The K100 makes use of CORSAIR’s iCUE software, which my colleague detailed thoroughly in his review of the K95 Platinum XL earlier this year.
Profiles on the K100 are defined a little differently than previous members of CORSAIR's range. When operating independent of iCUE software the keyboard reverts to the Hardware Lighting and Hardware Actions definitions for each of the eight on-board profiles. When attached to a system with iCUE installed the software profile takes precedence. This reflects the higher complexity allowable in software-level profiles as well as iCUE lighting synchronisation across multiple compatible peripherals.
In addition to lighting and macro configuration options, the software can also act as a sensor dashboard for system components such as GPU and CPU, monitoring and logging metrics such as temperature and % load. An on-screen overlay dubbed iCUE Space can also be used in a similar manner when gaming, although configuration options for this feature are a little sparse.
Device Settings including USB polling rates, firmware updates, sensor logging and Dashboard background images are available in the Settings Tab.
One feature we’d love to see as part of the default iCUE suite is a Microphone Mute Action that can be bound to any key. We understand that this is something of a limitation with default Windows 10 behaviour, and that the Elgato software makes it possible with a custom plugin, but we feel that the popularity of streaming would make this feature all the more beneficial as part of the included software toolkit.
Unlike many of their competitors, CORSAIR’s supporting software is a tremendous asset to their product range rather than a millstone around their necks. The fact that the K100 can operate more than adequately without it - and on games consoles - is just the cherry on top.
The configured lighting biases a little towards the blue end of the spectrum compared to what’s defined in the settings, but responsive updates as you’re adjusting the balance make it relatively easy to match what you’re after. As with the K95 its maximum LED brightness was a little lower than expected but not in a manner that’s frustrating.
Three distinctly new edge lighting zones appear on the K100 which weren't present on the K95. Left, right and rear edges are all included and configurable in iCUE with colour banding matching the rest of the keyboard LEDs. Perspex covers diffuse the lighting for a broadly even effect when illuminated, but with clear distinctions between each section when no lighting is active.
The central CORSAIR logo is also illuminated with three separate configurable sections, allowing the creation of transitional effects that wouldn't be possible with just one LED.
Profiles on the K100 are defined a little differently than previous members of CORSAIR's range. When operating independent of iCUE software the keyboard reverts to the Hardware Lighting and Hardware Actions definitions for each of the eight on-board profiles. When attached to a system with iCUE installed the software profile takes precedence. This reflects the higher complexity allowable in software-level profiles as well as iCUE lighting synchronisation across multiple compatible peripherals.
In addition to lighting and macro configuration options, the software can also act as a sensor dashboard for system components such as GPU and CPU, monitoring and logging metrics such as temperature and % load. An on-screen overlay dubbed iCUE Space can also be used in a similar manner when gaming, although configuration options for this feature are a little sparse.
Device Settings including USB polling rates, firmware updates, sensor logging and Dashboard background images are available in the Settings Tab.
One feature we’d love to see as part of the default iCUE suite is a Microphone Mute Action that can be bound to any key. We understand that this is something of a limitation with default Windows 10 behaviour, and that the Elgato software makes it possible with a custom plugin, but we feel that the popularity of streaming would make this feature all the more beneficial as part of the included software toolkit.
Unlike many of their competitors, CORSAIR’s supporting software is a tremendous asset to their product range rather than a millstone around their necks. The fact that the K100 can operate more than adequately without it - and on games consoles - is just the cherry on top.
The configured lighting biases a little towards the blue end of the spectrum compared to what’s defined in the settings, but responsive updates as you’re adjusting the balance make it relatively easy to match what you’re after. As with the K95 its maximum LED brightness was a little lower than expected but not in a manner that’s frustrating.
Three distinctly new edge lighting zones appear on the K100 which weren't present on the K95. Left, right and rear edges are all included and configurable in iCUE with colour banding matching the rest of the keyboard LEDs. Perspex covers diffuse the lighting for a broadly even effect when illuminated, but with clear distinctions between each section when no lighting is active.
The central CORSAIR logo is also illuminated with three separate configurable sections, allowing the creation of transitional effects that wouldn't be possible with just one LED.
