Corsair has set the bar high with the K100, their newest flagship keyboard. A full-size board with media keys, iCUE control dial, macro keys that can integrate with Elgato Stream Deck software, and the fastest polling rate we’ve seen yet, the K100 is packed with features but comes in at a hefty $229.99 price point. Head below to see and hear it in action.
Overall build quality on the K100 is outstanding. Everything looks and feels solid. There’s no rattle, barely any flex, and while it does have some extra buttons and dials, it doesn’t scream, “I’m a gaming keyboard,” either.
A cushioned leatherette palm rest easily and securely attaches to the K100 for some added comfort. The textured finish and discrete logo with a subtle yellow accent looks great when connected to the keyboard.
With the wrist rest on there and the keyboard plugged in, The Corsair K100 really is a great-looking keyboard.
The only thing I can find that I don’t love on the Corsair K100 as far as design is the risers under the body. They swing out to the side, and personally, I most frequently move the keyboard laterally, so occasionally these would flip down as I was adjusting the keyboard. Not a huge deal breaker, but I prefer the standard setup where they flip out toward the front.
For some more functionality, the K100 also features a USB passthrough on the front of the body, near the cable. This also means that the K100 has two USB ports to plug into the computer and support the additional USB passthrough.
Switches and caps
There are two different switches available on the K100. The variant we have here sports Cherry MX Speed RGB Silver switches and the other option is Corsair’s own optical OPX linear switches.
This is my first time trying the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches and they feel great. While I don’t typically choose a linear switch, I’m enjoying these so far with a light, 45g actuation force and short 1.2 mm actuation point, they’re light and easy to press. While they aren’t silent, they have a satisfying feel and sound. Be sure to watch the video to hear them in action.
Corsair K100: video
Speed switches meet the fastest keyboard
Maybe the most notable feature, at least spec-wise, is the powerful Corsair AXON Hyper-Processing Technology to boost polling speeds up to 4,000hz, which is 4x the standard 1,000hz rate. The board comes set at 1,000Hz but can quickly be updated to 4,000 within the iCUE app.
While this might not be a noticeable difference to most players, it does set a new level and performance for keyboards and moves peripherals further into the future with higher performance.
iCUE control wheel
Another new hardware bit on the Corsair K100 is the iCUE control wheel located in the upper left. By clicking in the center, the dial will toggle through available actions like brightness adjustment, skip music tracks, vertical or horizontal scrolling, or zoom, though none of these functions have really made their way into my normal workflow or gameplay.
The top of the dial is smooth with a sharp edge transitioning to the sides where there is a grippy texture that makes the dial easier to turn. I would have preferred a textured top as well to make a quick move up to the wheel for adjustments easier. I have to be more precise with my fingers to turn the dial that if it were textured on top as well so I could spin the dial with a quick motion.
It also doesn’t feel as solidly built as the rest of the keyboard. Everything else, switches, keycaps, stabilizers, media keys, they all feel top of the line, but the Control Dial feels loose and doesn’t carry the same premium touch and feel as the rest of the keyboard.
Extra keycaps
Included with the keyboard are some replacement keycaps for WASD and other adjacent keys. These gray-tipped caps have a textured finish for more grip and are also contoured to keeps fingers on the top of the caps. I found the contour to be a little too aggressive and kept my fingers closer together than I like while gaming.
RGB lighting
As the top of the line, the K100 also has impressive RGB lighting throughout the board. All of the keys are individually customizable of course, as well as the lights around the sides and front of the keyboard. There are a ton of layers and adjustments to make to RGB within the iCUE software.
iCUE
Corsair’s iCUE software handles all of the settings for the K100 keyboard. In here, adjustments to polling rate, brightness, instant lighting and macros are easy to change. You can also toggle other performance features like disable the windows key.
Wrapping up
Overall, sitting as their new flagship keyboard, the Corsair K100 feels like a top-tier board. Build quality is some of the highest I’ve seen in a gaming keyboard and the design and lighting are modern but not over the top. At $229.99 it carries a hefty price tag, but it raises the bar with 4,000Hz polling rate and overall quality.
Buy Corsair K100 with Cherry MX Switches
Buy Corsair K100 with OPX optical switches
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