Manufacturer: CORSAIR
UK Price: £109.99
US Price: $89.99 exc. tax
The full review is contained in the video, above, so I urge you to take a look at that. This companion piece offers my brief thoughts in written format.
In today’s review, I have my hands on the Corsair K60 RGB Pro mechanical gaming keyboard priced at £109.99. It features Cherry’s brand-new Viola mechanical key-switches, which now offer a lower entry fee for those that absolutely need mechanical switches. These Viola switches feature cross-linear characteristics with ergonomic overtravel and a fast reset. They have transparent housing to fully illuminate underneath the keycaps themselves, making the RGB per-key back-lighting look aesthetically beautiful.
Design-wise, it has a smaller, less chunky, black brushed aluminium finish look with ABS plastic, low-profile keycaps. However, it is missing some of my favourite features; a USB passthrough, G-Macro keys, dedicated on-board media controls and my all-time favourite, a wrist rest.
Specifications:
- Colour: Black
- Material: Anodized Aluminium
- RGB Back-lighting: Individually lit and per-key programmable
- On Board Lighting Control: Yes, via FN Key
- iCUE Support: Yes
- USB Passthrough: N/A
- Connectivity: Wired, USB 3.0 Type-A
- USB Report Rate: Up to 1,000Hz
- Multimedia Controls: (play/pause, stop, next track, last track, mute, volume up, volume down) via FN Key
- Other On-board Controls Include: Brightness and Windows Lock Key, via FN Key
- Key Switches: Cherry Viola, Mechanical,
- Actuation Force: 45g
- Actuation Distance: 2.0mm
- Keycaps: ABS low profile
- Matrix: Full key rollover (NKRO) with 100% anti-ghosting
- Wrist Rest: N/A
- Adjustable Height: Yes
- Cable: 1.82m Tangle-free rubber
- Dimensions: 441mm(L) x 137mm(W) x 35mm(H)
- Weight: 0.88kg
Box Contents:
- Corsair K60 RGB PRO
- Quick Start Guide & Warranty card
Preview
It did take me a little while to get used to the keyboard as it doesn’t have the G-Macro keys on the left-hand side. The positioning of my hands was a little bit off to begin with. I would find myself wanting to press the Windows or Alt keys and end up pressing space instead. However, after adjusting to the new feel and position, it felt really comfortable and key presses were really satisfying thanks to the new Cherry Viola mechanical key-switches. Whilst they do require a little more actuation force when pressed than the Cherry MX Speed key-switches I have in my K95 XT, they still feel pleasant and, most of all, much quieter.
The overall keyboard looks and feels suitably premium, as it should do for its £110 asking fee. It’s very aesthetically pleasing with help from the transparent housing allowing for the RGB back-lighting to come through and illuminate the keyboard nicely. I feel if you are a fan of RGB, you want to be able to see the most RGB at one time and these switches definitely allow for that.
The ABS plastic keycaps are a little bit of a let-down, however. Unfortunately, this style of keycap really does show up grease, shine and dirt a lot more than others and you tend to find the plastic wears away a lot faster around the lettering, which is a shame.
The Good:
- Transparent housing on switches
- Mechanical switches at a relatively affordable price
- RGB looks beautiful underneath the key-caps, illuminating the keyboard more
- Comfortable to use
- Smaller, frame-less design
- Premium feel and durable
The Not So Good:
- ABS plastic keycaps, shows dirt, shine and wears faster
- Switches currently are not rated for an actuation lifespan
- Quite a few features are missing. i.e; USB passthrough, wrist rest, G-Macro keys and dedicated media controls