The 5 Best Corsair Keyboards

I remember the heady days when Corsair only made RAM, and the world was a more straightforward place. They didn’t even make super fancy RAM with RGB lights or anything yet. Just straight up high-end gaming RAM with nice big heatsinks.

Ahhhh, the good old days.

Now though, they’ve expanded over to keyboards and mice, and I have to say, they’re doing a reasonably good job of it. I have a Corsair keyboard myself,  and I love it. Just so that you know, I’m not biased in this article or anything…

So, what is the best Corsair keyboard for gaming? ⌨️ 🤔

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Pros & Cons

• Not as expensive as the K95, with almost the same features
• RGB backlighting

• Not much new here from previous versions

Specifications:

• Switches: Cherry MX RGB Red
• Palm Rest: Detachable
• Backlit: Yes

Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Review

If you like the K95 Platinum, but it’s a little bit too expensive for you, this is a cheaper alternative with virtually the same features. The only crucial missing item here are the six macro keys on the side, and even a visual inspection will confirm that for you.

Under the hood though, there is a slight change from the Cherry MX Speed Silver to the RGB Reds. Not that it’s a bad thing, the Red switches are pretty good, and specifically made for gaming so the performance difference won’t be too massive.

Reds are only the base option; you could always get a version with the Speed Silvers although that’s going to kick the price up a bit.

One noticeable change from previous versions is that the media keys are considerably more pronounced, much the same as any other keycap on the keyboard. I like the difference since I used one of the older versions and the numpad towers over the media keys to the point that I don’t even use them (completely forgot they were there until I wrote this article).

Other than that, though, the rest of the buttons remain the same. Such as the volume scroller/mute button, as well as the profile change and brightness buttons. Long story short, if you don’t play a lot of MMOs or use Macros, the K70 Mk.2 is a top-notch gaming keyboard that will also save you a bit of extra money.

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Pros & Cons

• Amazing build quality
• Brushed Aluminium finish is pretty
• Extra keycaps, something you don’t find often

• Pretty big
• Expensive

Specifications:

• Switches: Cherry MX RGB Speed
• Palm Rest: Detachable
• Backlit: Yes

Corsair K95 RGB Platinum Review

Corsair has always done an excellent job of making a keyboard that is sleek and low profile, and this isn’t more evident than the K95 RGB Platinum.

Avoiding the recessed keys that most keyboards go with, the raised mechanical keys prevent the issue with dirt and dust build-up and make it a breeze to clean. Speaking of the keys, the K95 Platinum has come Cherry MX Speed Silver switches, which give you excellent quick keystrokes and unparalleled input speeds.

If you’re a big-time gamer and regularly play competitively, you’re going to love these switches, even if they may be a bit overkill for the majority of users.

Of course, with a premium product like this, you get all the bells and whistles, from the dedicated media keys to the backlit RGB. Speaking of RGB, the Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) is still as impressive as always and gives you lots of options and variety of how you want to light up your keyboard.

As I mentioned, I have a Corsair keyboard myself, and the amount of stuff you can do with CUE is impressive (I downloaded a lighting theme that recreates the sunrise and sunset, it’s so cool).

All in all the K95 RGB Platinum is a top-end mechanical keyboard, even outside of the Corsair range. It is a bit expensive though, although certainly worth the price if you’re willing to pay it.

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Pros & Cons

• Matte keycaps class the keyboard up
• Relatively cheap

• It’s not as quiet as a non-gaming, general-use keyboard

Specifications:

• Switches: Cherry MX RGB Red
• Palm Rest: Detachable
• Backlit: Yes

Corsair K70 Lux RGB Review

Now, not everybody wants a top of the line keyboard, just one that could handle gaming. The budget-conscious price is what’s great about the K70 LUX; It’s still a gaming keyboard, but it’s cheaper and doesn’t have high-end gaming switches which make day to day life difficult. That being said, this isn’t a bad keyboard by any means.

Even though this is on the lower end range of the Corsair lineup, you still get the best features of their keyboards. Stick-out keys, aluminum finish, and the added benefit of the matte keycaps, which you don’t necessarily find on most of their lineups.

The keys have full RGB backlights, and this is probably one of the cheapest and highest quality mechanical gaming keyboards you’ll find with that feature.

I should mention at this point that you can buy versions with only red or blue LEDs that are $10-$20 cheaper. I always hated mono-color LEDs, and I generally like to keep white backlighting when I’m doing general non-gaming stuff.

The CUE, of course, is still there if you go full RGB, although unfortunately there are no profile switching buttons on the keyboard. Also, the media keys are the old-school variety, and they might be a bit of a pain to use the way the numpad somewhat hides them.

All in all, though, this is one of the best budget gaming keyboards if you don’t plan to spend most of your time gaming.

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Pros & Cons

• Great for use in the living room or from the bed
• Same features as a non-wireless Corsair Keyboard
• Cherry MX Red switches

• Detachable keyboard is a bit annoying when it isn’t on a flat surface

Specifications:

• Switches: Cherry MX RGB Red
• Palm Rest: Detachable
• Backlit: Yes

Corsair K63 Wireless Review

Considering how ubiquitous smart TVs and consoles have become in the living room, it’s no wonder that wireless keyboards are becoming more common. Heck, even I have a wireless keyboard for my living room PC. Thankfully, Corsair has come to the rescue with a wireless keyboard that doesn’t give up anything in the process.

For starters, this keyboard is fully mechanical and features Cherry MX Red switches, which isn’t too common for wireless keyboards. It’s also fully RGB and has media control buttons which are placed in a way that makes them usable, rather than hidden by the numpad. Unfortunately, though, there are no matte keycaps, which isn’t the end of the world.

Of course, the critical bit here is the wireless performance, and you’ll be happy to know it’s aces. Using the 2.4Ghz band, you shouldn’t have any issue connecting it from quite a distance away.

Battery performance is also essential, and Corsair claims 75 hours with backlights switched off, although that drops down to 10 hours if you have the brightness and RGB maxed out.

Corsair K63 Wireless is a great keyboard that delivers gaming performance wirelessly, although it won’t compete with wired keyboards of the same caliber, it’s one of the best wireless gaming keyboards from Corsair.

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Pros & Cons

• Solid design in a compact form factor
• Cheap for what you get

• Only red backlighting
• No palm rest

Specifications:

• Switches: Cherry MX RGB Red
• Palm Rest: None
• Backlit: Yes, Red LED

Corsair K63 Compact Review

So maybe you like Corsair keyboards, but you don’t want to drop a bunch of money on it. You might have noticed that this is mostly just the K63 wireless with only a couple of things missing.

Firstly, there’s no palm rest, which makes a lot of sense when you’re trying to keep the costs down. Another little change is that this isn’t full RGB. Instead, it’s only RED backlighting, which I’m not a super big fan of, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

Otherwise, though, they’re pretty much identical. Cherry MX Red switches, so it’s excellent for gaming, smartly placed media buttons, and finally buttons for brightness and locking the profile. Unfortunately, there are no profile choice buttons, although that’s to be expected with a keyboard this cheap.

It might not be the greatest, but the Corsair K63 is a perfect, cheap, awesome gaming keyboard under $100; with mechanical keys and backlighting.

Best Corsair Keyboard: Buying Guide

Much like mice, what gaming keyboard you chose revolves a lot around what kind of use it’s going to get. There’s no need to get a keyboard with macro keys if you never MMO, use macro keys, or already have an MMO gaming mouse. While I won’t go into super deep detail, I will cover a couple of the crucial points of what you should be mindful of.

Switches

I could write a massively long article on switches, but long story short, switches are exactly what they sound like; a device which switches the state of something from 0 to 1, in this case, when the key is pressed down. Now, at face value, this might seem simple, but there’s a lot of variety here that account for things such as smoothness, travel speed, the clicky sound, and a bunch of stuff.

One of our talented writers on Game Gavel, Courtenay Smith, has written an excellent guide on Cherry MX Red vs. Brown switches, the most common types of switches and their variety. I would suggest you check it out before buying yourself a new keyboard.

Backlighting

This one depends a lot on personal preference, but in most scenarios, you’ll want some backlighting. When you’re gaming, you’re generally meant to do it in a darker environment so that light sources don’t compete with your monitor. So, having backlit keys is a significant positive in seeing what you’re doing.

Now, most modern gaming keyboards have some backlighting, with monochromatic (red or blue) being the most common as it’s cheaper, and with higher-end models having full RGB.

I think it’s worth it to spend some extra bucks on full RGB since you can customize the color, get themes, and even have dynamic lighting (so the keys change color when you press them). Monochromatic is alright, but at some point only red or blue gets tiring to the eyes and boring.

Available Keys

Again, this also has a lot to do with personal preferences. As I alluded to earlier, if you do not need macro buttons, it makes very little sense to spend lots of money on a keyboard that has one.

As for Corsair keyboards specifically, higher-end models tend to have profile switch buttons between lighting types. While it’s very much a luxury, I’ve always enjoyed being able to switch quickly without having to go into CUE first.

Frequently Asked Questions: Top Corsair Keyboards

Are Corsair Keyboards Compatible with Mac?

Yes and no. While the keyboard work just fine, there’s no official build for the Corsair Utility Engine or CUE for short. What’s CUE, you ask? Well…

What Is the Corsair Utility Engine?

The CUE is Corsair’s additional software that allows you more control of your keyboard’s lighting. It will enable you to download themes or even create your themes, and generally customize your lighting. It’s a pretty handy app, although it is a bit of a pain to work with sometimes.

Are Corsair Keyboards Better than the Alternatives?

Yes, absolutely. As I mentioned in the intro, Corsair used to make nothing else except RAM, so the first gen of their keyboards and CUE were a bit finicky. Nowadays, though, Corsair has blossomed into an outstanding peripheral manufacturer.

Still, you should look at some other alternatives before dedicating yourself to a single product.

Do Corsair Keyboards Work with Consoles?

Ehhhh, maybe and maybe not. That’s not a super great answer I know, but the thing is that Corsair keyboards do not have something called USB HID compatibility, which is a keyboard standard. So you have to put the keyboard into BIOS mode, and it might not always work, so it’s a pain to get going.

I would suggest going with a Logitech keyboard if you want something for consoles. Speaking of, I’m shamelessly going to plug my article on the best Logitech keyboards, check it out!

Conclusion

The truth is, I was surprised myself when I bought my Corsair Keyboard. I was fully expecting it to be rubbish for a peripheral coming from a RAM manufacturer. And yet, it was pretty impressive, and I’d recommend getting one of the best Corsair keyboard models to people any day of the week.

Sources:

1. Corsair FAQs, Corsair US