Corsair has just released the K68 RGB Mechanical Keyboard last week, the newest addition to their mechanical gaming keyboard lineup. The main highlights of this new keyboard by Corsair are Germany Manufactured Cherry MX Red/Blue Switches, and of course RGB Backlighting. The keyboard is a sucessor to the original K68 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, which only featured red backlighting. The updated model is mostly based on the same design, but is more polished and features RGB Lighting for every individual key that can be animated.
It features IP32 Dust & Water Resistance, so you don’t have to worry about spilling your beer, coffee or whatever beverage you drink while at your workstation. You could ever rinse it clean with some water. That’s right, both water resistance and RGB Lighting in a Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Corsair also says that the Corsair K68 RGB Keyboard is “ultra-durable” – more on that later.
Price & Where To Buy
The Corsair K68 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard will be priced at $119.99, which is $20 more than the normal red backlit K68. It’s worth to note tha the K68 RGB is also available in two mechanical keyswitch variants – Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Red while the normal K68 only comes with Cherry MX Red.
To buy the keyboard, keep checking retailers like Amazon, Newegg, etc.
Specs & Features
Mechanical Switches
The Corsair K68 RGB Keyboard uses Cherry MX Blue or Red Mechanical Switches. These switches are manufactured in Germany and provide a way better typing experience compared to normal membrane keys which you see on most keyboards. Here are the differences between the Cherry MX Blue and Red Switches.
Cherry MX Red switches were introduced in 2008, and the most recent switches to be developed by the company. Their actuation force is set at 45 cN, same as Cherry MX Brown. Cherry MX Red Switches are marketed as ‘mechanical switches for gaming’ as they are lightweight and hence offer more raid actuation. They are linear switches.
Cherry MX Blue switches were first made available in 2007. They are the most clicky mechanical switches. Their actuation force is set at 50 cN. These mechanical switches are more heavy and hence less suitable for gaming, but typists favor it. These switches are also the loudest Cherry MX switches. They are tactile and clicky switches.
So which one to choose? Cherry MX Blue switches are more suited for typists, while MX Red Switches are more suitable for gaming. Choose according to your needs, but personally I prefer Cherry MX Blue Switches and I find they are good enough for gaming as well. But they are loud which could be a factor.
Full RGB & CUE Support
For aesthetics, the keyboard features full per key RGB Lighting offering virtually unlimited lighting customization and a bunch of predefined lighting profiles to play with. This RGB Backlighting can be configured with the Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) Software. The keyboard has black outer shell design and has the classic Corsair Gaming Keyboard look. It has a plastic outer shell though, and they use aluminum instead in the higher end models, for example the K95 RGB Platinum.
Have a look yourself –
IP 32 Certified Water & Dust Resistance
The keyboard is water & dust resistant. It offers IP32 Certification, so spilling your beer, coffee or tea will be just fine. According to the IP Rating Chart, devices with IP32 Certification can withstand objects less than 2.5mm in size and are effective against tools, thick wires, etc. and in terms of water resistance, dripping water will have no harmful effect if the enclosure is titled at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
Here’s a video by The Verge, which they posted on their Twitter a while ago stress testing this keyboard.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Yep, it’s that durable.
Other features of the keyboard include a comfortable wrist rest, 1000Hz Polling Rate, 100% Anti-Ghosting keys and some Media Keys on the top right of the keyboard.