Corsair K95 RGB Platinum Mechanical Keyboard Review – Release Day!

CONSTRUCTION  & DESIGN

With aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminum for a frame the K95 Platinum is clearly built for durability, quality and unrivaled sophistication. At release the K95 will be available in black world-wide and gun-metal gray in North America. The cable is braided and requires two USB outlets, one for the boards function as well as one for the USB pass through.

With full-RGB becoming the new standard for lighting of peripherals the K95 carries that quality to a new level with the addition of the the 19-zone independently controlled light bar running at the top edge of the board.As previously mentioned and seen in the K65 Rapid Fire Review from last year we see the K95 embodied with Cherry MX Speed Switches. With a life expectancy exceeding 50 million key strokes the Speed switches are sure to last till Corsair comes out with the next best thing

With a 1.2mm actuating distance and an operating force of 45 grams the MX Speed switch is definitely one that takes some getting used to before you fully emerge into the gaming realm. If you have used the MX Speed Switch before and it is a little too touchy for you, the K95 is also available in MX Brown Switches.

The flagship for gaming is the K95 with the Speed switch, driving that 1.2mm actuation will be sure to give you the jump on competition by 0.8mm. If you ask where we get that number from, well the standard switch comes with 2mm actuation.

Your trigger will get the jump with the MX Speed switch.

The K95 Platinum allows you to program each key individually how you desire but Corsair has also included six G-keys along the left edge which are textured and contoured for the best gaming performance.There are also dedicated multimedia buttons and a volume scroll bar. They are perfectly placed at the top right of the keyboard which allows you blind access for in-game usage. The keys are also contoured differently and lay lower than the rest of the keys ensuring they are out-of-the-way yet easily accessible.One of the great features carried over from the K65 Rapid Fire is the USB pass through. This is a fully functional USB port which works for data, peripheral connectivity and charging if necessary. Compared to our last keyboard review the HyperX Alloy FPS, which only had the USB pass through as a charging port, keeping the port fully functional is a preferable.This port has been placed, as to not interfere with the use of your keyboard. There is also a tunneled cord pass through at the bottom of the boards and wrist rest if you decide use this USB pass through for your gaming headset. This allows the cord to come directly under the board while not affecting the lay of the keyboard.You’ll also notice the feet of the keyboard open to the outside of the board. This is a feature we enjoy seeing. When the feet open up to the back of the board it’s easy to nudge the board and collapse them accidentally. Simple design specifications like this show the detail sought out by Corsair for their gaming line.The final piece to the construction of the K95 Platinum is the wrist rest. This piece clicks in easily at the base of the K95 and comes with a magnetic  dual sided wrist rest. One side softer then the other leaves the user with some choice in preference. Being magnetic sets the insert in place easily.We are over the top impressed with the K95 Platinum, built beautifully with no short cuts taken and only the best of materials; from the aircraft grade aluminum frame to the Cherry MX Speed Switches the K95 is an impressive piece of machinery.