Gaming is typically seen as a leisure activity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend some serious money on it, often without getting a return.
The Corsair K65 Plus is one of those products that tries to fill my favourite niche: premium quality, without unnecessary frills, at an acceptable price.
Meeting the K65 Plus
This is a 75% wireless mechanical keyboard typically sold for $159.99 on the Corsair website, though it regularly falls to $109.99.
This price point is on par with most mid-range options, and though that annoying friend who only uses Linux will keep whining that you can build your own for less than that, this is not a product for them.
The K65 Plus comes packaged in a nice little cardboard box that is as long as the keyboard, and only marginally wider. The only other items included are a keyswitch and keycap puller, and a braided USB Type-C to Type-A cable.
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The charging cable is long enough to run to my PC, resting under my desk, without having to reposition the keyboard when charging.
Before ever plugging it in, the K65 Plus showed a neat little trick with the USB wireless dongle. Rather than leaving it loose in the box, it comes in a small recessed compartment on the front of the keyboard.
If that design is great for travelling, the weight of this keyboard is decidedly not it. Per Corsair data, the K65 Plus weighs 1.22kg, or 2.7lbs for the metrically starved audience.
This beefy design doesn’t get in the way of daily use, even when using it on my lap while torturing my spine in suboptimal positions. It might even double as a great personal defence weapon in a pinch, but I would have much preferred some portability.
Set Up, Or Lack Thereof
Getting the K65 Plus to work was remarkably idiot-proof. I set the mode selector to wireless, plugged the USB receiver into my PC, and that was it. I then proceeded to find the manual for this thing, which told me to fully charge it before using it. Whoops.
Mechanical keyboards have a bit of a reputation for being loud and occasionally disruptive, and that’s something I was a little apprehensive about, as my gaming setup is in a shared space.
As I fumbled my way through the language settings on my computer, I was pleased to hear that I am, I quote, “not annoying or anything.” That’s as good as it gets in a workspace.
[…] premium quality, without unnecessary frills, at an acceptable price.
The keys on the K65 Plus are quite light, and in the stock configuration, input is registered around halfway down a key press.
For the most part, this makes the keyboard rather pleasant to use, though even after a generous adaptation period, I am still struggling with accidental presses, especially with the keys around the Enter button.
Another sticking point for those outside the Anglosphere is that the K65 Plus is typically only available in standard American QWERTY layouts. For those who dabble in Romance languages often, the lack of a cedilla is disconcerting, as is the absence of proper accent keys.
This isn’t a dealbreaker, since all you have to do is set your keyboard to United States-International on Windows, but regional variety would have been nice.
Type Long and Prosper
As someone whose day typically consists of playing games on PC for work, then writing about them on the same device, endurance is a big deal.
I put the K65 Plus through its paces in both writing and gaming duties, and it passed the test with flying colours.
The underside of the keyboard has a pair of three-position supports that let you set up the angle it sits. I’ve found the intermediate setting to be the most comfortable for desk use, but that will vary wildly based on your setup.
As for the battery, I am still not convinced that this device does not have a secret solar panel somewhere. After its initial full charge, I have had to charge it once during a month of intensive use, and that’s without letting it properly die. In my defence, I saw the battery light scream at me during a particularly hectic round of Battlefield 6, so I could not risk it.
[…] after a generous adaptation period, I am still struggling with accidental presses […]
Thanks in part to the keycap extraction tool bundled in with the keyboard, cleaning it is also a fairly trivial affair. Even when in their functional position, the keys sit fairly tall relative to the base, allowing most debris to be removed without disassembly.
It wouldn’t be a gaming product without RGB lighting, of course, and the K65 Plus has enough in it to qualify. The keycaps are opaque, so what you actually light is the base beneath them, which is clearly visible thanks to the aforementioned tall keys.
I’ve heard some complaints about the standard keys not being see-through and certain custom light settings not working in wireless mode, but this is trivial business that does not interfere with the normal functioning of the keyboard.
After toying with the ten built-in presets, I settled for the ripple one because of how satisfactory it feels. Sometimes when I need to think I just periodically press the Control key and watch the little light wave spread through the keyboard. Childish, I know, but it’s just relaxing.
Closing Comments:
Score: 9/10
The Corsair K65 Plus is an excellent entry in the mid-range gaming keyboard market. It is comfortable to use, and its 75% form factor makes it pleasant even in cramped desks. The weight is workable for a mechanical keyboard, but it is still considerably heavier than any membrane alternative, which harms portability. With quiet keypresses, good battery life, and an easy-to-clean design, Corsair has taken me out of keyboard shopping for the foreseeable future.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
