Lighting and Performance

The CORSAIR K70 RGB TKL 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. 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 a good demo to also ensure the keyboard is 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 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 definitely present at the common edges because of the floating keycaps, but not to where it is distracting. Indeed, the light show from all the RGB LEDs underneath the keys makes for a bigger attention grab anyway. Finally, you can see above 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 that indicates this mode is on.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, including a rainbow wave, rain (drop), and spiral rainbow effect making full use of the hardware and software alike.


Here you can see the keyboard lit up with the Mint Green replacement keycaps, as well as a direct comparison to the stock keycaps. The black stock keycaps provide a better canvas for most backlighting colors, although some combinations are really striking with the green ones. I definitely liked the look of the replacement keycaps on their own without any backlighting, and can see some very cool combinations coming up with the various color options CORSAIR has on offer.

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 capable of storage than on the K100, but it is still a good amount. CORSAIR says that they 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 TKL and even the K65 RGB MINI from before, the company has cut it down to a more realistic 50 profiles that can store more complicated lighting profiles, which is still overkill. Indeed, most of the lighting effects are already stored on the keyboard, so you can toggle through the lighting presets as described in the user manual, 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 that the Tournament Mode switch is not turned on, which will limit a lot of options for good reason.



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 get in a 8000 Hz polling rate here, an increase from the already ludicrous 4000 Hz on the K100 that AXON debuted on. 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, there is not a whole lot of a difference 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.

That has not stopped companies from trying to lower the response rates and even claim faster switches, however. The latter has come in the form of companies using shorter actuation distances, as with the Cherry MX Speed switch for a "faster" response with all other things being equal. Others have gone with the use of optical switches, for example, which aims to negate the time for the mechanical parts to actuate, another reason why CORSAIR has introduced the OPX switch with the K100, which is not an option for the K70 RGB TKL. Finally, there are technologies such as RealKey Analog from Cherry, which aims to reduce the debounce delay between keystrokes. AXON from CORSAIR is effectively on this pathway and uses a real-time running OS on a SoC to quadruple USB throughput, which in turn allows for a polling rate of up to 8000 Hz (0.125 ms) here.


As we saw before, the CORSAIR K70 RGB TKL comes in three linear switch options, and mine uses the venerable MX Red in its latest iteration of a lifetime of 100 M keystrokes before a drop in the 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 be attributed at least partially to the many keyboards marketed as "gaming keyboards" using linear mechanical switches instead of tactile or clicky 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 TKL, using all linear switches 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 have 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 a safe default choice first and foremost.


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 TKL 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 switch options that have shorter travel distances.