The K70 MAX magnetic-mechanical keyboard from manufacturer Corsair aims to offer the latest in profile customization. With every key fully customizable down to its actuation point, the K70 MAX offers gamers the ultimate in keyboard management. Powered by Corsair’s in-house iCUE software, the K70 MAX attempts to set a new bar for what to expect from a gaming keyboard.
With up to 50 profile slots, full individual key RGB and actuation customization, and a host of other features, the K70 MAX works hard to leave all other competitive boards on the shelf. After two weeks of mashing and thrashing my way through several gaming titles, it's time to see if the K70 MAX really does push what we can expect from a gaming keyboard. Will it really set a new standard or will it get lost in the sea of premium keyboards available on the market? Grab that coffee, kick back, and find out in our review of the K70 MAX graciously provided to us by the good folks at Corsair.
Specifications
- Current Price:@229.99 (Amazon)
- Key Switches: CORSAIR MGX (Magnetic-mechanical)
- Onboard Memory: 8MB (for up to 50 unique profiles)
- Keyboard Software Support: iCUE
- Compatibility: PC, MAC, Xbox One/SeriesX|S, PlayStation 4/5
- Connection Type: USB 3.0/3.1 Type-A Braided Detachable Cable
- Keyboard Report Rate: Up to 8000Hz
- Key Rollover: NKRO with 100% Anti-Ghosting
- Media Keys: Dedicated keys and Volume Roller
- Wrist Rest: Magnetic detachable with memory foam cushion
- Weight: 1.96 Kg
Looking Good
There is no doubt about it, the Corsair K70 MAX is a beautiful and well-constructed keyboard. Sporting a hard plastic bottom casing and Etched aluminum frame, the K70 is a sturdy board. The devil is in the details and the K70 MAX holds nothing back on that front. The top plate is beautifully designed with intricate patterns adorning the entire top panel of the keyboard. Dedicated lighting, profile management, and media keys can be found along either side of that same top panel with the center space reserved for a small indicator display dedicated to communicating pertinent information to the user.
This theme of quality continues with the internal construction of the board as well. The K70 MAX features a double layer of sound-dampening foam designed to help reduce the acoustic noise generated by continual keystrokes. Noise reduction is further aided by the use of Corsairs MGX switches which are at their core Red Linear switches (more on these later). The aforementioned aluminum framing also means that the board feels exceptionally sturdy and has no problem handling the many hours of thrashing it received while I died time and time again in Remnant II.
The keycaps are comprised of PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) plastic and are a doubleshot design. PBT plastic is much thicker and more durable than traditional ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic and thus has a longer life span than its thinner, cheaper counterpart. Additionally, PBT keycaps tend to have a much more textured feel and matte finish. This translates into a more premium keycap experience.
As for the double-shot nature of the keycaps, this essentially means that the keycaps are comprised of two molds, a keycap with a hollow legend and a second transparent plastic with the legend printed on it. The result is a keycap that allows RGB lighting to easily shine through bright and clear. In the case of the K70 MAX, the RGB lighting beautifully illuminates the board.
The K70 MAX is a slick-looking board that is built from the ground up to offer the latest in premium materials and design. Everything from button placement to materials used is designed with gamers in mind. The result is a premium board that looks and feels great to use.
Next Level Switch Control
While everything I’ve mentioned up to this point is things you would find in many premium boards, there is something unique to the K70 MAX that helps it stand out in a crowd. The aforementioned MGX switches are magnetic-mechanical switches that offer an unprecedented amount of actuation customization and control. This is the first Corsair keyboard to take advantage of magnetic Hall effect sensors and there are some notable advantages to them.
It's important to understand how MGX switches differ from traditional mechanical switches. In a traditional mechanical switch, two metal contacts are used to register when an input is engaged. Essentially when you push down on the switch the metal plates make contact and register the input. While this is a tried and true method of keyboard input there are a few drawbacks. The first drawback is that your actuation point is preset by the switch manufacturer, what you have is all that you have.
Second, as with all mechanical components. friction over time wears down the metal contacts and they become less responsive and in some cases miss fire completely. While the latest mechanical switches are rated for pretty impressive long-term use it is still very much a reality you deal with.
MGX switches help reduce some of these common issues by replacing the traditional metal plates with a magnet. A sensor at the bottom of the switch monitors the distance the magnet is from itself and determines when the switch is activated based on that distance. There are two major advantages here.
The first is that the point of activation or actuation as it's referred to is customizable. Using Corsair’s in-house iCUE software, each individual switch can have a different actuation set point based on the user's preference. This can be adjusted in increments of 0.1mm steps meaning there is a whole lot of customization that can happen on the fly. Additionally, Corsair has also introduced a two-action per keypress feature on the K70 MAX that allows for the setting of two different actuation points. This allows you to have two different actions assigned to each key based on how much pressure is applied to the board (more on this in a moment).
The second advantage is that while wear and tear is always an issue with any mechanical device by removing some of the friction associated with mechanical switches the longevity of the switch goes up. In the case of the MGX switches, they are rated for up to 100 million keystrokes. There is a proven track record of MGX switches in other keyboard manufacturers so it's exciting to see Corsair continue this trend in the K70 MAX.
Feel the Difference
In testing the new MGX switches in the K70 MAX feel great to use. From a tactile and audio perspective, they do feel and sound very similar to a traditional Red Linear switch. The real difference is in the customization of each switch's actuation point. At first, I didn’t really see how I would make use of adjustable actuation points but the more time spent tweaking and customizing the more I began to understand why it can be useful.
The value of MGX switches really is in the ability to cater to your needs and preferences. This is the biggest advantage in real-world situations based on testing. Coupled with the profile manager, which can store up to 50 unique profiles and settings, the adjustable switches mean that I can create profiles for work and play. While typing I typically enjoy having a longer actuation point as I am a bit of a hard typer and don’t want to risk double inputting on key while speed typing my way through a document. However when gaming, especially in shooters I find I tend to want a much shorter actuation point for the quickest response time possible.
Speaking of the quickest response time, the K70 MAX leverages the AXON Hyper Processing technology which allows for hyper-polling at 8,000Hz. In layman’s terms it means that there is a dramatic reduction in input lag to the point that, in testing, it’s non-existent. To further emphasize the point, Corsair added a tournament function to the K70 MAX which disables all additional data passthrough like RGB lighting and macros to further streamline communication between the point of input and the PC response. While I didn’t notice a difference in response time in testing, I’m also not a professional gamer who would benefit from the feature. The fact that it exists on the K70 MAX once again speaks to the design focus on speed.
The one element on the K70 MAX that I wasn’t overly impressed with though was the two actions, one keypress feature. While conceptually it's a neat idea there were a couple of points I noted in testing. First, for it to really function well you’ll need to adjust the actuation point between the keypresses as far away from each other as possible. For the untrained gamer, namely me, it was difficult to hold that initial actuation point without accidentally pressing to the second actuation point. I’m sure with some training it would become more intuitive but it really was difficult to functionally manage the two actions on one keypress.
The other point I noted is that it takes some trial and error to get it to functionally work in a game. Mapping the keys is a unique experience in every title I tried and there were a few cases where it just wouldn’t take. While I’m sure with time as the technology becomes more mainstream this will all be addressed, at the moment it's a point of frustration when mapping keys for your games.
Finally, as customization is what the K70 is really all about it's important to take a moment to highlight Corsair’s iCUE software which is needed to take full advantage of all the K70 MAX has to offer. iCUE is an incredibly robust piece of software that offers a host of functionality and customization to the products it supports. In the case of the K70 MAX everything from RGB to macro programming is handled here.
I appreciated just how much you can actually do with iCUE and as far as peripheral software goes, it's one of the more unique and robust ones. One thing to note though is that while it is robust in its feature set, there is a bit more of a learning curve to use it than with many other peripheral software suites. The upside is that iCUE really does allow for a robust amount of customization and layering for each profile.
Final Thoughts
The K70 MAX from Corsair is an exceptional keyboard for those looking to up their customization game. With magnetic-mechanical keys, adjustable actuation, full RGB support, and a premium build, Corsair has knocked it out of the park with their first MGX switch keyboard. While the double action, one keypress feature feels a little underwhelming, the overall quality of the K70 MAX more than makes up for it. Supported by powerful, albeit complex software and priced at $229.99 USD, the Corsair K70 MAX is a great board worth considering.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
