Corsair K100 comes with RGB backlit keys.
Gamers spend a lot of money to get their battlestations loaded with the right specs and while the CPU and GPU and RAM are all important, the keyboard is an equally important part of the gaming experience. You may have the most incredible specification set, but if you’re using a regular keyboard, you are setting yourself up for losses. A gaming keyboard is a must, and even in the gaming keyboard world, there are those that are average, and then some keyboards which stand apart for just how amazing they are. Today, we’re going to look at the Corsair K100 RGB Mechanical Keyboard.
Build and Design
The Corsair K100 RGB Mechanical Keyboard is a full size, 110-key keyboard. This means you get the layout of a regular keyboard, but there’s a few more cool tricks built-in. there’s dedicated media keys on the top right, above which rests a volume roller. On the top left, is a dial flanked by 2 configurable buttons. To the left of the regular keys is a set of 6-keys to which you can bind whatever macros you want, or set them to fire up any application you want. In case you’re wondering, they keyboard we’re testing comes with Cherry MX Speed Silver switches, although there is an optical-mechanical option too.
The keycaps are made out of PBTdouble-shot plastic, so they’re durable. Inside the box, you can also find a set of replacement keycaps that have a metallic-looking finish, which is pretty cool. These new switches are really incredible, and I will talk more about it in a later section. The K100 RGB also offers USB-passthrough, with USB 2.0 connectivity. The keyboard also comes with a very comfortable wrist-rest which attaches magnetically, which is quite convenient.
Keyboard Performance
Those Cherry MX Speed Silver switches that can be found on the Corsair K100 RGB Mechanical Keyboard are quite something. They’re incredibly great to type on, with their short 1.2mm actuation distance. This is particularly an advantage for fps gamers who go striking very rapidly on keys for movement and weapons action. While playing games like CoD Warzone, the Horde mode on Gears 5 and even simpler titles like Forza Horizon 4, the key response was simply incredible. I use a HyperX Alloy keyboard with Cherry MX Red keys which can get really loud and “clackety” but these Speed Silver switches are quite soft sounding.
Corsair K100 also comes extra keys that can be assigned for various things.
When it comes to the macros and all the additional dials and knobs, everything is configurable from Corsair’s iCue software. It starts with lighting controls, which there are a lot of options to choose from. You can also load game-specific lighting profiles if you want, which can help reduce the distraction one may feel from a fully-lit keyboard. What I particularly, like is the dials that offer so much control. While gamers might not find this to be the most useful feature, content creators will love it for its flexibility. I was able to use the left dial to zoom in and out of photos in Photoshop. The Macro keys are also going to appease RTS or RPG players, as you can easily record your macros and bind them to the extra keys on the left, and all this is easy to do through the Corsair iCue software.
It comes with a iCUE control wheel.
I have to say this, the Corsair K100 RGB Mechanical keyboard is incredible for gaming. Its extremely customizable, making it suitable for all kinds of gamers and gaming styles. I presume it would also find favour with content creators, given the ability to bind macros (can be used for specific editing actions), fire up applications as needed and the Corsair wheel offering the ability to be customised in a way that best suits your editing needs. I have a friend who loved using it to expand and contract his editing timeline in Premiere Pro, a task that usually takes several key combinations and mouse clicks to get right. While iCue allows you to customise the behavior of the keyboard, you can also swap out the keycaps for a custom set, allowing you to truly make this keyboard your own.
Conclusion
It also comes with a dedicated volume controller.
The Corsair K100 RGB Mechanical keyboard is a great example of luxury meeting peak performance. Would it be fair to call it a Lamborghini of the keyboard world? I don’t know because I’ve never driven a Lambo. But what I do know is that this keyboard is so incredibly customizable, the Speed Silver switches so responsive that I would most likely have trouble going to another keyboard. If you’ve got the money, this keyboard is a no brainer. You might be tempted to consider Razer given the price, but remember, Corsair has service and warranty service in India, which helps in case you run into any hardware issues with the keyboard.
