Corsair has long had a finger on the pulse of PC gaming, but with its newest keyboard, the Vengeance K90 ($129.99 direct), it scores a solid victory—the K90 is among the best high-performance keyboards you can buy. Mechanical keyboards are the way to go for high-performance gamers, with top of the line offerings like the Razer Black Widow Ultimate ($129.99 direct, 4.5 stars) and the Das Keyboard Model S Ultimate ($129.99 direct, 4.5 stars) utilizing the springy, noisy keys for their superior performance, long-term durability, and less force needed to register keystrokes. Combine this with built-in media controls, on-board memory, and a whopping 18-keys dedicated to custom macros, and the Corsair Vengeance K90  is one gaming keyboard that's hard to beat.

Design
The Vengeance K90 is a thing of beauty, machined from industrial grade brushed aluminum and bristling with raised backlit sculpted keys. Measuring 0.94 by 19.7 by 6.4 inches (HWD), the aluminum body of the keyboard makes it a bit too heavy for regular portability (3.1 pounds), but it makes for a keyboard that is stable and won't move when you don't want it to.

The keys are sculpted for a more comfortable feel underneath the fingertips, and are made all the more comfortable with a soft touch matte finish. The finish gives the keys a slightly grippy texture that also stays dry. An adjustable blue backlight lets you cycle through three levels of LED underglow, though you can't change the color of the backlight the way you can with the Razer Anansi ($99.99 direct, 4 stars). Other onboard controls include a knurled volume roller-knob, buttons for media control, Windows lock, and four buttons for recording and deploying macros. In addition to the full keyboard, function buttons, keypad and media controls, you'll find an impressive 18 programmable hotkeys— the Editors' Choice Razer Black Widow Ultimate  has only five.

The Vengeance K90 connects to the PC via USB 2.0, using two ports. The attached USB Y-cable is a thick, braided cord, with extra reinforcement where the cable will experience stress. There is also a USB port on the keyboard, letting you connect a flash drive or mouse without having to find a spare port on the PC.

The Cherry MX Red mechanical switches (found under the standard keyboard, arrow keys and 10-key pad) offer better performance, longer life, and a solid typing feel. The silicone dome switches (found under the function keys and macro buttons) may not have the same feel, but still offer accuracy and smooth performance. The mechanical switches offer better durability, but the keys using dome switches are used far less often than the keyboard proper, and durability shouldn't be a big concern. You will, however, notice a difference in typing feel. The mechanical switches provide springy feedback, need very little force to register a keystroke, and have a satisfying sound when typed—though still much quieter than a professional grade typists keyboard, like theDas Keyboard Model S Ultimate . The dome switches, on the other hand, are nearly silent and fairly mushy.

The black matte plastic keycaps are offset from the machined aluminum base plate, and a black plastic extension for the macro keys only enhances the two-toned color scheme. The backlight glows through, illuminating each letter thanks to laser etched keycaps. A detachable palm rest reduces the chance of carpal tunnel, and the soft-touch finish matches the feel of the matte surface of the keys. A pattern of dots dimples the surface of the palmrest, which makes for a comfortable surface, but collects dust and crumbs.

Features and Performance
The keyboard is also built from the ground up for gaming, with 20-key rollover and a speedy 1-millisecond report rate. Anti-ghosting means that you can press any combination of keys simultaneously with no problems. There is also a Windows Lock key that lets you disable unwanted shortcut functions that might interfere during a heated game.

Macros can be programmed without having to deal with any specialized software. Instead, you simply press the MR (Macro Record) button on the keyboard to begin recording a macro, and press it again to end recording. You can not only program any of the 18 macro buttons, you can do it again for three different sets of macros, selected with buttons M1, M2 and M3, which swaps out one bank of macros for another.

For those who want more granular control of their profiles and macros, you can download the accompanying Vengeance Gaming Software, which provides an on-screen macro editor. The software is compatible with Windows (Windows 7, Vista, and XP) but not Mac—sorry Apple fans. The keyboard is equipped with 36kb of built-in memory, saving your profiles and macros to the keyboard itself instead of the PC, letting you take your customizations with you, even when using the keyboard with a different PC. Corsair also covers the Vengeance K90 with a two-year warranty.

The Corsair Vengeance K90 is the gamer's gaming keyboard—it's built to last, has looks that impress and intimidate, and offers so many customizable tools and onboard controls that it will enhance any gamer's command center. It offers all of the smooth mechanical performance of the former Editors' Choice Razer Black Widow Ultimate, but offers a wider array of custom options and macros. For the same price it offers a superb gaming experience, media controls, and a host of other features, like USB pass-through and 18 programmable macro keys. The Corsair Vengeance K90 snags our Editors' Choice award for gaming keyboards.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Corsair Vengeance K90 with several other keyboards side by side.

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