Corsair Gaming K70 RGB TKL

Mit den beiden ersten Produkten aus der Champions Series, der K70 RGB TKL sowie der Sabre RGB Pro (Auch ohne RGB verfügbar) hat Corsair zwei funktionale und hochwertige Eingabegeräte geschaffen.

Und schon wieder bringt Corsair neue Peripherie heraus, sogar gleich eine komplett neue Reihe. Unter dem Namen “Champion Series” ordnet man eine neue Maus und Tastatur ein, die zusammen mit eSportlern getestet sowie entwickelt wurden. Heute schauen wir uns erstmal die Tastatur an, die Maus folgt in Kürze.

Für einen Preis von 149,99 € erhält man mit der Corsair K70 RGB TKL eine kompakte mechanische Gaming-Tastatur mit Cherry MX RGB Switches, 8.000 Hz (dank Corsair AXON Hyper-Processing Technology) und individueller Beleuchtung. Der neue Tournament Switch ermöglicht ein schnelles Abschalten aller störenden Faktoren für ein ablenkungsfreies Spielerlebnis. Aufgrund der Verarbeitung, der Optik und den enthaltenen Features überzeugt uns das Gesamtpaket der Tenkeyless-Tastatur, sodass wir der Corsair K70 RGB TKL eine klare Empfehlung vergeben.

Die neue Champion Series hat Corsair in Zusammenarbeit mit E-Sportlern entwickelt. Mit der Tastatur K70 RGB TKL Champion Series und der Maus Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series können wir die ersten Modelle direkt zum Launch testen und herausfinden, wie "tournament-ready" sie wirklich sind.

And again Corsair releases new peripherals, even a completely new series. Under the name “Champion Series” you can find a new mouse and keyboard, which were tested and developed together with eSportsmen. Today we’ll first look at the keyboard, the mouse will follow shortly.

After the release of the CORSAIR K100, it was evident that the flagship was introducing new features that would eventually trickle down the product segment. Adopting a new keycap mold for PBT doubleshot keycaps using the more standard bottom-row spacing also meant it would happen sooner rather than later, so an overhaul of their keyboards was due in 2021. I expected maybe a K70 keyboard, but thus far, we already got two different keyboard lines from the company. The K65 Mini is a 60% form factor keyboard that released last week, one of several new 60% keyboards that have come up recently. The K70 RGB TKL is much more common with its tenkeyless form factor, but still new in that it takes the design scheme of the popular K70 and literally shrinks it down.

With a keyboard like the K70 RGB TKL, it’s easy to see why Corsair is the leading brand for high-end gaming keyboards. This really is as good as they get, and a pretty easy day in the office for me too, as I’ve nothing but praise for it.

Whenever a new version of a mechanical keyboard comes out it's always a bit of a trail to try and discover what exactly is the difference between this Cherry MX equipped keyboard and dozens of others. With the Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Series we have no difficulty at all in determining what makes this different to the K70 Mk2, or K70 Mk2 SE. Let's get the basics ticked off. As you would expect from a Corsair keyboard the build quality is excellent. There is a reassuring weight to the keyboard that lets you know it's well built without making it unduly heavy. It's a careful balance to strike and in a keyboard that is designed primarily to be taken to gaming tournaments the need to keep it light but robust is important. There is no flex in the chassis and the key caps remained firmly in place even after some vigorous shaking. The design, with the keys a little lower than the 'shelf' at the back which houses the dedicated media keys and famous volume roller, is very comfortable to use and everything is within easy reach.

The mechanical keyboards market is packed and full of diverse products, Corsair clearly wants to create something new. Granted, the TKL format is nothing new (also for Corsair), but here, you get a tenkeyless-form-factor keyboard with pleasant Cherry MX Red switches, PBT keycaps, 8,000 Hz polling rate, full NKRO, and 100% anti-ghosting. That's damn premium. Overall a good package. This (Champion) series is targeted even at the pro gamer segment, as it allows you to automatically swap to distraction-free static backlighting and disable accidental macro activations in the so-called tournament mode. This makes it really good for gamers, but not only them, because this keyboard also has dedicated media keys and a volume roller (I just love them), which makes it a great ‘daily driver’. The quality is really great, and the keyboard is rigid thanks to the aluminium frame (and very stable with those rubbery feet), while iCUE works really well (there’s been a re-design recently) and allows synchronization with other Corsair stuff, as well as per-key lighting adjustment. MX Red switches work well are very pleasant to use, but that’s not surprising at all, and they’re also a safe choice. A range of other switch options is available (MX Cherry Silent Red and MX Cherry Speed), so potential buyers should find their match easily. For everything that it offers, the K70 RGB TKL deserves the “Recommended” award, although the price is quite steep (as it's 149.99 USD).

As expected, the Cherry MX Red switches performed well with both games and normal typing. For the most part, I did not notice much of a difference with the 8000Hz polling rate compared to the standard 1000Hz polling rate. It was very difficult to tell since 1000Hz (one millisecond) was quick enough already. Not that I am against the 8000Hz polling rate, but I am sure it will come in handy in some special occasions.

The optical-mechanical version of the CORSAIR K70 RGB TKL keyboard is a recent release and costs $149.99 from the CORSAIR web shop, and this SKU currently only seems to be available in select regions. The mechanical switch versions are all less expensive, including for the popular Cherry MX Red RGB switch, on a sale for $110 right now. The Cherry MX Speed version costs $140. This makes the new OPX version a though sale, though I would think the $10 hike over the equivalent mechanical switch option is worth the advantages of optical switches for this keyboard designed with competitive gaming in mind. But in the year since the original keyboard released, a lot of other companies have improved their own keyboard offerings. CORSAIR's iCUE is increasingly becoming less of a unique selling point with increased bloat and others catching up in features and UI. The stock PBT doubleshot keycaps and standard bottom row are nice, making for a good working solution out of the box with the ability to use customized keycaps to your heart's desire. However, I want to see properly lubed stabilizers and perhaps switches, a move to non-Cherry switches if it costs a lot, over to the likes of Kailh switches I personally think are better and more customizable, and foam and silicone sheets for keystroke dampening. While I am at it, a modular aspect to iCUE might not be too bad an idea given how many products the current software suite supports, especially knowing the average end user only owns a fraction of those. Regardless, I am happy to see CORSAIR OPX switches make a return, and we will hopefully see them included for upcoming keyboards in more regions on day on