What’s up guys, in today’s Tech Gear Talk we’re going to look at the new Corsair K70 RGB MK 2 mechanical keyboard. This is an updated version of the original K70 which was released 4 years ago. Corsair has made some nice upgrades in the MK2 so let’s get to the review.
Buy the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2
Buy the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 SE (Silver)
Alright, so let’s looks at some key features of this keyboard and then go into them in a little more detail.
The Corsair K70 RGB MK2 that I’ll be reviewing:
My goal with every product review is to give you a detailed overview of the product features as well as hands-on experience so that you can make an informed buying decision. If you find it helpful please let me know by giving it a like and hitting the subscribe and notification button for more keyboard and tech reviews.
I also want to give a shoutout to Corsair for sending me this keyboard to review.
Alright, so let’s look at the K70 MK2 in more detail. Also, if you need help with the best way to clean a mechanical keyboard – I created a tutorial for you.
The K70 MK.2 is also offered in a special edition silver aluminum frame with white keys which looks sick.
Back to the brushed aluminum version, the space bar is textured and gives the board a very unique look. The MK.2 uses the new large typeface that you’ll see on the new Corsair boards. I like how much of the led light passes through this wide font and you really get to see the colors not just around the keys but through them.
Next let’s look at the upgraded Corsair logo in the center of the board which is now RGB rather than chrome like on some previous boards. That’s a super nice touch and provides a more consistent look with the rest of the MK.2.
Which bring me to the colors! The K70 MK.2 offers per-key RGB backlighting which means you could technically program each key to use a different color. Some people are going to take advantage of this high level of customization and some are going to be happy with the variety of onboard pre-installed effects.
Using Corsair’s CUE software, you’ll have access to the entire RGB spectrum of over 16 million colors so that you can choose from any hue combination you can think of. Again, if you don’t feel like messing around with it, you can choose from the various lighting patterns which are available by default..
With most presets you can also select the speed and direction of the movement which is really cool.
Now, I mentioned this before, but I’m not someone who’s going to spend hours creating and customizing my own lighting effects. I’m more than happy with the provided presets. But one of the things I really like about the Corsair ecosystem is that if you go to their website you can find a ton of profiles that other people have created and uploaded. Then you can just download one that you like and use it.
This particular board came with 100% gold-contact CHERRY MX RED keyswitches that have been super responsive and accurate for me.
The Cherry MX Reds are linear keyboard switches. They don’t have tactile or audible feedback to let you know that you’re past the actuation point, which is at about 1.5mm. So you’re either bottoming out or with practice, you learn where the actuation point is and get used to it.
I really like the smooth, linear response and they have worked great for me when I’m playing, programming, designing and editing.
The K70 MK.2 is a standard full-sized board, and not a Tenkeyless board, which is sometimes a consideration if you’re tight on space.
In short I will just say that the combination of anti-ghosting and NKRO ensures that no matter how fast you use this keyboard, or how much of a masher you are, every single keypress is registered correctly.
Going back to the Cherry MX Reds, they are also very quiet so this particular variant isn’t as clicky as the one that uses the BLUES for example. The K70 MK.2 is offered with red, blue, brown, silent, and speed keyswitches so you can choose the sound and tactile feedback you like best.
I’ll give you a sound test so that you get an idea of what the REDS sound like.
On the right, above the number pad you’ll find the dedicated media buttons. You have a Stop, Previous, Play/Pause and a Next button. Above that row of buttons you’ll see the Mute button as well as a the Volume rocker which replaces the volume up and down keys.
The volume rocker is super smooth and accurate and like this new functionality better than the buttons in the original K70.
Going back to the multimedia keys, you can see that the design is more consistent with the rest of the keys on the board. Rather than the squishy, rubbery buttons used on some boards Corsair opted for this new style which really gives the board a more refined and premium look.
I mentioned this before but I love having a mute button on the board itself so I can quickly turn off the sound if I get a call, without having to fumble to get to the speaker volume control.
There are 3 other keys on top-left of the board. The first allows you to switch profiles. This way you can set up different profiles and then switch them on the fly. The board does come with 8MB of onboard profile storage so that you can use the stored profiles without the need for the CUE software. This lets you take this board with you, plug it in anywhere, and use your lighting settings.
The next button is a dedicated key for controlling the brightness of the keyboard. You can use it to alternate between three brightness levels and an OFF state.
And finally there is a key that will let you lock the Windows key. This feature is critical for gaming so you don’t accidently hit the Windows key and dump yourself out to the desktop in the middle of a game.
Next, Corsair did include textured FPS and MOBA keycap sets as well as a keycap removal tool which is something I now expect from a high-end board.
Moving on, the MK.2 also comes with a detachable palm rest to add comfort and support. I’m at my desk for 10-12 hours a day so ergonomics are a priority for me. My desk can be moved up and down so I always make sure that the keyboard is at the optimal height, but I like the additional support this clip-on palm-rest offers.
It is plastic and so it doesn’t actually add a ton of padding per-say. But if your keyboard is positioned at the appropriate height, and your arms are resting comfortably, there shouldn’t be a lot of pressure on your palms to begin with. And this board is extremely comfortable even after hours of use.
The cord on the back of the MK.2 is a very thick USB cable with a splitter which of course is needed if you plan on using the USB pass-through port on the back of the board. You can use this USB port for a mouse, USB headset or any other peripheral.
Let’s take a look at the bottom of the board. There are little risers on the back on the keyboard that can be flipped up to tilt the keyboard a bit. It’s something you may use if you find that the slight angle change is more comfortable.
And finally there are also underside cable routing channels to help with cable management.
The Cherry MX Red keyswitches are super responsive and 100% anti-ghosting and full key rollover make sure each keystroke is always registered correctly. I love the new look and accessibility of the dedicated multimedia controls and the volume rocker works very smoothly.
If you’re a casual or competitive gamer, or even if you don’t game but are just a super heavy computer user, give this board a look.
The K70 RGB MK2 model sells for $159.99 and I’ll put links in the description because there are always specials and discounts and the links will be automatically updated with the lowest pricing.
I really hope this video gave you a good overview of the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2. If it did, please let me know by giving it a thumbs up, tweet it, share it, and if you haven’t yet, hit that subscribe and notification buttons.
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Good luck and see you soon.
Buy the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2
Buy the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 SE (Silver)
