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If you're after a mechanical keyboard that isn't overly expensive, has some good features and not insanely loud, the Corsair STRAFE RGB Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Silent Switches is a damn good bit of kit.

Unlike my last mechanical keyboard, the Roccat Ryos MK Pro, the Corsair has a removable rest at the bottom which I never use, so thankfully it takes up a lot less space. Given all the features it has, it takes up so little space on my desk I'm really quite surprised by it. It measures only 450mm x 170mm x 40mm so it's really not big at all.

It's actually cheaper than my previous Roccat keyboard too, so that's a bit of a bonus. The Corsair also comes with edged/patterned WASD keys (which I decided to use), with W/A/D having a slight ramp on the side to stop you slipping off them—surprisingly useful for FPS games. It has similar keys you can use for a few other keys as well. The keys were really easy to change around with the look hook it gives you, which was really great as I don't like small fiddly things.

You can also lock the super key (the Windows key) by pressing the top right button, which is surprisingly useful when you don't want accidentally bring up some sort of desktop HUD when you're in a particularly intense gaming session. Just don't leave it locked and "do a Liam" and have no idea why it's not working…

It's nowhere near as loud as a lot of keyboards, although saying it's silent would be pushing it pretty far. It's quiet, sure, but still audible enough so that you're still aware you're typing. Absolute silence would be a little bit weird, but it's a much duller sound that isn't irritating which makes it great to use for long periods.

You can easily tell the difference too, listen to the audio embed below with the load clicker Roccat, then after a second or two of silence the Corsair and you will hear for yourself how much nicer it is:

I actually cranked up the gain on my microphone for that test too, so it's quite impressive.

For those of you who like to play your games in a dark room, but don't want to be blinded by your keyboard, the Corsair also features multiple brightness settings at the touch a button (including off).

In terms of other features: it has a single USB port on the back, a few function key shortcuts like volume, play, pause and so on, anti-ghosting and naturally you can customize how the lights work really easily on Linux thanks to the open source ckb-next [GitHub] driver and UI.

The ckb-next project is not an official Corsair product, but another great example of how open source is great.

I've not had a single issue with ckb-next personally, messing around with profiles, animations and so on is an absolutely breeze.

It's been a fantastic experience with it so far. If you're looking for a decent mechanical keyboard or even your first ever, this is absolutely one that needs some serious consideration. I don't have a single issue with it, which is a rare occasion when it comes to hardware as I usually end up nit-picking at various things, but I don't have a bad thing to say about it.

Find it on the Corsair site or your favourite retailer.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware, Review
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41 comments
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tuubi Jul 25, 2018
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Quoting: marcusThe only thing I really miss and would like to have is a keyboard with ISO layout and english keycaps. They all only sell the ANSI layout which I find harder to use. I like the big enter key I can just smash down on :D
Definitely a deal-breaker for me too. I always have a hard time adjusting to a new kb, which is why I'm not really interested in anything too fancy either. Just give me a quality keyboard with a familiar layout and I'm happy. Make it as silent as possible and I'll be even happier.
nattydread Jul 25, 2018
I love that the Das keyboards officially support linux.
That was actually one of the reasons I chose them over Corsair.
ArneJ Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: ShmerlI wish there was a mechanical keyboard with Unix layout...

I'm talking about this:


Ah now I know where the inspiration for the layout of my WhiteFox comes from. I use this keyboard for a few weeks now and I never want to go back to my old Cherry rubberdome keyboard.

They send you additional keycaps, so it's easy to customize the hardware layout. After changing that, you use their online configurator to create a new firmware (or the shell version which comes with Linux support and is OSS (the whole firmware is also OSS)). Then you can just use dfu-util to flash the new firmware and the keyboard behaves the same wherever you use it.

It comes with a nice box and I take it with me to work to have the same experience at home and at work, which is super convenient.

The bad things are the price and availability. Right now it's sold out and one would need to wait for the next batch to order one. It's really worth it, though :)
Shmerl Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: ArneJAh now I know where the inspiration for the layout of my WhiteFox comes from.

Interesting. Do they have full keyboards like that? I don't like minified keyboards without function keys and numpad. I'm currently using Sun Type 5 keyboard with USB converter, but I'd prefer something a bit more ergonomic but also using Unix layout.
ljrk Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: ShmerlInteresting. Do they have full keyboards like that? I don't like minified keyboards without function keys and numpad. I'm currently using Sun Type 5 keyboard with USB converter, but I'd prefer something a bit more ergonomic but also using Unix layout.

Oh, I also found a Type 5 online and would like to buy it, but the converters I found where either shady or self-built but old and with many dead links. Can you point me to a good resource for buying one or building your own?
ArneJ Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: ArneJAh now I know where the inspiration for the layout of my WhiteFox comes from.

Interesting. Do they have full keyboards like that? I don't like minified keyboards without function keys and numpad. I'm currently using Sun Type 5 keyboard with USB converter, but I'd prefer something a bit more ergonomic but also using Unix layout.

They have the Kira, but that's not yet ready for shipping and can only be pre-ordered. Maybe that layout fits you better.
Shmerl Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: LeonardKOh, I also found a Type 5 online and would like to buy it, but the converters I found where either shady or self-built but old and with many dead links. Can you point me to a good resource for buying one or building your own?

I'm using this one: http://www.networktechinc.com/cgi-bin/keemux/usb-sun.html

It works, but on Linux it has a minor issue - extra Sun keys (like Stop / Again on the left) aren't recognized, and brightness / volume ones aren't working either. But other than that it works well. With illumos, those keys are recognized.

I also saw this one: http://store.ultraspec.us/5168.html

But I have never used it, so no idea if it's any better.


Last edited by Shmerl on 26 July 2018 at 9:04 pm UTC
ljrk Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: LeonardKOh, I also found a Type 5 online and would like to buy it, but the converters I found where either shady or self-built but old and with many dead links. Can you point me to a good resource for buying one or building your own?

I'm using this one: http://www.networktechinc.com/cgi-bin/keemux/usb-sun.html

It works, but on Linux it has a minor issue - extra Sun keys (like Stop / Again on the left) aren't recognized, and brightness / volume ones aren't working either. But other than that it works well. With illumos, those keys are recognized.

I also saw this one: http://store.ultraspec.us/5168.html

But I have never used it, so no idea if it's any better.

Thanks, kind of weird to see adapters of such simplicity actually to be so expensive, but it's a niche market I guess. Maybe I try the other one and report back!
Shmerl Jul 26, 2018
Quoting: LeonardKThanks, kind of weird to see adapters of such simplicity actually to be so expensive, but it's a niche market I guess. Maybe I try the other one and report back!

Thanks! I'd be interested in your test.
Shmerl Jul 26, 2018
Those adapters aren't trivial though, like some simple PS/2 to USB conversion. They need to actually provide circuitry for translating key signals.

See here for some details: http://kentie.net/article/sunkbd/


Last edited by Shmerl on 26 July 2018 at 10:01 pm UTC
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