The Corsair K55 keyboard lies strait in the middle of the pricing window for gaming keyboards. For those looking for a full-sized keyboard with some gaming features it comes with its own set of pros and cons that buyers should be aware of.
Build Quality and Comfort
The keyboard itself feels solid and durable, and the keys feel nice to the touch. While it may not offer the same expansive features as high-end mechanical keyboards, it doesn’t feel any worse to the touch. The keys are quiet and have low latency, making them suitable for office use and gaming combined. Although with magnetic switches out, you are always going to behind if you don’t have those.
Not a Mechanical Keyboard
It’s important to note that the Corsair K55 is not a mechanical keyboard. Instead, it uses rubber dome switches, which are quieter and generally more affordable but lack the tactile feedback and responsiveness of mechanical switches. This can be a dealbreaker for gamers who prefer the feel of mechanical keyboards. For those who are not in it for the professional gaming, it still works just fine for home gamers.
Performance and Software Issues
The main issue I have had is the software’s heavy load on the CPU. The Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE) software, which is used to customize the keyboard’s RGB lighting and macros, can be quite resource-intensive. This can lead to noticeable performance dips, I find the software taking up to 40% of my CPU at times when all I have setup is 1 simple macro and some custom colors for the keys. This is in stark contrast to the Logitech software which sits around 0% and peaks around 1-2%. All this while running 3 different pieces of hardware instead of 1. This renders the software completely useless and I will not run it anymore.
Final Thoughts
In summary, the Corsair K55 is a decent entry-level keyboard. If you want it for anything more than a keyboard that you can type on, look somewhere else. For the price, this keyboard is 5 times more than I would expect to pay. You can get a Macro enabled mechanical keyboard for less, and you can get a high-end gaming keyboard with all the bells and whistles for more. In either case, there is nothing special here, and no reason I can find to recommend this keyboard.
