The Corsair Strafe RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review with MX Silent (Red) Switches

Conclusion

I always try to use every keyboard that we review as my personal keyboard for at least a week. My typical weekly usage includes a lot of typing (about 100-150 pages), a few hours of gaming and some casual usage, such as internet browsing and messaging. The new Cherry MX Silent switches were excellent for that, as they felt very smooth and were very comfortable after long typing sessions. The fact that they were less noisy actually increased my level of comfort, especially when I was working late at night or when I wanted to concentrate. The inclusion of the wrist rest, that is missing in the vanilla version of the Strafe, helps significantly during long typing sessions.

For gaming, the Strafe RGB with the MX Silent switches is excellent, especially to those that need a muffled version of the MX Red switch. It may not be entirely silent, but it will definitely be far more comfortable to the user and everyone around them. The Strafe RGB is also fully programmable and I personally find the CUE software simple and easily adaptable to my gaming needs. Because my gaming style frequently relies on macros, the Strafe RGB was nearly perfect for my gaming sessions. Nevertheless, I still do not consider it to be perfect, since I had to program a few macros using third-party software, because I required them to include absolute on-screen mouse coordinates, yet it was a simple matter to compile those to .EXE files and use keyboard keys to launch them. Hopefully Corsair will improve the CUE software to such a level that no user will have to purchase third party software for any given reason.

Physically, the Strafe RGB is a well-made keyboard, with a modern design. The plastic body is very strong and the metal plate ensures the mechanical cohesion of the keyboard. Little can be said about the quality of Cherry's mechanical switches and the extra two keys feel and work great. The company kept the design simple but sharp that, combined with the programmable lighting, can be a good match into a classic, working or futuristic environment. However, the plastic body does not have the elegance or style of metal and, considering the $170 price tag of the keyboard, it can disappoint those who do care about the appearance of their desktops.

Corsair is rather proud of their Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) software, advertising it as one of the best features of their advanced keyboards. The company clearly considers it as one of their more significant advantages, as there have been several updates during the past year, introducing small new features and resolving bugs and issues. For the number of options and the adaptability it offers, the CUE software is fairly easy to use, but there may be a few instances that the user will have to consult the manual first. Although we do not find it to be perfect, it undoubtedly is the most advanced that we have seen to this date.

We suspect we will see the MX Silent switches move to upgraded versions of Corsair's keyboard line or perhaps new models over the course of the year due to the exclusivity. As you may imagine, Corsair is interested in which of their current mechanical keyboards would users be interested in upgrading to a silent key version. Corsair decided to start using the new Cherry MX Silent switches on their middle-range keyboard, the Strafe, and only (for the time being) on the RGB version. The company most likely decided that because the new switches are more expensive and increase the retail price of the keyboard by about $20, therefore they might have assumed that the K70/K95 RGB keyboards would become too expensive.

Still, if someone is willing to pay $150 or more for a high quality keyboard, they might not mind an extra $20 for a quiet version if necessary. On the other hand, the Strafe RGB with the MX Silent switches has an MSRP of $170, which is the street price of the superior K70 RGB and nearly twice the price of the vanilla version of the Strafe that now retails for less than $100. This makes pricing a little bit of an issue, and it can be said that the use of these switches should be promoted via the K70/K95 RGB keyboards instead which are targeted to users that would find it more acceptable to pay a premium price for the best possible performance. 

But for those that need a programmable mechanical keyboard that is using Cherry's new MX Red Silent switches, the Strafe RGB currently is the only available choice. Users who find the features of the Strafe RGB exciting will definitely not be disappointed by the quality or performance using the new MX Red Silent switches. We hope that as time moves on, Corsair also adds the switches to the more premium models with wheel volume adjustments and metallic bodies in a quest to expand the high-end series with the latest hardware.

Also available from Corsair direct, $160 as of 3/8.