Driver

Driver-wise, Corsair has gone a long with the Corsair Utility Engine (CUE). All of the features you could imagine are present, including some that are purely cosmetic. The Strafe allows you to load several lighting profiles that take advantage of the fact that the illumination can be controlled on a per-key basis. This allows for all sorts of crazy combinations that will make the user go nuts in a relatively short time. For show, the wave-light profile is quite fun, but we fail to see its use in games. Macro-wise, you get everything you need, and the same goes for lights and a per-key personalization.

Performance

The Strafe performs well in pretty much all scenarios, straight from regular desktop work to gaming. The Strafe we had the pleasure of testing featured Cherry MX Red keys, which work well for gaming and typing, despite having a linear resistance profile.

The linear feedback makes it pretty easy to double tap in games, and the fact that the keys' actuation point and travel is well-defined makes it feel very consistent, which also makes building some muscle memory as you type easy. For the ultimate typing performance, you'd still want either the MX Browns or Blues, but as a compromise between gaming and typing, the Reds are by far the best choice right now if you are not considering hybrid switches.

Typing performance is of course on par with that of other MX Red keyboards. The fact that this keyboard is very sturdy and heavy makes it very pleasant to type on, and it does not suffer from an odd noise signature. Noise emission is a bit worse off than on our QPAD reference keyboard, which is probably due to the lack of recess these keys have. The CM Storm Novatouch TKL is still noticeably more quiet, and the fatigue is a bit less due to its hybrid switches, which obviously do not feel quite as crisp as the MX Reds on a good and solid base frame like the Strafe's.


Light-wise, the Strafe is equipped well beyond what your normal gaming keyboard can muster. Because the light is programmable on a per-key basis, you can set it up to do all kinds of crazy stuff beyond just keeping the WASD area illuminated. Corsair has a lot of pre-programmed light options that are more interesting than useful—you can, for instance, have your keyboard display rain, or a visor that goes back and forth. Not particularly useful while gaming, I am sure some modder will find it appealing. It is also worth noting that the keyboard has two extra lights on either side that illuminate the sides of your desk, which is a pretty useful feature at a dimly lit LAN party!