default actions. They just refuse to work if they're reassigned.

It's obviously a software bug but frankly I don't have time these days to tinker and fuck about trying to get shit working in the manner it should be from factory. I just want to buy stuff and have it work as intended out of the box.

And one thing I absolutely do not have time for is companies failing to QA shit as they should. This is a £130 keyboard, is it too much to ask that it and the supporting software fucking work!

I'm trying not to loose the love for Corsair but it's fading fast for a number of reasons and this keyboard is probably going to mark the final time I spend money with them.

I'm going to return this K70 RGB and wait it out for the Logitech Orion or Razer Blackwidow Chroma.
 
There was a time I would have had fun geeking out on the color change stuff but these days I just need things to work. I replaced my RGB with a regular K70 black/red and am very happy. No more blue screens, no more crappy software, the KB just works.
 
I've got the RGB K95 w/ brown switches and I've been happy with it. The software took a bit to get the hang of but now I can change pretty much anything with no issues. I will say that I originally had a downloaded profile of thunder and rain going on as my default profile, but it does get old after a while and I eventually just went to a straight up blue theme (though I do have special lighting profiles for Lichdom: Battlemage with a fire theme, and WoW with pulsing G-keys and single key lighting effects).

I don't know if this is something that works this well on other keyboards, but I have to say that I really like how responsive the software is at switching profiles on program/game launch. It's nice being able to have macros/key assignments automatically switching with each game or program I use without having to switch modes on the keyboard or software manually, and of course the different lighting also is instant notification that the profile has been switched.

I'm coming from using a G19 for several years, and I'm happy with the upgrade. Also don't really notice the logo that much, it's pretty small and I don't find my gaze drawn to it at all while I'm at the computer.
 
I've returned my K70 RGB with Red switches and, despite what I said previously, have ordered a K95 with Browns.

I don't really need the extra keys but I'm bored of waiting for the K70 to come out with Browns. The only place that has stock is charging £159 which is what I've just placed down for the K95.

I have been experiencing some software issues; modes not switching, mapped keys not working but I think it's all firmware/software related. I hope the quality of the switches and LEDs is sorted though. I would hate to pay this much for a keyboard only to have LEDs start to die.

I don't think the Razer Chroma is for me to be honest as the Razer switches seems a little hit and miss. Also the Logitech G910 looks a little tacky. Of RGB mechanical kbs the Corsair ones do look to have the most solid build (metal deck) and aesthetically the simplest/least fussy.

Look forward to receiving the K95. Just hope it's solid/reliable and that the software related issues are dealt with in due course.
 
I've returned my K70 RGB with Red switches and, despite what I said previously, have ordered a K95 with Browns.

I don't really need the extra keys but I'm bored of waiting for the K70 to come out with Browns. The only place that has stock is charging £159 which is what I've just placed down for the K95.

I have been experiencing some software issues; modes not switching, mapped keys not working but I think it's all firmware/software related. I hope the quality of the switches and LEDs is sorted though. I would hate to pay this much for a keyboard only to have LEDs start to die.

I don't think the Razer Chroma is for me to be honest as the Razer switches seems a little hit and miss. Also the Logitech G910 looks a little tacky. Of RGB mechanical kbs the Corsair ones do look to have the most solid build (metal deck) and aesthetically the simplest/least fussy.

Look forward to receiving the K95. Just hope it's solid/reliable and that the software related issues are dealt with in due course.

The only software issue I had (other than just having to learn how to do everything) was when I first started to setup macros/keybinds to the G-keys, it would not actually input what I had configured. Spent about an hour trying different things, but a good ol' restart is all it took for it to start working, and hasn't stopped working ever since.
 
I love my Corsair K90 but the plastic macro keys on the left side are completely useless to me and take space. The keyboard is still rock solid so I can't find a reason to replace it...
 
Yeah, I've held off ordering anything for now and am using the Mac aluminium keyboard. However, I need to do something as it has terrible ghosting.

When you talk about the macro keys, why you pick them out as plastic? Aren't all the keys plastic?

You're right about them being of limited use though, I might just go for the K70. Regardless of what game I play the mouse will be in my left hand so the extra keys on the left side probably won't be much use.
 
I was going to get the K95 but I've never needed extra/macro keys in the past so I'm not sure why I was leaning that way! Ultimately I ended up ordering the K70 RGB with Browns which arrived today.

Few observations/comments:

The difference between reds and browns is actually quite subtle but it's enough to stop the keys feeling mushy which is the major issue I had with reds.

Personally I would prefer the "bump" to be a little more pronounced but as I say the mushiness of the reds is alleviated.

CUE has been updated and the firmware update now downloads directly from within the app. I've not had any problems with profiles/modes/reassignment etc.

I'm going to see how it goes for now and as it looks like the blue key variant is in short supply I won't be able to get one anytime soon to compare it.
 
I've been looking into these Corsair keyboards because my current one needs replacing and I've thought of trying mechanical keyboards for a while now. I'd certainly go for the MX Brown switches since they are supposed to be reasonable in terms of noise and good for mechanical "newbies".

It seems as if there isn't a perfect keyboard for me out there right now. I play games (FPS mostly) but also do programming and general computatoring. For this reason I need media keys and also a calculator key. I was shocked that a lot of these really expensive keyboards don't have either and even the ones with media keys lack a calculator key (which AFAIK is common: even my ancient £15 keyboard has one). Of course, a keyboard with macro keys would be OK since I can assign one of them to open calculator. Not perfect though unless the macro key is near the numpad.

Based on these criteria and reading lots of reviews, it seems the Corsair K70, Corsair K70 RGB, Corsair K95 and Logitech G710+ are the top contenders. However, they all have annoying flaws:

  • K70: No macro keys; design flaw causing very common LED failures.
  • K70 RGB: Much more expensive; no dedicated macro keys.
  • K95: Design flaw causing very common LED failures.
  • K95 RGB: Stupidly expensive; common firmware/software issues.
  • G710+: Crappy plastic palm rest.
To be honest I'm leaning towards the G710+ (and might look for a third-party palm rest), although if I was guaranteed that the K95's LEDs wouldn't start failing I would plump for that. Supposedly Corsair changed the LED design for the RGB models so they now don't suffer the problem...but they are way more expensive and the cheaper keyboards aren't getting the fixed design as far as I know.

Would be interested in thoughts and opinions about this. Any keyboards I've missed that might suit me?
 
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I would not recommend the G710+; the build quality (all around flimsy plastics) nowhere near worthy of the price it is sold at and there is a recurring issue with key stems breaking through normal use.

Have you looked at Ducky keyboards?
 
I would not recommend the G710+; the build quality (all around flimsy plastics) nowhere near worthy of the price it is sold at and there is a recurring issue with key stems breaking through normal use.

Have you looked at Ducky keyboards?
Yeah the build quality of the G710+ doesn't look great compared to the Corsairs. Unfortunately, Ducky keyboards seem hard to find in the UK and don't have dedicated media keys either. Having to use Fn isn't very useful when I want to quickly pause/play or change tracks mid-game.

Volume keys aren't a big deal because my speakers came with a volume wheel but I need play/pause/back/next and calculator keys. The K95 RGB ticks all the boxes and maybe they'll sort the software out eventually but it's only available in one store at the moment (with MX Browns) and it's £180 ffs.
 
The thing is you are not going to find a good quality mechanical keyboard that meets your criteria. You are going to have to compromise somewhere I am afraid...
 
I've had the K95 (dead LEDS galore), the G710+ (used at work) and the new G910 and absolutely love the feel of the new switches on it. It's a fantastic keyboard but as you know, it's personal preference.
 
The thing is you are not going to find a good quality mechanical keyboard that meets your criteria. You are going to have to compromise somewhere I am afraid...
Yeah, seems like it. There are plenty of keyboards out there with all the features I want but apparently no mechanical ones. Seems like a gap in the market...I understand that mechanical keyboards are more expensive to make, so it makes sense that most of them are barebones but then it's annoying that for more "premium" products they're shoving in fully customisable LEDs and other gimmicky nonsense rather than actually useful features that most keyboards have. Backlights are useful but scriptable light shows? :rolleyes:

I've had the K95 (dead LEDS galore), the G710+ (used at work) and the new G910 and absolutely love the feel of the new switches on it. It's a fantastic keyboard but as you know, it's personal preference.
I did see the G910 but I don't think it's even out yet in the UK. Very new indeed.
 
Yeah, seems like it. There are plenty of keyboards out there with all the features I want but apparently no mechanical ones. Seems like a gap in the market...I understand that mechanical keyboards are more expensive to make, so it makes sense that most of them are barebones but then it's annoying that for more "premium" products they're shoving in fully customisable LEDs and other gimmicky nonsense rather than actually useful features that most keyboards have. Backlights are useful but scriptable light shows? :rolleyes:
All these superfluous additions are most often than not detrimental to the overall quality of the keyboard and/or introduce other issues. As a general rule of thumb, I tend to stick with the basic, no bullshit keyboards; in general they are the higher quality products. I would not consider a lot of these gaming keyboards to be truly "premium" products — that's only what their marketing department wants you to think.
 
All these superfluous additions are most often than not detrimental to the overall quality of the keyboard and/or introduce other issues. As a general rule of thumb, I tend to stick with the basic, no bullshit keyboards; in general they are the higher quality products. I would not consider a lot of these gaming keyboards to be truly "premium" products — that's only what their marketing department wants you to think.
True but are there any media keyboards with mechanical keys? It seems that gamers are the only ones interested in mechanical keyboards right now, and that of course adds a price premium to each product. Sure, there are "basic" mechanical keyboards but for some reason media keys aren't considered "basic", despite being pretty much standard for at least a decade.
 
Why add extra keys to your products, which will demand further R&D and add cost, when you can integrate them with the Fn layer?
 
Just went to bestbuy and they have the g910 on display. They keys feel like plastic & it doesnt feel like a mechanical keyboard at all...Im looking for a new keyboard myself that has a mechanical feel to it, media keys, and programmable keys with backlit but Im beg to feel like its not possible to find this for less than 150 & it be great quality..Im almost tempted to just buy another microsoft media keyboard like I used to own only issue is no backlit keys=(
 
Why add extra keys to your products, which will demand further R&D and add cost, when you can integrate them with the Fn layer?

Are you serious? Have you ever had dedicated media keys on a keyboard before? It is much, much more convenient.

There are tons of games that use the Function keys and if you listen to music while you play a game non-dedicated media keys can easily mess you up.
This is also true while programming or just browsing the internet.

Mute and volume controls are especially convenient.
 
Im with sharknice. My old microsoft digital media pro keyboard had a bunch of media keys, along with keys that would activate whatever is in your taskbar. It was much more convenient & alot quicker than having to hover over it with mouse and click... Im still looking for a keyboard with all these keys this keyboard had but mechanical & backlit....If anyone knows of one plz link!!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109061
 
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