Mechanical Cherry Keys
Guru3D blue backlighting , freekeeeh :) All keys are mechanical, in our case making use of Cherry MX SPEED RGB switches. The idea behind mechanical switches is that they give a key press a more perceptible feel than the standard rubber membrane used in cheaper keyboards yet offering fast performance. Gamers seem to prefer mechy's very much over dome based keys and ever since the past year or two mechanical keyboards have been on the rise. The keyboard registers ALL keys pressed at once, as such this is full key rollover.
The RGB Cherry MX speed switches should be able to withstand over 50 million key presses, personally I lost count after 43 clicks, so I'll trust that assessment. Each key switch is mounted directly onto a top metal (aluminum) plate that ensures structural rigidity, topped with a translucent ABS laser-etched keycap to enable back-lighting.
Back-lighting on a Cherry MX switch is much sharper than that of a membrane keyboard because each key is lit by an individual LED and not in an array. This means that if the user removes the keycap, he or she should see an LED directly under it that maximizes the lighting effect.
Our keyboard houses SPEED Cherry MX switches. Cherry offers many switches these days with silent and speed being the new ones.
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Cherry MX Black - Linear switch with Actuation Force: 60g (40g-80g overall)
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Cherry MX Brown Switches - Tactile Switch with Actuation Force: 45g (55g Peak Force)
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Cherry MX Blue Switches - Tactile & Clicky with Actuation Force: 50g (60g Peak Force)
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Cherry MX Red Switches - Linear Switch with Actuation Force: 45g
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Cherry MX SPEED Switches - Linear Switch with Actuation Force: 45g
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For the Silent MX model switches we have are based on the red variant with 45g of actuation force.
Each color switch feels different and Corsair actually has this keyboard available in several color switches (for your personal preference). Cherry red is the most common preferred switch type so it's not a surprise to see the new SPEED MX switches to get the very same actuation.
Back-lighting on a Cherry MX switch is much sharper than that of a membrane keyboard because each key is lit by an individual LED and not in an array. This means if you remove the keycap, you should see an LED directly under it that maximizes the lighting effect.
The keys overall are curved a little and are fairly slippery which gives them a unique feel. Above I replace the WASD keys with included curved and rugged ones. You can easily install the rugged keys by using the supplied key cap puller tool, just pull them up gently and they'll be lifted out of place.
The included custom gaming keycaps offer a good feel. The keys are curved a little and are rubberized which gives them a unique feel. I should call them 'contoured' WASD keys I guess. And if you don't like them, just replace them back with the standard ones. It's all about customization with mechanical keyboards. Heck, if you game intensely and the letters fade away, you want to be able to replace the keys, right? I lighted the WASD keys in white. Obviously you can choose yourself how you color the WASD (or any key for that matter). But since we see them activated here, let's talk about the LED back-lighting a little shall we ?
