This keyboard IMO is the best of the best. Yea, it is a bit more expensive than other out there, but you are getting more. You get an option of many different Cherry MX keys(I went with Blue), a USB pass through, GREAT RGB lighting, added macro keys and a VERY comfortable wrist rest.
I have tried the Razer Blackwidow V3 and the Elite. Both are good keyboards, but the Elite, while it had a nice wrist rest(magnetic) had black key bases so it's RGB lighting is dim and the V3, which does have good RGB lighting, didn't have the USB pass through and came with a hard plastic wrist rest that doesn't attach , in any way, to the keyboard(no magnets or anything, it just sits there). The green Razer keey were pretty good but no match for the feel and sound of true Cherry MX Blue keys.
Another thing I love about the K95 is the ability to load lighting profiles directly to the keyboard so you do NOT need to be running iCue to get the lighting effects you want. This is a nice thing to have when you want to run a minimized set up for gaming or move the keyboard to another computer. Razer has none of this.
On top of this, the light really blows Razer out of the water. With the exception of the Blackwidow V3, all Razer RGB keyboards seem dim and under lit compared to Corsair. The translucent key bases make all the difference. Plus this has an added RGB light bar at the top of the keyboard for an extra add effect, which looks awesome. And the Corsair log is at the top of the keyboard, so it does NOT get hidden by the write rest, unlike Razer's keyboards, which have the log at the bottom.
The one (big) minus I will give Corsair is iCue. It is a big step behind Razer in programmability. It seems to take a lot more steps to accomplish what is easily done in Razer's Synapse. Plus, if you have multiple Razer devices, it allows you to group the devices so when you set a lighting profile, it applies to ALL devices. In iCue, you have to set the lighting profile for EACH device independently, which is a complete waste of time. To add to this, while Corsair has profiles that you can load to the keyboard directly, you have to program them in it's own HARDWARE tab and you CANNOT copy regular lighting profiles to the Hardware tab. So you basically have to program the light profile TWICE. Another waste of time.
Pros
Solid construction
choice of different Cherry MX keys
USB pass through
GREAT and BRIGHT RGB lighting, with added light bar and logo at top, which won't get blocked by wrist rest
Macro keys
Nicely padded wrist rest
Cons
iCue - Corsair really needs to step it up and look at how Razer does Synapse as there are many head scratching things in iCue.
All in all this is a great keyboard. If you are after great RBG lighting and added macro keys, get this. Just be prepared for some extra effort needed for iCue.
| Brand | Corsair |
|---|---|
| Series | CORSAIR K95 RGB PLATINUM XT |
| Item model number | CH-9127414-NA |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Operating System | Mac OS X 10.12 Sierra, Windows 10 |
| Item Weight | 2.88 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 18.3 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 18.3 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Manufacturer | CORSAIR |
| ASIN | B082GR814B |
| Date First Available | November 29, 2022 |
