Corsair Launches New K70 RGB MK.2 and STRAFE RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboards
by Joe Shields on June 22, 2018 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Keyboard
- Corsair
- Cherry MX
- Mechanical Keyboards
Corsair recently announced the release of their new K70 RGB MK.2 and Strafe RGB MK.2 gaming keyboards. The keyboards come equipped with 100% Cherry MX mechanical switches with both offering a variety of switch types. Each includes per-key RGB backlighting, dedicated media keys, and onboard profile storage for taking the configuration anywhere. The K70 and STRAFE keyboards look to fill out more of their premium lineup of keyboards with pricing coming in at $140 on up.
K70 RGB MK.2
K70 RGB MK.2 SE
The K70 RGB MK.2 is a full-size keyboard with number pad and based around an aluminum frame that Corsair says is lightweight, rugged, and durable. The keyboard includes FPS and MOBA keycap sets that are textured and contoured for easy location of the primary ‘gaming’ keys. Along with the keycaps, the keyboard has dedicated volume and multimedia controls allowing users to quickly adjust audio without jumping out of the game. These buttons consist of a volume wheel, mute, stop, play/pause, along with forward and reverse keys. Also included is a detachable soft-touch palm rest that is 25% larger and textured to improve grip and comfort.
If the black K70 RGB MK.2 doesn’t tickle your fancy, they also offer a K70 RGB MK.2 SE with a silver anodized brushed aluminum frame and white keycaps while using the Cherry MX Speed keys. The silver and white combination makes for a bright keyboard for sure. Other than that, the features are the same between the regular and SE version of the board.
The K70 RGB MK.2 also has per-key programmability for macros Corsair says is for enhanced functionality. Using the iCUE software, users are able to access nine different effects as well as synchronizing with compatible Corsair peripherals for RGB illumination. It includes 8MB of onboard storage for taking macros, lighting profiles, and shortcuts wherever the keyboard goes. Key choices include Chery MX Red, Brown, Blue, Silent, and Speed keys offering users a wide variety of key types.
The STRAFE RGB MK.2 keyboard is intended to be a low-noise mechanical keyboard for users who prefer silence. The STRAFE has options of Cherry MX Red or MX Silent keys (up to 30% reduced noise) as opposed to the K70 which gives users more choices over their switches. It also includes FPS and MOBA keycap sets as well as 100% anti-ghosting capabilities with full N-key rollover just as the K70 RGB MK.2 does. The STRAFE RGB MK.2 also has per-key programmability for macros and the 8MB of internal storage with its lighting handled by the iCUE software. In the end, these keyboards are quite similar with key-type being one of the few differences as well as build materials with the STRAFE using a plastic frame compared to aluminum on the K70.
STRAFE RGB MK.2
The biggest difference between these boards, outside of switch options and materials is in pricing. The STRAFE RGB MK.2 is priced at $140, while the K70 RGB MK.2 and K70 RGB MK.2 SE are priced higher at $170 and $180 respectively. All three boards are available now from the Corsair website and other e/retailers.
| Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 and STRAFE RGB MK.2 Mechanical Keyboards | ||||
| K70 RGB MK.2 / MK.2 SE | STRAFE RGB MK.2 | |||
| Style | 104 Keys, Wired | |||
| Cherry MX Switch Options | MX Red, Brown, Blue, Speed, Silent | MX Silent, Red | ||
| Construction | Aluminum | Plastic | ||
| Onboard Storage | 8MB with Hardware Playback | |||
| Lighting | Per-key RGB Lighting | |||
| Report Rate | 1000 Hz | |||
| Rollover | Full Key, 100% Anti-Ghosting | |||
| Software | Corsair iCUE Controlled | |||
| Detachable Wrist Wrest? | Yes | |||
| Textured Keycaps | WASD & QWERDF | |||
| Multimedia Controls | Dedicated, Plus Volume Scroll | |||
| USB Pass-Through | Yes, USB 2.0 | |||
| Price | $170 / $180 | $140 ($150 Silent Keys) | ||
| Warranty | 2 Years | |||
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kmi187 - Friday, June 22, 2018 - link
Yeah save yourself the trouble and get a basic Steelseries G6V2. No annoying RGB, and the bloody thing keeps working like it should. Not a single corsair keyboard I can say the same about. Mostly the keeps working part is important here.cmdrdredd - Friday, June 22, 2018 - link
Dunno what you do with your keyboards but my Corsair KB is fine. Also RGB isn't a plague like people make it out to be. God forbid you actually customize something a little bit for yourself.m16 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link
Eh... I'd say I prefer the non-RGB switches because they're stiffer, but that's about it.They're also louder so some days I wonder.mjeffer - Saturday, June 23, 2018 - link
I have a K70 and it's a great keyboard. You don't have to turn the LEDs on, I almost never do. My biggest complaint though, is that most of the "upgrades" are LED upgrades and the price for it just keeps going up and up. I think I paid $120 or so for mine (probably on sale, but don't remember as far as the MSRP) which has basic non-customizable LED lighting. Now the MSRP is up to $170 and there really don't seem to be many differences other than the LEDs. They're getting a bit expensive.FullmetalTitan - Saturday, June 23, 2018 - link
I thought the original K70 had only an aluminum backplate, but the body was all plastic.For $170 now you get annodized aluminum frame, white (cause that is the trend now), and improved media and onboard profile storage (meaning a new chipset). Every LED feature mentioned was already present on the previous models, but surely the software has improved (which, surprise, has a development cost).
You aren't wrong about the raw cost, but the MSRP only crept up $20-30 over the launch price of the first versions, and it looks like the price adjustment is justified.
Impulses - Monday, June 25, 2018 - link
I thought all the K series had the metal body when they started out, like way back when the Fn keys weren't even mechanical but rubber domes... My K90 was at least. They weren't even back but natural Al color, I always thought that was best look.m16 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link
I don't know why they continue to use a horrible font.I very much preferred (and still use!) the old Vengeance K70 fonts, whom are also used by the Cooler Master MK750 (a worthy keyboard that's only missing the volume wheel in my opinion).
That being said, I don't like the numbers on top and symbols on bottom placement on the numbers row while the rest of the keyboard has the primary on bottom/shift on top, that seems to be the new standard now on most keyboards.
That's a huge usability issue when not using it for gaming and it seems that no one cares at all.
The older Vengeance K70 also was programmable without software which made it operating system agnostic and a superior product even if it was only one color.
Milopeng - Thursday, October 18, 2018 - link
I thought I was the only one feeling the new font is bad, why didn’t Corsair reuse K70 font for the new MK2 but to use the ugly LUX font?? So since I’m getting a second perfect keyboard after the normal K70, I chose RGB MK2 K70 and I got a very good price online $135 with blue switches! Since then I never have to carry my keyboard to the office anymore! After swapping both keyboards’ key caps now my new RGB K70 is perfectly perfect! Elegant!! I don’t really care my K70 being ugly since I use it for gaming and home use, or I’ll get a set of cute key caps for it once I found one, but doubt so. I bet I’m one of the few to do this, I LOVE MY NEW KEYBOARD!!!I don’t use the given white key caps since they’re ugly and only for MOBA and FPS, just using the red K70 ones as I’m playing Starcraft 2 using numbers a lot. Replacing only number 6 on the RGB as it has an end curve just nice for the game although it’s red.
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