A Closer Look
As soon as you set the K90 on the desk you’ll realize this thing is a tank. It weights a ton and feels like Corsair contracted Caterpillar to help them design this beast. The sound construction of the K90 is reflected in every part of this keyboard. Almost the entire unit is covered in 2mm thick blush aluminum. From this you can understand where the majority of the weight comes from
Like I said earlier, the K90 is product targeted toward the MMO style gamer. Corsair included 18 independent macro keys on the leftside of the keyboard. This is the only section of the keyboard that is not covered in the brush aluminum. This section is also recessed below the regular keyset. I really like this because if you have the intention of using the keys the recess makes accessing the keys very deliberate and non-accidental.
The Vengeance series of keyboards are the only keyboards that I’ve ever reviewed that I would give praise to the media buttons. I HATE dedicated media buttons and I think they have no place on a gaming keyboard. A lot of companies incorporate those buttons into other keys (I.e. the ‘F’ Keys) to make me exclusively happy. Well Corsair said, “F*ck Nik, we’re putting media buttons on our keyboards anyways…” and they did it with poise and grace. The keys are nestled in the nooks and crannies that should be used for keys of this nature. They are also perfectly sized in the sense that they are unobtrusive and don’t draw your attention away from the main part of the keyboard. The volume “rocker” is a highlight to the media row. The roller is pleasant to the touch and having tactile feedback when adjusting something as simple as volume is very nice.
The K90 uses a standard keyset. No special keys and no irregularly sized keys. This is how a keyboard is supposed to look. All of the other keyboard manufacturers out there should be taking notes. The picture is a good illustration to how concaved the main section of the keyset is. This concave design is a way to make your fingers fall into the middle of it and trust me, it works.
From the side you can see the recess of the Macro keys. You can also see how dramatic the curvature of the keys is. The feet popped on the bottom barely change the pitch of the keyboard but with the inclusion of the wrist rest you’ll soon find out it doesn’t matter much.
On the back of the K90 you’ll see what Corsair refers to as a USB pass through. This USB port, albeit high-speed, is really designed for one purpose: Your mouse. You have the flexibility to plug any USB device into this port but you’ll probably see yourself using it as a mouse port more times than not.
The USB cord on the K90 is a direct copy of the one used on the K60. 2 USB connectors are used to provide the high-speed functionality to the port on the back of the unit. The cable is also the most heavy duty keyboard cable you will ever see. The braiding of the keyboard was enough to scare me.
The bottom of the keyboard is nothing short of the most unglamorous thing you’ll ever see. The panel is flat as flat can be with 4 small bumpers that rest on the 4 corners on the base.
