Lighting and Performance

The CORSAIR K70 RGB PRO 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, and as with most modern keyboards, an Fn key replaces the right Win key. Here, all keys were working just fine.

When first powered on and running, the keyboard lights up in a "Watercolor" lighting effect, which is the default option without the software running. The transition animation is smooth, and the effect is also a good demo to ensure the keyboard is powered on and working properly.


I then manually set all the keys to white using iCUE to test for color fidelity since RGB LEDs have a hard time depicting white, and it was one of the most accurate whites thus far, so props to CORSAIR for good programming and compensation. In a separate test via one of the preset multi-color options, I tested for light bleed, and it was present at the common edges because of the floating keycaps, but not to where it is distracting—the light show from all the RGB LEDs underneath the keys makes for a bigger attention grab anyway. Shown above is the default lighting with Tournament Mode turned on, which has all the keys light up in a static red to match the red lighting under the switch indicating the mode is on—the CORSAIR logo is backlit red as well, with the orange a camera artifact aiming to compensate for the glossy inlay cover. Also seen above is another video showing the popular rainbow wave mode, and feel free to experiment and make the most of the RGB lighting on offer here.

For those who would rather not use the software driver a lot, the onboard functionality with hardware playback comes in handy. Do note that you have fewer profiles and less lighting layers for storage than on the K100, but it is still a good amount. CORSAIR says it wanted to provide an extreme case with the K100, which is where "up to 200 profiles" came from. In practice, those were associated with much simpler lighting profiles. With the K70 RGB PRO, and even K70 TKL and K65 RGB MINI from before, the company has cut it down to a more realistic 50 profiles that can store more complicated lighting profiles of up to 20 layers, which is still overkill. Indeed, most of the lighting effects are already stored on the keyboard, so you can toggle through the lighting presets using Fn + the number row, in addition to changing effect speed and direction. There are dedicated buttons for media playback, a volume mute toggle button, volume scroll wheel, backlighting brightness toggle button in four steps, Win lock button, and profile switches which allow users to switch between the three hardware profiles saved to the device. So while you will need the driver to make the most of the K70 RGB TKL, especially to set up the hardware profiles, the scope to then use the keyboard as-is definitely exists. Just ensure the Tournament Mode switch is not turned on, which will limit a lot of options for good reason. I remain skeptical about the adoption of Tournament Mode and these keyboards being used widely for eSports since sponsorships are still king in getting a company's products showcased by professionals, but it's the closest the K70 RGB PRO gets to justifying the PRO in the name, so I will allow it.



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 software drivers offer 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.


AXON is CORSAIR stating that if they can do Slipstream for wireless tech and improve signal strength for faster, multiple simultaneous connections, they can do the equivalent for wired devices. Indeed, they have managed to include a 8000 Hz polling rate here, an increase from the already ludicrous 4000 Hz on the K100 which debuted AXON. Your average mechanical keyboard boasts a polling rate of 1000 Hz by default, which just means the PC is set to check for a signal every 1 ms from the USB port, and the USB connector in turn does the same to every single key on the keyboard. Most keyboards can slow this down to ~125 Hz (8 ms), especially if an older BIOS has trouble recognizing it, but practically, differences are minuscule given mechanical switches take longer to actuate feedback. So this step, which is one of several comprising the process of you pressing down on a key and the signal showing up on your screen, is not a bottleneck in itself. Also note that running a higher polling rate will increase CPU utilization as well.


As we saw before, the CORSAIR K70 RGB PRO comes in five Cherry MX switch options, and mine uses the venerable MX Red in its latest iteration of a lifetime of 100 M keystrokes before a drop in specified actuation travel and force performance. This switch is rated at 2.0 mm actuation with 45 cN and 4.00 mm total travel, and it has quickly become the most popular mechanical switch in use today, which can at least partially be attributed to the many keyboards marketed as "gaming keyboards" using linear instead of tactile or clicky mechanical switches. Actuation and peak forces were well within rated values based on my testing of twenty random switches with a tension gauge. In the case of the gaming-centric K70 RGB PRO, using three types of linear switches combined with a tactile and a tactile + clicky switch makes sense. CORSAIR has also worked with Cherry for the better part of a decade now, so perhaps the only mishap here is the absence of their own OPX optical mechanical switches. I have yet to try those, and personally found multiple other linear switches that feel and sound better than the MX Red to me even with everything else being the same. Your mileage may vary, but the MX Red is first and foremost a safe default pick.


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 PRO sample at ~100 WPM as it comes out of the box with the Cherry MX Red RGB switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out more often than not, and it will be even harder to avoid with the other two linear switch options that have shorter travel distances. The primary sound signature thus comes from the switches bottoming out, without much in the way of pinging off the aluminium frame or reverb in this mostly empty case.