Again in 2021, we reviewed the Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Sequence mechanical gaming keyboard, an extremely stable keyboard that may actually assist FPS and MOBA fiends who want the very best gear attainable. It’s been a 12 months since then. Now, Corsair is again with an up to date model of this gaming keyboard for us to overview, dubbed the 2022 K70 RGB TKL Champion Sequence Optical-Mechanical.
There are some distinctions between final 12 months’s and this 12 months’s model, however gauging whether or not or not it’s price justifying one other improve for $150 is determined by what you’re in search of. However for these in search of one thing new altogether, the up to date Corsair K70 TKL will do you effectively, particularly at its aggressive value.
At first look, the 2022 K70 TKL appears to be like the identical as final 12 months’s mannequin. The distinction is the substitute of the MX Cherry Purple mechanical switches in favor of recent Corsair OPX optical switches. The shortage of optical switches was a sticking level for us final 12 months, contemplating the Corsair K70 TKL Champion Sequence is a keyboard sequence supposed for aggressive audiences. That’s what makes this 12 months’s improve nice to see for us. Lots of the different options nonetheless stay: the keyboard nonetheless hails an 8,000Hz polling through iCUE, 50 onboard profiles, and options like media keys (mute button, quantity wheel, what have you ever.)
Nonetheless a tenkeyless dream
This keyboard presents a small dimension for portability. The TKL branding stands for tenkeyless, that means the quantity pad often discovered on the appropriate aspect of the keyboard is gone. What you get is a wide-open area that enables for simpler mouse actions. When you play video games like Valorant which require tons of extensive mouse flicks, you’ll wish to take into account a tenkeyless keyboard like this one. TKLs aren’t the smallest keyboards on the market although. The standard House, Insert, Delete, and so forth. buttons and arrow keys are nonetheless out there to be used.
Personally talking, a quantity pad has by no means been greater than a hindrance, so it’s at all times good to have extra desk area when utilizing a keyboard. The keyboard additionally comes with media performance that provides a layer of comfort, with a cease button, final observe, pause/play, and subsequent observe button for individuals who blast music whereas enjoying video games. There’s additionally a mute button and quantity wheel on the highest proper of the keyboard, in addition to a match lock button and one which adjusts the RGB lighting of your keyboard. These conveniences are all tremendously helpful, particularly the amount bar. Not having to alt-tab to make my sport louder or quieter is just not solely handy, however genuinely useful, so having options like this on a keyboard is at all times welcome.
Talking of RGB, the Corsair K70 has a powerful gentle package deal with the power to customise every particular person key with colours and patterns, together with the brand on the prime. You too can set a number of lighting profiles if you happen to like to change issues up relying on the sport or your temper. An added perk is a devoted lighting key to dim the sunshine depth as wanted. Taking a while to customise the lighting in case your keyboard is nice enjoyable too.
Specs and options
Design-wise, the 2022 Corsair K70 RGB TKL mechanical keyboard maintains the identical plastic physique and aluminum body. It feels stable, gentle, and moveable. The rubber pads on the again of the keyboard hold it from slipping and sliding. Every thing, basically, feels sturdy and splendid.
Transferring on, the 2022 Corsair K70 retains most of the normal options of the final keyboard, corresponding to full key rollover and 100% anti-ghosting, permitting the keyboard to detect your entire fast key mashes. Like final 12 months’s version, this keyboard resists put on and tear on the keys because of sturdy PBT double-shot keycaps. Moreover, there’s the removable USB Sort-C port for straightforward swapping, and a properly braided wire with a fastener to maintain all the things neat and tidy throughout journey.
As beforehand talked about, one of many key upgrades over the 2021 K70 are the Corsair unique OPX optical switches, which use gentle and sensors to detect keystrokes versus normal steel contacts. This enables the keyboard to detect keypresses sooner, close to the velocity of sunshine, whereas additionally giving the keyboard a extra nice really feel when you mash in your keys. Compared, mechanical switches typically have an extended delay because of debounce and may be milliseconds slower. Fanatic-grade Corsair merchandise have typically been upgraded to optical switches, so we’ll doubtless see extra implementations sooner or later.
Seems like air
The K70 RGB TKL Champion Sequence is a aggressive keyboard meant for tremendous quick keystrokes and speedy suggestions. That ought to undoubtedly be a main cause for getting this keyboard. However in any other case, the K70 feels first rate for normal use or work. Nonetheless, the keys do really feel overly delicate at occasions, and I typically really feel inputs going by means of whereas merely resting my arms on the board. This generally is a good or dangerous factor relying on what you want, however on the very least, it was absolutely useful whereas diving into MOBAs and FPS video games.
Certainly, there’s not plenty of effort required when urgent down on the keys. Urgent down on the keys feels gentle and ethereal, and it feels just like the lightest faucet will undergo nearly instantly. Moreover, the stabilizers beneath the bigger keycaps hold all the things from rattling, clacking, and tilting whereas I sort, and is one other side of the keyboard that’s nice and indicative of its correct design. General, the responsiveness of the keyboard is a boon when enjoying video games both competitively or casually, however I wouldn’t suggest it as my first alternative for duties like typing. That’s to not say it doesn’t get the job finished, however there are different extra applicable choices for productiveness duties.
Fast and speedy
One of many core options of the keyboard is the power to cut back latency to ridiculously low quantities by means of elevated polling charges. In easy phrases, the devoted Axon tech inside the iCUE software program talks with the keyboard on extra frequent intervals to ship sooner enter updates. This in flip means that you can react to the motion faster in fast-paced video games. Just like the 2021 K70, the 2022 K70 has a default polling fee of 1,000Hz, equating to a response time of 1 millisecond. Utilizing Corsair’s Axon know-how, you possibly can enhance the polling fee to eight,000Hz, which drops latency all the way down to a mere 0.125 milliseconds. As a observe, you’ll want a direct connection to the motherboard to make this work.
I used to be skeptical this may enhance how I really feel about my inputs and the way in which totally different actions register by means of the keyboard, however there’s a sure crispness to the inputs when the polling fee is maxed out. The downside is that you just’ll want to show this on by means of iCUE and hold this system operating. You’ll additionally want a beefy CPU to let it run at 8,000Hz. I didn’t discover that many efficiency points with the polling fee set to eight,000Hz on my eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, however it’s one thing to bear in mind.
Talking of iCUE, the software program ran easily and was straightforward to digest. I discovered it straightforward to navigate all the menus, whether or not it was to regulate the RGB lighting on my keyboard, or to vary the polling fee. As a observe, my keyboard got here with match mode on default, so the iCUE software program didn’t initially acknowledge my keyboard. There have been some delicate frustrations with that, so ensure that match mode is switched off earlier than attempting to tinker with iCUE.
Must you purchase the Corsair 2022 K70 RGB TKL Champion Sequence Optical-Mechanical keyboard?
Whereas I by no means received my arms on the 2021 version, the inclusion of optical switches and the overall high quality of this keyboard makes it a straightforward suggestion for gamers who’re into aggressive video games and esports. It comes with enjoyable and easy-to-use software program, is constructed effectively, and customarily has tons of options that make this board nice for each gaming and normal use (though your mileage could range on the latter). It has actually changed my mechanical keyboard from Logitech, and I don’t see any cause to change again in the mean time.
Priced competitively at $150 USD, you get tons of options with out the clunky numpad on the aspect (who cares, actually?). It is a nice buy for many who wish to rank up in all of their aggressive video games. The addition of optical switches addresses one of many few points present in final 12 months’s version, and any revisions sooner or later will excellent an almost excellent product already. Maybe the one sticking level for some individuals would be the lack of an included wrist relaxation, and there isn’t an official wrist relaxation for this mannequin as of but. Whereas it’s not a deal breaker for me personally, it’s one thing to bear in mind.
This model is $10 USD extra compared to the usual model with MX Cherry Switches. In the case of deciding between these two variations, I wouldn’t low-cost out over just some additional {dollars}. You should purchase the Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Sequence Optical-Mechanical Keyboard on Corsair’s official web site.
