In the past, Corsair has already given their K70 gaming keyboard a number of configurations. And today, we have their latest iteration which is the K70 RGB Pro. We’ll talk about it in our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review while giving you important details too.
This keyboard meets the expectations set by the product’s predecessors since it offers the latest Cherry MX mechanical switches. Not only that, but it also has per-key RGB backlights, as well as numerous features that’ll attract pro gamers. Continue reading our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review to learn about its design, features, specs, and its performance.
Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard Packaging
Before we get into the specifics, our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review, we’ll discuss its packaging and contents.
The keyboard arrived in a typical cardboard box that displays an image of the product in front. To the image’s right, the name of the product is written vertically. To its left is Corsair’s branding and some details about the keyboard.
For the box’s rear, you’ll find some marketing features and technical specs displayed. Then, two seals are present on each side of the package to keep everything, of course, sealed during shipping.
Inside, you’ll find the K70 RGB Pro tucked between protective cardboard pieces. These are positioned on all sides of the box for added protection.
Corsair also included a plastic wrap around the keyboard to keep everything clean and free of dust.
Aside from the keyboard, you’ll also find several inclusions beneath the K70 RGB Pro. These include some paperwork such as the user manual and a generic safety information sheet.
You’ll also find a plastic wrist rest inside, and it’s now longer compared to those from the previous K70 versions. Aside from its length, it also has a redesign. But despite that, it still casually snaps to the base of the keyboard via magnets.
Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review – Design and Functionality
Aside from this Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review, we’ve also reviewed other K70 keyboards in the past. If you’ve read it or saw other versions, you’ll have an idea about the K70 RGB Pro’s design.
It’s still built and designed using a brush aluminium frame with per-key RGB lights. These RGBs flow and spill out and it’s all because of the flattened key bed.
If you like the classic Corsair design, don’t worry, because the company retained it for the keyboard. You’ll still get the aluminium frame with a brushed black finish decorating the top with their classic forehead. This traditional feature is where you’ll find some of the extra hardware controls.
It may not look that durable but make no mistake because the K70 RGB Pro is built like a tank. It isn’t that heavy but it has a nice rock-solid feel to it.
As for changes, there are some notable ones too. The one we noticed immediately was the detachable cable. This keyboard utilises a detachable USB-C cable that slips into an embedded hole in the product.
Overall, we can’t deny that the K70 RGB Pro looks excellent. And, we can clearly see that Corsair took their time with its design to give it a familiar yet refined aesthetic.
Keyboard Layout
In this Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review, we also looked into the K70 RGB Pro’s layout. Its function buttons at the top of the board are flatter and flushed to the edges. Then, the RGB Corsair branding was replaced with the company’s flag logo instead.
Next to this area is where you’ll see the status indicators. That means, you’ll get a nice clean space at the top of the board which is something we greatly appreciate.
Together with the classic 104-key style, the K70 RGB Pro comes with a dedicated volume roller and media controls. The latter allows for up-to-date control for music, movies, and more, at a push of a button. Plus, the company’s signature aluminium roller lets you have granular control over the volume levels.
There are some cosmetic changes to the keyboard but a lot of the extras are all under the hood. And what we think is the biggest change is the AXON processor. It allows a polling rate of about 8,000Hz on the keyboard while others only reach 1,000Hz.
Keyswitches of the Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard
The K70 RGB Pro comes with a number of Cherry MX switches to keep the tradition of the K70 models. You can choose between the Brown, Red, Blue, Silent Silver, or Silent Red options.
The switches are found under the Doubleshot PBT keycaps and should be tough enough to handle non-stop gaming sessions. This ruggedness and toughness extend to the rest of the keyboard, and that’s thanks to its brushed aluminium faceplate. The solid plastic frame also helps with it.
It isn’t a huge keyboard but it’s satisfyingly dense. Plus, it also doesn’t feel cheap so we’re really happy about that.
Key Features of the Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard
K70’s Legend Combined with AXON
The K70 RGB PRO retains the unique elements of Corsair’s award-winning K70 series. It has the same durable aluminium frame, per-key RGB backlighting, and Cherry MX mechanical switches.
But of course, it’s enhanced with AXON technology and a tournament switch to give you a better gaming experience.
Powered by AXON
AXON technology delivers advanced performance with 4,000Hz key scanning, 8,000Hz hyper-polling, and 20 layers of hardware RGB processing. This feature transmits and processes your inputs up to eight times faster than conventional gaming keyboards.
Works with iCUE
Corsair’s powerful iCUE software offers dynamic control on RGB lighting, macro programming, and key remapping. Plus, it has exclusive integrations with several games, turning your whole system’s lighting for added immersion to the action.
Linear Travel and Smooth Keypresses
The 100% mechanical keyswitches of the K70 RGB Pro are ideal for performance gaming since these offer linear travel. While testing for our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review, we noticed that it offered smooth keypresses too.
PBT Double-shot Pro Keycaps
The precision-moulded keycaps resist fading, wear, and shine with 1.5mm thickness for rigid stability.
Specifications
For starters, the K70 RGB Pro comes with a 2-year warranty from Corsair. Its USB polling rate is up to 8,000Hz with AXON, and it also has a 104-key matrix.
This wired keyboard has a full-key (NKRO) rollover with 100% anti-ghosting. And speaking of its wired connectivity, it uses a 3.0 or 3.1 type-A USB connection.
The K70 RGB Pro’s on-board memory is 8MB while its total number of onboard profiles is up to 50. Then, it makes use of a braided cable which is another aspect we loved about it.
It features a built-in touchpad that measures 444 x 166 x 40mm.
Hands-on with the Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard
Corsair iCue Software
Before we look into the performance of the keyboard, let’s start with the iCue software. Here, our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review will share some brief details about it. This is something vital since it’s something you’ll need to customise your keyboard.
The iCUE software is Corsair’s utility suite for customising the K70 RGB Pro’s lighting, macros, key assignments, and AXON controls. It’s also used for updating the keyboard’s firmware.
The interface offers unlimited ways to customise each key’s RGB lighting. Here, we also found amazing preset effects. With 8MB onboard memory, it allows storing up to 50 onboard profiles which makes things pretty convenient. Do note that the number of profiles you can store will depend on the complexity of these.
Hardware Key Assignments is where you can customise onboard profiles for the K70 RGB Pro’s keys and macro settings.
Performance of the Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard
When we used it for gaming, we didn’t have any issues connecting the K70 RGB Pro to our computer systems. We used the provided type-C to A plug to connect it to our system. Once done, the keyboard was up and running, and was ready to use without us having to do anything else.
We first put the keyboard to the test by trying out some first-person open-world games. The K70 RGB Pro gave us a satisfactory performance and we didn’t experience any issues while gaming.
Because of the keyboard’s RKNO + 100% anti-ghosting feature, each of our keypresses was registered no matter how fast we pressed.
What we really liked about it was the AXON Hyper Processing technology since it does live up to its claims. It was able to mix ultra-fast key scanning, hyper-polling, and processing to successfully detect keystrokes faster. This feature also transmitted the keystrokes faster which obviously lessened the chances of latency.
For a change, we put ourselves in different split-second instances to test the keyboard together with our reaction time. Using the keyboard with its polling rate set to 8,000Hz, we were always able to perform last-minute quick dodges. It was excellent for keeping our character or team from losing/dying in-game.
We also considered the fact that some people use their gaming keyboard for work too. So for our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard review, we also tried using it for regular work use.
Generally, there wasn’t much of a difference when we were typing emails, responding to chats, or writing stories. But in gaming, we definitely noticed a huge difference in performance, and the K70 RGB Pro was definitely superb.
Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review Summary
The new Corsair K70 RGB Pro isn’t like a lot of full-size mechanical keyboards. For its price, you get a lot of impressive features such as per-key RGB, tournament switch, and AXON technology.
During our tests, we noticed that it improved our gaming performance, thanks to its 8,000Hz polling rate. We also enjoyed changing various settings on the iCUE software since it had a user-friendly interface.
Overall, the K70 RGB Pro delivered excellent performance and we highly recommend this mechanical gaming keyboard. To get your hands on this mechanical gaming keyboard, you can purchase it from Corsair’s official website.
