I was impressed with Corsair's previous product, the K95 RGB Platinum, but struggled with the price. I really struggled with it. Any keyboard, no matter how good it is, is $200 too expensive. However, the K95 RGB Platinum is a really good keyboard and has been ranked #1 in our guide to the best gaming keyboards of the last few years. the K100 is even more expensive than its predecessor. the K100 is priced at $230, 15% more expensive, but it is worth the 15% more. The potential is there. Possibly more.

The basic core of the K100 is very similar to the K95, with the same premium quality throughout, the same overall design, the same macro keys on the left, the same metal roll on the upper right, the same media keys just below that, and the same double-shot keycaps. USB pass-through is easily The USB pass-through is easily accessible and, as before, has a comfortable wrist rest that snaps into place with a magnet.

However, a closer look reveals a difference. The switches on this model are entirely new, and are Corsair's first optical ones. Then there is the large glowing iCue control wheel in the upper left corner, which takes on different appearances depending on the mode: you can skip music tracks, adjust the light intensity, use it as a zoom or scroll wheel, and much more.

For the K100, Corsair has added more of the beautiful RGB lighting we love. A total of 44 zones of light can now be emitted (from the sides as well as the back). Also, the wavy, wavy pattern reflected on the keyboard is more distracting than you might imagine.

I don't necessarily like RGB, and this is definitely something I would consider excessive, but I don't hate it nonetheless. I quite like it, although a simple rainbow wave is my preferred pattern. I've been using this as my main keyboard for the last week, and I try to choose a single color so as not to be too distracted.

The switches themselves are Corsair's new OPX optical mechanical switches; OPX switches are not the variable analog type found on Wooting keyboards that can detect how hard a key is pressed and respond by (for example) turning harder It is worth noting from the outset that they are still digital units.

These switches are ideal for typing, with an actuation point of 1 mm, an actuation force of 45 g, and a bottom-out of 3.2 mm. Even if these numbers don't mean much, these switches are very sensitive. I found myself watching my fingers rotate from side to side throughout the game without realizing that I had actually started to press a key. This is a sensitive keyboard and needs to be handled as such. But after a week of use, it is incredibly comfortable to work and play with.

On the back end, Corsair Axon Hyper-Processing Technology does the important work of actually keeping the keyboard running. This new engine supports a native polling rate of 4,000 Hz, but its benefits are not obvious and it defaults to the more standard 1,000 Hz.

The iCue control wheel is controversial, with several members of the team disliking its design. I don't mind it, but the iCue logo in the center seems a bit unnecessary. It's tactile and works well, especially when used to dim the RGB lights on the keyboard. Pressing the center button toggles modes, and the color of the ring indicates the current mode.

To the left of this wheel is the user profile button (which incidentally has 8MB of onboard storage) and to the right is the game lock. This is designed to ignore the Windows key and some combinations to get out of gaming nirvana. These buttons, like the mute button to the left of the volume roller and the media controls below it, have very short travel distances and may seem a bit odd compared to the main keys.

Many effects can be accessed without installing Corsair's iCue software, using keyboard shortcuts (Fn + number keys to select color patterns) and the iCue control wheel to control intensity. Of course, if you install iCue, you will have more control over how the individually lit keys glow, and you can set the iCue control wheel to perform more tasks.

The six dedicated macro keys on the left side of the keyboard work best with the Elgato Stream Deck software. It's not the end of the world, but it's a shame that Corsair hasn't already integrated everything you need into iCue.

This is a minor point against the K100, and overall there is much to like about the Corsair K100 RGB. At this point, one gets the feeling that Corsair doesn't care how high people are willing to pay. Frustratingly, Corsair has produced a keyboard that feels great, boasts a wealth of features, and has enough RGB lights to take your eyes off your long-suffering bank balance. So maybe we're not at the end of the line yet.