Corsair Raptor K40 Gaming Keyboard Review

By David Ramsey

Manufacturer: Corsair Components, Inc.
Product Name: Raptor K40 Gaming Keyboard
Model Number: CH-9000051-NA
UPC: 843591046862 
Price As Tested: $79.99 (Amazon | Newegg)

Full Disclosure: Corsair provided the product sample used in this article.

Mechanical keyboards such as Corsair’s Vengeance K70 keyboards have garnered praise from industry pundits and users alike. But there’s no escaping the fact that keyboards with individual mechanical key switches are expensive: the aforementioned K70 retails for $130.00. But as it turns out, you can get much of the style and functionality of Corsair’s high-end keyboards for a lot less money. Today Benchmark Reviews takes a look at Corsair’s Raptor K40 Gaming Keyboard.

Corsair’s CH-9000051-NA keyboard attempts to strike a balance between features and cost: it does this by eliminating “peripheral” features like a braided cover on the USB cable, metal construction, USB pass-through ports, a wrist rest, and most importantly, mechanical key switches. Although they’ve been increasing in popularity, there’s no getting around the fact that mechanical key switches are expensive, so the Raptor K40 Gaming Keyboard uses a rubber-dome design to keep the cost down.

Now, for some this is a deal-breaker, but only for some. In my experience computer users are divided into two groups: those for whom only mechanical keyboards will do, and those who really don’t care that much about how a key “feels” when you press it. If you’re in the latter camp, then the features and design of the K40 may be for you.

Features & Specifications

• Plastic base, rubber dome key switches
• Full key matrix anti-ghosting with full key rollover on USB
• 16.8 million color customizable backlighting
• Six dedicated, programmable G-keys (18 keys per profile)
• On-board profile storage (36K of memory)
• Multimedia keys (Stop, Previous, Play/Pause, Next, Mute, Volume Up, Volume Down)

Does the Raptor K40 have what it takes? Let’s see…