Corsair K55 Core RGB keyboard review: A quality budget option

As someone who usually sticks to the same hardware, writing reviews can be a challenge. But in a way, my preference is perfect for the Corsair K55 CORE, as it’s aimed towards people like me who aren’t necessarily looking for a crazy, expensive keyboard.

I'm pleased to report this keyboard is a great budget option at £40, and it's definitely worth considering if this is the price range you're looking at thanks 

Brilliant on a Budget

The K55 CORE is a simple keyboard with satisfying RGB lighting. It’s affordable and easy to toy with to find the right set-up for you. I found the iCue software that goes along with it to be a breeze when it comes to finding the colours and patterns I wanted. Whether it’s a single basic colour or a flashy, moving display, you can customise it to a decent extent.

The lights wouldn’t really matter much if the keyboard itself wasn’t good, but it definitely is. It’s not too loud, it types well, and it’s easy to change your settings as you play. Quite simply, whether you’re gaming or writing (and I do a lot of writing), the keyboard feels good to use and it’s not difficult to do what you need to do with it.

That said, the settings are limited, and aside from dimming the lights and controlling your audio this keyboard doesn’t offer many additional features. And since I prefer to control my audio elsewhere, that functionality didn’t do much for me. That’s not a knock against the product though, it’s just a personal preference of mine.

Ultimately, this won’t be worth picking up for gamers looking for a high-end keyboard to enhance their gameplay. It’s not mechanical, and it doesn’t offer the same quality a much pricier product would offer. But if you’re looking at this product as a potential option, chances are you’re not someone who would be going for a super pricey product anyway.

For gamers looking to buy their first RGB keyboard on a budget, I’d definitely recommend the K55 CORE. I experienced no real problems with it while using it, it’s a decent size and it feels high quality. For the price you’re getting a hefty product with nice features that you’ll quickly adapt to after using a different keyboard.

Sound and Colour

The K55 Core comes with two stands you can prop up to alter how the keyboard sits, and largely features the same keys you’d expect from any other keyboard. It’s well-made, doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy, and it’s very responsive.

Of course, the RGB lighting is one of the main draws here. If you’re after a nice-looking set-up, this keyboard will slot perfectly into that. You can customise the colours as you see fit, so if you need it to be red, green, pink or anything else you can do that with ease (just make sure you download the right software).

I found the moving patterns to be a bit distracting, so I changed it to a single colour. It’ll default to a flashy moving display with lots of different colours, so you’ll need to hop into the software to change it. Once you do it looks great and won’t be quite as distracting while you play, but I can imagine some will still appreciate having a fancier display.

Another bonus is the sound, which is less obnoxious than some keyboards out there. It’s relatively quiet thanks to the kind of keyboard this is, so if you’re the kind of person who dislikes mechanical keyboards for the noise you’ll feel much better with something like this in your palms. It’s not exactly silent though, so bear that in mind.

The Verdict

All in all, I was very pleased with the K55 CORE. Again, I’m not someone who goes for high-end products as I don’t like to break the bank when a budget product mostly does the trick - and this keyboard fits the bill with ease. If you’re not someone who cares too much about mechanical keyboards, you’ll find this one to be a solid pick-up.

It makes a nice upgrade to any standard non-gaming keyboard you might’ve been using before, comes with plenty of customisable colour options and looks and feels great. It’s not going to blow you away, but it does what it’s designed to do and feels high quality. It’s well worth the price, and I can see myself using it for a long time.

4/5

Review unit provided by the manufacturer for review. GGRecon uses affiliate links, if you purchase any products from our links we may earn a commission.