Corsair K70 or K95 PLATINUM: worth it?

[Mr.Popo]

So I've been going back and forth on getting either a K70 or K95 platinum for a while now but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I've got a Redragon K556 Devarajas at the moment. My first mech keyboard and it's amazing. I killed the arrow keys by breaking a trace when I swapped out one of the switches (it's a hot swappable board). So I'm either going to buy another one or upgrade.

So... Is it really worth the extra 2k-3k to upgrade to one of the Corsair keyboards or not.

I understand that this is subjective but opinions would be appreciated.
Also, alternative keyboard suggestions are also welcome.
*** Any suggestions must have brown switches (personal pref)***

Price reference
* Redragon - R1500
* K70 - R3500
* K95 plat - R4000

TIA
Mr.Popo

Sent from my SM-N970F using Tapatalk

 

[Oj0]

I've used Redragon before and was quite underwhelmed, they're definitely not in the same league as a decent mechanical keyboard. If you're into RGB lighting, the Redragon is also extremely basic. Both of the Corsairs you listed are able to set any colour/pattern to any key/set of keys.

For the Corsair side of things, the biggest difference between the two is the macro keys. I use the K95 Platinum and have never used the macro keys for gaming, but use them constantly when working (they're probably used more than some of the letter keys xD ). Whether it's opening my music playlist, auto-typing a reply to a mail, or opening a set of tabs in Chrome, the macro keys are configured to do it all. If you don't see yourself using them, I don't see reason to spend that much.

The prices you're looking at are on the high end, I have the Corsairs a fair bit cheaper:

Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard — Cherry MX Brown

The CORSAIR K70 RGB MK.2 is a premium mechanical gaming keyboard built to last, with an aluminum frame, CHERRY MX keyswitches and stunning per-key RGB dynamic backlighting.

progenix.co.za

Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard — Cherry MX Brown

The CORSAIR K95 RGB PLATINUM XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard immerses your desktop in dynamic per-key RGB backlighting, equipped with a double-shot PBT keycap set and six dedicated macro keys with Elgato Stream Deck software integration.

progenix.co.za

I hope that helps

 

[goldfritter]

I've been using a Corsair K70 RGB RapidFire for 3-4 years now. Tl; dr - it's a great keyboard, but the major determining factor in your user experience of a keyboard is the switch. So if I were you I'd look out for a well-priced keyboard with either Cherry, Gateron or Kailh brown (or any tactile) switches. Outemu is probably okay too.

Regarding the Corsair. When I bought my KB it was way less expensive than it is now. 3.5k is kind of ridiculous. But is a great keyboard nonetheless.

Pros:
- iCUE is the best RGB software I've worked with and it syncs with Asus RGB too, so it controls RGB on my motherboard and my LED strips as well.
- The volume wheel and media keys, as well as windows lock, are very good.
- USB passthrough is very useful. I plug my XBox controller into it.
- I really like the Cherry Speed Silver switches; they are of excellent quality and feel great to use.
- Build quality is solid as a rock.
- The switches are on top of the board and not in a recess. This means dirt just slides off the sides of the keyboard when dusting. Most new KBs are designed like this now though.

Neutral:
- No macro keys. I would never have used them, but this is the major difference between the K70 and K95.
- Corsair keyboards have a slightly different layout for the ctrl/win/alt keys compared to standard mech KBs. This is only an issue if you wanted to get a non-Corsair branded set of replacement keycaps. The Corsair keycaps are also a tad smaller than standard mechanical keycaps. This has never bothered me but some people don't like them.
- It's quite a large keyboard, and the braided USB cable is rather girthy. It also needs two USB ports. This doesn't bother me, as I like the media controls and the USB passthrough, but if you don't want these then it could be a bit unwieldy for you.

Cons:
- The green and blue LEDs failed on two switches just out of warranty. So they can only be red or off. I've incorporated this into my colour scheme but it's disappointing.
- (NOTE - I have the Mk 1 version; current versions have a different wrist rest, so this won't apply to you). The wrist rest is too narrow and is coated with soft-touch plastic that feels nice but gets tacky quickly.
- 3.5k is a huge amount of money for a keyboard and I would also struggle to justify that.

EDIT: Just saw @Oj0's post; at his prices the Corsairs become a bit more viable, so if you can stretch your budget that far, I think you won't be disappointed with either one.

 

[5hadow17]

I'd say no, not from a value perspective. I use both a K95 and a Yama.

Posts above touch on most of the points already, but my added 2c:

- Corsair stabs are shit, the space-bar rattle on all their boards is notorious. The Yama's got much better stabs than the K95. Supposedly the K95 XT is slightly improved.

- The K95 XT comes with PBT caps, much better than the ABS on the K70, K95 non-XT and all Redragons. The Corsair PBT set sell for around 1k alone. I think most Redragon's have standard bottom rows, so you could potentially throw on any aftermarket PBT set

 

[Saaj]

So I've been going back and forth on getting either a K70 or K95 platinum for a while now but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I've got a Redragon K556 Devarajas at the moment. My first mech keyboard and it's amazing. I killed the arrow keys by breaking a trace when I swapped out one of the switches (it's a hot swappable board). So I'm either going to buy another one or upgrade.

So... Is it really worth the extra 2k-3k to upgrade to one of the Corsair keyboards or not.

I understand that this is subjective but opinions would be appreciated.
Also, alternative keyboard suggestions are also welcome.
*** Any suggestions must have brown switches (personal pref)***

Price reference
* Redragon - R1500
* K70 - R3500
* K95 plat - R4000

TIA
Mr.Popo

Sent from my SM-N970F using Tapatalk

Takealot has the Devarajas going for R999 today...

 

[Zyetta]

Cons:
- The green and blue LEDs failed on two switches just out of warranty. So they can only be red or off. I've incorporated this into my colour scheme but it's disappointing.

The failing LEDs are fairly common from my experience. It happened to me for the first time after a month of use. I RMA'd it, and got a new one where the LEDs are now dying again (Out of warranty this time). More examples of it can be seen online, though. Overall my favorite keyboard to type on so far, but not worth more than 2k.

 

[SCHUMI4EVER]

Redragon Yama if you can still find one. It has Otemu Purples which are like a light brownish-like switch also sorta Red-ish in feel, kinda an inbetween step. And I actually prefer it to both my keyboards with Browns and Reds.

Yeah the LEDs probably won't last you as long as if you go Corsair or other more quality brands but it has just about all the same features as those keyboards for half the price. A more fiddly way of accessing the features perhaps and definitely no form of lighting sync but hey you'd have the same issues with the much-lauded Duckys when it comes to lighting.

In my opinion the Yama is all the K95 anyone will ever need. Not that I have had a K95 but I do have the MK850.

The only one that is worth all the dosh over the Yama is a the Logitech G815 (my daily driver) because it provides a truly different experience rather than the same thing with supposedly higher quality.

 

[Juggy]

I have the Corsair K70 MkII Rapidfire with Cherry MX Speed keys and it is the best keyboard I have ever used.

 

[Mr.Popo]

Thanks for the detailed feedback gents.

I'm sad I missed out on that Takealot deal but after reading these comments, I might just change my choice from K70 vs K95 plat to Redragon Yama vs Brahma. Ifni get the brahma, I'd just take the switches from my current Keyboard and out them in there as I'm a big fan of the Browns.

I'll just try very hard not to scratch the PCB this time haha

Sent from my SM-N970F using Tapatalk

 

[Bosman1979]

I owned a K70,K95,k95 platinum and now a G815. I think they all have their place. K70,k95 are ok but the pbt keycaps on the platinum makes a huge difference. I use the 815 now for work and it is for my use the best keyboard of them all.

 

[VandaL]

Got a K70 anodized in 2010 with red switches and red backlight. That kb still looks good and works flawlessly at work years later.

Upgraded to the K70 lux brown switch for home a few years ago, I agree the stabs are quite shit but can he easily fixed with a little die electric grease. Also have the white corsair pbt caps on mine, very pricey but excellent quality. I remember the k70 lux mk2 being R2100 at evetech for rage 2019, R3500 on any keyboard sounds silly.