INTRODUCTION

   When out to get a brand new mechanical keyboard your choices may be far from limited (due to the number of available brands, brand switches and switch types) but at the end of the day you need to decide whether or not you want a "basic", no-thrills model or a feature-rich one with everything the gaming peripherals industry can currently dish out. For example, on one of our test rigs we have a rather "plain" non-RGB mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX Blue switches whereas on our other test rig we have a model that features per-key RGB illumination and a large number of other goodies including Gateron KS-9 brown switches. Bottom line it all comes down to what you're needs are or what you'd like to own and if you want to own one of the best keyboards currently in the market then you should really read today's review in which we cover everything you need to know about the brand new K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by CORSAIR.

   Founded in 1994, CORSAIR has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market into one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance gaming and streaming products. CORSAIR offers a complete range of products to equip gamers, enthusiasts, and esports athletes, including mechanical keyboards, precision gaming mice, wireless headsets, premium PC components, and the CORSAIR ONE fully-integrated gaming PC. With a company-wide commitment to quality, innovative design, advanced features and high-performance, CORSAIR products have won thousands of media and industry awards, earning their place in gamers’ hands and PCs following years of development and engineering by a team dedicated to building great products that they themselves would want to use. In 2018 CORSAIR acquired Elgato Gaming, a manufacturer of streaming products. In 2019 CORSAIR acquired Origin Computers, a manufacturer of custom high-performance gaming PCs and laptops, and SCUF Gaming, an innovator and creator of high-performance gaming controllers.

   The brand new K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard comes almost 3 years after the award winning (and pretty much excellent) K95 RGB Platinum model making it the 4th model by CORSAIR to bear the K95 classification/name (the K95 Vengeance was released in 2014 followed by the K95 RGB in 2015 and the K95 RGB Platinum in 2017). The latest K95 RGB Platinum XT model keeps some of the features we saw in its predecessor including Cherry MX RGB mechanical switches (unlike its predecessor this model is currently available with Cherry MX RGB Speed, Silver, Blue and Brown switches), brushed aluminum frame, n-key rollover with 100% anti-ghosting, 1000Hz polling rate, 6 dedicated macro keys, built-in media controls, on-the-fly recording of macros via specific keys, per-key RGB lighting, programmable RGB LED strip (19 zone LightEdge) at the front, removable wrist rest, USB passthrough and a 2 meter long braided cable. So, what has CORSAIR changed with the new K95 RGB Platinum XT model? Well four things actually, first they've added support for Elgato’s stream deck software thus allowing you to program streaming commands to the 6 dedicated G-Keys (they've also bundled blue keycaps for that purpose), second the removable wrist rest is now cushioned with a leatherette cover, third they've used durable PBT double-shot keycaps and fourth they've added a total onboard memory of 8MB which allows this model to store up to 5 profiles (instead 3 of its predecessor). So, let's move forward with today's review and see if these 4 additions are enough for you to get the brand new K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by our friends over at CORSAIR.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is located at the front of the black and yellow box right next to a sticker with the keyboard layout and the company logo.

The technical specifications are located at the base of the box in 4 languages.

Two more product pictures are located at the rear of the box right next to the main features printed in 4 languages.

The keyboard is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed in an extension of the box.

Along with the K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard and its detachable cushioned leatherette palm rest you are also getting FPS and MOBA keycap sets, S-key keycap set, keycap puller COSAIR logo keycap, warranty paper and the quick start guide.

THE K95 RGB PLATINUM XT

Exactly like its predecessor the K95 RGB Platinum XT is made out of both anodized brushed aluminum and plastic and measures 465mm in length, 171mm in width and 36mm in height.

We're happy that the RGB illuminated CORSAIR logo along with the programmable RGB LED strip (19 zone LightEdge) remained the same.

Again, on the far left we see 6 dedicated macro keys (G-Keys) that feature textured keycaps.

You can rotate through all of the available RGB modes/effects, adjust the brightness levels (3 levels) and lock-out the windows key from these three keys.

The media control keys (mute/stop/previous/play-pause/next) along with the aluminum volume roller are located on the top right corner.

Floating keys are easier to clean and they produce better/stronger lighting.

A single USB passthrough is located just in front of the CORSAIR logo.

Our sample got shipped with Cherry MX RGB Speed mechanical switches (50 million keystrokes, linear, 45g actuation force with 1.2mm actuation point).

Turning the keyboard over we see 4 very large rubber feet, two routing channels, two flip-down feet and two mounting areas for the wrist rest.

By extending the flip-down feet the top end of the keyboard gets roughly 12mm from the desk.

The new removable wrist-rest attaches to the K95 RGB Platinum XT via two clips.

This cushioned wrist-rest is among the softest and most comfortable ones I’ve encountered on a keyboard, at least to date.

The 2 meter long braided cable of the K95 RGB Platinum XT has two plain (not gold plated) USB plugs at the end.

The bundle contains two textured D keys which as you can see have different angles.

Here you can see the K95 RGB Platinum XT with all the bundled keycaps mounted.

ICUE SOFTWARE

As with previous versions the iCUE software detects all compatible CORSAIR devices and lists them.

Once you click on the K95 RGB Platinum XT you will see a product picture which mirrors the current lighting colors and effect.

Clicking on the actions tab takes you to another page of the iCUE software from where you can assign commands, macros, texts, timers, shortcuts and much more onto any of the keys (in order to use th G-Keys with streaming commands you will need to install the Elgato Stream Deck software).

From the lighting effects tab not only can you choose one of the 16 available effects/modes (or even create your very own) but you can also adjust their speed, direction and combine as many of them as you want with the per-key lighting feature (as seen above).

Inside the performance tab you can adjust everything related to the Windows lock key and assign colors to the other indicators/keys.

CORSAIR allows the end user to monitor the status of the system from the dashboard tab, use instant colors for the entire keyboard from the drop down menu and adjust various settings from the settings menu.

Here you can see how the maximum and minimum brightness levels of the keyboard.

Some of the available effects/modes are showcased above.

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this methodology may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

   The brand new K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by CORSAIR may not be worlds apart compared to its predecessor (not even that much different) but the new additions do add to a better overall product. Personally, what stood out for me most were the cushioned wrist rest and the new double-shot PBT keycaps both of which actually improve the overall feeling of the keyboard. The wrist rest is far more comfortable compared to that used with the previous model (and models) whereas the new keycaps should last a lot longer again compared to what CORSAIR has used to date. The Elgato Stream Deck integration may not actually be useful for me (and i suppose most people out there) but it can certainly come in handy for streamers so it's definitely a good addition. As for the extra onboard profiles well, this is something i seriously doubt many consumers will care much about, still it doesn't harm to have the ability to have more profiles to save your settings in. Everything else however remains the same as the K95 RGB Platinum (including the impressive per-key RGB lighting system) so if you do happen to have that specific model i see almost no reason at all to consider moving to the XT version (unless cost is not an issue that is).

   CORSAIR released the K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard almost a month ago and currently retails for USD199.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 250Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is quite higher in the EU compared to that of the K95 RGB Platinum at launch. With that out of the way there’s no doubt that the CORSAIR K95 RGB Platinum XT is among the best and most complete mechanical keyboards out in the market today and even though I wouldn’t rush to trade the K95 RGB Platinum for it (if I had one) still for people with a good budget looking for a new keyboard this should be at the top of their list and that’s also why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Cherry RGB MX Mechanical Switches (50 / 100 Million Actuations)
- Full RGB Key Illumination (Custom Effects / Per Key Color)
- 19 Zone LightEdge LED Bar
- Built In Memory (5 Profiles)
- 6 Dedicated Macro / Streaming Keys
- USB 2.0 Passthrough
- Detachable Cushioned Palm Rest
- Braided Cable
- Up To 110 Macro Keys
- Dedicated Media Controls
- iCUE Software

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Only 4 Changes / Upgrades