Corsair K90 Mechanical Keyboard: Type Hard With a Vengeance
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
When I first heard about the Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Corsair have a long history of supporting the gaming community with a wide range of parts and peripherals aimed squarely at the PC enthusiast. So when Corsair announced the addition of gaming mice and keyboards to their existing Vengeance line of hardware, I was immediately interested. After some lengthy delays with the products reaching retail, I’m very happy to discover that my interest was completely warranted. The Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard is quite simply the most comfortable keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of using.
To begin with, let’s take a look at some of the specifications that make up the Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard.
- Cherry MX Red Mechanical Switches
- 18 Customisable Macro (“G”) keys
- Full anti-ghosting and 20 Key rollover on USB
- Attractive brushed aluminium finish with laser etched, backlit keys.
So why Cherry Red switches? Red switches, like the Black switches before them are a linear switch. That means there is no tactile or audible feedback at the actuation point. For anybody doing even the tiniest amount of typing, this is a great thing. Having tried Cherry Blue switches, the sound is like a rapid fire machine gun, with each keystroke blasting its way out of the keyboard. Unlike Cherry Black switches however, the Cherry MX Red switch only require 45g of force to actuate, and a minuscule 2mm from resting to actuation, and a further 2mm to ‘bottoming out.’ There’s a steep learning curve when typing with these keys, if you want to avoid bottoming out but the end result is completely worth the effort.
The result is that you end up with a key that is nearly silent, and requires only a feather touch to activate. When gaming, I merely apply the lightest pressure to the keyboard and find my actions replicated in the game. Combined with a full-sized wrist rest, this makes the Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard the most comfortable keyboard I have ever used. For a run-down of some of the other Cherry MX switches out there, don’t forget to check out Kenny’s previous blog!
A lot has been written in the press about the lack of Cherry MX Red switches on every key, however. Many feel this was a cost cutting exercise, and I’m not here to analyse that. The question that was on my mind from the moment I saw the design was “will this make any difference to how I use the keyboard?”
Do I notice the difference in key “feel” on the rubber dome keys? Yes, absolutely I can tell which keys use rubber domes. Does it make any difference to my enjoyment of the keyboard? Not in the slightest. Each rubber-dome key is just as easy to type on, and the tactile difference can actually be quite beneficial for an experienced touch typist. I can tell by feel which keys are mechanical, which prevents any missed keystrokes while typing or gaming. This is a great thing in my opinion, and for an informed consumer should play no part in your decision to pick up this fantastic keyboard.
If you’re in the market for a stylish, comfortable and all-round fantastic mechanical keyboard; whether it’s your first or fortieth mechanical keyboard, look no further than the Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard. For those who don’t require the 18 “G” keys, or back-lighting, why not consider the Corsair Vengeance K60 Mechanical Keyboard? Warcom carry a full range of Corsair gaming products.
This blog was entirely typed on a Corsair K90 keyboard, purchased from Warcom. No promotional considerations were given.
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