Since there are multiple keyboard models under one umbrella, I bought the Corsair K70 Cherry MX Red with Red backlit - NonRGB.
I have never had a mechanical keyboard before. Had always used a membrane keyboard. When researching which mechanical keyboard manufacturer to buy I settled on Corsair K70 however I had no idea which Cherry MX switch to get. Between keyboard availability and the [minimal] research I performed, I chose the Red switches.
This keyboard is quite heavy and has an brushed aluminum surface plate. I am coming from the Logitech G15 which is longer and much lighter. With the rubber feet under the keyboard and the weight this baby doesn't slide across the surface of my desk very well - a good thing! Typing is very loud but that is to be expected with a mechanical keyboard. So loud in fact that I invested in O-rings to put under each key stub, for lack of a better term, to soften the impact when depressing the keys. I have to admit it helps out quite a bit - I highly recommend if you want to dampen the noise some. For reference, the exact item I bought was the "008 Buna-N O-Ring, 50A Durometer, Round, Black, 3/16" ID, 5/16" OD, 1/16" Width (Pack of 125)".
Conveniently, the keyboard comes with a key-puller so it made pulling the keys off very easy. Once off, slide on the O-ring(s) then press the key back on. The whole process took 45 minutes once I got the hang of it. I purchased one bag, pack of 125, and after putting an O-ring under every stub of each key (some have more than one, e.g. spacebar) I still had about 10 O-rings remaining.
The cord for this keyboard is huge but is still fairly bendable. With having a USB pass-through it warrants it's own USB connector while the keyboard obviously has its own as well. It's braided so it looks and feels nice.
Another thing to note, when I was reading all about the various MX switches and how much weight you must apply to each key, the actuation, etc.. I didn't really have a good idea as to what these all meant. I partly wished that I would have purchased the keyboard switch tester to get a feel for all the switches and make a better decision based on that then taking a wild guess and hoping for the best. The Cherry MX Red switches are really easy to press, very smooth and linear. However, the actuation is almost immediate when depressing the keys that I find it personally difficult to type well.
My major gripe is that the LED backlighting leaves something to be desired! For any keys that have secondary functions only the secondary function chars are lit well while the primary function chars are dim. So for example, the numbered keys have secondary functions with the numbers being the primary. If we take the '8' key the secondary function char asterisk is lit well while the number "8" is very dim. Corsair had no problem putting additional LEDs under the spacebar for lighting uniformity but didn't for lighting the keys with secondary functions? I did not expect a $150 keyboard to have such uneven lighting!
Given that this isn't a membrane but a mechanical keyboard it is very easy to clean. Simply a can of compressed air will clean under the keys without crumbs and such getting literally inside the keyboard. Quite impressed on how easy clean-up is. Also, I'd like to point out that the keys are laser-etched so no worries about the key char(s) eventually rubbing away.
The rubbery textured wrist rest is quite nice and I prefer using it. It snaps into place when lined correctly with the keyboard. When you want to take it off just lift the keyboard and the wrist-rest will 'sag', continue pressing it down further down until it detaches.
The media controls are nice to have; stop, rewind, play/pause, fast-forward, mute and a volume wheel. I really prefer a volume wheel over a button any day! There is a button for customizing which keys have LEDs lit. Pressing the button once will activate such saved settings. Pressing the button once more time will light all keys again. By default the numbered keys 1-6, WASD and the directional keys are set. If you want to customize which keys are lit just press and hold the key customize button down for 3 seconds until the light-ring around said button starts blinking. While blinking, press the keys you want lit and once finished press and hold the button for 3 seconds one last time until the light-ring has stopped blinking.
Behind the keyboard there is a switch near the pass-through USB port at the back of the keyboard with the numbers 1, 2, 4 and 8; these settings are the different polling rates with the default, 1, set to 1000Hz or 1ms polling rate. Some older machines will only work with keyboards with a longer polling rate so this allows for compatibility. There really is no other reason why one would want to continuously switch between these settings.
In conclusion, the keyboard feels amazing! Is of good quality all around, aluminum chassis (surface only) and the prestigious Cherry MX switches, hard plastic key-tops, etc. While the 'loudness' of typing was a little much for me adding in the O-rings made a big difference for me - regardless if this is simply an authentic mechanical keyboard sound. I'm quite disappointed at how badly uniform the keys are lit. While not a deal-breaker for me it is just something that I constantly and immediately notice about this keyboard whenever I look down at the keys. Regardless, non-uniform backlighting is not enough for me to give up on this keyboard as there is so much going on for this keyboard and is a major upgrade over my old Logitech G15. For those who don't know, I highly recommend for those who don't know which kind of 'switch' to get that you spend a few bucks and get the little keyboard switch tester.
| Brand | Corsair |
|---|---|
| Item model number | CH-9000069-NA |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Operating System | windows |
| Item Weight | 2.73 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 17.2 x 6.4 x 0.94 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 17.2 x 6.4 x 0.94 inches |
| Color | CHERRY MX Red, RED LED |
| Manufacturer | Corsair |
| ASIN | B00M5DUOBK |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | September 4, 2014 |
