Review: Corsair K70 RGB TKL is a compact keyboard powerhouse
The best gaming keyboards offer lightning-fast mechanical switches, RGB lighting, long-term durability, and plenty of customization. There have been a few standout additions over the last two years — the Das Keyboard 4Q connects to the internet and notifies you for incoming emails and the like, and the Corsair K100 has a nifty dial that lets you control music playback, switch between apps, and much more.
That said, the fundamentals haven’t altered all that much; most keyboards targeted at gamers are full-sized options that include a 104-key layout. That’s changing now as gaming brands are starting to embrace smaller form factors, leading to tenkeyless (TKL) and 60% options.
Corsair already rolled out a few TKL keyboards, and the K70 TKL is the latest entrant. The keyboard itself is identical to the standard model, but because there’s no number pad, it has a diminutive size. Another upside is that the K70 TKL starts off at $140, $20 less than the full-sized model. So if you’re looking to pick up a new compact gaming keyboard, the K70 TKL may just be the ideal option.
Corsair K70 RGB TKL
The Good
- 8000Hz polling
- Cherry MX gaming switches
- Sturdy build quality
- Plenty of customizability
- PBT keycaps
- Dedicated tournament mode
The Bad
- Compact design takes a while to get used to
- Costly
Corsair K70 RGB TKL: Price and availability
Source: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central
You can pick it up from Best Buy, Newegg, and straight from Corsair in the U.S., and while the listing is sold out on Amazon, it should make its way back to the retailer shortly. The keyboard is available with Cherry MX Red, Silent, or Speed switches.
Corsair K70 RGB TKL: What you’ll like
Source: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central
Corsair hasn’t left out any of the extras here — this is a full-featured keyboard.
Corsair knows how to make a high-quality keyboard, and even though the K70 RGB TKL is a compact option, it doesn’t miss out on any of the extras. You’ll find the same volume roller and a mute button to the right, buttons for switching profiles, adjusting the intensity of the RGB lighting, and disabling the Windows key, along with dedicated media controls.
There’s also a tournament switch that disables lighting effects to prevent distractions during intense gaming — switching the keyboard to a single color — and any custom macros and actions. There’s also an LED on the top edge that lights up when the keyboard is in tournament mode.
Another standout with the K70 RGB TKL is that it has PBT doubleshot keycaps as standard, and you can immediately tell the difference if you’re coming from a regular keyboard. The keycaps have a matte finish, and after two weeks of use, the keyboard looks just as pristine as the day I took it out of the box.
Corsair sells the K70 TKL with either Corsair MX Red, Silent, or MX Speed gaming switches, and my keyboard came with the Red option. All three switches have 45g of actuation force and linear travel, and the Red switch has a 2.0mm actuation distance and 4.0mm total travel. I find the Red switch to be the ideal switch for gaming, but if you want less actuation distance, you’ll want to take a look at the other options.
With 8000Hz polling, the K70 RGB TKL is designed to give elite gamers an edge.
The Red switch makes the K70 RGB TKL a fantastic gaming keyboard; the low actuation point means keystrokes are registered near-instantaneously, and it was delightful to use the keyboard during extended Valorant and Borderlands 3 sessions.
Like the Sabre RGB Pro, the K70 TKL has an 8000Hz polling rate (most keyboards go up to 1000Hz) and the feature is designed to give elite gamers an edge. While the Sabre RGB Pro requires high-end hardware for the 8000Hz polling to work, that isn’t the case with the K70 RGB TKL.
Now, I didn’t see a lot of difference between the keyboard and my “regular” K100, which goes up to a measly 4000Hz. But then again, I’m not an pro gamer (the only activity I seem to be good at is stuffing a lot of cookies into my mouth). If you’re an elite gamer and are looking for an edge, you’ll love what the K70 TKL has to offer. For the rest of us, this is just another high-quality keyboard with nice mechanical switches and a robust build that will last several years.
Corsair K70 RGB TKL: What needs work
Source: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central
Coming in at $140, the K70 RGB TKL isn’t an affordable keyboard by any measure. You are getting a lot of features here, but if you’re in the market for a more budget-focused option, you will find plenty of alternatives.
Corsair K70 RGB TKL: Competition
Source: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central
Roccat’s $130 Vulcan TKL Pro is also a reliable choice in this category. They keyboard has low-profile keys and uses Roccat’s Titan gaming switch, has a detachable USB-C cable, tournament mode, and vibrant RGB lighting.
Corsair K70 RGB TKL: Should you buy it?
Source: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central
You should buy this if …
- You want a gaming keyboard with Cherry MX gaming switches
- You’re looking for a compact gaming keyboard
- You need a keyboard that has all the bells and whistles
- You’re interested in a keyboard with 8000Hz polling
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- You want a keyboard on a budget
All things considered, Corsair nailed the brief with the K70 RGB TKL. The keyboard retains the best features of the K70 while introducing exciting options like 8000Hz polling and PBT doubleshot keycaps. This keyboard is built to last, and the detachable cable makes it that much more portable than traditional keyboards.
You also get Cherry MX switches, plenty of customization options in iCUE, and the dedicated tournament mode lets you easily disable any custom effects during intense gaming sessions.
You’re not really missing out on anything here, and if you’re looking to switch to a compact gaming keyboard that offers a similar feature-set as full-sized options, the K70 RGB TKL is the obvious choice.
Corsair K70 RGB TKL
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