PC gaming is a hobby that is dependent on hardware quality. When building super expensive gaming PCs it's easy to focus on things like graphics cards and processor speed, but the more mundane pieces of hardware also matter. Keyboards are no exception, and there's no shortage of keyboards that have many different aesthetic options and offer technical performance advantages. Corsair's K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard is one item that caters to gamers that want a keyboard that offers more than the standard keyboard that comes stock with most PCs. It's the newest upgraded version of their popular K70 model.

In unboxing the K70 RGB Pro we have the keyboard and a detachable USB Type-C cable. The keyboard itself has a sturdy aluminum frame and magnetic soft-touch palm rest to ensure the user maintains comfort over extended gaming sessions. There are dedicated hotkeys and a volume roller. Each of the keys uses Cherry MX mechanical switches and durable PBT double-shot keycaps. For eSports athletes there's a tournament switch in the back that switches the K70 into tournament mode which disables custom profiles, actions and macros so that they cannot accidentally be activated during a tournament and also changes the RGB lighting to a static single color to make it less distracting.

Getting into the more technical side of things the K70 RGB Pro is powered by AXON 8,000 Hz hyper processing technology. This keyboard features powerful iCUE software that allows for programming custom macros and key remapping on both Windows and macOS. The 8MB memory allows up to 50 saved profiles (the number may vary depending on profile complexity) and up to 20 layers of lighting effects. The keyboard weighs in at 1.15 kg/2.54 lbs without the palm rest.

The included iCUE software is a useful inclusion with the K70 RGB Pro. The software promises to easily sync up the lighting effects of the K70 RGB Pro with any other compatible devices in your rig. The UI is actually user friendly, so creating a lightshow from dozens of available presets and even more user created ones is fairly easy. Being able to easily customize a light show from one's gaming rig is a cool feature that can dazzle a gamer's audience, should they have one, but while this is a nice feature it's also one that not everyone cares about. But if having a PC light show is something that is personally appealing this is a keyboard that makes that an easy wish to fulfill.

The K70 RGB Pro is simply a great keyboard. It's a higher-priced keyboard, but its quality helps justify that. The the Cherry MX switches are much quieter than other mechanical keyboards. Some people enjoy the clickity clack of the loud mechanical switches so this may not be a positive, but the quieter switches do allow for great attention to be paid to the in game sounds. The soft touch palm rest is a bit on the harder side, which depending on personal preference may be a positive or negative. The multiple profiles and lighting effects are easy to program and switch, making it easy to optimize the keyboard for different gaming situations. The tournament switch is a quick and easy way to temporarily disable everything to make it suitable for competitive play.

Closing Comments:

The Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard is a great keyboard for the right demographic. The sturdy frame and quick response mechanical keys make it an ideal keyboard to use for gaming while the palm rest keeps the user comfortable during longer sessions. The iCUE software makes setting up a custom lightshow a painless process and it can create quite the spectacle for those who are into it. To make the K70 RGB Pro a sound investment one would need to utilize the lighting, profiles and macros to fully get their money's worth. The K70 RGB Pro is an impressive keyboard that performs great on a mechanical level with quick keypress responses and on an aesthetic level with easy-to-use lighting effects that put on a great show without becoming too distracting. For gamers who want a keyboard that can do it all this is a great option, but if someone is only after something that functions well this may be more than is required.