You can find a good mechanical keyboard. You can find a cheap mechanical keyboard. You can even find a good, cheap, mechanical keyboard. But finding one from a major gaming PC brand, with the solid software support to match, is a tall order. Today you can manage it with the K70 Core, a refurbished board being sold right on Corsair’s online store for $44.99.
This board was already a pretty good deal at $100, considering it’s full-sized, comes with great, pre-lubed switches, a solid construction, and some great internal dampening. That means you get really smooth action for both typing and gaming — I called the K70 Core “the best typing you can get for $100” in my review. The only things I didn’t like were the fixed USB cable and a lack of dedicated media keys, though it does come with a big, chunky volume knob.
This refurbished board chops the price in half and then some, though sadly it does mean you only get a 90-day warranty. But considering the excellent parts and Corsair’s pretty-dang-good gaming software, I’d say it’s a fair tradeoff. If you’d prefer a smaller board with hot-swap switches, but notably lacking software options, I’d recommend the G.Skill KM250. For more keyboard recommendations, check out the PCWorld roundup.
Note that as a refurbished sale, quantities of the K70 Core are probably limited. We previously highlighted a similar keyboard deal from Corsair’s refurb store, and it doesn’t seem to be available anymore.
Get a Corsair K70 Core gaming keyboard for $45