I love this keyboard! I was shopping for a long time for a feature-rich mechanical keyboard as I type like a fiend all day long. I also game, do lots of data entry, and 3D modeling on my computer. Simply put this keyboard rocks at all these tasks. The programmable G-keys are both great for moving in-game commands close to my "WASD" hand position. But they are also incredibly fantastic for mapping hot keys, key combinations, complicate multiple key press commands, and even commonly entered text strings to single key presses to ease and speed up my work in all kind of productivity software. Given most games now a programmed to defeat macros (as the give players an unfair advantage) the macro function for me has been infinitely more useful when working in excel or my company's database.
Its got the MX Cherry brown key switches which a joy to type on. For those not in the know, Cherry is a German company that specializes in keyboards and is the world market-leader in high quality fully mechanical key-switches. Cherry makes the Cherry MX line of key switches sold with different tactile features and pressure rating by color. Brown features a low pressure with a "bump" feel on the key press. Corsair bought Cherry switches and installed them on this board which is of their own design. All the colors styles of switch are equal in quality, and so its entirely user preference as to which one to get. So while the price is outrageous, but most of the cost is for Cherry switches, which apparently do not come cheap, like most German products.
But of course so do many competing products. Suffice to say i you type a lot either brown or blue Cherry brand key switches are the way to go in any keyboard. They have a very, very fast and positive response that requires only a light touch to type thanks to every key being actuated by metal contacts and steel spring rather than silicone rubber domes . Unlike a rubber membrane aka rubber dome keyboard like 99% of the keyboards you get in nearly all budget keyboards.
Then corsair upped the game by working directly with Cherry to develop switches with RBG led lighting in the switch housing. While the 16 million colors is not quite accurate, it can display thousands of colors many so subtle its hard to even tell the difference. Corsair is working on firmware upgrades to enable the full 16+ million colors. Only the mode-swtich, and media keys are rubber membrande keys, and I don't press them that often, so I am very happy to save a few dollars for buttons I don't need to be expensive MX switches.
I saw many complaints about the CUE software supplied by corsair to power all the functions of this keyboard. Now I have to preface and confess I am an IT pro, but I found this software easy to use and logically laid out. Yes its quite a bit more complicated than click a key assigning a command, but the way they set it up is very useful if you dive deep into customizing this keyboard. Instead click-then-assign you have the option to first create all the various commands and functions you would like use. Then they sit in a kind of "function" pool you can drag and drop to keys as needed when you are making application specific profiles. Thus you don't have constantly reenter "CRTL+C" in EVERY profile you want a copy function in. Instead you make the function once, and can then drag and drop in 100 profiles effortlessly. IMO this layout is vastly superior to Logitech's or Razor's software systems once you take a moment to learn it. It works very, very similar for creating lighting functions.
Additionally you can remap any key on the keyboard to any other key. For example I do a ton of data entry and have stupid fingers. Thus I remapped / to backspace on the keypad, but thanks to application profiles it only applies when I am running excel! This is a MUCH nicer solution than trying to edit the window's registry to change a key which is, of course, global to every program on the computer. And best yet I can use the 3 "mode" buttons to make a 2nd mode in the excel profile where / is still mapped to / so entering dates is easy! CUE is a great software and IMO vastly Superior to the competitions. I will cavat though and say that apparently the early releases of CUE were bug-filled abominations that caused BSOD's, crashed, and flat didn't work. But I bought they keyboard in spring of 2015 and I've had a very good experience with it. CUE stays functional through sleep mode and even with the computer running for a week straight. It also has no measurable impact on my computer's performance. I have the fastest Intel i5 CPU you can buy and 16GB of RAM, so your mileage may very here depending on your hardware. And corsair is still actively supporting CUE so you can expect bugs to be fixed in a timely manner.
That being said, yes there is a "simple" mode for all these functions too. So if all you want is red lighting with a simple rainbow ripple its easy to do that. Creating complicated lighting functions is completely optional.
If you are not a DIY type, the official forums is full of uploaded profiles made by users you are free to try too! Did I mention you can effortless export and import all your settings and profiles? Because yes you can! Great for backing up all your hard configuration work in case everything goes FUBAR with your CUE install and you have to do a completely clean install of the software!
Now for the final bit...the lighting. Yes its awesome. Its not *quite* as bright or evenly lit as Razar's new RGB keyboard, but I think the power and flexibility of CUE and the fact that Corsair uses the superior Cherry MX switches make the K95 a vastly better keyboard overall. The keys are lit more strongly at the top of the key were the LED's are then the bottom so keys like ; that have two marks on them the bottom ; markings will not be a bright. But the lighting is bring enough to easily been seen even at noon with the daylight streaming in through the window on a sunny day.
Of course pretty lights and awesome lighting effect have to "ooooo neato" factor. But they also have great utility. You can color-code your effects to match the application and mode you are using so you can see at glace what program the keyboard is presently running. I can also highlight keys that have various commands assigned to them by color making it really easy to remember what command is programmed where.
Final note: It has 2 plugs but if you have USB 3.0 you only need to use the one with the keyboard embossed on it. The other one is simply to power the keyboard under USB 2.0.
The media keys simply work! Unlike Logitech which always seems to have compatibility problems with its media keys and various media players Corsair's media keys function flawlessly in everything I tried, even with chrome extensions, the domain where most keyboard's drivers FUBAR the media key functions. The volume "roller" is also very nice and has great feel to use with *just* the right amount of resistance to rolling to feel high quality.
The overall build quality is bullet proof. With a metal backing board, Cherry Switches, and quality constitution this board is strong enough to be used as a lethal weapon in battle against home intruders and I expect *still* be able to type afterwards. I would highly advise against nerd raging your fists down on the keys, but I think it would survive it. Obviously I'm not going to try.
Final pro, this keyboard is very attractive. I has a nice minimalist design that also feels very future and high tech. Razor's is OK, but is all plastic, and Logitech's latest offering looks like Tron techno-puked all over your desk. It seems too much like something a 14 year old boy "gamer" would buy to try and impress his pubescent nerd friends. Corsair actually styled a high end keyboard for sensible adults.
So far I have only minor gripes about the keyboard.
Above is the pros. Now for the cons.
*The keyboard is not wireless! For the price I would have loved to have the option to run it wireless.
*The cable is built into the keyboard. If your cable is FUBAR'ed somehow you are gonna need a new keyboard. For the price that really sucks.
*The cable is thick and not very flexible. Its on par with heavy extension cord. At least it has a very nice braided wrapping to make up for it.
*For some unknown reason Corsair made the backing of the G-keys out of plastic instead of just extending the aluminum plate like the rest of they keyboard. The plastic is high quality but just not nearly as nice as the aircraft grade aluminum that backs the standard 108 key portion of the board.
*I can't seem to change the color of the color of the Caps, Scroll, or Num lock indicators. A super minor gripe but a tiny con.
* I found the included wrist rest to be too low for my liking. Its very high quality and feels very nice however. So save deskpace I removed it and put it away for safe keeping should I change my mind.
*No USB port. Sadly, given this thing eats up 1 or 2 USB ports, it would have been really nice to put a USB port on the keyboard to make up for that.
*100% NOT waterproof. The key switches are open, fully exposed, and the unprotected circuit board is just behind the metal backing plate that forms from "face" of the keyboard. You spill your drink on this keyboard you are going to have a very bad time. Then again no Cherry MX switch keyboard is spill proof so its not Corsair's fault.
*Doesn't ship with a keycap removal tool or any alternate style keycaps like other Corsair products do. Thankfully the tools are like $7 elsewhere on amazon. Chances are you probably wouldn't like the bonus keycaps anyways, so why pay for them?
*I am of the camp that he new "tramp stamp" corsair gaming logo sucks. Thankfully its appears to just be foil sticker. Its a minor gripe but I think you can peel it off you hate it that badly. End of the day I have bigger things to worry about, like bills and real life, than to get upset over a sticker.
The end verdict? They keyboard awesome! I paid $190 for a keyboard and have no regrets!
Not only does it have a very attractive, industrial design, but its very high quality, and great to type on. It had great features, and the CUE software is the *best* gaming keyboard driver i have ever seen once you take the time to learn it. On the IT scale its about 4 in terms of difficulty to use. Not like you have to script every function though command prompt after all! Though you CAN run scripts via macros if it pleases you. The power of this software makes it great for upping your work productivity just as much as powering your gaming wins so its a great choice even for home-office use. And despite some minor gripes I can't remove a star for its faults. For me the only serious one is that I don't get a wireless option. For near $200 I really think I could have gotten the option for wireless, or the ability at least detach the cable. But then there are only like 5 wireless mechanical keyboards currently being made in the world, and this one has the almost most features out of *all* keyboards wired or wireless.
Last but not least I have only run this board for 2 months. I can't report on how I'll fair amid reports that the LED's die on people. So far initial quality is 9 out of 10. So hopefully it will last until something sexier comes out in a good 5 or so years. I like to think they have sorted out issues from the first manufacturing batch, and Corsair does have you covered with an warranty. And hey its amazon, you get a bad one Amazon has your back if you buy from them.
| Brand | Corsair |
|---|---|
| Item model number | CH-9000062-NA |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Operating System | MANY |
| Item Weight | 3.08 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 19.7 x 6.53 x 0.94 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 19.7 x 6.53 x 0.94 inches |
| Color | CHERRY MX Brown, RGB |
| Manufacturer | Corsair |
| ASIN | B00N4OBCT2 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | September 22, 2014 |
