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Corsair K70 Pro TKL: Two-minute review
Corsair is no stranger to the world of PC peripherals. Some of my favorite stock gaming keyboards, like the K100 Air, fly Corsair sails. So it’s no surprise that the Corsair K70 Pro TKL comes with a certain air of polish and and premium feel that other boards strive to replicate but ultimately can’t nail down.
However, this keyboard won’t be making its way into my daily-driver arsenal, and it’s for two main reasons: no hot-swap support, and a sharp, noisy typing sound.
If this keyboard’s pre-lubed Hall effect magnetic switches were hot-swappable, it would solve both issues at once; I’d be able to change up the sound and feel at the pull of a switch.
But not everyone wants to buy and apply all new sets of switches and keycaps. Many gamers just want to take a keyboard out of the box, have it give them an edge over the competition, and look good doing it. The K70 Pro TKL is a fantastic option in that regard.
And, with Corsair’s iCUE software, you do have quite a few options for customization when it comes to actuation, RGB lighting, macros, and more. Plus, it’s actually pretty intuitive to use, which is more than can be said for most peripheral software.
If you prefer the freedom and safety of full customization, this isn’t the board for you. I’d opt for something like the Keychron Q6 Max instead, which, despite its higher price point, offers the ability to repair a switch when it breaks rather than purchasing a whole new keyboard or breaking out a soldering iron. This doesn’t give you the performance of Hall effect switches, but honestly, unless you’re at the summit of competitive gaming, you’re probably not going to notice a discernable difference.
But, if you want to plug and play with some of the best performance and features of any keyboard on the block, the Corsair K70 Pro TKL is your chance.
Corsair K70 Pro TKL: Price & Availability
- How much does it cost? $179.99 / £169.99
- When is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK
The price may be a bit hard to swallow at first glance – $180 for a keyboard definitely isn’t cheap. But when you compare it to the best gaming keyboards on the market, that price really isn’t too far off (in fact it’s more affordable than many premium gaming keyboards).
There are two customization options you have before purchasing: choosing between Black and White colorways and selecting either ABS or PBT double-shot keycaps.
ABS keycaps are generally a bit cheaper to produce but the legends aren’t as clear and may degrade over time more easily. PBT, which comes with a $10 upcharge, solves those issues.
Corsair K70 Pro TKL: Design
This Corsair board has a lot going for it in terms of design. My review unit came in the black colorway, and you can’t get much more classic than that. It provides a nice contrast to the RGB lighting, which I’ll touch on more later in this section.
Back to the chassis for now though. It’s an interesting mix of plastic – which covers the outside of the keyboard – and an aluminum top plate that gives this TKL keyboard a satisfying blend of lightweight portability and hearty structural integrity.
Underneath that top plate is a sound-dampening layer of silicone, followed by the premium Hall-effect-ready PCB, and then another layer of silicone to keep things quiet.
Unfortunately, I can’t say these silicone layers accomplish a whole lot. One of my main gripes with this keyboard is the loud, harsh clacking and pinging sounds as you type.
For some people, this won’t matter at all because it’s all about features and efficiency. For the mechanical keyboard geeks out there who love to crack open a shell and start stuffing tape and foam inside to get that perfect sound (looking at you, me) you’ll probably pass in favor of something more customizable.
Similarly, this board is only available in a USB-C wired version – which won’t matter for some and will make a world of difference for others.
Onto the stabilizers: they’re plate mounted, which I’ve gone on record as saying aren’t my favorite. While they are still pretty easy to replace, they don’t offer the same level of security and acoustic accoutrement that screw-in stabs do. This is apparent every time you hit the rattly space bar and it screeches “ping!” back at you.
There are a lot of upsides, too. I love a vertical volume knob, especially one that lets me mute my audio with a tap. You can also configure this to change RGB brightness and zoom levels, or simply use it as a scroll wheel.
And to the left of that volume knob are two buttons that you can configure in iCUE, Corsair’s customization app. These provide some nice functionality like locking into Gaming Mode (which disables the alt-f4 and the Windows key for accidental closures and alt-tabs), and whatever else you assign to the second button.
This is also where you can choose your RGB lighting effects to spice up your setup. There are prebuilt templates like breathing and wave effects, but you can also select individual keys and different effects to create your own designs.
Turning the board over, there are two feet you can flip out for a bit of added height framing a futuristic-looking back plate. These aren’t bad, though I tend to go flat-footed with my keyboards anyway.
I’m also a big fan of the TKL form factor because I think it hits all the right areas without eating away all your desk space.
Plus, there’s the star of the show: those MGX Hyperdrive magnetic Hall effect switches. While I don’t think the average gamer needs them, they are very fast. And you can make them even faster by adjusting actuation levels in iCUE.
They also come pre-lubed, which is awesome to see more keyboard companies adopt. Keychron has been doing it for years, and it’s an edge I always gave to its keyboards when reviewing them – it looks like that’s changing in recent times, and I’m all for it. It just makes everything feel that much smoother – and doing it yourself is tedious.
The magnetic wrist rest is also a welcome and well-polished addition, and I found the keyboard comfortable to use both with and without it. That’s the thing: this keyboard actually feels quite nice to type on if you like a quick, snappy switch – it just needs to clean up the sound and customization departments.
Corsair K70 Pro TKL: Performance
This is where the Corsair K70 Pro TKL shines. It has all the cool gaming features you can think of and some I guarantee you didn’t.
Starting with the formalities, I never noticed any ghosting, double-typing, or any other low-budget keyboard problems here. The K70 Pro TKL was solid through and through.
Onto the cool stuff. Starting with Corsair’s “Rapid Trigger” tech, this lets you feed inputs one after the other in rapid succession without having to release the other key. In practice, that means you can “a” and “d” around a corner to jiggle peak quicker than someone using inferior hardware. You can take this even further with adjustable actuation points, which let you activate a keystroke at the drop of a hat.
There’s also dual actuation, which lets you assign two functionalities to one key – like walking if you press the key down half way, or sprinting if you put the pedal to the metal.
With these lightning fast key inputs comes the potential for game winning plays, but also mind numbing mistakes. Say you accidentally fat finger your ultimate key in a MOBA or WASD in Counter-Strike 2 when you meant to be holding an angle – it’s a double-edged sword.
Thankfully, Corsair thought of this ahead of time and implemented a neat feature that cuts down on those accidental inputs: FlashTap tech. FlashTap lets you “prioritize the first, last, or neither input” when clicking two keys at the same time, which can be a lifesaver. It’s disabled by default but can be toggled on with FN + Right Shift.
Combine all of that with Corsair’s Axon tech that gives this keyboard a polling rate of 8,000Hz, and you have one seriously speedy keyboard.
Should you buy the Corsair K70 Pro TKL?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value: |
$180 is a lot for a keyboard, there’s no getting around that. But it’s no more expensive than the other high-quality gaming keyboards on the market, and you do get a lot of speed and features in return. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Design: |
The design for a stock keyboard is solid, though I would’ve liked to see hot swap capabilities and screw-in stabilizers for the price point. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Performance: |
If performance is paramount in your eyes, the K70 Pro TKL is hard to beat. Its MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches and suite of customization options in iCUE positions it as a fantastic out of the box board. |
5 / 5 |
|
Average rating: |
The Corsair K70 Pro TKL is a great choice for those seeking the best performance available. However, it is not one size fits all. If you like customizing your keyboard or are shopping on a budget, you should look elsewhere. |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Corsair K70 Pro TKL: Also Consider
If our Corsair K70 Pro TKL review has you considering other options, I’d take a look at these…
How I tested the Corsair K70 Pro TKL
I replaced my daily driver gaming keyboard with the Corsair K70 Pro TKL for two weeks. I played games from all different genres, performed typing tests to assess n-key rollover and ghosting, and used it for general typing and web browsing.
I’ve been a PC gamer for more than a decade, and I’ve reviewed countless keyboards from OEMs like Corsair, Keychron, Das Key, and many more. I frequently mod and customize mechanical keyboards to nail down my favorite feel (until I find my new favorite).
First reviewed March 2025
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marcus.mearsiii@futurenet.com (Marcus Mears III)
