I Bought a New Keyboard, and It's Beautiful!

[Cortexian]

Hey everyone, I wanted to share this with you, it's my overview video on a new keyboard that I picked up. The Corsair Vengeance K70 RGB keyboard is a full sized mechanical gaming keyboard with RGB LED back-lighting behind every individual key. It uses Cherry MX Red RGB mechanical key switches for a linear and gaming oriented experience.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7u8y_ZWQbw

Hopefully you guys enjoy this video, and maybe it'll tempt you into buying one. If you're not a fan of the Cherry MX Red switches, Corsair plans to bring out a Cherry MX Blue and Brown version of the keyboard in the future.

[Tnnaas]

Neat vid. Informative.

I would def pick up a K70 RGB if it used Clear keyswitches (Browns too light and Greens too loud). At the moment, my solution is a CODE v2 with white LEDs and some plastic colored coverings to customize the colors.

[Cortexian]

Coverings on white backlighting is an interesting way to add some color into the mix. Do you have any pictures or references as to what you're talking about?

[Tnnaas]

https://d2qmzng4l690lq.cloudfront.net/resizer/1500x1000/r/ledcaps1.png

https://d2qmzng4l690lq.cloudfront.net/resizer/1500x1000/r/ledcaps2.png

I doubt they're as vibrant as actual colored LEDs...

Edit: Geekhack has a group buy on them (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62149.0) that will be ending this month.

[Cortexian]

Very cool!

I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever go to a non-RGB keyboard in the future...

I may actually return this one and wait for the Cherry MX Blue model to come out. I think I like the blue switches a little more than the reds, because I can't always tell if I've actually hit a red key unless I intentionally bottom it out. They're also really light to actuate, so I sometimes actuate without meaning to while gaming.

[Bodzilla]

Dont browns have the same tactile feel without the noisy click of blues?
also hows it compare in brightness to something like a saitek keyboard?

I owned an eclipse II for years and it was amazing then when i got the logitech g110 i've been so fucking disappointed by the back-lighting because even at highest intensity's it's nearly impossible to see.

TL:DR, I like bright keyboards, is it REALLY bright?

[Amit]

Join the G110 disappointment club.

[Patrickssj6]

Is it possible to auto change colors of keys depending on what program you are working on? E.g. highlighting Photoshop shortcuts

[Rentafence]

Can the keyboard flash when I get a killing spree in Halo

[Btcc22]

Can the keyboard flash when I get a killing spree in Halo

Serious answer to non-serious question: apparently not. Seems like a shortcoming not to provide some kind of API for the keyboard's lighting.

[PopeAK49]

Does this keyboard come with LSD?

[Cortexian]

Dont browns have the same tactile feel without the noisy click of blues?
also hows it compare in brightness to something like a saitek keyboard?

I owned an eclipse II for years and it was amazing then when i got the logitech g110 i've been so fucking disappointed by the back-lighting because even at highest intensity's it's nearly impossible to see.

TL:DR, I like bright keyboards, is it REALLY bright?
I had a Saitek Eclipse prior to my G110, and I was also disappointed with the backlighting of that keyboard. I had the G110 until I upgraded to the BlackWidow Ultimate 2013. The BlackWidow blacklighting is probably some of the brightest I've seen.

With that in mind, the K70 RGB is probably similar in lighting to the Saitek. Definitely much brighter than the G110, but not quite as bright as the BlackWidow. Though, the BlackWidow was so bright that I typically kept it at around 30% brightness.


Is it possible to auto change colors of keys depending on what program you are working on? E.g. highlighting Photoshop shortcuts
Yes, absolutely!

You can create "profiles" in the software, which you can then link to specific programs. The software will automatically switch to those profiles when it detects the program is running. Every profile can have multiple modes, which you can cycle between with an assigned hotkey (and you can set it to be any key you want, normally an unused key). You can also assign a hotkey to cycle between entire profiles if you'd like, but I'm fairly sure that using this will take they software out of "Automatic Profile Selection" mode until you put it back in. That means to auto profiles for programs until you manually put it back into Auto switching mode.


Can the keyboard flash when I get a killing spree in Halo
Not yet. There has been rumors about Corsair opening up the software at some point. Probably after it is out of beta, but for now the software is definitely beta.

[Patrickssj6]

http://s7.directupload.net/images/140916/vi2ct5iy.gif

[Lateksi]

Looks cool for sure.

Been using old PS/2 keyboards since I started using computers. They work.

http://blog.xero.nu/style/img/uploads/lsdj.keyboard-01.jpg

[Amit]

Looks cool for sure.

Been using old PS/2 keyboards since I started using computers. They work.

Not if they get unplugged while Windows is running. Have fun restarting your PC.

[itszutak]

Not if they get unplugged while Windows is running. Have fun restarting your PC.

Been running a PS/2 keyboard for years and this has literally never been an issue

[PlasbianX]

Just pre ordered the Razer Chroma. Same idea as this, but DOES come with an API for altering how the colors work when you do things in game.

[Cortexian]

Hope they fixed all the problems with the firmware/software in it.

My BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 is unusable after the first login because subsequent logins cause the keyboard to start repeating the enter/return key forever until you quit the software. The firmware update was supposed to fix that specifically, and yet it's still happening... Razer support can't help me either, hence switching to Corsair instead of waiting for the Chroma!

TBH, I'd cancel pre-order until you know if they've fixed the problems in the firmware or not.

[Bodzilla]

Razer are just a shit company in general anyway sooooooo....

[Amit]

Been running a PS/2 keyboard for years and this has literally never been an issue

Then you are one of the few lucky people who can claim that. PS/2 wasn't designed for plug and play or hot plugging.

[Tnnaas]

Been running a PS/2 keyboard for years and this has literally never been an issue
Same.


Then you are one of the few lucky people who can claim that. PS/2 wasn't designed for plug and play or hot plugging.
I think it's more of a 'the cable doesn't arbitrarily come out mid-operation' issue. None of my cables get tugged by accident on unless I've got my feet back there messing with stuff. The number of times I've restarted my PC because I had that happen yet though are zero.

[itszutak]

Then you are one of the few lucky people who can claim that. PS/2 wasn't designed for plug and play or hot plugging....do you hot swap keyboards often? The last time I unplugged mine was when I was moving

[Donut]

...do you hot swap keyboards often? The last time I unplugged mine was when I was moving
This. I was hesitant to switch to a PS/2 keyboard for the whole "but what if it gets unplugged D:" reason. I switched last year. Literally has never been an issue. If i ever need a keyboard for something else, I have my old USB one lying around.

Who actually does have an issue with PS/2 keyboard for plug and play? I've never even heard of that unless its somebody on like... a laptop or something, in which case its irrelevant anyway.

[Zeph]

Who actually does have an issue with PS/2 keyboard for plug and play?
Apparently those people who never heard of a PS/2->USB adapter.

[Cortexian]

Yeah I think when they said it has literally never been an issue, they were referring to the fact that they keyboard doesn't randomly or accidentally come unplugged. Not sure how you'd have something setup so that cables could get snagged like that accidentally, as it's something you should think about when setting up a desktop system. Cable management is just as important OUTSIDE of the computer case.

[Jelly]

phimosis

[PlasbianX]

Hope they fixed all the problems with the firmware/software in it.

My BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 is unusable after the first login because subsequent logins cause the keyboard to start repeating the enter/return key forever until you quit the software. The firmware update was supposed to fix that specifically, and yet it's still happening... Razer support can't help me either, hence switching to Corsair instead of waiting for the Chroma!

TBH, I'd cancel pre-order until you know if they've fixed the problems in the firmware or not.

Yeah my keyboard has that problem, so i just press the esc on each subsequent login because that cancels it out and is no longer an issue.

TBH, I'm not gonna cancel a pre-order over the fact I gotta press a key.

[Rentafence]

Yes I have autism prefer legacy interfaces for my hardware which is why I use a mouse with a DB-25 connector through a pci card.

[Cortexian]

Yeah my keyboard has that problem, so i just press the esc on each subsequent login because that cancels it out and is no longer an issue.

TBH, I'm not gonna cancel a pre-order over the fact I gotta press a key.
I tried ESC and a bunch of other keys, doesn't help. Just interrupts while I press it.

[Amit]

Yeah I think when they said it has literally never been an issue, they were referring to the fact that they keyboard doesn't randomly or accidentally come unplugged. Not sure how you'd have something setup so that cables could get snagged like that accidentally, as it's something you should think about when setting up a desktop system. Cable management is just as important OUTSIDE of the computer case.

Ah, when he said he never had a problem, I thought he meant he was hotplugging with no issues. Not sure how you guys never had that issue, but the cable getting unplugged a couple times a month used to be an issue for me before I switched to USB peripherals.

[itszutak]

Ah, when he said he never had a problem, I thought he meant he was hotplugging with no issues. Not sure how you guys never had that issue, but the cable getting unplugged a couple times a month used to be an issue for me before I switched to USB peripherals.you don't need to grease cables up before you plug them in

[Bodzilla]

1 month in, any problems with the keyboard freelancer, and is it a full size keyboard?

i think razers have smaller key caps according to my brother

[Cortexian]

It is a fullsize, no small keycaps or anything like that. I returned it less than a week after having it because I couldn't stand red switches. Waiting for the Blue Switch version to come in stock and then I'll pick it up again.

[Patrickssj6]

Got myself the K70 with Blue Switches and just love it. :D I never look down thus I did not care about LED Backlight.

[Donut]

I know I'm kind of reviving an old discussion here, but I found out the other day that my PS2 keyboard is actually "semi"-hot pluggable. As long as it's plugged in when the computer starts, I can unplug it then plug it back in and it works just fine.