The Corsair K70 RGB TKL is Corsair’s latest addition to its series of Champion Series of products. The Corsair K70 RGB TKL is built for portability and is aimed at enthusiast gamers, it even has a dedicated tournament button on the back that disables distracting RGB lighting and accidental macro triggers.
The competition-grade mechanical keyboard features a compact tenkeyless form-factor powered by CORSAIR AXON hyper-processing technology that provides 4 times faster input, a hyper-polling rate of 8,000 Hz, and a tournament mode switch for battle-readiness.
A tenkeyless keyboard comes without a numpad that is otherwise completely the same as a standard one. So, it will be a bit more difficult to log in in Windows or enter numbers, but you will save a lot of space on your desk.
The keyboard has a removable USB-C cable. The frame is made of aluminum and comes with Cherry MX Red switches, per-key RGB illumination, 8MB on-board profile storage, dedicated media keys and the ability to reprogram keys via Corsair iCue software.
Specifications
| Material | Aluminum Frame |
| USB Polling Rate | Up to 8,000Hz with AXON |
| Keyboard Rollover | Full Key (NKRO) with 100% Anti-Ghosting |
| Key Switches | CHERRY MX SPEED |
| Lighting | Dynamic Per Key RGB Illumination |
| Connectivity | Detachable and detachable USB 3.0 or 3.1 Type-A |
| On-Board Memory | 8MB |
| Number Onboard profiles | Up to 50 |
| Weight | 0.9kg |
| Dimensions | 360mm x 164mm x 40mm (L*W*H) |
| Switch Actuation | 2 mm |
| Total Travel | 3.4 mm |
Packaging
The packaging comes in a newly designed stylish yellow-black packaging with photos and specifications on the sides. The box is durable and the keyboard and accessories are protected by cardboard and plastic. You have to download the Corsair iCUE software manually.
The packaging includes the below:
- CORSAIR K70 RGB TKL CHAMPION SERIES Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
- USB Type-C to Type-A cable
- FPS and MOBA keycap sets with keycap puller
- Quick start guide
- Safety leaflet
- Warranty card
Design & Features
The Corsair K70 RGB TKL offers two different types of switches: Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Speed. Included in both options is a set of additional keys for the letters WASD as well as QWERDF and have an extra rough layer made of small triangles. However, these extra keys are ABS, it’s a bit of a shame since every other key is PBT. Unfortunately, there is also no wrist rest included.
The K70 RGB TKL is a wired keyboard but comes with a detachable 1.82m braided cable. In terms of dimensions, the keyboard measures 360mm x 164mm x 40mm (L*W*H) and is quite compact and portable at 0.9kg.
The keyboard has a brushed aluminum top plate and the rest of the case is made of plastic. Along with its tenkeyless 87-key layout, the keyboard features dedicated media buttons and a programmable volume roller. It also has N-key rollover and full anti-ghosting for swift, uninterrupted typing experience.
The K70 RGB TKL comes with CHERRY MX SPEED switches, providing lightning-fast response times with an extremely short actuation distance of just 1.2mm, perfect for fast-paced competitive gameplay and a total travel distance of only 3.4mm. Corsair also promises 100 million keystrokes with these key switches.
The keys are PBT double-shot keycaps, a precision-molded keycap set with a standard bottom row layout that resists wear, fading, and shine, with 1.5mm thickness for stability. The keys are RGB illuminated and supports up to 16.8 million colors with up to 20 lighting layers. They can be further customized via the iCUE software.
At the rear is a tournament switch to automatically swap to static backlighting and disable accidental macro activations. Also located here is the USB port for the detachable cable.
In terms of performance, the keystrokes are clearly audible, the buttons are very sturdy but there is less spacing between the keys which takes some time getting used to. The click sound is quieter than other mechanical keyboards we’ve used. When it comes to gaming, you will love these switches, the slightly curved keys help a lot with hitting the keys perfectly every time. There is also 8MB of onboard storage that can store up to 50 onboard profiles with custom macros and effects.
The Corsair K70 RGB TKL features the company’s proprietary AXON Hyper-Processing Technology, registering keypress inputs up to 8x faster with a native 8,000Hz hyper-polling. To put it simply, the keyboard requests eight times more from the USB port than a conventional keyboard to reduce input lag, but we were not able find a difference from the other keyboards in our daily use.
Software
Adjusting the RGB lighting, recording macros, polling rate, profile settings and upgrading the firmware can be done via the iCUE software which can be downloaded from Corsair’s website. You can also sync all your iCUE supported peripherals using the same software.
Verdict
Designed for eSports and competitive gaming, Corsair K70 RGB TKL comes with advanced features such as a polling rate of 8000Hz, extremely short actuation distance of just 1.2mm a dedicated tournament mode switch.
It also comes with an elegant design that looks good on any desktop and comes packed with features. The PBT double-shot keycaps are durable and the Cherry MX switches are guaranteed for 100 million keystrokes. The detachable USB-C cable is useful for easy removal and placement. The keyboard is perfect for gaming, but can also be used for everyday work.
Some of the draw backs are getting used to the close spacing between the keys, the lack of a wrist-rest, and the expensive pricing. With that said this is a top-of-the-line mechanical keyboard that’s great for enthusiast gamers and is built to last long.
