Corsair Intros New Cherry MX Speed Switch with K70 & K65 Rapidfire RGB Keyboards

Corsair’s recent Strafe RGB keyboards are among our highest-rated peripherals for gaming and typing. The Strafe RGB expanded Corsair’s RGB lineup and fixed some of the issues Corsair’s other RGB keyboards have. Corsair is once again expanding its RGB keyboard line – and standard keyboard line – with its new Rapidfire K70, K65 RGB Rapidfire, and K70 RGB Rapidfire. These keyboards are the same as Corsair’s current versions, but the new RAPIDFIRE iteration features Cherry’s new Cherry MX Speed switch, which actuates at 1.2mm (40% higher than normal Cherry MX switches) at 45g.

The K70 RAPIDFIRE, K65 RGB RAPIDFIRE, and K70 RAPIDFIRE all exhibit the same features as their non-RAPIDFIRE versions: brushed aluminum, dedicated media control keys, braided cable, NKRO, customizable backlighting (red for the K70 RAPIDFIRE, and RGB for the RGB variants), detachable wrist rest, and USB passthrough. The RGB RAPIDFIRE variants are advertised the same as previous RGB K-series keyboards (which don’t properly support 16.8 million colors), but if Corsair transfers its lesson from the Strafe RGB, proper 16.8 million color support should be implemented for the new RAPIDFIRE RGB versions. As before, the K70 is the full-sized keyboard, with the K65 being the TKL version.  

The most significant change for Corsair’s new RAPIDFIRE keyboards is the inclusion of the new Cherry MX Speed switch. This switch is linear and actuates at 45g. The difference between it and the Cherry MX Red switch – its closest comparison – is that the MX Speed has an actuation point of 1.2mm rather than 2.0mm. Like Logitech, Corsair markets that the higher actuation point leads to gamers responding quicker in games. Currently, the Cherry MX Speed switch is exclusive to Corsair for 6 months, similar to Cherry MX RGB switches when they were first released.

Corsair’s RAPIDFIRE keyboard are available for purchase with the MSRPs of $170 for the K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE, $140 for the K65 RGB RAPIDFIRE, and $130 for the K70 RAPIDFIRE. Amazon lists a 1-2 month delay until shipping, and Newegg lists the release date as 5/31, so it looks like ordering directly from Corsair would be faster for any early adopters. Neither Amazon nor Newegg list the K65 either, so those looking to get the K65 RGB RAPIDFIRE – that’s a mouthful – right now would have to buy it from Corsair’s store.  

In the coming months we will be reviewing a Corsair RAPIDFIRE keyboard, so be sure to keep an eye out for our thoughts on it and Cherry’s new MX Speed switch.