Digital Trends
The Corsair K70 is a fabled gaming keyboard . It bring mechanically skillful keyboards to the mainstream market in a premium bundle and more affordable price , but late versions like theCorsair K70 RGB Prohave lost their edge . As compete brands release their own keyboard , the K70 does n’t fill the niche it once did . gratefully , there are some fantabulous choice .
At around $ 170 , there are far skillful choice than the K70 Pro RGB , including some from Corsair itself . Here are five gaming keyboard you should pick up instead of Corsair ’s classic .
Digital Trends
Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96
TheAsus ROG Strix Scope II 96has no business being as good as it is . There ’s a reason we ’re recommending it here over the wildly popularROG Azoth , and that comes down to price . you’re able to pick it up for $ 150 , which is less than the Corsair K70 Pro RGB , and Asus ’ keyboard in spades wins out when it comes to the typing and play experience .
That comes down to two factors . Asus is using silicon foam under the PCB of the keyboard to dampen the strait and feel , so you do n’t get the vacuous pinging and crunchy reception that ’s plebeian on most gambling keyboards . The Asus NX Snow switches are also fantabulous , offering a standardized smell to a Cherry MX Red but with manufacturing plant lubrication . The Strix Scope II 96 ca n’t equal some of the more expensive partizan option later on this list , but it gets shockingly close .
In addition to the excellent feel , the Strix Scope II 96 is packed with feature film . It include red-hot - swappable switch , as well as three connection modes . You get electrify , as well as Bluetooth and Asus ’ 2.4GHz low rotational latency radio receiver . There ’s also per - key RGB inflammation and a volume bicycle .
The format is a big hand here , too . The K70 is a full - sized keyboard , while the Strix Scope II 96 is , as you might have guessed , a 96 % layout . It does n’t sound like a big dispute , but Asus is able-bodied to trim down on the size of the keyboard while still squeezing in every key . On your desk , the Strix Scope II 96 feels far more manageable than other full - sized keyboards .
HyperX Alloy Rise
HyperX has made some first-class budget gambling keyboards , but it ’s not a name that usually comes up when you ’re spending north of $ 100 . TheAlloy Risechanges that . It ’s a genuine enthusiast - grade keyboard with a audio and finger to play off , and it total in at a shockingly low price . you may pick up the 75 % interlingual rendition for $ 170 or the full size of it variant for $ 200 , putting it in close proximity of the Corsair K70 .
The affair that separate the Alloy Rise is its gasket mount . This commit the switch home between circle of gaskets , allowing it to move as you typecast . It provides some give while you ’re flying across the keyboard , and it makes the typewriting experience strait and feelmuchbetter . It ’s hard to overstate just how big of a difference a gasket backing make .
There are some other unique features here , too . You get hot - swappable switches and dedicated media controls , but HyperX stands out with swappable eggshell and an ambient low-cal sensing element . The metallic element trapping on top of the keyboard is magnetic , and you’re able to trade it out with a dissimilar shell in a few seconds to modify up the face of your keyboard . The ambient light sensor is great , too , mechanically adjusting the per - central RGB lighting depend on the inflammation status in your elbow room .
The HyperX Alloy Rise is marvellous , but it come with one downside — it ’s electrify only . That ’s par for the line with enthusiast - level options , but it ’s something to keep in idea if you plan on dropping $ 200 on a keyboard .
Corsair K65 Plus
TheCorsair K65 Plusshocked me . Corsair has lie on its laurels a bit when it fare to its keyboard , but the K65 Plus cast the brand back into the mob in a big way . It ’s well the best Corsair keyboard you may buy , and it goes toe - to - toe with options like the Asus ROG Azoth and HyperX Alloy Rise , just for a lower price . If you want to stay in the Corsair ecosystem with utilities like iCue , the K65 Plus is by all odds the keyboard to pick up .
Sound and sense are the winners here , and it come down to two slice of froth . Really . The K65 Plus includes a layer between the top denture and PCB , as well as another between the PCB and bottom frame . It may not seem like much , but those two layers of dampening all transubstantiate the K65 Plus . It criticize out all of the smutty pinging you get from keyboard without speech sound dampening and instantly makes the typewriting experience palpate premium .
You do n’t get a gasket saddle horse here , but it ’s heavy to ask for one study everything else Corsair is offer . You get tri - mode radio receiver , as well as hot - swappable switches . It also works with both Windows and Mac , tally with unlike legends on the central cap and a on-off switch on the back of the keyboard , and there ’s even a alloy volume wheel .
The K65 Plus truly shows Corsair keyboards at their good , and it ’s a massive step ahead from something like the K70 Pro RGB .
Keychron Q1 HE
TheKeychron Q1 HEis the first big step up in Mary Leontyne Price compare to the K70 . It ’s $ 220 , and although it ’s worth every penny of that price , it ’s certainly in a unlike class than the K70 . If you ’re willing to pull through up your pennies , you ’re in for a kickshaw .
This is a premium keyboard from top to bottom . It includes board froth , as you ’d expect for this price , as well as a twofold gasket mount that provides one of the best feel you could get out of a gambling keyboard . It feels plush to type on . Beyond nailing the tactile property , the keyboard also supports wireless through Bluetooth or a low - response time 2.4GHz association , as well as per - cardinal RGB ignition and platform backup for Windows and Mac .
What really sets the Keychron Q1 HE apart , however , is the “ HE ” part of the name . It uses Hall Effect , or magnetic , switches . In finicky , it employ Gateron ’s Double - Rail Magnetic Nebula switches , which feel dandy to type and game on . Instead of a traditional mechanically skillful switch , HE swop uses two opposing magnet . That allows you to change the actuation point for rapid presses , as well as bind commands to different points while depressing and releasing a key .
Magnetic switches are n’t the solitary reason to purchase the Keychron Q1 HE , but they ’re a great addition to an already fantabulous grounding of a keyboard . This is an expensive keyboard at $ 220 , but the fact that Keychron was able to pull off this quality at that price is astounding .
Meletrix BOOG75
Let ’s throw budget out the window . You want the best keyboard you’re able to buy , disregarding of the price . If you fall in that coterie , pluck up the Meletrix BOOG75 . It ’s $ 230 , cause it the most expensive keyboard on this list , but it justifies that price the moment you take it out of the box and press a key .
The high - level eyeglasses here are n’t surprising . You get a gasket climb for an exceptional auditory sensation and palpate , as well as magnetic shift fit with all of the feature you find on the Keychron Q1 HE . Compared to the Keychron , you do n’t get wireless here . It ’s all wire , all while Meletrix is asking for more money .
That extra cost is put right back into the timbre of the keyboard . The keyboard weighs nearly 7 pounds , exclusively due to its thick atomic number 13 shield . It can be problematic to swallow $ 230 up front , but the moment you touch the BOOG75 , you ’ll know on the button where the money travel .
Meletrix also sells the keyboard in two unique designs , both fit with their own engraved shell and custom key caps . Shockwave is a smuggled and teal choice with cyberpunk - esque trimmings engrave along the edge of the keyboard , while Induction Coil ( pictured above ) is white and beige with a wispy line design that carry throughout the bottom shell . The BOOG75 is rightfully a study of art — and it feels damn good to type on .
