Review on CORSAIR Strafe RGB MK.2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - USB Passthrough - Ultra-Quiet Linear Cherry MX Red Switch - Dynamic RGB LED Backlit by Brenda King

Built-in gaming profiles are nice. Adds flair to the game by emphasizing the buttons for individual games. Out of the box it worked pretty well, I didn't need to add any game profiles or anything, the one I was playing was already in their games database so I picked it up right away. Now, how useful are keyboard backlights and such for gaming? Not really, I doubt people look at their keyboards while gaming, but it's really cool and worth it. I don't mean lighting like different colored buttons, I mean lighting to tell you what's going on in the game. For example, the keyboard flashes when you enter combat and individual keys flash when powers are recharged, my health bar crosses the F1-12 keys and decreases when I take damage and increases when I heal. Box functionality, no settings required. Keyboard mechanics: I have a Logitech keyboard with their Romer-G switches that I use for work, and then this RX Cherry keyboard right underneath. Build Quality: I find the build quality to be very good, better than my Logitech Orion G910 Spark which I replaced it with. Stable, doesn't rattle, the palm rest is removable which is nice. Packaging: There are a few game button replacements in the box that add texture to the buttons so you know when to press the correct "WASD" keys and a few others, but I didn't. don't wear them. It came with a cap remover which was really good and worked well. Mechanics: The key actuation for MX Cherry switches is about twice that for Romer-G switches. What I mean is that I have to press a key twice before it registers a keypress, but that's consistent with what I've seen on all major MX products as far as I've read reviews of them. What does that really mean? That means Logitech Romer-G switches are faster. It took me no more than a day to get used to the longer key travel and now I don't even notice it. Sound: Don't be fooled, these things aren't quiet. Red switches should be quieter because they don't make the clicking noise that blue switches do. They're not as loud as my Romer-G switches and have a bit of a thud, but I think that's because their keycaps are physically larger, allowing more room in the key to reflect the sound. Ergonomics: It's the same as any other keyboard I've ever used. Only ergonomic keyboards are ergonomic. I don't see this as a disadvantage. I definitely recommend this keyboard to everyone.