Best Corsair k100 Gaming keyboard Review

Good people and just when you think that keyboards couldn't get any more innovative and for the past few years they've been kind of stagnated with some almost pointless features being slapped on and calling it the day. 

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K100 Features, Price & Availability

And this is kind of what corsair has been doing for a while, but I feel like we're reaching a point where some actually interesting innovation is happening. 

What exactly have here with the new k100 keyboard?

The main highlight here were the k100 is the 4000 hertz polling rate, and you think about the maximum polling rate that we've had so far on keyboards and peripherals. It's always been 1000 hertz. 

But now, by end of 2021 will see 1000 hertz displays and right now, 500 hertz displays are being tested so having 4000 hertz polling on a keyboard isn't all that crazy, it gives us that future proofing direction. 

And also, there isn't the first one to do this Razer just announced the Death Adder with 8000 hertz polling rate, which is twice as fast as the keyboard. 

So peripherals are moving in that direction. I have not used a full size keyboard any years, so this should be an interesting experience and I do appreciate that corsair there's brand redesign is cohesi
ve across product so like there are 4000 series cases you can check out here, some of the elements in terms of design like the k100 logo the coarser text and some yellow accents on the product here are carried over into the keyboard side as well.

Price wise you're looking at $230 CS is going to be a turnoff for many, but let's face it, this is corsair flagship keyboard. What else are we expecting right I'm not a full size keyboard guy at all. 

But the k100 has gauged my interest, obviously, this thing is not going to be for everybody. It is the highest end keyboard that corsair are offers. 

It is the most RGB they've ever implemented and the keyboard. Plus, the really the selling point would be the 4000 hertz polling rate but in my gaming experience. Does that matter. Let's talk about all that practice.

The rivals free wireless can get up to 400, hours of play time with two triple A batteries at 1000 hertz that's plenty of time to own in games with a good shape. 

User Defined weight and the mouse is also Bluetooth ready Steelseries Rival three ones, check it out below. 

Physical Overview

Alright so physically the keyboard looks very familiar to what the key 95 block them delivered large body but not overly massive beyond the key caps yes it's a full size keyboard with the additional keys on the left side for your macros and the Elgato stream deck integration, but that whole aluminum frame is pretty low profile, and I do appreciate their slight redesign on the sides to have that light illumination that shines directly on the surface in terms of RGB This is the most coarser have ever implemented on a keyboard. 

So we have three side 44 zone I believe RGB illumination that is fully adjustable and customizable, it is super vibrant, it is color accurate to what you set the software, and it does look pretty. I'm going to admit it. 

When the light shines directly on the surface, then your wrist wrist has a magnetic clasp for easy installation. 

The surface is slightly different to match their new Angular undulation pattern on their cases so that is one of those design cohesive elements that I appreciate leatherette material on top memory foam on the inside. 

It's a very comfortable rest, rest. In general, the media keys on the top right feel very familiar with an aluminum volume wheel, that doesn't have much resistance, but it is much better than what Logitech offers with their g 915, tkl, and full size keyboards, the cable as before is super thick, and we have the dual USB ports one for keyboard power one for the additional USB pass through, and of course they found a way to build in some tempered glass for the gaming keyboard. 

It's right in the center, and it shows you the capslock different profiles, or whatever that you have activated in terms of Windows log and etc. 

K100 Keycaps + Switches

all the key caps on the keyboard, except for the G keys on the left and the spare gaming key caps are double shot DBT, which for such a premium keyboard is appreciated.

The texture on here feels slightly smoother than what I'm used to from my other PVT sets, especially coming from razor, I do appreciate their new font which isn't as bulky, it's sharp, it's clean, it's not as gamers, that what I'm seeing from corsair on a regular basis. 

So all those aspects are going into the right direction, and below the key caps our new optical mechanical switches from corsair called the OPX the X ray that one millimeter total travel distance is 3.2 millimeters, with 45 gram actuation force.

And a really impressive 150 million lifespan keystrokes making this the fastest gaming keyboard on the market currently because the 4000 hertz polling rate, and also probably the longest lasting too.

If you're familiar with MX speed switches they kind of feel the same way in terms of having very short actuation point and not as much travel distance as your normal mechanical switches. 

But they're also very light, just like razors red linear optical switches too so they kind of in between, and it's a really good in between. 

Corsair OPTX Switch Sound Test

They feel very smooth coming up and down with a pretty pleasant sound profile, not as clunky and metallic sounding like with with razor linear read optical.

ICUE Control Dial

The last physical addition on the k100 is what's known as the IQ control wheel. 

When I first heard about it I'm like, I need this in my life with different microcontrollers different built in default functions that you can do all types of cool things with it. 

But in reality, it's a little bit janky, first of all my wheel has a bit of wobble which is unfortunate for $230 keyboard. Luckily, this doesn't seem to be an issue with Frank's keyboard and my replacement keyboard. So,

I must have just gotten a poor sample over here, it is an aluminum wheel just like the volume wheel so there's a bit of a cohesion in tourism materials which is nice, a built in illumination around the wheel is absolutely gorgeous. 

But in terms of functionality that's where I feel like it lacks a bit, so you click the IQ button in the middle to cycle between different functionalities.

All of which are color coded, you can do basic things like change the illumination brightness, you can do track scrolling, you can record macros within switch applications, zoom, and vertical and horizontal scrolling functionally it is a bit limited, and I don't see myself using this very often, not because it's in like an awkward position to to reach.

It's easy to reach with your left hand, after the last area is just that you have to cycle between the different functionalities that are built in, and there's no way to tell which functionality is being used. 

Aside from the color coordination on the actual IQ wheel, it would be fantastic if there was like a little on screen pop up that says that you are in the zoom mode that you're in scrolling mode that you're in, switching applications mode. 

But outside of that. You have to remember and remind yourself on which functions that you've enabled in IQ software also this whole aluminum wheel isn't exactly tactile for a good user experience, you don't really have full precise control on how many scroll steps you're activating, it's also a bit slippery and it would be great if the wheel was textured or rubberized for a bit more control.

Is a 4000Hz Polling Rate Worth It?

In order to activate the 4000 hertz polling rate, you have to first go into the settings and enable that because by default we're running at the 1000 hertz for better compatibility, really the main highlights that corsair briefed us on about this new axon hybrid processor, and the 4000 hertz polling rate is that we have up to 200 profiles that can be saved on the keyboard, which is kind of crazy and totally unnecessary and you can do up to 20 layers of hardware lighting so you can customize the keyboard to whatever you want. 

And you don't need it running for those hardware lighting layers to take effect. Overall, this gives corsair the bragging rights from the marketing perspective of having the fastest gaming keyboard on the market. 

But in reality, it will matter, not today, and not for 60 years displace but maybe two years from now when we're gaming and 500, hertz monitors, maybe 1000 hertz displays, and that's when the keyboard is becoming more consistent and your keystrokes are not landing in between polling rates, so your overall experience should be more more consistent, as of now with my 200 hertz display.

 I can't really feel the difference between 1000 hertz polling and 4000 hertz polling on the keyboard. But I am using the 8000 hertz polling with a Razer mouse, and that's when things get a bit interesting because I feel like my overall peripherals are more responsive and I can trust them more of landing, my shots because of the optical switches both on the mouse and the keyboard, where things, and those actuations are not landing in between polling rates for 1% eSports elites. Yes 4000 hertz. You want the best of the best.

Lighting Customization

In terms of lighting customization. I appreciate that we have perky lighting, all the 44 zones that are available to us you can customize them to whatever you want. It would be great if you had different zone presets for illumination. 

We do have obviously all the rainbow effects and all types of customization in the effects panel, but the zones, all those zones are user defined and nothing through presets, in order for you to select the exterior zones, you have to literally, hold the control drag and carefully select those boxes for illumination and create that as a new layer also me and Frank were talking about IQ and how it almost needs to get the revamped for 2021, because the k100 is a fantastic premium keyboard.

That feels right for right now, but all the driver stuff like changes in the 4000 hertz pulling rate is in the settings, everything else is on the left side inside the dashboard and it'd be awesome if IQ was simplified because working with the different lighting layers working with hardware lighting on all the actions and the IQ control wheel. It seems a little bit clunky.

Conclusion corsair

I feel corsair did a fantastic job with the new optical mechanical switches the OP x that is going to be competing with things that are coming from razor and from steel series to for full size keyboard lovers.

What do you think of the k100. Does it meet your expectations for like flagship $230 Premium keyboard from corsair and in 2020, I would say so because of the 4000 hertz pulling rate in terms of future proofing, in terms of having an axon high processor inside for insane storage compatibility and potential. 

But stay tuned for my comparison between the k100, and what's razors offering in terms of the full size keyboard because those are still the most popular format for keyboards, and I guess that makes sense.

I would still love to see a dkl version from Corsair that brings all these features, kind of disappointed with the IQ wheel, but everything else about the k100 satisfies me perfectly. 

Alright guys, how would we trade thanks so much for reading. 

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