At first we would like to thank Corsair for offering us the STRAFE RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Cherry MX Silent) for testing and reviewing.

 

About Corsair:

"Founded in 1994, Corsair has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market to one of the world’s leading providers of enthusiast-grade PC components and peripherals. Our groundbreaking technology and innovation can be found in our high-performance memory, ultra-efficient power supplies, PC cases, PC and CPU cooling solutions, and solid-state storage devices. Under the Corsair Gaming brand, launched in 2014, we provide gaming keyboards, mice, headsets and mouse mats to eSports professionals and anybody who is passionate about competitive PC gaming.

 

Corsair hardware is regularly featured in showcase “dream systems,” and we have earned the adulation and respect of the press, professional gamers and overclockers, high-end system integrators, and PC enthusiasts worldwide by delivering leading-edge technology backed by renowned service and support.

 

Corsair has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships, and our products are available through leading distributors and retailers in over sixty countries worldwide."

Product Features:

 

Ultra Quiet

 

Cherry MX Silent high-performance key switches make it up to 30% quieter than other mechanical gaming keyboards. And like standard Cherry MX switches, they’re German built, with gold-crosspoint contacts, gold-plated contact closures, and pressure-resistant metal alloy springs for the precise control you need for a competitive advantage.

 

Multi-color dynamic RGB backlighting

 

Brilliant RGB LED backlighting immerses you in the game with virtually unlimited adjustability.

 

USB pass-through port

 

It’s ready for your mouse, phone, or wireless headset adapter, and strategically positioned for uninterrupted game play by keeping the cable out of the line of fire.

 

FPS and MOBA keycap sets

 

Personalize your Strafe RGB for your game of choice. The textured, contoured keycaps enable enhanced grip and feel.

 

Detachable soft-touch wrist rest

 

It’s textured to provide just the right amount of grip to keep your hands in place and provide long-lasting comfort.

 

GAMING GRADE CIRCUITRY

 

100% anti-ghosting with 104 key rollover on USB ensures that every keypress registers, no matter how fast you play.

 

Easy-access multimedia controls

 

Make on-the-fly audio adjustments without interrupting your game. And when you’re not competing, they provide an easy way to play, pause, and skip audio tracks.

 

CUE it up

 

CUE Link harnesses the power of CUE to connect your Corsair RGB keyboard, mouse, and headset to work in harmony for the ultimate lighting experience.

 

Spectro Syncing, Triple Rainbow, Ride the Wave, and Reactive Ripple will take your gaming to an entirely new level.

 

Fully programmable

 

Reassign any key, or set up the most extreme macros for effortless gaming control.

 

A complete professional gaming package

 

Everything you need to step up your game is in the box: a detachable wrist rest, FPS and MOBA keycap sets with a keycap removal tool, and a powered USB pass-through so you don’t need to clutter your play space with an extender.

 

And by tapping into our free RGBShare community site, you can set up your Strafe RGB with custom lighting maps for all your games and beautiful animations for when you’re not playing. You can go from zero to awesome in less than five minutes.

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

 

Last time we have taken a look at the STRAFE mechanical keyboard from Corsair, it was featuring a single color LED scheme and was also incorporating Cherry MX Red, Brown or Blue switches; dynamic backlighting was customizable via the CUE software but because of a single LED color it was not that spectacular. While the first edition was an excellent addition to the previous offerings, Corsair did not stop developing and after a short time frame we were able to see the STRAFE RGB model, which besides multicolored LED lighting it is also featuring a brand new Silent switches from Cherry; of course, we also have the ability to select from Cherry MX Red, Cherry MX Brown or Cherry MX Blue (RGB versions), but let’s dig in and check out the actual product! The STRAFE RGB keyboard is shipped inside a quite compact enclosure, which is showing one photo with the keyboard in operation along with some of the main highlights:

 

 

 

Some of these features can be also spotted as pictograms in the top right corner:

 

 

 

We can confirm that the sample we have received is the one with the Cherry MX Silent switch, a brand new design which is meant to minimize the sound produced by the assembly. This particular switch has the same activation force as the standard MX Red, the only difference being the manufacturing technique which involves the injection of a shock absorber made out of elastomer into the plastic cladding of the switch. We can also mention that the Silent switches have a shorter key travel of 3.7mm versus 4mm of the standard models:

 

 

 

The main features and specifications are also mentioned on the sides, in multiple languages:

 

 

 

 

Corsair offers a more in-depth look on the back side of the box, where it also describes the main keyboard components:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we can take a look inside:

 

 

 

As with the previous models, we salute the inclusion of the wrist rest:

 

 

 

 

We will also receive one installation guide along with one warranty guide:

 

 

 

Corsair briefly explains inside the manual how to perform the hardware and software setup for proper operation:

 

 

 

In a sealed plastic bag we will receive extra key sets for MOBA and FPS games but also a key puller:

 

 

 

The key placement of the RGB model is quite similar to the one we have found with the previous version; the chromed Corsair logo has been shifted from the top left corner to the right. Underside the top black textured plastic surface we will find an inner white support plate, which was red on the previous STRAFE model we have reviewed:

 

 

 

The keycap fonts have not been modified from the stock STRAFE model and permit the LED light to travel freely for a nice effect:

 

 

 

The Spacebar key has a similar texture to the one of the replaceable keycaps, which adds extra grip:

 

 

 

The NumLock, Scroll Lock and Caps Lock LEDs have an interesting design, larger than on most keyboards and come with a white color; these LEDs are the only ones which do not feature a RGB design:

 

 

 

 

Two large buttons are available in the top right corner, one which operates the LED light intensity and the other being the Windows Key Lock:

 

 

 

The nearby Corsair logo is covered by a small transparent plastic film:

 

 

 

Let’s take a closer look at the supplied FPS keycaps:

 

 

 

These have a rubber textured top and are angled a bit different than the standard set:

 

 

 

Here is also a look at the bottom of the custom keycap, which also shows the opaque layer that allows the LED light to come through:

 

 

 

By using the supplied key puller, we can remove the stock keycaps gently from the motherboard:

 

 

 

This way we will also expose the RGB Silent switches from Cherry; these have a transparent top plastic body so the LED light will flow easier through them:

 

 

The keyboard cable travels into a splitter:

 

 

At its end we will get to see two USB ports, which connect differently depending on the USB standard we are using (USB 2.0 or 3.0):

 

 

The bottom area of the keyboard does feature a central sticker with the product code name, power rating and some warning messages:

 

 

 

In each corner, Corsair has placed one small rubber foot so the product will stay steady on the table:

 

 

 

If we need the keyboard to sit at a certain angle, the extra set of feet will help us achieve that:

 

 

 

The laterals of the keyboard are made of white plastic and a subtle white light will shine through it:

 

 

 

In the frontal area of the STRAFE RGB Silent we do also have an extra USB port for connecting low-powered peripherals:

 

 

 

 

For added comfort, we can always attach the wrist rest to the product:

 

 

 

Right after the keyboard is connected to the respective USB ports, we will get to see a LED-lighted Corsair logo, which is not visible at all while the keyboard is off, in the top left corner:

 

 

 

The keyboard is absolutely gorgeous after we load up Corsair Utility Engine since a ton of free profiles are available in the forums, built by enthusiasts:

 

 

 

STRAFE RGB looks even better during night time:

 

 

 

STRAFE RGB is accompanied by the very powerful Corsair Utility Engine we have checked out quite a bit of times before; this is a unified software meaning that its interface will adapt itself depending on the device we are controlling and the detected Corsair-compatible devices will be shown on the bottom area of the GUI. We can change the button functionality right away with other mappings from the Assignments sub-section:

 

 

 

Here is the available menu when we click on a specific key:

 

 

 

From the Actions Editor area, we can actually perform the modifications; what we did like in the Macro area is the fact that we can define key sequences right away and not go first to a separate Macro menu and afterwards assign that macro to the specific key:

 

 

 

Text sequences can be also assigned to a single key:

 

 

 

We do also have the option to select or enter keystrokes:

 

 

 

The Shortcuts area is next:

 

 

 

DPI of the mouse is also adjustable via the keyboard if needed:

 

 

 

We can also define specific timers:

 

 

 

Mouse actions are not left out:

 

 

 

Media Controls can be remapped to other keys, besides the F-keys which do have these functions by default:

 

 

 

The Lighting area is very complex and we can define new Lighting Effects or work with Standard Settings on all keys or only the selected ones:

 

 

 

 

New lighting setups can be defined per each key or per groups of keys:

 

 

 

 

 

The Performance tab will allow us to change the functionality of the Keyboard Lock key:

 

 

 

From the Actions menu we will be able to spot the defined macros and if we have a lot of profiles loaded, this menu will also load with a bit of delay:

 

 

 

Lighting effects will show up in the next menu (from all loaded profiles):

 

 

 

Additional settings can be adjusted from the “Settings” menu, like interface language, software-specific start-up settings, OSD settings, list of supported media players and so on:

 

 

 

This is also the place to define the keyboard layout, pooling rate or update the keyboard firmware:

 

 

 

Support section has a separate tab available when we encounter an issue and want to report it in order to get fixed / get an answer from the Corsair team:

 

 

 

Since photos do not do this product justice, here is a video which tells the story further:

 

 

The upgraded STRAFE which is now baptized STRIFE RGB is built on the same chassis, but it does also come with important improvements like the latest generation of Cherry MX Silent switches which are also RGB LED-enabled; the inner support plate is now white for allowing the LED light to shine through the switches. The keyboard left and right sides are now white and get accompanied by a string of white LED lights.

 

The new silent switches from Cherry are not a marketing gimmick but bring out the typing feeling of the Cherry MX RED without the extra sound, in some cases being more silent even compared to dome-fitted keyboard models. This is a great thing when living with more people in the same apartment and would like to keep the noise level as low as possible; with the prices of the mechanical keyboards coming down, we do really hope that the models incorporating this type of switch will be adopted on a larger scale.

 

This is not all! The level of LED light customization is fantastic and we can create a ton of effects during typing or while the keyboard is in standby; thanks to the very inventive community Corsair does have on its forums, we can download and load up quite a bit of these profiles for our own enjoyment if we do not have time to create new ones ourselves.

 

Key customization is also very complex because of the Corsair Utility Engine, which takes care of most of the peripherals from the same manufacturer, being a unified software.

 

The Corsair STRAFE RGB with MX Silent switches is available online for about 180 Euros, which we think that it is decent for a high-end product.

Corsair STRAFE RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Cherry MX Silent) is Recommended For:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Corsair for making this review possible!