Posted July 2, 2015 UPDATE! The new K95 RGB I bought to replace the keyboard that's the topic of this thread has crapped out! I came home, turned on the PC, and the keyboard started flashing on and off, as if it's not getting consistent power. I also noticed all the colors were off, as if they had been reset. Once I was able to get in to Windows, I plugged the keyboard in and sure enough, it just cycles quickly through connecting/disconnecting from Windows, like it's being plugged/unplugged repeatedly. Although all of the LED's still work, so there's that. It only lasted 4 months and I'm now RMA'ing it. This WILL be my last Corsair keyboard. Disclaimer: This is my own experience with the Corsair K95 keyboard, and is in no way fueled by the opinions or experiences of others. I have no idea the scope to which this issue pertains, and am only here to share my own thoughts. To preempt predictable replies: I am aware I can RMA the keyboard, and that I'm certainly guaranteed to receive a new one, I'm just posting my experience for posterity and to document my journey giving this line of peripherals a second chance. I own a few Corsair products and enjoy them immensely (absolutely love the Corsair Air 540 I just put my new build in to), but you'll just have to trust that I'm not a hater. I purchased the Corsair Vengeance K95 (non-RGB) keyboard on May 15th, 2014. I bought it new off Amazon. It was, and continues to be, a great keyboard. Around 3 months in, the first LED died. It was an arrow key. I can't recall EVER using the arrow keys - as a gamer, I use WASD, so I was suspicious but chalked it up to chance. A few days later, another LED died, this time the ENTER key. From them on until today, July 1st, 2015, a total of 38 keys have died. It may or may not be worth mentioning that I've only EVER used the lowest brightness setting, although I've almost never turned it off completely while using it, but I do shut down my PC nightly, which turns the keyboard off. I've attached a picture as proof of the issue, as well as showcasing the random nature to which the LED's died. Today, I am going to purchase a new keyboard, and I'm getting the Corsair K95 RGB version, since it's the same exact price as the K70 RGB on Amazon right now. I will post back here when I've gotten it, and then a few months later to let you know if it also has LED problems. EDIT: Changed the title to better represent what the thread is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 No warranty?n/m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Looks kinda dirty and heavily used Laptop: Thinkpad W520 i7 2720QM 24GB RAM 1920x1080 2x SSDs Main Rig: 4790k 12GB Hyperx Beast Zotac 980ti AMP! Fractal Define S (window) RM850 Noctua NH-D15 EVGA Z97 FTW with 3 1080P 144hz monitors from Asus Secondary: i5 6600K, R9 390 STRIX, 16GB DDR4, Acer Predator 144Hz 1440P As Centos 7 SU once said: With great power comes great responsibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Disclaimer: This is my own experience with the Corsair K95 keyboard, and is in no way fueled by the opinions or experiences of others. I have no idea the scope to which this issue pertains, and am only here to share my own thoughts. To preempt predictable replies: I am aware I can RMA the keyboard, and that I'm certainly guaranteed to receive a new one, I'm just posting my experience for posterity and to document my journey giving this line of peripherals a second chance. I own a few Corsair products and enjoy them immensely (absolutely love the Corsair Air 540 I just put my new build in to), but you'll just have to trust that I'm not a hater. I purchased the Corsair Vengeance K95 (non-RGB) keyboard on May 15th, 2014. I bought it new off Amazon. It was, and continues to be, a great keyboard. Around 3 months in, the first LED died. It was an arrow key. I can't recall EVER using the arrow keys - as a gamer, I use WASD, so I was suspicious but chalked it up to chance. A few days later, another LED died, this time the ENTER key. From them on until today, July 1st, 2015, a total of 38 keys have died. It may or may not be worth mentioning that I've only EVER used the lowest brightness setting, although I've almost never turned it off completely while using it, but I do shut down my PC nightly, which turns the keyboard off. I've attached a picture as proof of the issue, as well as showcasing the random nature to which the LED's died. Today, I am going to purchase a new keyboard, and I'm getting the Corsair K95 RGB version, since it's the same exact price as the K70 RGB on Amazon right now. I will post back here when I've gotten it, and then a few months later to let you know if it also has LED problems. It's why I've held off for so long. As a pure keyboard I do love my k95, however 6 months later over half of the LED's are burnt out/non responsive.....That isn't a good product. If they've fixed the burnt out led's with the new rgb setup I can see myself buying another one though....This time with brown switches though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Ive had the K70 RGB for about 6 months and have had no issues. You should have sent it back for a refund or a replacement. My Rigs: Gaming/CAD/Rendering RigCase: Corsair Air 240 , CPU: i7-4790K, Mobo: ASUS Gryphon Z97 mATX, GPU: Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 970, RAM: G.Skill Sniper 16GB, SSD: SAMSUNG 1TB 840 EVO, Cooling: Corsair H80i PCPP: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/b/f2TH99SFF HTPCCase: Silverstone ML06B, CPU: Pentium G3258, Mobo: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WiFi, RAM: G.Skill 4GB, SSD: Kingston SSDNow 120GB PCPP: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/b/JmZ8TW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author Looks kinda dirty and heavily used Trust me, it's not as dirty as the picture implies. I use a Galaxy S5 which likes to take absurdly high resolution photos. Yes, the keyboard is used daily as a general typer and gaming keyboard, though I'm not sure amount of use matters here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Trust me, it's not as dirty as the picture implies. I use a Galaxy S5 which likes to take absurdly high resolution photos. Yes, the keyboard is used daily as a general typer and gaming keyboard, though I'm not sure amount of use matters here. Well if u wack the keys and never clean the keyboard then its possibly that helped cause the problem, otherwise can u just order 2 new switches? Laptop: Thinkpad W520 i7 2720QM 24GB RAM 1920x1080 2x SSDs Main Rig: 4790k 12GB Hyperx Beast Zotac 980ti AMP! Fractal Define S (window) RM850 Noctua NH-D15 EVGA Z97 FTW with 3 1080P 144hz monitors from Asus Secondary: i5 6600K, R9 390 STRIX, 16GB DDR4, Acer Predator 144Hz 1440P As Centos 7 SU once said: With great power comes great responsibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author It's why I've held off for so long. As a pure keyboard I do love my k95, however 6 months later over half of the LED's are burnt out/non responsive.....That isn't a good product. If they've fixed the burnt out led's with the new rgb setup I can see myself buying another one though....This time with brown switches though. The K95 RGB Cherry MX Brown keyboard is what I'm buying. I'll post back here with my results when I get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author Ive had the K70 RGB for about 6 months and have had no issues. You should have sent it back for a refund or a replacement. As I said in the disclaimer of the OP, this isn't an attempt to dissuade people from choosing Corsair, nor am I crying about having a keyboard with dead LED's. I'm well aware I can RMA the board, but that doesn't solve the underlying issue. I'm not the only one to have LED issues with the K95, and I'm just confirming that it IS an issue, although I have no idea how prevalent it is, nor do I really care. It's simply something to consider if you're thinking of purchasing one. Also, an RMA isn't always practical, especially since you gotta send the board in, and if it's your only keyboard, that may not be an option. You can be sent a new one before you send out the old one, but you gotta allow them to hold $170 as insurance, which someone may not have lying around. If you need a keyboard that works and can't work around having issues, the K95 might not be for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author Well if u wack the keys and never clean the keyboard then its possibly that helped cause the problem, otherwise can u just order 2 new switches? Are you implying a GAMING keyboard, a nearly $200 one at that, is not designed to be wacked and used daily? You're also ignoring my response earlier that said it's not that dirty. And what are you saying about ordering 2 new switches? There's 38 LED's out on this keyboard, not 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Are you implying a GAMING keyboard, a nearly $200 one at that, is not designed to be wacked and used daily? You're also ignoring my response earlier that said it's not that dirty. And what are you saying about ordering 2 new switches? There's 38 LED's out on this keyboard, not 2. IDK if the switches r replacable, r they? Laptop: Thinkpad W520 i7 2720QM 24GB RAM 1920x1080 2x SSDs Main Rig: 4790k 12GB Hyperx Beast Zotac 980ti AMP! Fractal Define S (window) RM850 Noctua NH-D15 EVGA Z97 FTW with 3 1080P 144hz monitors from Asus Secondary: i5 6600K, R9 390 STRIX, 16GB DDR4, Acer Predator 144Hz 1440P As Centos 7 SU once said: With great power comes great responsibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Had someone on here a week or two ago complaining about the K series LEDs. I don't remember who it was though. Making the jump from normal LEDs to the RGB variant on the K series should solve the problem since the RGB boards have the LED housed inside of the switch housing. This is supposed to reduce the chances of electrostatic discharge and result in less burned out LEDs. PCPartPicker link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6GTGX Привет товарищ )))) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author IDK if the switches r replacable, r they? I haven't heard if they are or not. As far as I know, the only way to get them replaced is RMA'ing the board to Corsair for repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author Had someone on here a week or two ago complaining about the K series LEDs. I don't remember who it was though. Making the jump from normal LEDs to the RGB variant on the K series should solve the problem since the RGB boards have the LED housed inside of the switch housing. This is supposed to reduce the chances of electrostatic discharge and result in less burned out LEDs. That's the only reason I'm giving these keyboards another chance. Supposedly the housed switches protect the LED's better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 I haven't heard if they are or not. As far as I know, the only way to get them replaced is RMA'ing the board to Corsair for repairs. The LED's are replacable, however it requires pulling you keyboard apart, completely voiding the warranty, and desoldering the existing LED's, and soldering in new LED's. The LED's on the old k95 are completely independent from the switch. However if you unsolder the wrong contact you can completely brick your keyboard, not really worth it unless you're a competent electrical engineer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 2, 2015 Author The LED's are replacable, however it requires pulling you keyboard apart, completely voiding the warranty, and desoldering the existing LED's, and soldering in new LED's. The LED's on the old k95 are completely independent from the switch. However if you unsolder the wrong contact you can completely brick your keyboard, not really worth it unless you're a competent electrical engineer. Well that answers that question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 9, 2015 Author New keyboard arrives tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 9, 2015 Sent my exact same keyboard back 2 days ago. I have to admit the return process is actually.... quite enjoyable, which is weird. There were no fuss at all on accepting the RMA and they even sent me a prepaid UPS label. So at this point I'm not even concerned about having to use a G15 for a while, if I don't pick up a Cherry blue any of these days. I am curious if you have any of the issues I have with my K95. On my board the long keys on the main part, namely the backspace, enter, and shift, along with space bars etc. wobbles a lot and when gently tapped has a lot of metal clacking noise seemly from the metal stringers, or stabilizers or whatever. It detracts from the typing experience immensely since every time hitting on those bars makes it feel like a blue switch somewhat, at least the sound of it. I was attributing this to the Corsair build quality and/or the nature of the red switch. However last few days ago I went to the store again to buy a K95 RGB as a present and tried a lot of red switch keyboards, and none have similar issue, even the k70s and k95s. And that's what made me finally opened the ticket to Corsair, which they processed on the same day, a few hours later, at 4:38 am =.= Also what is your model number? Do you have the CH-9000020-NA or the CH-9000081-NA version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 13, 2015 Author I have the CH-9000020-NA model. I just received my new K95 RGB today (UPS lost my package so I had to wait 4 extra days for it) and I'll be testing it tomorrow. In the mean time, I have RMA'd my current board, so we'll see if they can fix it. I'll check out those keys when I get home tonight. I can't recall if I'm experiencing the same issue you are, although if I am, it hasn't been a problem for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 14, 2015 Author Sent my exact same keyboard back 2 days ago. I have to admit the return process is actually.... quite enjoyable, which is weird. There were no fuss at all on accepting the RMA and they even sent me a prepaid UPS label. So at this point I'm not even concerned about having to use a G15 for a while, if I don't pick up a Cherry blue any of these days. I am curious if you have any of the issues I have with my K95. On my board the long keys on the main part, namely the backspace, enter, and shift, along with space bars etc. wobbles a lot and when gently tapped has a lot of metal clacking noise seemly from the metal stringers, or stabilizers or whatever. It detracts from the typing experience immensely since every time hitting on those bars makes it feel like a blue switch somewhat, at least the sound of it. I was attributing this to the Corsair build quality and/or the nature of the red switch. However last few days ago I went to the store again to buy a K95 RGB as a present and tried a lot of red switch keyboards, and none have similar issue, even the k70s and k95s. And that's what made me finally opened the ticket to Corsair, which they processed on the same day, a few hours later, at 4:38 am =.= Also what is your model number? Do you have the CH-9000020-NA or the CH-9000081-NA version? I can confirm that my old K95 white LED board has a metal clack, so it seems to be the way all of them are designed. The new K95 RGB keyboard I got yesterday also has the metal clack. The model # for that one is CH-9000062-NA if that matters to you. Again though, it's not something that bothers me personally, as I wasn't even sure it was there until I got home and tested it just now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 14, 2015 I hope the red led version of the k70 doesn't have led issues like the blue ones did. I haven't seen any posts about the red led's for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 15, 2015 Author I've been testing out the new K95 RGB all day today and can say I am extremely satisfied so far. Brown switches are better than Red IMO, and a simple red/blue ripple gives huge character to the board. Also, Corsair accepted the RMA request for my other K95 (the one this post was about) and I'll be sending it out to them to get fixed. I'll post again when they send that back to me. As for the "second chances" part of this thread, I'll be closely monitoring the LED's on this new board and report if any burn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 15, 2015 Author I hope the red led version of the k70 doesn't have led issues like the blue ones did. I haven't seen any posts about the red led's for some reason. I tried looking up what kind of LED housing that keyboard has, and it seems like it's the same external LED structure that the white LED boards have. The keyboard this post was about has LED's that are external and sit under the key caps, and while mine indeed had LED issues, I've also read that the external LED's are prone to burning out quicker. The new RGB K70/K95 keyboards house the LED's underneath a clear plastic shielding that's suppose to help decrease the rate of burnt out LED's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 15, 2015 I can confirm that my old K95 white LED board has a metal clack, so it seems to be the way all of them are designed. The new K95 RGB keyboard I got yesterday also has the metal clack. The model # for that one is CH-9000062-NA if that matters to you. Again though, it's not something that bothers me personally, as I wasn't even sure it was there until I got home and tested it just now. Thanks for the reply and time. I was mostly curious if the said problem occurs mainly in the older models since I have checked out the more recent models and also the RGB models and they didn't seem to have the problem. Although in general at least for red switches, the K70/K95 still doesn't feel as solid as the other red switch keyboards on display. Again thanks for the info, I'll curious on what I will receive from the RMA and/or if they new one will fix the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 15, 2015 Author Thanks for the reply and time. I was mostly curious if the said problem occurs mainly in the older models since I have checked out the more recent models and also the RGB models and they didn't seem to have the problem. Although in general at least for red switches, the K70/K95 still doesn't feel as solid as the other red switch keyboards on display. Again thanks for the info, I'll curious on what I will receive from the RMA and/or if they new one will fix the issue. It's certainly not as pronounced, but it's still there, at least from what I can tell. Let me know how your new keyboard is when you get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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