Corsair K68 Mechanical Keyboard Review

Mechanical Keyboard makers are riding on the hype of RGB – that’s pretty much the trend now, and what can we really say about it? As a friend has pointed out countless times, it’s already there and we have to accept that fact. Corsair on the other hand doesn’t think that all offerings should hop on the puking rainbow bandwagon and instead banks in durability and performance as the stars of the show. Enter the K68 Mechanical Keyboard.

Mechanical Keyboard makers are riding on the hype of RGB – that’s pretty much the trend now, and what can we really say about it? As a friend has pointed out countless times, it’s already there and we have to accept that fact. Corsair on the other hand doesn’t think that all offerings should hop on the puking rainbow bandwagon and instead banks in durability and performance as the stars of the show. Enter the K68 Mechanical Keyboard.

Technical Specifications
Weight	1.12kg
Key Switches	Cherry® MX Red
Keyboard Backlighting	Red LED
Dimensions	455mm x 170mm x 39mm
Report Rate	Up to 1ms / 1000Hz
Matrix	100% anti-ghosting with full key rollover
Keyboard Size	Standard
Media Keys	Dedicated (MUTE, VOL DOWN/UP, STOP, PREV, PLAY/PAUSE, NEXT)
Wrist Rest	Yes
CUE Software	Enabled
Cable Type	Tangle-free rubber
WIN Lock	Yes
Keyboard Layout	NA
Warranty	Two years
Price	$99.99/Php5,170

PACKAGING

Corsair follows its usual theme of black and yellow, which we’ve become acquainted with from the company’s other line of products as well. Printed around the box are the usual suspects like features and specifications of the K68. Of course, Cherry MX graces its presence as well on packaging. Prints on the back will give you a deeper look on some of the features as well.

Once you pop it out open, you’ll be met with the keyboard itself, and underneath it is the included wrist rest as well as some paperwork for warranty information. That’s about it, really.

Corsair didn’t include a keycap puller or a mesh bag for carrying, however. It’s not so much as a dealbreaker, but would be fine, welcomed additions for more mileage on your money.

 BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

At first glance, you can tell that the K68 is pretty solid. But of course, we’re one to test it out before judging, and we find that it’s quite durable to the touch, which is also reinforced by its heavy weight at 1.2kg. Do the math. Feels like lugging a big chunk of metal, but nothing too heavy so to speak. In that regard, the K68 isn’t exactly built with steel. Rather, it’s plastic. But that doesn’t mean it’s flimsy or cheaply made. Au contraire, it’s built like a tank despite the material used in it.

When it comes to its design, the K68 is pretty much standard fare mechanical keyboard. Corsair dons its logo at the top, done with class. At the right side of it is the brightness control for the backlight as well as the Window Lock Key mode that can also be adjusted on Corsair’s CUE. Further to the right are the dedicated multimedia keys that do their jobs as they should. Under its body are the screw holes that hold the keyboard together, while some holes are for draining water. Yes, it does that, and we will get into it later on. There are also rubber feet to keep it in place, and as it usually goes, there’s the height adjustment but without rubber feet. The wrist rest can be attached via a slot at the bottom part of the keyboard.

The K68 comes with the basic QWERTY setup, with each keycap is backlit for you to work well with during any lighting conditions, and for swag. However, do once again note that this is only red backlighting, so look elsewhere if #RGB is life. The keycaps are made out of ABS plastic and are painted black with the corresponding letters, numbers and symbols left out for the backlight to work.

We do have some gripes about the cabling here, however. Corsair opted for a non-braided cable setup, which is somewhat quite worrying without that extra layer of protection, and without the added looks on the K68. As to why Corsair went with this, we don’t know.

Water resistance, as we mentioned earlier, is one of the highlights of the K68. It comes with an IP32 rating, which means it’s protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters as well as water spray that’s less than 15 degrees from vertical. Do take note here, people. It’s water spray protection. Water resistant, not waterproof. A deeper look into the keyboard shows a layer of rubber membrane to protect the K68 from water.

PERFORMANCE

Corsair positions the K68 as a gaming keyboard through and through. It comes with gold contact CHERRY MX Red switches to for that precision control and 100% anti-ghosting with full NKRO. The CHERRY MX keys also comes with an actuation force of 45g.  

One thing you’ll quickly notice about the K68 is how quiet it is compared to the standard mechanical keyboard. Its red membrane also works as a sound dampener, which is a good thing if you have roommates with you or you want to work silently. There are some problems with key accuracy when it comes to typing, but none too glaring that you’ll want to switch out to a different keyboard when you’re trying to get the job done.

SOUND PROFILE

SOFTWARE

The Corsair Utility Engine, also known as the CUE, is the primary configuration hub for the company’s line of peripherals. This is basically a centralized place where you can finetune and configure your Corsair branded keyboards, mice, headsets, and mousepads so you won’t have to download things separately. It’s a very powerful tool for configuration if I do say so myself.

You’ll be given an option to remap any key you want, which will be very useful should there be a game that doesn’t provide key binding customizations. Macro set up is also quite in depth to give you a variety of options for quick command execution. Heck, you can even setup lighting effects with macro for more light shows if that’s your thing. The Windows Lock key isn’t limiting itself to locking the Windows key as its name suggests. You’ll be given an option to disable specific combinations like Alt+Tab, Alt+F4, and Shift+Tab.

CONCLUSION

Water resistance is probably not the first thing you’ll be looking for when you’re out for a mechanical keyboard. It’s more of a matter of use-case scenario, and probably even a rare occurrence. On that note, however, the K68 doesn’t limit itself to that. The Corsair Utility Engine brings a lot of promise in customization to finetune how you use you’re the K68 to your advantage, and it will work well once you unlock its full potential using the engine.

None too glaring, the issues that we found aren’t such dealbreakers that you won’t find value in the money you spent. At $99/Php5,170, the Corsair K68 can easily justify itself with its solid build quality, powerful utility engine, and features that can give you the edge in gaming without fail.