I’ve been a gamer for many years and for the last few years, my gaming has been exclusively on an Apple Mac.
At the main workstation at the desk, I use a standard wired mouse and keyboard. I have a side workstation and another monitor I use for gaming. At the gaming workstation I have a rather plain Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. This does make it more difficult for me to type and certainly do any quick responses in gaming with no tactile or audible feedback. My current keyboard and mouse is the most basic wireless bluetooth type with no lighting or programming.
The Corsair K65 wireless keyboard changes everything. I can now work and game from this secondary workstation just as well as I can at the primary workstation with the mechanical keyboard and wired mouse.
There is so much that I truly enjoy about the Corsair K65 Plus keyboard and mouse combination. Literally the first word I uttered about the Corsair K65 keyboard was, “Wow!” I was showing the keyboard to my wife Ruby. I said “wow” because of the weight of the keyboard. It was much heavier than I expected it to be. That is a good thing. This keyboard will not slip and slide during intense gaming sessions.
The keyboard is not only weighty but very solidly built. Even the packaging has the quality of an Apple product. Opening the keyboard and mouse was reminiscent of opening an Apple device where there is an almost airtight quality as you pull off the top.
In the box there is a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge the keyboard. There is also a USB-C to USB-A adapter. Also included is a key extractor so you can change to another set of third-party keys. This is always handy to easily remove keys when you need to dig out a small object dropped into the keyboard.
The keyboard is beautiful. It has backlight keys that you can configure with numerous patterns of light or choose a solid color. If you prefer, you can easily turn off the keyboard lighting. You can download iCue software for the keyboard and mouse for Mac or Windows and program the key functions and lighting from there.
The keyboard paired quickly and easily with my Mac Studio. You can pair the keyboard with up to three computers. I actually used this function when pairing the keyboard with my wife’s Mac Studio.
On the back there is a USB power connector, a switch to set the keyboard for Bluetooth or WiFi connections, and a third switch which has three positions (off , Mac, Windows). There are two feet on the bottom of the keyboard that can be opened if you want to increase the typing angle.
The keyboard was a joy to use. There is no sliding or movement due to the build. I’ve always used mechanical keyboards for the tactical feedback. Even though this is not a traditional loud “clacky” keyboard, it has excellent feedback in the keys. It’s the perfect balance for those wanting a quieter keyboard yet prefer some feedback.
The mouse is just as attractive and well-built. It has colors that can be programmed. The mouse has a total of seven buttons (counting the wheel that can be pressed) which can be programmed using the iCue software. There are the standard left and right buttons on top, two buttons on the left, and two on the right. The wheel has a nice tactile feedback as you roll it and can be pressed as well for another function. The mouse can only be programmed to one computer.
My wife used the keyboard and mouse as well. She found the mouse was very comfortable and responsive. She really liked that she could set the keyboard on her lap to use. She commented on the solid build and feedback when typing. One feature she used, that I did not, is that the keyboard has a rotating knob on the upper right. She had this programmed for her speaker volume. She could quickly and much more easily adjust the volume of her Mac by rotating the knob. By simply pushing down on this knob the Mac is instantly muted. Another push of the button quickly unmutes the Mac. The button has a very nice click as well as texture around making it easy to rotate. Her parting comment regarding the keyboard was, “I love it.”
The mouse sells for $130 and the keyboard for $180 on Apple’s online store. Both the keyboard and mouse are available in white and glacier blue. The quality of the build, dual wireless capability, dual operating system ability, and programmability certainly make these worth the cost. You should get many years of gaming and everyday computer use from this keyboard and mouse from Corsair.
Apple doesn’t carry a lot of third-party items in their online store. This particular model is an Apple exclusive and I can say it is truly worthy of being carried in the Apple Store.
Apple World Today rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★
