INTRODUCTION

   What are your priorities when out to get a brand new gaming keyboard? Is it the brand name and type/brand of its mechanical switches at the top of that list or do you care most about single/RGB lighting? Perhaps you are after extra features like dedicated media and macro keys or do you just want a high quality keyboard which will last for many years to come? The truth of the matter is that nowadays there's so much variety when it comes to keyboards which results in people having a hard time picking the ideal one for their needs. Just visit any forum on the internet (or even Reddit) and chances are you will immediately come across several threads about which keyboard to get or which keyboard is the best for gamers and/or professionals etc. CORSAIR has been among the leading gaming peripheral manufacturers in the world for quite some time now and after testing their latest MK70 RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard we also got our hands on the brand new STRAFE RGB MK.2 model.

   Founded in 1994, CORSAIR supplies high-performance products purchased primarily by PC gaming enthusiasts who build their own PCs or buy pre-assembled customized systems. The company's award-winning products include DDR3 and DDR4 memory upgrades, computer cases, PC cooling products, gaming headsets, gaming keyboards, gaming mice, power supply units, USB flash drives, solid-state drives and system monitoring and control devices.

   Just like the K70 RGB and the K70 RGB MK.2 the STRAFE RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard shares many features and specifications with its predecessor the original STRAFE RGB launched back in late 2015. So both keyboards feature Cherry MX Silent mechanical switches (red or silent), 100% anti-ghosting with full-key rollover (NKRO), fully programmable buttons, per-key RGB illumination, 1000Hz report rate, win lock buttons, USB 2.0 pass-through port, extra textured and contoured keycaps (FPS and MOBA sets) and a detachable soft-touch wrist rest. The brand new STRAFE RGB MK.2 however also sports dedicated media keys (with a volume control wheel), CORSAIR RGB illuminated logo (dual-zone), 8MB of onboard memory for profile storage, and braided USB 2.0 cables. Differences aside the new STRAFE RGB MK.2 looks a lot better compared to its predecessor so let's move forward with our review and check it out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Typically at the front of the box CORSAIR has placed a large product picture, the type of Cherry MX switches used and some of the products primary features.

Both the specifications of the product and the contents of the bundle are listed at the base of the box in 6 languages.

The 5 main product features are printed at the top of the box right next to a sticker with the product serial number and barcode.

A large product picture with several smaller ones placed at the rear of the box is used to showcase the special keys and features of the STRAFE RGB MK.2.

Inside the box the keyboard is wrapped in a plastic bag and placed inside a formed piece of cardboard (extension of the box).

The STRAFE RGB MK.2 is shipped with 10 textured MOBA/FPS keycaps, keycap puller, user manual and a warranty information paper.

THE STRAFE RGB MK.2

Measuring 447mm in length, 168mm in width and 40mm in height the STRAFE RGB MK.2 is a rather large keyboard (especially for one without dedicated macro keys).

As usual CORSAIR has once again gone with the floating keys design.

We last saw this dual-zone RGB illuminated CORSAIR logo when we reviewed the K70 RGB MK.2 and we liked it a lot.

The profile, brightness level and Windows lock keys are placed on the upper left of the keyboard (the original STRAFE RGB had the brightness and Windows lock keys on the top right side).

Moving to the upper right corner we find the media control buttons which include a mute audio button, volume control knob (made out of metal) and the usual stop/previous/play/pause/next buttons.

The space bar of the MK.2 model is textured just like the extra bundled keys.

The USB 2.0 pass-through port is at the front of the keyboard as seen above.

Here we see the Cherry MX RGB Red silent switches (also notice the white place passing through the entire top of the keyboard).

Some of the extra key caps are the same and so as you can see from the above picture their difference has to do with the amount of texture.

Just like with the ones found in the K70 RGB MK.2 we feel that they could be of better quality (again a type of alloy like zinc would be our choice even if that ment raising the cost a bit).

At the base of the keyboard we find 4 small rubber feet and 2 small height adjusters which raise the top end of the keyboard roughly 9mm from the desk.

The detachable wrist rest features the usual clip-on system as seen above.

With the wrist rest attached the STRAFE RGB MK.2 is now roughly 224mm in width.

At the end of the 2 meter long braided cable CORSAIR has placed two regular USB plugs.

ICUE SOFTWARE

You can download the latest version of the iCUE software by CORSAIR from their website.

Once launched the software detects and lists all compatible CORSAIR devices on the right side of the screen as seen above.

Clicking on the STRAFE RGB MK.2 reveals the current RGB lighting effect and all the available zones (104 keys plus the CORSAIR logo and the extra media and command keys).

By going into the actions tab you can program all of the keys by assigning commands, macros, texts, timers, shortcuts and much more onto them.

From the lighting effects tab not only can you use one of the 9 available effects (or even create your very own) but you can also adjust 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 only adjust everything related to the Windows lock key.

CORSAIR allows the end user to monitor the status of the system from the dashboard menu as seen above.

If RGB lighting is not your thing you can choose one of 10 instant colors for the keyboard from this drop down menu.

The polling rate along with the brightness levels, firmware updates and more can be accessed from the settings menu.

Here you can see the minimum and maximum brightness levels along with the 2 per-key illumination profiles we created earlier.

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 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

   When CORSAIR released the original STRAFE RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard back in late 2015 we were unable to grab a sample so comparing it with the STRAFE RGB MK.2 is not feasible. We have seen pictures and videos so we know that the new MK.2 version looks better (thanks to higher brightness levels and the dual-zone logo) but that’s just about the extent of our comparison. With that out of the way the STRAFE RGB MK.2 may not look as impressive as the K70 RGB MK.2 (mainly because it lacks a top aluminum plate) but it’s still a high quality model with very quiet keys (among the quietest mechanical keyboards in our chart), impressive per-key RGB illumination (9 available effects with 3 brightness levels), dedicated media and volume keys and a USB 2.0 pass-through. Granted once again the textured MOBA/FPS keycaps may not be as good as they could be but I guess it’s always better to have them than not at all (and in some cases they could actually improve reaction times especially for serious gamers). As for the iCUE software it’s very easy to navigate, offers a plethora of available settings for the end consumer to play around with (although some may confuse a number of users) and ontop of that it’s a unified solution so you can use it with any CORSAIR gaming peripheral or hardware component you may have in your computer (it can also be used to sync colors between compatible RGB models).

   The STRAFE RGB MK.2 was released roughly 2 months ago with a price tag attached on it of USD124.70 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 167Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). With that in mind although the brand new STRAFE RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by CORSAIR is a worthy successor to the original STRAFE RGB at the end of the day it lands too close to the slightly better (in our opinion always) K70 RGB MK.2 for its own good. Overall however the STRAFE RGB MK.2 is a solid model aimed towards serious gamers, enthusiasts and professionals alike which is why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Cherry MX Red Silent Mechanical Switches (50 Million Actuations)
- Full RGB Key Illumination (Custom Effects/Individual Key Color)
- USB 2.0 Pass Through
- 8MB Built-In Memory
- Detachable Wrist Rest
- Braided Cable
- Up To 104 Macro Keys
- iCUE Software (Available Settings)
- Dedicated Media & Volume Controls

CONS

- No Dedicated Macro Keys
- Plastic Housing
- Price (EU)