Corsair has revealed a brand-new mechanical keyboard to its high-end range of K-series ‘boards, and this time it’s all about speed. This isn’t just any keyboard for gamers, though, the RAPIDFIRE (all-caps are required to get across how RAPID it is) has brand-new mechanical switches from the industry standard bearers, Cherry.

The RAPIDFIRE has six months of exclusivity on the new switches, called Cherry MX Speed. MX Speed switches have the smallest actuation (activation) point of any Cherry key, with just 1.2mm of travel required in order to register a keypress and just 45g of pressure required to move the keys downwards.

Related: For more on mechanical switches, read our gaming keyboard guide



For those who are familiar with mechanical switches, this makes the Cherry MX Speed like an MX Red on steroids, and in use it’s pretty clear that this is a switch for gamers who are extremely confident in their ability to hit the right keys every time.

For those less familiar, imagine pressing a keyboard about as lightly as you can, and imagine the keyboard responds almost immediately. It’s fast.

Trusted got fingers-on with the keyboard at an event last week and the difference between MX Red and MX Speed isn’t just noticeable, it’s a genuine game-change for anybody who thought 2mm of actuation was just a bit too long. Despite the smaller actuation point, the RAPIDFIRE has the same amount of overall travel and is as quiet as an MX Red board so you don’t lose any of that bouncy feel you get from MX Reds.

The new switch will make its way to Corsair’s K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE (£150, full keyboard with RGB lighting), K65 RGB RAPIDFIRE ( £120, RGB keyboard without number pad) and K70 RAPIDFIRE (£120, regular keyboard with uniform colour backlighting). Due to popular demand, Corsair has brought back the fabled USB 2.0 passthrough so you don’t have to trail your mouse or headset wires across your desk to the back of your PC. None of the keyboard come with dedicated macro keys, although Corsair’s CUE software allows you to set up any key on the ‘board to do what you want it to.

A TrustedReviews staffer has been using the keyboard for the last week for both typing and gaming, and despite the tiny actuation point, has had a surprisingly trouble-free time typing for long periods, although he says for gaming he misses his macro keys.

We’ll have a full review of this RAPID keyboard in the next few weeks.