At first we would like to thank CORSAIR for offering us their K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile Gaming Keyboard 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:

 

Play On. And On. And On

 

Gaming keyboard comfort has leveled up! By optimizing your palm position through lower key height and accessibility optimized multimedia controls, the all-new Low Profile keyboard design brings your palms closer to a parallel position for a more natural feel.

 

THE KEY TO COMFORT

 

Get the performance you need with Low Profile CHERRY MX Speed mechanical keyswitches. The Low Profile design provides the precision you expect from a CHERRY keyswitch with a 35% lower key height.

 

LEAN AND MEAN

 

New slim, lightweight design and durable aircraft-grade aluminum frame, built to withstand a lifetime of gaming at just 29mm tall.

 

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TAKE ON THE WORLD

 

Intelligent Control. Unlimited Possibilities.

 

CORSAIR iCUE software enables vivid dynamic lighting control, sophisticated macro programming and full-system lighting synchronization across compatible CORSAIR peripherals, coolers, fans and more.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

Recently, the well-known CHERRY manufacturer has released their MX Low Profile RGB switches, which do represent a novelty on the market in more than 30 years. The new switches allow implementation of slimmer keyboard designs and have a lower travel of 3.2mm; while they share the same cross-pattern mount as the full-sized model, the MX keycaps cannot be exchanged with LP ones due to their increased side height. For allowing better LED lighting circulation, the bottom housing of the switch is translucent and the top is transparent; currently there are two available LP switches available, the Red and Speed. In this review, we will take a look at the K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile keyboard that sports LP Speed switches, with a white step color. The product is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, with a slightly modified artwork:

 

 

 

On the side of the packaging, we are greeted with the Minimum System Requirements list, but also the Technical Specifications:

 

 

 

The bottom layer of the box does explain the differences between a regular switch and a LP one, but CORSAIR also presents the user the main keyboard highlights:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will get to see the main product, which is also wrapped inside a transparent plastic bag:

 

 

 

As we have seen with other high-end keyboard models from CORSAIR in the past, the K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile does include a wrist rest, documentation but also some extra keycaps and a key puller as bundle:

 

 

 

Regarding the documentation, we can remind of the User Manual, the Warranty Guide and a Warranty Against Defects leaflet:

 

 

 

 

As expected, the Low Profile model does borrow the design elements from the K70 RGB MK.2,with a brushed aluminum frame for extended durability and per-key RGB dynamic backlighting:

 

 

 

In the top left corner, we have a Profile switch button, a LED brightness button (tree levels plus off) but also a Windows Lock button:

 

 

 

The middle area does come with a RGB-lighted CORSAIR logo, which is configurable with two separate segments:

 

 

 

Moving on to the right, we can spot the status LEDs:

 

 

 

The top right corner does feature a Volume Mute button, but also an accessible Volume adjustment wheel:

 

 

 

Media buttons can be accessed right underneath:

 

 

 

As we have seen with many other CORSAIR keyboards, the Spacebar key does come with a special texture, in order to offer more grip:

 

 

 

Thanks to the new LP profile, the height of the keyboard has been lowered from 40mm to 29mm, which is an impressive feat:

 

 

 

The keyboard does also feature an USB pass-through for connecting other peripherals:

 

 

 

A look on the bottom layer of the keyboard does reveal some large rubber feet, one in each corner:

 

 

 

The top corners do also include the kickstands:

 

 

 

 

The large manufacturer sticker does include the product code name, its power rating, the serial numbers and more:

 

 

 

The wrist rest docking areas can be also observed here:

 

 

 

A debossed product logo is present in the middle:

 

 

The supplied wrist rest is made of plastic, but with a grippy rubber coating on top:

 

 

Rubber pads have been also applied on its bottom layer, for noise dampening and to make sure that it won’t move the surface we will use it on:

 

 

Here is a closer look on the mounting claws:

 

 

 

The wrist rest can be installed in a matter of seconds:

 

 

 

Two replacement sets of rubber-topped keycaps are also offered as a bundle, along with a key puller:

 

 

 

The LP switches are mounted directly on the aluminum top plate and the supplied ABS plastic keycaps can be removed and installed really easy. We surely hope CORSAIR will manufacture PBT plastic replacement keycaps as well for this particular keyboard:

 

 

 

 

 

The new keyboard series from CORSAIR do feature a different design for the USB connectors, which are slimmer than before:

 

 

 

After connecting the keyboard to a spare USB port, the LED light show will begin:

 

 

 

In order to take advantage of all configuration options, we need to install the unified iCUE software; it will also prompt for installation of firmware upgrades, if necessary. The software comes with an easy to understand GUI and features a ton of configuration options, both for the keys but also for the RGB lighting:

 

 

 

From the left side menu, we can choose the current profile we are working with, access the Actions menu for redefining the button functions, customize the Lighting Effects but also adjust miscellaneous Performance options:

 

 

 

The selected action will prompt for additional configuration options:

 

 

 

Here is the full list of actions we can choose from:

 

 

 

Text

Media

Launch Application

Timer

Disable

Profile Switching

 

We can choose a key for remapping by simply selecting it in the GUI drawing:

 

 

 

The lighting effects setup is based on about the same principle and depending on the chosen effect, we have different options to choose from:

 

 

 

Here is the list of available effects we can work with:

 

 

 

Spiral Rainbow

Rainbow Wave

Color Shift

Color Pulse

Color Wave

Visor

Rain

Type Lighting

VOID Visualizer

 

Static Color

Solid

Gradient

Ripple

Wave

Spiral Rainbow

Rainbow Wave

 

The last Performance tab does allow us to configure the Windows Lock key functionality, choose the colors of the indicators or reset all settings to default:

 

 

 

The Instant Lighting tab will simply apply a color scheme depending on the chosen element:

 

 

 

From the iCUE settings menu, we can choose the keyboard polling rate, LED brightness, keyboard layout any more:

 

 

 

While with the K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE sporting regular MX Speed switches we needed a bit of adjustment time due to the fast 1.2mm mechanical actuation distance and was sometimes difficult typing documents without making mistakes, with the K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile we felt that no training time was needed. We are dealing with a 35% lower key height versus the regular Speed switch and people that enjoy typing on laptop keyboards will really enjoy the new LP series. Another aspect that we did really enjoy is that the LP Speed switches are quiet, if not more quiet versus the regular MX Silent variant.

 

We did use the keyboard in Destiny 2, Wolfenstein: The New Order but also in CS: GO and Bless Online; we were surprised by its responsiveness thanks to the 1mm actuation point and thanks to the iCUE utility, we were able to define macros, in order to help with different in-game stuff such as spell chains.

 

iCUE comes with one of the best RGB LED lighting implementation on the market and for creating a catchy effect, we will need to spend quite a bit of time in configuration mode; the easier, faster way would be to use one of the many pre-made effects, available on the web for free to download.

 

The product can be found online (at the time of the review) for about 190 Euros.

 

Pros:

 

-low-profile keys, silent actuation and fast

-per-key RGB backlighting, bright LEDs

-sturdy construction thanks to the brushed aluminum plate

-USB hub included for connecting other peripherals

-powerful iCUE software, which unifies all supported CORSAIR hardware and the synced RGB lighting looks awesome.

 

Cons:

 

-price (for some)

CORSAIR K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile Gaming Keyboard is Recommended for:

 

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