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The Vengeance K90 isn’t supplied with a software CD so we have to visit the Corsair website to download the software configuration utility. The installation process is very simple, taking no more than a couple of minutes to complete, including download.
On the main page of the software we find the configuration options for the 18 macro buttons. We are able to configure these to a number of preset functions or any keystroke or combination of keystrokes. You can configure up to three hardware profiles which can be switched on the fly using the M1, M2 and M3 buttons along the top edge of the keyboard.
You can also configure software profiles which can be set to activate when a certain application launches by clicking the ‘profiles’ tab at the top of the page. Unfortunately, we are only able to configure the predefined macro buttons and not any button on the keyboard. This would be preferable for some users.
Corsair has chosen to use mechanical switches in the K90 which defines the overall dynamic of the keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are becoming more and more popular as users become aware of the performance benefits over standard membrane keyboards. The switches actually register the keypress when the key has only been depressed half way, meaning that they are registered sooner. This gives gamers a slight performance benefit in game.
Like most other mechanical keyboards on the market, the Vengeance K90 utilises Cherry MX gold-plated switches. But there are a number of different variants of these switches which offer a slightly different feel. For example, the SteelSeries 6GV2 and 7G feature Cherry MX Black switches which offer a smooth action and the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate features Cherry MX Blue switches which give tactile feedback when the keypress has been registered.
Corsair has chosen to use Cherry MX Red switches in the K90 which we haven’t actually seen being used before on a keyboard. They are, however, very similar to the Cherry MX Black switches, the only difference being the lower actuation force required to depress them. This means the Vengeance K90 has a much lighter feel than the SteelSeries keyboards we’ve tested in the past. We highly doubt this would have any noticeable effect on gaming performance but it is preferable when typing.
Another great product from Corsair, they continue to release great product after product. one of my favourite companies. H100 is the best cooler on the market too 🙂
I personally prefer cherry blue switches which is the only thing putting me off this.
Looks great, im impressed. Amazon have £20 of it at the minute too which makes it even more palatable. I always order from Amazon and have seen more corsair products there recently, great news.
Best keyboard yet!
I used it to replace my old G15
and the K90 is better in every way.
The backlighting is really nice too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QUQP94/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=emjay2d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005QUQP94
I’m looking forward to picking one of these up next week. I do wish the function keys were mechanical as well though.
how many of you have read the Corsair forum ? because w/o proper software, the buttons don’t work as they were supposed to. so you end up with an expensive keyboard with additional buttons which can’t be used or won’t work.
Henry – why do you call this a review ? this is a presentation: gee, look at the colors & the feel & the quality … bla bla bla. how much time did you spend typing with it ? how many games have you played with it ? have you tried to see if the profiles work / change when they’re supposed to ? have you found a game where a certain key combinations -macros- work or didn’t work ? all these mentioned above make a part of TESTING a product, thus leading to a review. otherwise, it is just product presentation or paid commercial, however you want to take it.
ps: don’t take it personally, i combat the way you make reviews, not the people, since all your reviews Zardon follow the same pattern: nice finish, nice touch, nice product – this is the note we came up with.
Hi Chris, its great to hear your views. Passionate people make the industy good. You seem to have a great insight into how a review should be written, so why not try a site yourself? Not being a smartass about it, but why not try? A lot of people give it a shot, some do it well, others not so well.
I haven’t tested the keyboard, or even used one, but are you saying (trying to work out what you mean here) that without installing specific software that all the functions won’t work right? Isn’t that a little like saying a graphics card wont work right without the driver for it? There is a reason companies make software for products, to fully utilise the hardware. Windows can’t be expected to support everything out of the box. Or are you saying that Corsair haven’t released software that is needed? do let me know…..
A point you make that I need to address is the ‘paid commerical’ or ‘product presentation’. We dont accept money for reviews, just advertisements. Corsair dont advertise here, but it wouldn’t make a difference to a review if they did or not.
Thanks for reading, hope to see you around.
Hello Zardon. I fully appreciate the work you’re doing, don’t get that wrong.
What i want to state is that a presentation is different than a review and this is a presentation. You are introducing to the world new hardware & you deserve kudos for this.
Regarding my affirmation of Corsair’s software, what i intended to be understood was that that software is a work in progress and that now is in alpha stage, not even beta. More specific, if you bind a macro to a G key, it will work only in Windows, not in games, so what’s the purpose of these shiny buttons then ?
Simply have a look at Corsair forums & you’ll see users who find by themselves ways to make this kb work in games. Same situation with M90 or M60 mouses.
Corsair made it clear that only K60 works without installing additional software, all their other hardware -K90, M60 & M90- need the Corsair application to work to their full potential. For M90 for example, Windows sees only 5buttons by default & the rest cannot be binded into game shortcuts.
Hi Chris,
I actually take your points very seriously and don’t want to dismiss them. I pointed Corsair to your comment when I saw it and asked them had they received many complaints regarding the software implementation and operation of the hardware. I also spoke with Henry who said he didn’t experience issues.
I am saddened you feel our reviews are ‘presentations’. We do get a lot of quality hardware, but there are times when hardware won’t score well, as indicated with a power supply review yesterday for instance.
If you would like, can you email me zardon (at) kitguru with a list of problems regarding this corsair product and point to some threads online with complaints. You can be assured ill look into it and point Corsair in the right direction.
Thanks.
Hi Chris,
The software is in Beta (Beta 2.12), and this build was posted on the Corsair site on January 9th. As it’s still in Beta there are still some quirks, and we’re working hard to document these and provide them to the software engineering team. The appropriate place for this is the Corsair forum.
But to make sweeping statements that the software just doesn’t work is simply incorrect. The 2.12 software has been very well received by the vast majority of customers.
For those who have problems with specific games, or require a function that is not currently supported, we encourage them to post in the Corsair forum so we can document the issues, and pass the feedback on to the product and software engineering teams for future releases.
You don’t state which product you personally own, or what issues you are personally experiencing, but please post in the Corsair forum (http://forum.corsair.com/v3/forumdisplay.php?f=214) so we can help you.
There is also a new user guide for the M90 mouse (though the core features of the software are common to M60 and K90), which may help you: http://www.corsair.com/media/cms/manual/Vengeance_M90_Software_Users_Guide.pdf
If you still have specific issues, then please post in the Corsair support forum.
Blackbeard,
Corsair
Blackbeard & Zardon, to be clear: i don’t own a K90 or a M90. I was scouting the market for a mouse with many buttons & since i was going to pay +100$ for it, i started reading reviews. I found K90 very appealing & M90 won me over Sensei.
Anyway, what i want to say to you bearded-one, change the steps in releasing such a complex product as a MMO mouse / kb (a piece of hardware which require SOFTWARE to work at maximum potential). IF from hw pov they are ok, eye-catching, software wise they are a dissapoiment – at least that i understand from your forum. And i come to you with the ideea -perhaps you, Corsair management, already thought of it- to work closer with gamer teams / clans, sort of what SteelSeries is doing. If you had chosen a bunch of gamer teams to test your products, mice & kb, i’m sure they’ve pointed you out many flaws which you could have solved before releasing an unfinished software with the final product.
On the other hand, the fact tt your accepting returns of these products no-questions-asked, is a big plus for you. This, together with working hard to fix the software, will get you to shore.
Again, my thoughts are that you-Corsair, shouldn’t have released a product without proper testing.
And this kind of testing missing in this review lead me to write all these lines.
I respect both your works, but for now you seem to have made a mistake.
You havent even used it? I had assumed you owned the product. Interesting you would immediately dismiss a reviewers opinion without even trying the product yourself, first hand.
Looks really great 🙂
I’m looking forward to buy on in the next few days.
I’m much impressed from this keybord 🙂