Corsair's new mechanical keyboard
joins the ranks of the elite
On the face of it, mechanical keyboards
with few or no extra features can seem extortionately priced, but they also
have themselves a dedicated fan base. This is largely thanks to the typing
experience they provide, which is almost universally considered superior to
that of cheaper, non-mechanical alternatives. At $165, Corsair's Vengeance K70
comes in at the more expensive side of things (though not the most).
What's immediately apparent is that the K70
builds quite literally on the successful frame of the K60. It uses the same
raised keys, gorgeous brushed aluminum front sheet and key layout, for example.
Build quality is also again outstanding, and its robustness inspires
confidences in its K70 also comes with a set of enticing new additions.
On
the face of it, mechanical keyboards with few or no extra features can seem
extortionately priced, but they also have themselves a dedicated fan base.
The most apparent change from the K60 is
that Cherry MX red switches now sit behind every key, not just the main ones.
It's worth noting that the board is available in different colors and with
different color switches if reds aren't to your preference.
The addition of these extra switches is no
doubt responsible for the increased asking price, but it's also responsible for
providing a consistently excellent typing experience. The red switches in
particular are handy in gaming, where their lightweight nature combines with
the keyboard's 1 KHz polling rate, full anti-ghosting capabilities and n-key
rollover to provide responsive and utterly lag-free sessions of shooting people
in the face.
The thick, nicely braided cable splits into
a pair of USB plugs: one for the keyboard's main functions and a second
dedicated to the optional USB pass-through port on the back, which is handy if
you're always struggling to reach the expansion ports behind your rig.
The
addition of these extra switches is no doubt responsible for the increased
asking price, but it's also responsible for providing a consistently excellent
typing experience.
The top right section of the board plays
host to the handy embedded media keys, as well as the Windows key lock and
backlight controls. At the back, next to the USB pass- through, you'll also
find a BIOS switch, which can be used to enable compatibility with older
motherboards and certain KVM switches.
The new per-key backlighting, handy for low
light sessions, can be set to one of three brightness levels or turned off
altogether You can also use a dedicated button to record and save only the keys
you'd like to have lit, which helpfully avoids the need for overcomplicated
software.
Another upgrade over the K60 is the
full-length palm rest. The soft touch material is again comfortable to rest on,
and it's a much better inclusion than the left-hand only rest that comes with
the K60.
Corsair also continues to include its extra
set of FPS gaming keys (WASD and 1-6) with the K70. These keys are contoured,
textured and colored red to help them stand out, but I didn't find any extra
benefit in using them in games, and they actually make the general typing
experience inconsistent and annoying thanks to the extra grip, so I quickly
decided it was better to leave them off altogether.
Another
upgrade over the K60 is the full-length palm rest.
If you're only after the core mechanical
keyboard experience, cheaper options like the Ozone Strike are readily
available. However, nearly all of the K70's extra features have genuine uses
rather than being gimmicky or superfluous. They're also all implemented so as
to be optional or, like the media keys, positioned subtly and out of the way so
as to not detract from the main functionality.
The K70 represents a wonderful combination
of good looks, build quality, features and design. While its price naturally
means it's not for everyone, for those who care lots about and are willing to
invest in their typing experience, the K70 will almost certainly justify its
high initial outlay in the long run.
An expensive but nevertheless outstanding
keyboard
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Package
contents
·
Vengeance K70 gaming keyboard
·
Soft touch, detachable wrist rest
·
Warranty card
System requirements
·
PC with high power USB 2.0 port (+500mA)
·
Windows® 7, Windows® 8, Windows Vista®, or
Windows® XP
·
At least 35MB of hard disk space
·
Two USB connectors are required for USB
pass-through
Ratings
·
Overall: 9
·
Quality: 9
·
Value: 8
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