Corsair STRAFE vs. Corsair K70 — Mechanical Keyboard Showdown
In this showdown, we’ll compare and review Corsair’s K70 vs. the Corsair STRAFE to see which one is right for you.
Corsair has just released their new STRAFE mechanical keyboard, a budget-priced gaming mechanical keyboard with some nice features that you usually don’t see in a keyboard under $110. Many people have been wondering if it’s a better buy than the Corsair Vengeance K70.
You may also want to check out our Corsair STRAFE RGB review, which features Cherry MX Silent switches.
FYI: Both the K70 and the Corsair STRAFE have different models. In today’s comparison, we’ll be looking at the differences between the K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE and Vengeance vs. the STRAFE RGB (and non-RGB version).
Other forms of the K70 include the LUX and LUX RGB (they’re less popular)
STRAFE vs K70 – Which Should You Buy?
The Corsair STRAFE is a great budget mechanical keyboard for gaming and a recommended buy in its own right. It has a ton of great features you don’t typically see at this price range, most notably individually backlit keys.
The only major differences between the two keyboards are the dedicated media keys, price, and wrist rest. The K70 packs more functionality for a higher price. In the end, you get what you pay for.
Interested in what others have to say? After looking through Reddit, Amazon, Linus tech tips, and Tom’s Hardware forums, most of the users suggest the K70 over the STRAFE. Many pointed out the justified price and that the media keys are very convenient to use.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the Corsair K70 features in-depth.
Corsair K70 Features
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If you’re willing to spend more, you might want to take a look at the Corsair Vengeance K70, which has many of the same benefits but also has an aluminum chassis that feels a bit more solid and dedicated media buttons.
The K70 also has the option of blue backlit LED’s and RGB backlighting (though it costs more).
It doesn’t come with contoured MOBA keys or USB pass-through port (on the RGB model), however. The Corsair K70 has been around long enough for solid online reviews (more than 1000 on Amazon). If you want a more in-depth look at the K70, check out our hands-on review of the K70 RGB Rapidfire here (this is the RAPIDFIRE version of the K70).
Really you can’t go wrong with either of these mechanical keyboards. It’s up to you to decide if the aluminum chassis of the K70 is worth the ~20 extra bucks.
Now lets look at the STRAFE features in more detail so that you can get a better picture between the two.
Corsair STRAFE Features
STRAFE Switches
The Corsair STRAFE comes in three different switch options. Cherry MX Red, Cherry MX Brown, and Cherry MX Blue are all available with the Corsair STRAFE. Red switches are the community favorite for gaming, as they allow for quick key presses with no tactile bumps. Browns offer light tactile feedback, useful for when you need to feel exactly when your keystroke is being registered.
Blues are light, tactile, and clicky. Given how many options you get, this Corsair keyboard allows for a more silent keyboard if that’s what you’re into.
Corsair suggests MOBA gaming players might prefer Browns while FPS gamers might prefer Reds. Blues are a great option for anyone but know that they are loud and you might get some heat when gaming with friends.
STRAFE Keys and Software
The first thing you’ll notice about Corsair’s STRAFE mechanical keyboard is the individually backlit LED keys. the standard model only displays one color – red – but they are fully programmable and customizable as to the brightness and which keys are lit. Users can use one of Corsair’s 6 different lighting profiles or create their own. There is also a STRAFE RGB model, which offers fully customizable backlit color options. More about that later.
Seeing as the STRAFE is aimed towards gamers, the keyboard has specially contoured and textured keys for both FPS and MOBA games which gaming enthusiasts will love.
Though no dedicated macro keys exist, you can fully program any key to run any macro when pressed. There’s also no dedicated media keys, but you can use a Function key to access quick media controls.
If you’re familiar with Corsair, you’ll already know that they specialize in a lot of gaming PC peripherals and have been making mechanical keyboards for quite some time. Both their STRAFE and K70 are well known in the keyboard community. Even if you’re not into gaming, both the Corsair K70 and STRAFE are perfect for any PC rig.
Corsair STRAFE – RGB Version
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The STRAFE RGB is a newer version of the Corsair STRAFE that really aims to please the gamer who wants an exciting and flashy keyboard. The Corsair RGB has a white back plate, designed to reflect the lightest possible and they even made the RGB LEDs brighter than the standard red LEDs in the base model. Corsair has really amped up the RGB model and it’s definitely worth comparing the two. Check out the video below to see these awesome lighting effects in action!
Counter-strafe is a much more interesting term for stopping a player’s model during a strafe. Such a technique is necessary for accurate shooting, because with ordinary strafes it is impossible. The mechanics of CS is designed so that when the player moves, his weapon will always shoot at times less accurately (enter the command «weapon_debug_spread_show 1» in the console to accurately see the spread distance when moving for each weapon). To aim at the target, the caeser needs to stop, since only in this position the scope reloads and allows you to shoot at the same place where the crosshair is located.
Counter-strafe is used to shoot accurately without standing still. To perform it, you must press the run key in the opposite direction when you perform a normal strafe.
So the player model will not run by inertia, but will stop much faster, and you can immediately shoot right at the target. If you do short strafes, then when you counter-strafe, the character will instantly stop. If the model runs in one direction for a long time, then a small inertia will still remain, although the counter-straight will significantly reduce it.
There are several ways to use the strafe and counter-strafe mechanics in CS:GO. Let’s take a closer look at each of them and analyze their advantages.
• Lunge strafe. The classic way to counter-strafe. The player jumps out from behind cover, while at the right time pressing the run button in the opposite direction. The model stops, and the shooting immediately becomes accurate.
This is the most popular way to strafe — you’ve probably used it without knowing much about the mechanics.
• Squatting strafe. Performed in the same sequence as a normal counter-strafe, but with the addition of a crouch. This method allows the player not only to instantly reload the scope for shooting, but also to shrink the model, making it harder to hit. The disadvantage of such a strafe is that when sitting down, the player loses mobility, so it will be more difficult for him to leave the battlefield.
• Shoulder strafe.
A very cautious form of strafe in which the player quickly and carefully peeks around the corner to get information about the location of opponents. Also, this technique is often used against snipers to breed them for a shot.
• Air strafes. They are used for bunnyhop and surf acceleration. We will talk about these modes of transportation separately in the next issues.
We should also mention the mechanics of prefires, which are also directly related to strafes. Prefires are a shot at a certain position where an opponent can be.
It is used before the enemy is in sight, and it should be executed just using the counter-strafe.
The main use of strafes is one — they are used to dodge opponent’s shots and, in principle, make it difficult for enemies to aim . Although some types of strafe are also used to obtain information and even reprisals against opponents.
How to train strafes with bots and real players?
The mechanics of strafes is not easy to understand only from theory — you need to feel it yourself. Before training in this aspect, go to CS:GO and take a few seconds to understand for yourself how exactly the character’s momentum works. Walk left and right, releasing the movement keys from time to time. This will give you a feel for how the strafe and momentum mechanics work.
The simplest counter-strafe training can be done on any map. Just stand close to the wall, mark two points for yourself close to each other and strafe between them, counter-strafe and shoot. After a couple of trainings, you will understand how the mechanics work, and you will act the same way in matches.
The same warm-up can be done with bots. We just go to the Aim_botz map and kill all the bobbleheads only with the help of counter-strafes. This workout will help you better navigate the conditions of a real match. It is also convenient that on this map you can train strafes with various guns — from pistols to sniper rifles.
Yprac cards are perfect for training prefires with strafes. There you can practice strafes on real maps from the map pool, while the bots will resist you.
Try to pass these cards not for a while, namely using strafes and hiding behind covers after each frag.
Having practiced with bots, it can be useful to try out skills on live players. 1v1 and Desmatchi arenas with a small number of players are ideal for practicing strafes, since in such modes you need to find an opponent and then clearly go to him. This is where strafes come in handy!
Do pro players also use strafes?
Always! Professional caesers are perfect at strafes and use them in training and official matches. S1mple is known for taking lightning shots at opponents after corner strafes. In this moment with NiKo, Simple showed the perfect example of a squat lunge.
And Tarik in this highlight stubbornly baited Swag for a shot with AWP, using shoulder strafes.
Usually this is a very effective method, but in this case the sniper did not get fooled and calmly waited for the opponent to crawl out from around the corner entirely.
The legendary ace from Happy on Inferno also uses counter-strafes and pre-fires. The Frenchman stands around the corner near point B and, according to the timings, shoots into a position where rivals can be. At the same time, the player himself does not see them, but only uses counter-strafes to stop in time, and prefires, so as not to aim at opponents for a long time.
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The strafe technique in CS:GO seems complicated in theory, but in fact it is quite simple to learn .
As soon as you work on your movements and get a feel for how inertia and stopping the model works, then it will be much more convenient for you to play CS:GO. And after a little work on counter-strafes and pre-fires, you will start not just to move mindlessly around the map, but to do it thoughtfully and many times more clearly.
In the next installment of our blog series, we’ll be talking about the bunnyhop, a weird jumping fast travel mechanic.
The best posts on CS:GO — we have
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Olofmeister’s blockbuster career in three parts
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JAME TIME is not only a meme, but also a top strategy. It makes it easier for Virtus.pro to control the economy
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Boosts made Counter-Strike a unique game. Because of them, there were scandals and tournaments were lost
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There are no adequate training modes in CS:GO. Newbies only suffer here
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Richard Lewis is the main hater of NAVI.
