Corsair's K70 MK.2 does nothing a cheaper keyboard can't, but the steep price gets you top-notch components
- Reference: 1601468113
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/09/30/corsair_k70_mk2/
- Source link:
The Corsair K70 MK.2 is a mechanical keyboard that feels as though it's built for our current coronavirus hellscape. Would it fly in a normal office, where serious people wear drab suits and grimly chug mugs of lukewarm instant coffee as they file their TPS reports? Hell no.
It's too colourful for that. It's fitted with enough RGB lights to illuminate techno rave. It looks like what would happen if Foxconn made Skittles.
[1]
Also, like any keyboard using Cherry MX Blue switches, the Corsair K70 MK.2 is loud. That's not a bug; it's a feature. Many people – myself included – prefer their keyboards to have a bit of noise. The constant percussive rhythm helps get you into the flow of things.
The noise produced by a Cherry MX Blue switch is often compared to that of a typewriter. While that's fine at home, it may earn you the ire of your co-workers.
There are hundreds of keyboards that offer RGB lighting and Cherry MX Blue switches (or, at the very least, a clone), and you can get these for as little as £40. But the the Corsair K70 MK.2 costs £150. Why?
[2]
It's the little things. Despite being a full-sized keyboard, the K70 MK.2 is surprisingly efficient with the space it uses, with the most marginal borders on its left and right sides. There's also an optional (but included) wrist rest, which snaps into the foot of the keyboard. By elevating your hands, this helps give your fingers more reach, and thus reduces the amount of wrist movement.
Meanwhile, media keys – which are often an afterthought – are implemented beautifully here. There's a scroll wheel for volume control. Playback controls are located above the number pad, and are actual proper firm keys – although for obvious cost-saving reasons, they don't use the aforementioned Cherry switches.
[3]
The keycaps are firm and well rounded. Letters and characters aren't printed on the keys themselves — or injected into them — but are rather represented by transparent elements of plastic. This means you don't have to worry about your keys rubbing off with prolonged use.
With this model, Corsair has ditched the flat profile used by other keyboards we've seen in the past, and instead slightly elevates each row to make them easier to reach. Another nice touch is the decision to give the space bar a distinct texture. This offers your hands something of a grounding when you're touch-typing, presumably to improve accuracy.
[4]
Like every IT bod knows, keyboards are prone to accumulating dust, debris, and wayward hairs. Periodic cleaning is necessary. The K70 MK.2 makes this easy by ditching a recessed design, and having each key float above the chassis. This makes it easy to wipe down the base and vacuum away any detritus without much fiddling.
Happy Hacking Professional Hybrid mechanical keyboard: Weird, powerful, comfortable ... and did we mention weird? [5]READ MORE
As an added touch, the rear of the keyboard provides a single USB-A passthrough port, allowing you to connect an extra peripheral, like a mouse or USB flash drive. However, this largely feels moot as the keyboard itself uses two USB ports.
Perhaps the hardest pill to swallow with this keyboard is the price. At £150, it isn't cheap. It's also in the same ballpark as other productivity-focused boards, like the recently reviewed [6]Das Keyboard 4C , as well as UNICOMP's Model M clones.
At that price, it's worth remembering you're ultimately paying for quality and not functionality. There's nothing the Corsair K70 MK.2 does that another cheaper board can't do. But the attention to detail and high-quality components (like actual Cherry switches, rather than a knock-off) make this a viable option. ®
Get our [7]Tech Resources
[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/09/29/corsairk70mk21.jpg
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/09/29/corsairk70mk22.jpg
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/09/29/corsairk70mk23.jpg
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/09/29/corsairk70mk24.jpg
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/22/happy_hacking_professional_hybrid_review/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/18/das_keyboard_4c_tkl_review/
[7] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
The ones printed in Octarine?
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
These, or the elder runes.
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
It does come with two extra sets of keycaps, WASD and... some others.
Additionally, the numer of available keyboards quickly dimmishes as soon as you leave en_US, so still being given the full choice of switches and layouts is really nice of Corsair. Of course, you do pay for it. Alas, Cherry brown and de_CH is a rare combination, and it is not like I really expect to need another keyboard in my life after this one.
downsides: Starts always with active lights and the configuration software is windoes only.
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
I've got one of these and there's a Linux utility to allow you to fool about with the lights to your heart's content. Might be called ckb? (Am at work so can't check. Sorry.)
The "off" button for the lights doesn't require any sort of utility either, if you are after a Cherry-based keyboard.
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
ckb-next
I would not have expected this to exist.
Thank you very much.
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
There's more than two.
Re: There's nothing the Corsair does
I would hope for that price it includes the extra 2 secret letters that ordinary people don't know about
You mean '' and '' ?
Well
I suppose there are some mug gamers who'll buy it.
USB passthrough
I've never really understood why full-size wired USB keyboards don't routinely include a basic USB hub (2 or 4 ports) and memory card reader - the cost is negligible, but the value-add is substantial.
Re: USB passthrough
People would have expectations of connecting a hard disk to it an expecting it to receive enough power and (if it does) to not crawl at USB 1.1 speeds as a keyboard doesn't need to be any faster.
Re: USB passthrough
A memory-card reader sounds like a good idea until you look at how long the various formats tend to last. Admittedly, micro-SD seems to be a settled standard for now , but the lifetime of a well-made keyboard will be in the decades (and with Cherry switches this is a reasonable expectation).
I have, scattered around my desk, and in various drawers, micro-SD cards, adapters for micro-SD to mini-SD and full-sized SD, Proprietary Sony memory cards, compact flash [sic] things half the size of a floppy disk, as well as an assortment of pen drives, from thumbnail, to thumb sized, and USB enclosures for 2.5" and 3.5" hard disks. It is only in the last decade that I threw out the stack of Zip disks I used when I was a student, the drive itself having long ago ceased to function. The only thing that is constant in the external storage game is change. If you bought a keyboard that had a slot for a compact flash card, for instance, you would regard it as nothing more than a retirement home for dust.
Ballistic instant coffee
It looks like what would happen if Foxconn made Skittles.
And now you owe me a new one...!
Ranting from home
Many people – myself included – prefer their keyboards to have a bit of noise. The constant percussive rhythm helps get you into the flow of things.
The noise produced by a Cherry MX Blue switch is often compared to that of a typewriter. While that's fine at home, it may earn you the ire of your co-workers.
Also those of us who have to endure the endless Zoom/Skype/Webex/Teams hell whilst working from home, especially with those who insist on typing away on such keyboards whilst they or others speak (and not muting in the latter case). Oftentimes all you can hear is their clatter rather than whoever is actually speaking, and it sounds like a fully castanetted flamenco troop falling down the stairs.
Re: Ranting from home
I use a similar (but cheaper model) keyboard from Corsair, the K68. It, too, has the frankly unnecessary, but oddly satisfying fully programmable lighting effects, but uses the cherry MX Red switches, which don't drive others around you to despair with the loud clacking worthy of a daisy-wheel printer. I believe this model, and presumably the one under review, come as variations, with a choice of red/blue/brown switches to fit the preferences of the typist (and those around them).
You are basically paying for the high quality genuine cherry switches, rather than knock-offs (I'm typing this on a much cheaper "i-Rocks" model with perfectly good knock-off mechanical switches), plus a mark-up for the name, and for the lighting effects. I don't regret the frankly steep price point, because Corsair products do seem to be, on the whole, solidly and well made.
Re: Ranting from home
I wrote two of my books on a Corsair K95 with the Cherry Reds. I do think they're extremely loud - indeed, discernably louder than the far from quiet switches on my Logitech G910.
Why are they reviewing...
A model that came out in early 2019? Have had mine for over one year and love the keyboard. I do have the Cherry Red switches and not the blue, but blue/brown/silver/red/etc. have been available for a long time. Maybe a little late to the party?
Re: Why are they reviewing...
I agree. Really, who would want to buy last year's model? Would you buy last year's hammer or saw model? Of course not, new and shiny is definitely the only way to go. A year old keyboard will never be able to keep up with the speed of the current CPU's, and you would lose style points to boot.
Re: Why are they reviewing...
A year old keyboard will never be able to keep up with the speed of the current CPU's, and you would lose style points to boot.
Brilliant ! 8^D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have one on me --->
O.
Keep it down
> the Corsair K70 MK.2 is loud. That's not a bug; it's a feature.
No. It is most definitely a bug. A big bug.
But before we get there, any keyboard that has backlights screams "children's toy". Nothing more than a zero-function bauble for the easily impressed. Fortunately, that makes it a device that would never get past a purchasing department - but, but, but .... I need pretty little lights ... to keep me amused!
Therefore saving office workers everywhere the annoyance of a constant CLICK-CLACK that again, serves no purpose. And saving the user from the pain and indignity of having said keyboard extracted from whichever orifice their colleagues inserted it (noiselessly - apart from the screams and the occasional CLICK)
Looking at the review of this [1]from June 2018 , this model also comes with the option of silent keys. Perfect for a professional environment. Why would anyone want to add unnecessary noise to their life?
[1] https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/us/corsair-k70-rgb-mk-2,review-5533.html
Re: Keep it down
Backlights are quite handy if working in low light.
Re: Keep it down
The backlight has the marvellous feature of irritating people over the internet, even when they can't see it (and never will).
As others have mentioned, Corsair makes this with the range of Cherry switches, so it's possible to choose quieter keys than the blue ones. They also do a wide range of layouts (including UK with proper double-height return key). So once the novelty of fiddling with the lights wanes and you either switch them off, or set them to a single colour (about 5 minutes in my case), you have a solid keyboard with decent keyswitches. I like mine.
Re: Keep it down
But before we get there, any keyboard that has backlights screams "children's toy"
Nonsense. Adults like toys too.
I don't need the backlights on my keyboard but I do like them. Why shouldn't I have them, and how is having them any more childish than you choosing to wear a green skirt today instead of a blue one?
KVM performance?
One of the most important features for me, is whether they play nice with KVMs. I've had the unfortunate experience of a number of good quality keyboard that I've had to send back, because they can't handle being switched between a number of PCs. Drives me nuts. Either the lighting and features reset, or they require software to run them (which doesn't usually come with variants for anything other than Windows, or MAC if you're lucky) or they end up with some completely whacko behaviours, like repeating the same key press, even though I've released the key.
"However, this largely feels moot as the keyboard itself uses two USB ports."
Why does a keyboard require two USB ports?
Re: "However, this largely feels moot as the keyboard itself uses two USB ports."
Why does a keyboard require two USB ports?
Probably to get sufficient power to run all the bloody lights...
Re: "However, this largely feels moot as the keyboard itself uses two USB ports."
Why does a keyboard require two USB ports?
The second connection is for the port on the keyboard. Basically just acts as an extension. You don't need to plug in both plugs if you just want to use it as a keyboard.
No idea why they didn't just build in a USB hub into the keyboard.
Re: "However, this largely feels moot as the keyboard itself uses two USB ports."
No idea why they didn't just build in a USB hub into the keyboard.
Presumably, power requirements. USB 3 can provide quite an amount of power compared to USB 2, and this essentially means that hubs should be powered, especially if the upstream port is underpowered (as some laptop ports can be). It seems a perfectly sensible design decision to use a port for the keyboard itself, and a second for the hub, thus guaranteeing that the lights on the keyboard don't draw too much power to under-power the pass-through ports. The ugly alternative would be to plug the thing into a power brick, or risk complaints that the external port is underpowered when it is plugged into a USB 2 port on a 4-way hub.
Re: "However, this largely feels moot as the keyboard itself uses two USB ports."
Yeah, I use my K95 with a tablet that only has one USB port. It works fine.
That doesn't mean that I like it having a spare USB connector dangling uselessly to the side, but I tolerate it.
How reliable are the lights
I have K70 from a few years back, which I think is great except that the lights (simple monochrome on this model) started to fail one by one after a relatively short period of time. Currently on;y about half of them work, which is pain in dim lighting.
Happy with my model M keyboard, they can prise that keyboard from my cold dead hands
There's nothing the Corsair does
I would hope for that price it includes the extra 2 secret letters that ordinary people don't know about