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Corsair K70 Professional TKL: Two-minute evaluate
Corsair is not any stranger to the world of PC peripherals. A few of my favourite inventory gaming keyboards, just like the K100 Air, fly Corsair sails. So it is no shock that the Corsair K70 Professional TKL comes with a sure air of polish and and premium really feel that different boards attempt to duplicate however in the end cannot nail down.
Nonetheless, this keyboard will not be making its means into my daily-driver arsenal, and it is for 2 most important causes: no hot-swap help, and a pointy, noisy typing sound.
If this keyboard’s pre-lubed Corridor impact magnetic switches have been hot-swappable, it might resolve each points directly; I might be capable of change up the sound and really feel on the pull of a change.
However not everybody desires to purchase and apply all new units of switches and keycaps. Many avid gamers simply wish to take a keyboard out of the field, have it give them an edge over the competitors, and look good doing it. The K70 Professional TKL is a unbelievable choice in that regard.
And, with Corsair’s iCUE software program, you do have fairly a couple of choices for personalisation with regards to actuation, RGB lighting, macros, and extra. Plus, it is truly fairly intuitive to make use of, which is greater than could be mentioned for many peripheral software program.
When you favor the liberty and security of full customization, this is not the board for you. I might go for one thing just like the Keychron Q6 Max as an alternative, which, regardless of its larger worth level, affords the power to restore a change when it breaks quite than buying a complete new keyboard or breaking out a soldering iron. This does not provide the efficiency of Corridor impact switches, however actually, until you are on the summit of aggressive gaming, you are in all probability not going to note a discernable distinction.
However, if you wish to plug and play with a number of the greatest efficiency and options of any keyboard on the block, the Corsair K70 Professional TKL is your probability.
Corsair K70 Professional TKL: Value & Availability
- How a lot does it price? $179.99 / £169.99
- When is it out there? Obtainable now
- The place are you able to get it? Obtainable within the US and UK
The value could also be a bit exhausting to swallow at first look – $180 for a keyboard positively is not low cost. However while you examine it to the best gaming keyboards available on the market, that worth actually is not too far off (in reality it is extra reasonably priced than many premium gaming keyboards).
There are two customization choices you may have earlier than buying: selecting between Black and White colorways and choosing both ABS or PBT double-shot keycaps.
ABS keycaps are typically a bit cheaper to supply however the legends aren’t as clear and will degrade over time extra simply. PBT, which comes with a $10 upcharge, solves these points.
Corsair K70 Professional TKL: Design
This Corsair board has quite a bit going for it when it comes to design. My evaluate unit got here within the black colorway, and you’ll’t get far more traditional than that. It supplies a pleasant distinction to the RGB lighting, which I am going to contact on extra later on this part.
Again to the chassis for now although. It is an fascinating mixture of plastic – which covers the skin of the keyboard – and an aluminum high plate that provides this TKL keyboard a satisfying mix of light-weight portability and hearty structural integrity.
Beneath that high plate is a sound-dampening layer of silicone, adopted by the premium Corridor-effect-ready PCB, after which one other layer of silicone to maintain issues quiet.
Sadly, I am unable to say these silicone layers accomplish a complete lot. One in every of my most important gripes with this keyboard is the loud, harsh clacking and pinging sounds as you sort.
For some folks, this would possibly not matter in any respect as a result of it is all about options and effectivity. For the mechanical keyboard geeks on the market who like to crack open a shell and begin stuffing tape and foam inside to get that excellent sound (taking a look at you, me) you will in all probability cross in favor of one thing extra customizable.
Equally, this board is barely out there in a USB-C wired model – which will not matter for some and can make a world of distinction for others.
Onto the stabilizers: they’re plate mounted, which I’ve gone on record as saying aren’t my favorite. Whereas they’re nonetheless fairly simple to interchange, they do not provide the identical degree of safety and acoustic accoutrement that screw-in stabs do. That is obvious each time you hit the rattly house bar and it screeches “ping!” again at you.
There are loads of upsides, too. I really like a vertical quantity knob, particularly one which lets me mute my audio with a faucet. You too can configure this to vary RGB brightness and zoom ranges, or just use it as a scroll wheel.
And to the left of that quantity knob are two buttons which you could configure in iCUE, Corsair’s customization app. These present some good performance like locking into Gaming Mode (which disables the alt-f4 and the Home windows key for unintended closures and alt-tabs), and no matter else you assign to the second button.
That is additionally the place you possibly can select your RGB lighting results to boost your setup. There are prebuilt templates like respiratory and wave results, however it’s also possible to choose particular person keys and completely different results to create your individual designs.
Turning the board over, there are two ft you possibly can flip out for a little bit of added peak framing a futuristic-looking again plate. These aren’t dangerous, although I are likely to go flat-footed with my keyboards anyway.
I am additionally an enormous fan of the TKL type issue as a result of I believe it hits all the fitting areas with out consuming away all of your desk house.
Plus, there’s the star of the present: these MGX Hyperdrive magnetic Corridor impact switches. Whereas I do not suppose the common gamer wants them, they’re very quick. And you can also make them even sooner by adjusting actuation ranges in iCUE.
Additionally they come pre-lubed, which is superior to see extra keyboard corporations undertake. Keychron has been doing it for years, and it is an edge I at all times gave to its keyboards when reviewing them – it seems like that is altering in latest occasions, and I am all for it. It simply makes every part really feel that a lot smoother – and doing it your self is tedious.
The magnetic wrist relaxation can also be a welcome and well-polished addition, and I discovered the keyboard snug to make use of each with and with out it. That is the factor: this keyboard truly feels fairly good to sort on if you happen to like a fast, snappy change – it simply wants to scrub up the sound and customization departments.
Corsair K70 Professional TKL: Efficiency
That is the place the Corsair K70 Professional TKL shines. It has all of the cool gaming options you possibly can consider and a few I assure you did not.
Beginning with the formalities, I by no means observed any ghosting, double-typing, or some other low-budget keyboard issues right here. The K70 Professional TKL was stable by means of and thru.
Onto the cool stuff. Beginning with Corsair’s “Fast Set off” tech, this allows you to feed inputs one after the opposite in speedy succession with out having to launch the opposite key. In follow, meaning you possibly can “a” and “d” round a nook to jiggle peak faster than somebody utilizing inferior {hardware}. You possibly can take this even additional with adjustable actuation factors, which allow you to activate a keystroke on the drop of a hat.
There’s additionally twin actuation, which helps you to assign two functionalities to 1 key – like strolling if you happen to press the important thing down half means, or sprinting if you happen to put the pedal to the metallic.
With these lightning quick key inputs comes the potential for sport successful performs, but additionally thoughts numbing errors. Say you unintentionally fats finger your final key in a MOBA or WASD in Counter-Strike 2 while you meant to be holding an angle – it is a double-edged sword.
Fortunately, Corsair considered this forward of time and carried out a neat characteristic that cuts down on these unintended inputs: FlashTap tech. FlashTap enables you to “prioritize the primary, final, or neither enter” when clicking two keys on the identical time, which could be a lifesaver. It is disabled by default however could be toggled on with FN + Proper Shift.
Mix all of that with Corsair’s Axon tech that provides this keyboard a polling charge of 8,000Hz, and you’ve got one critically speedy keyboard.
Do you have to purchase the Corsair K70 Professional TKL?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Ranking |
|---|---|---|
|
Worth: |
$180 is quite a bit for a keyboard, there is no getting round that. However it’s no dearer than the opposite high-quality gaming keyboards available on the market, and also you do get loads of pace and options in return. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Design: |
The design for a inventory keyboard is stable, although I’d’ve favored to see scorching swap capabilities and screw-in stabilizers for the worth level. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Efficiency: |
If efficiency is paramount in your eyes, the K70 Professional TKL is difficult to beat. Its MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches and suite of customization choices in iCUE positions it as a unbelievable out of the field board. |
5 / 5 |
|
Common score: |
The Corsair K70 Professional TKL is a nice selection for these looking for the very best efficiency out there. Nonetheless, it isn’t one dimension suits all. When you like customizing your keyboard or are purchasing on a funds, you must look elsewhere. |
4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Corsair K70 Professional TKL: Additionally Contemplate
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How I examined the Corsair K70 Professional TKL
I changed my each day driver gaming keyboard with the Corsair K70 Professional TKL for 2 weeks. I performed video games from all completely different genres, carried out typing exams to evaluate n-key rollover and ghosting, and used it for normal typing and net looking.
I have been a PC gamer for greater than a decade, and I’ve reviewed numerous keyboards from OEMs like Corsair, Keychron, Das Key, and lots of extra. I regularly mod and customise mechanical keyboards to nail down my favourite really feel (till I discover my new favourite).
First reviewed March 2025