Packaging and Accessories

CORSAIR operates a web shop in the USA; however, this sample came from a marketing hub, so we begin with a look at the product packaging. A plastic wrap covers the packaging, which I maintain is not very practical, and removing it shows off the product box in more detail. We have the usual CORSAIR Gaming black and yellow color scheme with a print of the keyboard and the company and product names, and mention is also made of the genuine Cherry MX Red switches used here. Specifications and marketing features continue on the back and sides in multiple languages, and this is also where we see more details on the available wireless connectivity options.


There are two seals and a flap to help keep the contents inside in place. Open the box and we see the keyboard itself in a plastic wrap, with a cable neatly in the cutout cardboard compartment above. The accessories are housed inside separate layers of the cardboard packaging - not the best I have seen, this setup will suffice provided the shipping packaging is done well. There is also a plastic clamshell to house the 2.4 GHz USB dongle, which fares better in terms of protection offered, though the entire package arrived in perfect condition. CORSAIR provides a plethora of accessories with the keyboard, so we will go over those in more detail now.


There are two separate plastic pouches with the product's quick-start guide (online copy in the downloads tab here), a warranty guide, a warranty note specific to Australia, and a materials safety sheet. I recommend going through the quick-start guide to ensure you set up the keyboard properly, although it is also handy if you are new to the layout and want to know what the various extra buttons do. The cable provided is removable and has a male USB Type-A connector on one end and a male micro-USB on the other. It is there to charge the keyboard with, but can also be used to connect it to your computer as you would a wired keyboard if the operating system detects it as such (Windows 10 does, for example). A medium-sized USB dongle, relative to other wireless peripheral dongles I have seen, is provided. It has the CORSAIR logo on it, and there is an adapter with a female USB Type-A to female micro-USB connector that, along with the cable, will help get the dongle closer to you if need be. It would have been nice to see the use of a Type-C connector instead of micro-USB, but I will reserve judgment on that for after wired connectivity and charging times have been tested.


The final accessory, also in a plastic wrap, is a removable wrist rest. It is completely made out of plastic and has a dimpled, soft-touch surface. I have used similar wrist rests on their other keyboards before, and they tend to get dusty and grimy fairly easily, but are also easy enough to wash and clean up. There are two clips on the back, and rubber pads help prevent the keyboard and wrist rest from moving around on your desk.

No replacement keycaps or keycap puller here; their absence and the plastic wrist rest are two of many ways CORSAIR has toned down the keyboard to hit a lower price point.