Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 Review

The Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 - Sleek design with brilliant RGB

Corsair has been rolling out new models in almost every department of their catalogue and by rolling out I mean its getting extremely aggressive both in terms of pricing and features to fill in those gaps that its product line up had so as to cater to new and existing customers alike.
One such product has made its way onto my table today and its their revamped and redesigned STRAFE RGB MK.2 mechanical keyboard and by the looks of it and spec sheet I'm quite impressed with high hopes from the get go.

The Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 is a standard sized gaming keyboard with identical features under the hood like the older Strafe such as USB pass through, 1000Hz polling rate, 100% anti-ghosting, media keys and per-key LED lighting. The new variant comes with two options to choose from in the types of keys you want namely as CherryMX Red and CherryMX Silent while the RGB lights are customizable using the iCUE software and can be controlled in multiple fashions.
Priced in at $100 or roughly Rs 11,000 in India the Strafe RGB MK.2 is around $30 over than the older Strafe and is backed up by a solid 2 years Corsair domestic warranty.

How it Looks!?

 

Corsair has brought out the new Strafe RGB MK.2 in an all black color scheme decorated by tits and bits of new functional changes all across the boards. The keyboard is made out of solid and premium plastic with only the top strip made out of aluminum. Even though it doesn't make the keyboard looks or feel flimsy at all it does bring the cost down and distinguishes it from its bigger brother, the Corsair K70 MK.2 which is slightly expensive but offers an all aluminum build. I like the new RGB Corsair logo on the top which can be customized and has two RGB zones which work independently of each other if required through the iCUE software.
Another noticeable change here is the addition of a volume scroll wheel and dedicated media keys both of which are housed on the top right corner of the board. The volume scroll is all black to gel in with the rest of the color scheme and is smooth in its movement without any clicks or bumps. The media keys are well made and solid with a nice firm actuation force to them which gives it a premium feel.
The cable is long and braided unlike the plain and non-braided one present on the older Strafe which anyways is a must for a product of this stature. A USB 2.0 pass through port is also present which makes it useful not only with small things like flash drives but also with using a gaming mouse just in case one has less desk space.
I did find that the keys are a bit contoured and makes it easy for daily typing and gaming when combined with the flimsy but soft wrist support and the additional textured key caps for FPS and MOBA players.

Does it Perform!?

 

Whenever I review a keyboard or mouse I like to use the device for atleast a week putting it through my daily usage varying across the week but over here due to an unusual time constraint I only worked with this keyboard for two days at a stretch. My usage is obviously more inclined towards typing and I mean lot of typing with various keyboard shortcuts combinations, followed by casual gaming mainly racing, open world or FPS. So lets classify the Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 RGB Gaming Keyboard performance across two broad categories of daily use and gaming.

Daily Affairs

Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 is a very competent keyboard when it comes to typing paragraphs swiftly and smoothly.  The CherryMX Red switches due to their quick response & lower actuation makes it really easy to type long paragraphs with great speed without hurting your fingertips. Though it does need a little getting used to since the keys are quick but with a few minutes into training your fingers you'll find yourself using it with no problem. Since my fingers are thick I did accidentally push the Caps Lock key at times since the key is quite big and at almost no separation from the main alphabetical keys, people with slimmer fingers might not come across this issue.
I didn't feel much difference between these and the CherryMX Speed switches when it came to typing or anything else & so won't most of the people since the difference is extremely minute. The keys are not slippery and the slim design makes them a good landing pad for the fingers imparting reasonable grip. Overall I loved how the keyboard performs in my daily use.

Game On!

Gaming is the area where this keyboard really shined for me since I personally prefer the CherryMX Red switches for gaming purposes. The keys are just perfect and due to logical actuation force and distance its neither too sensitive nor too hard. I generally find CherryMX Speed switches a bit too quick and can't be used without some practice but these I'd say are a buy and go for most of the buyers out there. Still sometimes I found pressing a key accidentally as my finger was resting over it & managed to press it down just by a little, namely the spacebar which also happens to be the noisiest of all the keys due to some odd reason.
Rapid key strokes is where the keyboard proves its metal as they keys offer high resistance with distance and hence reset quickly so rapid strokes are easy and swift making it easy in game like Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The keystrokes produce a good clicky sound but is a bit on the louder side even for CherryMX standards which can be due to how the key caps sound when they bottom out and hit the white plastic covering underlying the whole key layout. Its kind of loud though when you hit the spacebar which I kind of dislike since that key in particular is the lifeline for any task related to a keyboard.

My Verdict

Corsair did a splendid job with the new Strafe RGB MK.2 gaming keyboard in almost every way possible. Its a robust and well build keyboard that oozes quality from every inch of it.
iCUE software is more comprehensive and intuitive as ever before and the people at Corsair did a wonderful job at designing this utility keeping every needed feature right where one would like them to be. Thanks to this the Strafe RGB gets a plethora of features embedded into it along with the all new color scheme and tiny little design improvements such as the volume knob.
Build quality is surprisingly well for an all plastic keyboard and I personally like the aluminum strip on top for the finish and texture it imparts to the design. For the price that it comes for the Strafe RGB MK.2 is build to perfection with some obvious cost cuttings.
Ofcourse we have some grips with this product such as the odd price tag that comes with it, it is priced dangerously close to the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 which offers identical features along with an all aluminum body making the Strafe RGB MK.2 struggle for market share and sitting in a very tight spot. The only people who'll go for the Strafe RGB MK.2 are the ones who want more than the Corsair K68 RGB, are tight on budget and don't mind trading aluminum with plastic while keeping the performance same. Also the keys are a bit noisy even for CherryMX Red especially the spacebar so I would like Corsair to look into that.

"Corsair has successfully revamped the Strafe RGB MK.2 into a near perfect gaming keyboard that fills the gap and targets a particular set of audience offering a perfect blend of elegant design, performance and sweet RGB lighting!"

Pros -

• Comes with two switch options
• Good typing and in game performance
• Solid build quality
• Elegant and all black design
• RGB lights are soft and customizable  

Cons -

• Keys are a bit noisy even for CherryMX Red
• A bit pricey

I give it a 8/10 earning our Gold Award!