Corsair K68 RGB Review: Gaming Keyboard with Splash Protection!

With the K68 RGB mechanical keyboard, Corsair is launching a keyboard with long-life Cherry MX switches on the market. But it also offers another advantage: protection against dust and splashing water. Compared to the predecessor, we also get RGB lighting.

Scope of Delivery and Workmanship

With a price of 139.99 euros, it is slightly below the top models, such as the K95 RGB or K70 Lux RGB. A comparison of the two also shows why. The housing of the K68 RGB is made of matt plastic, while the K95 RGB has a brushed aluminium finish. In addition, the palm rest is also completely made of plastic.

The palm rest is only attached to the keyboard with plastic noses. When trying to remove the support from the keyboard, a lot of force has to be applied. The plastic makes you feel like you’re about to break it. At least the pad holds so well to the keyboard and a smooth transition is guaranteed. In practical use it is also indispensable, more later.

Nowadays it is hard to imagine life without multimedia keys. The K68 also has RGB buttons for media playback and volume control. The brightness of the lighting can be adjusted and the Windows key locked using two additional keys.

The keyboard only has a fixed position when it is not standing on its feet, because they are not equipped with rubber elements. The K68 RGB slides more easily when standing on its feet. If the palm rest is attached, this circumstance should not be a problem, as it has wide stripes.

The cable has a pleasant length of about 2 meters. A fabric sheathing was completely omitted and the USB cable is exclusively rubberized.

Practice

With the K68 RGB, Corsair offers a very well processed keyboard. I couldn’t find any quality defects. All gap dimensions are perfect, as are the edges of the plastic housing. The keycaps also make a high-quality impression and can be easily detached from the switches without using much force.

The Corsair K68 RGB is IP32 certified to protect the keyboard from splash water and dust. The MX-Red switches are enclosed in silicone for this purpose. Of course, the silicone only protects dripping water falling sideways with a 15 degree deviation from the vertical and from small foreign bodies of over 2.5 mm in diameter. Nothing helps against fine dust and lateral water splashes. So better not pour the next beer over the keyboard. There are openings for the drainage of too much liquid.

The protection against splash water and small foreign bodies may appeal to some gamers. What about the typing comfort? Will the Cherry MX Red lose their property due to the silicone socket around the switches? No change can be felt at the stop itself. The keys still have their usual easy shifting path and tactile feedback. Only the noises of the mechanical keys are dampened a little. Connoisseurs will probably consider the MX Red to be MX Red Silent.

A wrist-rest is included in the scope of delivery. If you set up the K68 RGB, the keys are very high and after longer gaming sessions my wrist hurts. The shelf provides a remedy, so that the hands and wrists lie at a slight angle on the keyboard. A big bonus for the Corsair K68 RGB.

Software

As with almost every Corsair product, the keyboard can be customized using the Corsair Utility Engine, or CUE for short. Three different menu items are available to you. In the first point Actions Corsair gives you the possibility to assign certain functions to a key. Of course the macros must not be missing. But you can also change the key assignment completely or set a prefabricated timer for the pizza in the oven.

Under Lighting effects you can change the lighting for each individual key. The premade effects can only be adjusted for the whole keyboard. A cool feature is the preview function, so you can see in the software how the effect works on the keyboard.

The last point Options gives you the possibility to disable functions like ALT+TAB or the Windows key. For the latter there is a dedicated key on the keyboard for which you can also set the color.

Conclusion on the Corsair K68 RGB Review

You want a keyboard that forgives you a little mishap? The Corsair K68 RGB offers less than we are accustomed to from Corsair, the IP32 certification probably made some compromises. Compared to other, high-priced models of the manufacturer, we find instead of aluminum plastic. The volume control is replaced by simple buttons and the cable is no longer covered with fabric but only with rubber. Even at the feet we don’t find any rubber buffers anymore. But the high-quality workmanship and the protection against dust and splash water is a unique selling point in the Corsair keyboard series. I’m certainly not the only one who has simply ruined a not quite cheap keyboard with a beer and a sweet drink. Of course, the RGB lighting and the easy-to-use CUE software also deserve special mention.