Performance

The CORSAIR K70 RGB MK.2 (SE or otherwise) supports N-key rollover USB out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either.

When first connected with iCUE installed and running, the keyboards (and I am going to use both samples here to show off the difference in lighting with the SE) light up in a spiral rainbow lighting effect, which is the default option in their basic lighting mode. The transition animation is smooth, and the effect is a good demo to also ensure the keyboards are powered on and working properly.


I then manually set all the keys to white using the software driver to test for color fidelity since RGB LEDs have a hard time depicting white, and it was a white with a light pink hue in this case. However, we can immediately see the much brighter overall lighting effect with the K70 RGB MK.2 SE vs. the non-SE, with the lighter color helping out. In a separate test via one of the preset multi-color options, I tested for light bleed, and it was definitely present at the common edges because of the floating keycaps, but, again, less so with the SE where the effectively brighter colors meld less.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, including a rainbow wave, rain (drop), and color wave, making full use of the hardware and software alike. I think it is fair to say that not only will the stock keycaps on the K70 RGB MK.2 SE last longer, they will provide a brighter, arguably more impressionable backlighting experience as well.

For those preferring not to use the software driver a lot, the onboard functionality with hardware playback comes in very handy. There are dedicated buttons for media playback, a volume mute toggle button, volume scroll wheel, lighting on/off button, Win lock button, and profile switches which allow users to switch between the three hardware profiles saved on the device itself. So while you will need the driver to make the most of the K70 RGB MK.2, especially to set up the hardware profiles, there is definitely scope to then use the keyboard as is.



The key-assignment options in iCUE allow for users to also go with layouts other than QWERTY, and here, I used the source code from an older keyboard review in a layout tester (courtesy of Patrick Gillespie). The results above indicate that QWERTY is not even close to the most efficient layout for me, and very likely you as well. If you are willing, try out Colemak or Dvorak as they will result in lower finger travel and fatigue overall. As such, the driver offers a significant functional tool if you are willing to devote some time to adopting either Colemak or Dvorak. Here is the link to the full results if you are interested, including a detailed analysis on key presses and distances moved.



As we saw before, the CORSAIR K70 RGB MK.2 SE only comes with the Cherry MX Speed Silver RGB switches. This switch is based off the extremely popular Cherry MX Red RGB, but is modified to a pre-travel distance of 1.2 mm as opposed to the 2.0 mm for the MX Red, with the total travel distance also reduced from 4.0 mm to 3.4 mm. The force characteristics are the same for these updated actuation and bottoming out points, at 45 cN and ~70 cN respectively. You can find more information on the official product page, and I will say right away that these are not necessarily the best for touch typists. Indeed, designed with fast actuation kept in mind for gaming, the Cherry MX Speed Silver can actuate unintentionally if you like to have your fingers over the keys. This mechanism has since been used by other switch makers, including Kailh and Gateron, for linear, tactile, and also clicky switches with a shorter actuation distance.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the CORSAIR K70 RGB MK.2 SE sample at ~90 WPM as it comes out of the box. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out here, which is not hard to do given the relatively light spring and shorter travel distance. The thicker PBT keycaps definitely affect the sound signature even compared to the more-standard K70 RGB MK.2 which retains the metal frame but uses thinner ABS keycaps.