Corsair K70 MK.2 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

Compatibility and System Requirements

• PC with USB 2.0 port (two ports if using USB Pass-through
• Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7
• An internet connection is required to download the Corsair Utlity Engine software (CUE)

The K70 MK.2 RGB is the newest iteration in the K70 family from Corsair, selling for $159.99 (Amazon | NewEgg). The previous generation of K70 featured less than stellar LED quality, and a plastic frame with an aluminium top-plate. Whereas the MK.2 features an aluminium frame/top-plate and better LEDs.

When you first pull this keyboard out of the box, you’re greeted with a regular looking keyboard that features a large wrist-rest.

But once you plug it in, then bam! RGB everywhere. The K70 MK.2 has no shortage of color popping at you from the get go. This keyboard is bright, but luckily, Corsair has dedicated button with 3 levels of brightness control.

Large wrist rest doesn’t tickle your fancy? No problem, it is easily removed, revealing more of that beautiful aluminium and a more minimalistic profile.

From this angle, you can see that the key switches do sit atop the aluminium plate, making them a bit tall in comparison to a traditional, membrane keyboard. Adjusting to this profile will come easily and you’ll being typing at full speed in no time thanks to Corsair’s use of OEM profile keycaps.

From this angle, removing the wrist rest gives you a more traditional typing experience that some (including me) prefer. For me, this feels more natural, although I can see the value of the wrist rest when gaming.

The K70 MK.2 RGB supports the full spectrum of RGB color. The keyboard, by default on startup, will be in Standard Mode, and display a default pattern known as Rainbow Wave.

New to the K70 lineup, but not new to Corsair’s Flagship K95, is the cable routing under the keyboard. This routing channel is not for the keyboard’s cable, but rather for your wired headset or mouse. This gives you greater flexibility with cord placement, and prevents you from having to wrap you mouse’s cord around your keyboard. The bottom also features oversized rubber feet.

Here on the upper right of the keyboard, we can see the dedicated media controls, the multimedia keys features stop, play/pause, forward, backwards, mute and a volume wheel. To the left of the volume roller we see 3 tiny, dedicated LEDs (non-RGB) that act as indicators for NUM Lock, CAPS Lock, and SCROLL Lock.

Included in the box is some extra keys that feature a rubberized and textured top layer. The above configuration of switching out the W,A,S,D keys is for FPS gamers. Those who utilize the keys extensively while gaming will appreciate the quick homing function the keys provide as well as the slightly angled profile they provide.

Are you an MOBA gamer? No problem, Corsair has you covered there as well. Not only did Corsair provide rubberized W,A,S,D keys, they have also provided Q,W,E,R,D,F keys for the MOBA gamers out there.

Corsair offers a wide assortment of switch options for the K70 MK.2, including the Cherry MX Speed switches we saw on the K95 Platinum, Cherry MX Reds, Cherry MX Browns, Cherry MX Blues, and Cherry MX Silents. The above info-graphic gives you a quick overview of the different switches and what type of feel you can expect out of them individually. My personal favorite is Cherry MX Blues, although they can annoy your significant other and/or co-worker, they give me the best typing experience of all the switch types.

The best way to test a keyboard is to simply use it. The K70 MK.2 was tested for an overall period of 30 hours with Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Star Citizen, , Photoshop CS6, and various typing tasks including this review.

Corsair claims to set itself apart when it comes to anti-ghosting and full key rollover. The term “ghosted” refers to the keystrokes that are not detected and then drop off (for example, when someone presses D-C-U and only sees D-C, the U has been ghosted). While anti-ghosting is present in most gaming keyboards, it is often restricted to a certain number of keys or sections of keys. Popular sections of limited anti-ghosting may include the WASD part of the keyboard as it incorporates the keys that are the most common to use for first-person shooter games.

Corsair claims:

“100% anti-ghosting with full key rollover ensures your commands and simultaneous keystrokes always register the way you intended.”

Now we’ll see how accurate that is.

• Motherboard: MSI X99A SLI PLUS LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99
• System Memory: HyperX Savage 64GB (8x8GB)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 2011-v3
• Audio: On-board
• Video: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 GAMING
• PSU: Seasonic 1200W Platinum
• Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2412M IPS 24″ x 3 @ 5760×1200
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)

As you can see from the results above, Corsair’s claim for full key rollover is accurate, at least as accurate as I can test since I can’t physically press all the keys at the same time, but you get the idea. I can, however, press enough keys to know that you won’t have a large enough combo for the full key rollover to matter.

The K70 MK.2 is a very nice keyboard. At first glance I was trying to understand why the price tag is slightly higher than that of the original K70. But upon further inspection, and physically holding the MK.2 and using it, it became more apparent. There’s more aluminium goodness, plain and simple. Sure, to some, the LED upgrades are a big plus, but to someone like me (who never uses the LEDs), the feel of the keyboard as a whole is more important.

That being said, the K70 MK.2 is a solid, well built keyboard. The Cherry MX Blues are my favorite switches, and I was very happy to see Corsair offer the K70 MK.2 in a Cherry MX Blue switch configuration. The only downside to the Cherry MX Blues, is the noise. To some, it is very irritating. To me, it is very pleasant. If you’d like the tactile feel of a blue, but without the noise, then get the brown switches. If you want a more linear keyswitch that’s smooth, then get the silents or the reds. If you need speed, then get the speed switches. Corsair has given us many options with the K70 MK.2.

In terms of performance, the Corsair K70 MK.2 RGB performed at my expectations. It is, after all, a Corsair product, and one would be hard pressed to find a Corsair product that didn’t please. Would you use this for your regular, every day keyboard? Well, maybe. Would you use this for your gaming keyboard? More than likely. It’s loud RGB lighting wouldn’t be appropriate at the job setting, but would fit in perfectly in your fortress of solitude. The Cherry MX Blue keys are crisp and responsive with a 2mm travel distance.

Appearance wise, the K70 MK.2 is impressive. The brushed black aluminum has an excellent finish and has a quality feel to it. The RGB lighting is bright and vibrant. The inclusion of MMORPG/FPS textured and contoured keycaps is a nice touch.

The K70 MK.2 is solidly constructed. The wrapped cord is insanely thick, but feels like it will outlive the switches themselves. The aluminum frame is heavy duty and feels virtually indestructible. While I haven’t tried to destroy it, yet, the keyboard should hold up fine in a bag or box to take to your LAN party.

In terms of functionality, the K70 MK.2 lives up to it’s predecessor. The all aluminium frame adds more weight, making it less likely to move around on the desk. The keycaps fit tight on the stems, and the switches are 100% authentic Cherry MX. The bottom row however, is non standard. Corsair seems to love making these non-standard, as they’ve done it with almost all of their keyboards. Non-standard layouts can be difficult to find keycaps for, should you want to swap out your keycaps.

Value is where I had to knock off some points, priced at $159.99 (Amazon | NewEgg), this keyboard draws a bit of a premium compared to the competition. Ducky, Vortex, Cooler Master, and even Zalman have more affordable boards available, albeit they don’t have an aluminum frame, and some of them don’t have multimedia controls.

I would recommend this keyboard to anyone who is looking for an RGB keyboard that has an abundance of switch options. The price of 159.99 is a little steep, but that depends on exactly what you consider valuable in a mechanical keyboard. I have seen some interest around the internet for the shorter throw switches, so for those of you who like linear switches and a short throw, this is the keyboard (with Speed switches) for you, it will perform perfectly. Twitch gamers who utilize a keyboard vs a controller, will enjoy the short throw Cherry MX Speed switches as well.

+ All aluminum frame
+ Per key RGB
+ Authentic Cherry MX switches
+ Braided cable
+ Dedicated media keys
+ Heavy base
+ Multi-profile support
+ USB Pass-through

– Non-standard bottom row layout for keycap compatibility.

• Performance: 9.00
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 9.00

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

 

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