Corsair K95 Platinum XT review: A lot of keyboard for a lot of money - martinhicave

At a Glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Plush wrist rest finally matches Logitech and Razer's pack-ins
• More durable PBT keycaps
• Integrates Elgato's streaming software controls

Cons

• So. Damn. Expensive.
• Most "upgrades" probably aren't worth it to the common user
• PBT keycaps aren't as backlight-friendly as the old ABS

Our Verdict

Corsair's K95 Platinum XT corpse a pricey and ostentatious option aimed at a select few, but new Elgato integration, PBT keycaps, and a plush wrist rest make it meliorate than ever.

In 2017 Barbary pirate put out the most ostentatious keyboard I'd ever seen, the K95 RGB Platinum. I dubbed it "the luxury sedan of keyboards," a nod to its desk-dominating size and captivating lighting—and its eye-watering $200 terms tag. Triad years later o, it's still the bar by which I measure other premium keyboards.

And yet Corsair's upbringin the legal profession anyway. At CES 2020 we got our first glimpse of the K95 RGB Platinum XT, Corsair's attempt to better its personal best-in-class keyboard. Now after spending time with cardinal at home I bathroom enjoin they succeeded, still if only slenderly. It's unmerciful to build connected near-idol.

This critical review is part of our best play keyboards roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.

Glamorous

The K95 Platinum XT is all bit as beautiful as its predecessor, a sentence I drop a line with a smile and wink because nothing's genuinely metamorphic. Not at prime glance, anyway. Corsair's aesthetic is as sleek as information technology is familiar: Exposed metallic element backplate, raised keycaps, macro column down the left side, volume roller with assorted media keys in the top rectify, unfair wrist rest.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

OH, and atomic number 3 of 2017? The light ribbon. Unique to the K95 Pt, an RGB dismantle runs crosswise the summit of the keyboard. I called it "Peak RGB" in our previous review, and extolment to Corsair for retaining that entitle. Yes, trey years afterward I've yet to see anything A showy—blackball peradventure Razer's Huntsman Elite and its RGB wrist rest.

Let's call it a tie.

Information technology's one hell of a showpiece, either way. I comparable information technology, though you'rhenium definitely committing to living inside Tron—or at to the lowest degree turn your desk into Tron. That won't be to everyone's tastes, but it certainly sets the K95 Platinum apart from Corsair's other keyboards.

That was last clip's innovation though. The Platinum XT merely retains the light palm, and thus deserves no special reference here. Sol what's new to the K95 Platinum XT?

IDG / Hayden Dingman

First and first of all, Corsair finally upgraded its pack-in wrist rest. Corsair was early to the carpus-rest-arsenic-value-add. Every K70/K90/K95 I bathroom remember reviewing has had one. But being first to a trend only means everyone else has a chance to practice better—and do amended, they have. In recent years both Logitech and Razer have started oblation plush leatherette wrist rests with their flagship keyboards, which made Corsair's low-budget plastic solutions feel for dated. The early K95 Atomic number 78 upgraded to a rubber-and-plastic hybrid, but it calm wasn't enough.

The K95 Platinum XT finally makes keen though. Corsair's kept the same wedge as in front, merely the wrist rest is now oily in leatherette and generously padded. I call back I still like Logitech's second-best, as they'Re the solely ones with edge-to-butt on imitation leather instead of a plastic bezel. That said, this is still a substantial improvement for Corsair, and feels much more like what I'd expect from a $200 keyboard in 2020.

Next improving, the keycaps. When we reviewed the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition in ripe 2019, I wrote that "Where Razer goes, I'm sure Logitech and Corsair can't be far behind." Turns forbidden, Corsair was even closer on Razer's bum than I hoped-for.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

What am I talking about? PBT keycaps. Razer introduced this premium-grade plastic connected the Hunter TE, and now scarcely a month later Corsair's used it with the K95 Atomic number 78 XT. PBT is thicker and to a greater extent durable than the traditional ABS pliant, and resists that oily sheen that develops over clip connected fit-worn keys.

It's a harmful departure. Subtle enough that your average exploiter won't notice the changeover, except perhaps that the keys seem many coarse-textured and the backlight sliiightly dimmer. But differently the K95 Platinum XT looks pretty more than identical to its Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-using predecessor, and there's been no noticeable impact to the feel of the keys.

PBT is simply better quality though, and has been popular in enthusiast circles for long time. With Corsair and Razer today both machining PBT keycaps, I think it's safe to say the trend is mainstream. People leave benefit whether they realize information technology or not. And information technology's worthy mentioning that backlight-ready PBT was almost impossible to receive before. It's hard to know whether Corsair and Razer invested the money to solve that problem, Oregon whether it was resolved and that's why we'Ra seeing them commute over. Either way, information technology's an absorbing evolution.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

The K95 Platinum XT is too the first Barbary pirate keyboard (to my knowledge) to use Cherry's more undestroyable switches, though this is a bit less meaningful. Might equally well mention it though, as it is one of Corsair's back-of-box selling points. Previously, Cherry MX switches were rated for 50 cardinal presses per key—meaning after that point, they might be to a lesser extent consistent operating theater worst case might fail whole.

50 million sounds like an astronomical total, and information technology is. Remember, information technology's per key. Even if you hammer at a consonant 100 wpm uninterrupted, 12 hours a twenty-four hour period, your nearly-put-upon key (the spacebar) would still take ten years to hit that 50 trillion keystroke check off. You're probably safe.

Manufacturers use it as a selling point though, and Cherry just upped its flaw tolerance to 100 million keystrokes per fundamental. Soh uh…cardinal years for still the most dedicated typist. As I said, it's probably a meaningless change, though information technology does bring Crimson's numbers in-delineate with Logitech and Razer's tailored switches. I'd guess that's the reason behind the more stringent testing.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

Anyway, I'm still just happy Corsair uses Cherry tree switches. The various Cherry tree knockoffs have gotten a lot better in recent years. Like, a lot. You can't go dishonorable with Cherry though, and I'm fond of both the perception Mx Megrims and radical-light MX Speeds for typewriting and gaming, respectively.

The final shift for the K95 Platinum XT appears to represent primarily software-slope, which makes me wonder why Barbary pirate didn't simply push taboo an update for the octogenarian K95. Operating room perhaps it did? I'm not sure.

See, Corsair purchased Elgato in 2018. The two brands haven't cross-pollinated much to this point, but the K95 Platinum XT is set to change that. The column of macro keys down the left side? They double as "Flowing" keys, victimisation the Sami software that drives Elgato's Current Adorn hardware.

The K95 doesn't feature miniature OLED displays, like the Stream Deck and Stream Deck Miniskirt. Instead you get a set of blue keycaps, simply asterisked S1, S2, S3, and so on. A bit dissatisfactory.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

You can map any of your nigh-used streaming commands to the K95 though, which is a eager idea for those who don't lack to go all-in on the Stream Deck (operating theater want to append it maybe). Want a key that starts and stops your stream? Or one that switches scenes for you connected-the-take flight? Or maybe even a of import that tweets that you're starting your flow?

There are a lot of options, and a heap of them useful. More than you could mayhap fit on six keys really, and I suspect that dedicated streamers will still find much than enough use for the Stream Deck proper. Still, American Samoa a value-add for the K95 keyboard? Information technology's compelling stuff. I never have much use for macro keys, but I could absolutely see adding both of Elgato's software commands to my workflow. IT's a smart and unobtrusive way for Corsair to take advantage of its unique position in the streaming ecosystem.

Undersurface line

Small changes, A I said, and many of them stringently geared towards enthusiasts. A comfier wrist rest is worth getting excited virtually, just PBT keycaps? "More durable" Cherry MX switches? Moving software tie-ins? Most of these are geared towards very niche audiences.

The Corsair K95 Atomic number 78 XT isn't any worse for their inclusion though. Slightly meliorate corpse my finding of fact, later on some hands-punctual. And while $200 is a steep monetary value, I think the value is there regardless. The K95 Platinum XT is one of the best keyboards on the market. It's attractive, indestructible, and packs a gross ton of premium features—flatbottomed if those features become progressively esoteric with each revision.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/398729/corsair-k95-platinum-xt-review.html

Posted by: martinhicave.blogspot.com

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