Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard & M90 Gaming Mouse Review

[siopao1984]

---

A few weeks ago we had a look at the Vengeance K60 Mechanical Keyboard and the M60 Gaming Mouse from Corsair, a set of gaming peripherals designed specifically to enhance FPS gaming. Although FPS gamers represent a significant portion of the gaming community, RPG and strategy games are equally popular. We believe that this fact led Corsair to design and release the Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard and the M90 Gaming Mouse, peripherals designed with RPG/RTS gamers in mind, both of which we are going to examine and review today.Manufacturer’s features and specificationsVengeance K90 Performance FPS Mechanical Keyboard

• Light, responsive Cherry MX Red mechanical switches for fast, efficient gaming action
• 45g actuation Force
• 2mm to actuation and 4mm to bottom
• Rated for 50 million operations
• Gold contacts
• Tuned silicon dome keyswitches: F1 through F12, Esc, PrtScn, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break, Insert, Home, Page Up Page Down, Delete, and End
• Three banks of eighteen G Macro Keys with Macro Record and Bank Select hot keys
• 36Kb of onboard memory for storing up to three sets of eighteen G keys for gaming on the go
• On-the-fly, macro recording
• Laser-etched, backlit keys with four illumination levels (off, 66%, 75%, and full illumination) selectable from the keyboard
• Six multimedia keys — Stop, Previous, Play/Pause, Next, Mute, Volume Up/Down — with Solid metal, weighted volume "drum roller"
• Windows Lock key for uninterrupted game play
• Metal top plate for increased strength, durability and rigidity
• USB pass-through connector giving easy access to a USB port on the back of the keyboard (USB 2.0/1.1/1.0)
• USB Connector with gold plated contacts
• 2m non-tangle cable
• Adjustable feet tilt for optimum personalization and positioning

Vengeance M90 Gaming Mouse

• 5700 DPI Avago Technologies ADNS-9500 LaserStream Gaming Sensor
• Adjustable DPI in 100 DPI increments
• 1000Hz/500Hz/250Hz/125Hz — 1msec/2msec/4msec/8msec response time — user selectable
• Tracking rate of up to 165 inches per second, up to 30g acceleration, automatic frame rate control
• Adjustable lift distance - Five selectable levels to fit your play style
• Surface quality detection
• 15 programmable buttons
• Nine ergonomically placed, side-mounted programmable buttons
• Comfortable ergonomic design with soft-touch surfaces and grip improving textures
• Omron left and right click switches rated for eight million operations
• 48KB of on-board memory for storing up to six "on the go" profiles with active profile LED
• Aluminum metal frame and base for improved rigidity and mass distribution
• Solid metal, weighted scroll wheel with rubberized scroll surface for improved finger traction control and feel
• Ultra Low Friction PTFE pads for smooth performance and accurate gliding
• USB Connector with gold plated contacts
• 1.8m lightweight non-tangle cable

Read more: Corsair Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard & M90 Gaming Mouse Review by VR-Zone.com

[siopao1984]

The Vengeance K90 keyboard is supplied inside a large cardboard box. A significantly large window covers most of the left side of the box, offering a partial view of the keyboard.



Inside the box we only found a warranty card, a basic quick start guide and a full size wrist rest. The wrist rest is corona treated plastic, which is very soft to the touch and comfortable for long term use.



In order to ensure the stability of such a long wrist rest, Corsair added screws on each side of the wrist rest which may be used to firmly secure the wrist rest on the keyboard.



As it was the case with the M60 mouse, we received the M90 mouse in a simple blister plastic package. This kind of packaging allows a clear view of the product prior to the purchase but it also is permanently destroyed during the unpacking process.



Much like with the keyboard, inside the plastic packaging we found a warranty guide and a basic quick start guide.

[siopao1984]

A first glance on the Vengeance K90 would lead most people to believe that this is just an oversized K60. Although this assumption is not entirely inaccurate, there is much about the K90 which cannot be discerned with a single glance at it. Most of the chassis of the K90 is solid aluminum, with the exception of the black plastic expansion housing the Macro keys. The logo of the company is engraved at the middle top part of the chassis, while the USB cable is hardwired on the keyboard. This keyboard requires two USB ports for all of its features to function properly, just like the K60.

The keys of the Vengeance K90 are not embedded inside the aluminum chassis but rather “float” over it. This design grants the users of the K90 keyboard a grant advantage when it comes to cleaning, since it is now extremely easily to keep the area beneath the keys perfectly clean by using cans of compressed air or even by simply blowing debris away.



Multimedia controls can be accessed through the top right side of the keyboard. Four keys control media navigation (Play/Pause, Stop, Forward and Back) while a fifth key above them serves as the mute button. A metallic wheel next to the mute key controls the volume levels. Corsair also implemented a small round key which allows the users to render the Windows keys inactive. The button next to the Windows key lock button controls the keyboard’s backlight.



One of the biggest complaints about the Vengeance K60 keyboard is that it did not have a single Macro key. This is no longer the case with the K90, as Corsair decided to remedy that problem by installing an armada of 18 Macro keys. We cannot help but wonder who will be programming them all and still be able to utilize such a number of keys in-play.



Four small round buttons can also be found at the top left side of the keyboard. The MR button initiates the Macro recording mode. Keys M1 to M3 allow the quick switching between three Macro profiles; just in case that 18 Macro keys are not enough for you in the first place!

[siopao1984]

As for their mechanical keys of choice, Corsair went with the Cherry MX Red keys only. You will not find the Vengeance K90 keyboard supplied with any other mechanical keys on board; at least for the time being. The Cherry MX Red keys are considered (arguably) to be the best keys for gaming, requiring little and linear actuation force. Corsair also installed a blue LED beneath every mechanical key this keyboard has.



The blue backlighting under the “floating” keys creates a spectacular visual effect. The user may adjust the brightness of the backlight or turn it off completely. As we mentioned before, Corsair placed a LED beneath every mechanical key; which is why the ESC key, F1-F12 keys and navigation keys are not lit, as these are simple rubber dome keys. The Macro keys do feature white backlighting but they also are simple rubber dome keys and not mechanical.



The three small indicator LEDs can be found between the multimedia controls and the Windows key lock button. Corsair went with discreet white LEDs, fitting of the futuristic theme of the keyboard.



Corsair also installed a standard USB 2.0 port at the right back side of the K90. The port may be used to connect a gaming mouse or any other USB device.



The plastic rear of the keyboard is rather simple and uninteresting. There are four high quality anti-skid pads and two legs which raise the rear part of the keyboard by about 1cm. The front legs which would raise the front part of the keyboard, as it was the case with the K60, are now missing.

[siopao1984]

As the Vengeance K90 keyboard has been designed with RPG/RTS gamers in mind, the same stands for the M90 mouse. The M90 is based on a rather classic ergonomic right-handed design, with the plastic top shell having been treated in order to imitate a soft, “rubber-ish” feeling.



By flipping the M90 mouse upside down, we discovered that a large portion of the body is made out of aluminum. Large PTFE slip pads are installed in order to minimize friction. Unlike the M60 however, the M90 does not offer any weight adjustments.



No less than 9 keys can be seen at the left side of the M90, not including the sensitivity up/down keys at the top left side of the mouse. Since all nine of these keys are very close together and meant to be pressed by the thumb alone, the learning curve is very long and full of mishaps.

[siopao1984]

Once powered, the wheel of the M90 and the buttons at the top of the mouse light up blue while the Corsair logo lights up white. The visual effect is subtle but excellent.



The six-level gauge at the left side of the mouse is the Macro profile indicator, displaying the current profile of the mouse. In order for the indicator to work, the mouse needs to be set in “hardware mode”, which limits the maximum number of profiles to 6 but allows for on-the-fly adjustments. Much like the K90, users can use the software to program the M90 buttons to function as Macro keys.

[siopao1984]

Corsair did not disappoint us with the Vengeance K60 keyboard and the M60 mouse two weeks ago, neither we were disappointed today. However, unlike the K60/M60, the Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard and M90 mouse are more complex and expensive devices with a different number of advantages and drawbacks, therefore it would be unfair to even compare them to the aforementioned devices despite the similarities.

The Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard is a very high quality product with a unique appearance and design. It is one of the very few high-end keyboards currently available with an aluminum body, which adds a lot to both the quality and aesthetics rankings of the product; however, the plastic expansion holding the Macro keys is a little “out-of-tune”. We also found the blue backlighting to be exceptional, creating a stunning visual effect around the “floating” keys. The two legs beneath the keyboard offer only one level of tilt adjustment but the large and soft wrist rest ensures a high level of comfort even after hours of use. For those who use their computer not only for gaming but for everyday tasks as well, the multimedia keys and volume wheel make the Vengeance K90 a convenient keyboard for everyday use.

With the Vengeance K60, our major complaint was the omission of Macro keys; the K90 is proof that Corsair will either overdo it or not do it at all. With 18 fully programmable Macro keys and 3 profiles, we believe that it is impossible for a person to program them all and even remember what each of the keys does afterwards, let alone be able to use them all in a single game.

We found the Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard retailing for 120 USD (about 155SGD at the time of this review), which indicates a rather strange pricing policy from Corsair. With the K60 retailing for just 10 USD less, most users would be buying the K90 for the backlighting alone. However the K90 does not have the extra FPS gaming keyset the K60 does, which might lead hardcore FPS gamers towards the K60 nevertheless.

Although the Vengeance K90 Mechanical Keyboard is not flawless, it is hard to argue that it is not an excellent high end keyboard. However, matters are way more complicated with the M90 mouse. Undoubtedly, the built quality of the mouse is excellent, with the aluminum bottom warranting the structural integrity of the device and the treated plastic top ensuring long-term comfort. The sensor of the Vengeance M90 gaming mouse is outstanding, capable of determining even the quality of the surface it is being used on and allowing the user to adjust its sensitivity and even the lift distance of the mouse.

On the other hand however, we found that nine buttons within your thumb’s reach may be a little too many. We doubt that most people, even the most hardcore of gamers, will be able to efficiently use all nine of these keys, let alone multiple profiles. It is next to impossible to use 9 keys with just one finger effectively and quickly enough, especially when quick reflexes are required. Even if by long hours of training and customizing someone manages to effectively use all keys in game, we think that the learning curve of each profile would be nothing short of immensely long. However, one does not have to program all 9 of the keys and we think that most gamers would appreciate a couple of hotkeys quickly accessible from the side of their mouse.