Corsair K65 Lux Gaming Keyboard Review

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Penned by Austin Carroll

Austin Carroll is a writer and web designer from Eugene, Oregon. He's been at HGG for five years and maintains an active role designing and develop... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

The Corsair K65 is a luxurious tenkeyless keyboard that boasts great ergonomics and cutting-edge tech. It also features the highest quality materials on the market, from aircraft-grade brushed aluminum framing to Cherry MX switches. The end result? A delightful typing experience that’s perfect for everyday use and gaming alike.

I’ve spent the past couple weeks with the K65 to give you a comprehensive overview of its features and nuances. In addition, I’ve rated the keyboard in a number of different categories to offer you the most in-depth review possible.

Unboxing

• Corsair K65 Lux Keyboard
• Detachable Wrist Rest
• Quick Start Guide

As I pull the K65 Lux from the box, the first thing that strikes me is the brushed aluminum design. It screams sleek and sturdy, and I know instantly that I’m in for a treat. Next to catch my eye is the ribbed pattern found on both the wrist rest and spacebar key. They give the keyboard a hint of ruggedness, and it’s a great counterbalance to the more modern brushed aluminum.

The K65 Lux has two USB connectors, and both are required for use. I find them at the tail end of the thick braided cord and plug them into two open ports on my PC. The K65 flashes to life as the RGB backlighting finds its power source. Most of the keyboard glows a faint red, but the WASD and arrow keys shine atop snow white LEDs. The colors are absolutely brilliant.

I snap on the detachable wrist rest and load up the latest Diablo 3 expansion. I select my sorceress from the start screen and begin making my way to Diablo’s lair. The K65’s keys are soft to the touch, and my fingers glide effortlessly over the board. I activate my teleport ability with a simple keystroke, and the Cherry MX Switch presses down as smooth as butter.

I finally reach Diablo’s lair. We enter battle and things quickly heat up. He has me on the ropes as I drain my final health potion and prepare for the end. Then, my ultimate Archon ability comes off of cool down and I slam on the activation key. The K65 is happy to oblige, and the tide turns as I press my way to an astonishing victory over the Lord of Hell himself.

The Devil’s in the Details

There’s no doubt— the Corsair K65 Lux is a stylish keyboard. It features a tenkeyless form factor coupled with a lightweight brushed aluminum frame for incredible convenience and ergonomics. The font on the key caps is fairly large, but it really works for this build.

The keyboard design is both sleek and rugged, and it blends the aerodynamic aircraft-grade aluminum with the ribbed pattern found on the spacebar and wrist rest for a truly dynamic experience. Brilliant. That said, one area that needs improvement is the thick braided coil, which is far too large and bulky. But, it’s a small caveat given the overall look and feel of the board.

As for ergonomics, the K65 Lux stands high above the competition. The keyboard is quite easy to use thanks to its full-size design that utilizes standard key spacing. As for actuation? The Cherry MX switches deliver a smooth typing experience that’s perfect for gameplay and everyday use alike.

One of the coolest things about the board’s ergonomics is that the soft keycaps almost seem to melt in your hands as you glide over the surface of the board. Plus, the ultra soft wrist rest is perfectly designed for comfort as it contours to my hands like the board was built just for me.

The K65 Lux utilizes Cherry MX Red Switches to provide fast linear actuation with a quiet sound profile. I usually prefer the clicks and clacks that are so iconic among mechanical keyboards, but these switches work for this keyboard. Moreover, the keys press down with ease and provide very little resistance, ensuring long-term comfort and convenience.

As far as gameplay goes, the K65 offers anti-ghosting with full-key rollover technology to ensure a maximum competitive edge with ultra fast response times. The verdict? This board absolutely delivers in the switch department.

The Lap of Luxury

The K65 Lux features programmable backlighting controls with RGB LEDs to deliver a brilliant light show. These settings can be adjusted via the onboard illumination key, or truly customized via Corsair’s iCUE suite of software. The program offers a huge variety of colors, and light effects range from static color to ripples, waves, and more.

You can match the Corsair K65 design scheme with your existing gear or change things up with a brand new color palette for your gaming workstation. A fantastic piece of software, but I do wish there were more on-board customization options.

Overall, the Corsair K65 Lux is an exceptional mechanical keyboard that delivers loads of style, extreme comfort, and precision typing. It comes with features found in top-end keyboards and offers all the bells and whistles like RGB backlighting and a USB pass-through port.

However, the keyboard is on the pricier side when considering that it’s a wired tenkeyless board that requires 2 USB ports and a fair amount of juice to run. Priced at well over $100, there are more budget-friendly options with similar specs. Still, the K65 offers a smooth and immersive experience that’s perfect for all types of users.

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