Corsair K100 RGB | Review
Corsair's new proposal is at the top of the mechanical keyboard market, with a list price of 250 euros (at the time of writing, the Corsair K100 RGB costs 220 euros on Amazon) and a good number of features dedicated to the most demanding gamers, starting from the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches up to the presence of dedicated macro keys: the six buttons located in the leftmost column can in fact be completely customized, so that perform predefined actions based on the game (or software) running.
Beyond the "hidden" features, the Corsair K100 RGB presents itself as a full size keyboard complete with numeric keypad, with polycarbonate keycap (better than ABS, although not at the levels of the PBT present on the American model), RGB lighting for fully customizable key, quick keys for volume control and multimedia playback and a particular control wheel, located at the top left, which allows you to perform various operations: by pressing the central key, the one with the logo iCUE, you scroll through the different modes available, while rotating it you change the settings of each mode. Everything can be configured through the iCUE software and it is possible to manage RGBs, scroll a page vertically or horizontally, zoom in, record macros and more. This wheel is perhaps the most interesting addition, both for video games and for PC use in general, as it offers an extra tool that is comfortable in many situations, if properly configured.
By default , the control wheel glows blue when it is set to handle RGB, green when it can be used to move music or other multimedia content back and forth, and red when used to record macros, without going through iCUE. The factory also has another profile, white, which allows you to go to the previous / next song or video; it is an option that we have practically never used, given the presence of keys dedicated to this function on the opposite side of the keyboard.
Being a full size keyboard, the Corsair K100 RGB takes up a lot of space on the desk: it is almost 50 cm wide (47, to be exact) and it is 16.5 cm deep, which becomes 23.5 cm when the palm rest is connected. The design is very reminiscent of the K95 Platinum XT a couple of years ago, with the macros on the left and the multimedia controls and the volume wheel at the top right, with the control wheel we talked about above as the only substantial difference. The cable that connects it to the PC is long enough and, even if quite thick, quite simple to manage in terms of cable management; there are two USBs to connect to the computer, one for the keyboard, the other to enable the USB type A port on the Corsair K100 RGB, to which accessories such as the Corsair iCUE Nexus can also be connected. Finally, we add that, to enable the 4000Hz polling rate and take advantage of all the features offered, it is necessary to connect the keyboard to USB 3.0 ports.
User experience
Even in use outside of gaming, the Corsair K100 RGB performs well . The magnetic palm rest is easy to attach and detach and is very soft, ensuring excellent support when using the device; in the writing we initially noticed some double typing too many, probably due to the too ease with which you can press the keys, but it took us very little time to get used to it and "corrects the shot", so as to practically no longer make mistakes. Overall, the Corsair K100 RGB is also promoted as a "classic" keyboard, not just for gaming, with the control wheel offering extra customizable features that are extremely convenient and, in certain situations, can speed up workflow; we have used it on several occasions to switch from one application to another and above all to zoom in software such as Photoshop.
The only flaw we have noticed during these weeks of use is related to the sound of the keyboard. Like all mechanics it is quite noisy, although not as loud as a device with clicky switches, however the sound of this Corsair K100 RGB is empty, with the space bar stabilizers almost annoying. Let's clarify that there are very few non-custom mechanical keyboards on the market with a nice sound, but if you intend to use the Corsair K100 RGB in a common environment, know that you could annoy those around you (especially in an office, or in an editorial office like ours).
Conclusions
The Corsair K100 RGB has all the credentials to be counted among the best gaming keyboards: it is robust, comfortable to use, full of functionality and supported by mature and reliable software, devoid of the problems that could be encountered in previous versions. The control wheel is the real "plus" of this keyboard, even if it has proved to be much more useful during work and leisure than in games: we have practically never used it during our sessions, never considering it appropriate to remove a hand from the keyboard to interact with the wheel and preferring the use of dedicated macro keys.The 4000Hz polling rate certainly offers an advantage in the game, especially in multiplayer games, but probably the only ones who will notice it really they are the professionals. Similarly, Cherry MX Speed Silver switches allow us to further reduce the latency between when we give the input and when the command is shown on the screen. In this sense, we are confident that the Corsair OPX opto-mechanical switches present on some Corsair K100 RGB models will guarantee better performance and even lower latencies, since they record the input after a stroke of only 1 millimeter.
Beyond the noise problems we have talked about, common to all mechanical keyboards and which may not be of interest to many of you, the biggest criticality of the Corsair K100 RGB is the price, of 220 euros at the time of writing. This is undoubtedly a high figure even for a top-of-the-range peripheral, which could make many desist from buying, especially if you consider the fact that with the same amount it is possible to grab competing models that have a couple of less features. but they are wireless, like the Logitech G9125 Lightspeed.
Summing up, if you want the best wired gaming keyboard on the market for both functionality and performance and you could take advantage of the control wheel, you should get this Corsair K100 RGB . If, on the other hand, you can do without some features and want a wireless model, you could opt for the aforementioned Logitech G915 Lightspeed, or even better, you could save tens of euros by opting for a cheaper wired model, such as the Corsair K70 RGB PRO. br>
