Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100
Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100 are premium-grade gaming keyboards equipped with all kinds of advanced features, including programmability and anti-ghosting. In this article, we will see how Steelseries Apex Pro and Corsair K100 compare in order to determine which keyboard gives better performance, usability, and overall value for the money. Continue reading!
After reading this article, you will understand everything about:
- The design and build quality of Steelseries Apex Pro and Corsair K100
- The additional features of Steelseries Apex Pro and Corsair K100
- How the adjustable actuation point of Steelseries Apex Pro can be incredibly useful
- Why Corsair K100 can be handy for people who do streaming
- The performance of Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100 for typing and gaming
- Whether you should get Steelseries Apex Pro or Corsair K100
Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100: Design
Even before we delve into its feature set, Steelseries Apex Pro already impresses with its appearance and build quality. This keyboard boasts an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy frame with a dark matte finish that makes a perfect background for the RGB backlight. It has a USB Type-A cable. On the back, you will find a very nice cable management system that will keep things tidy, along with some rubber pads to prevent the keyboard from sliding.
On the bottom of Steelseries Apex Pro, there is a snap-on magnetic wrist rest that can be easily attached and detached. The wrist rest is smooth and comfy, although it is not really thick. The wrist rest is also quite durable, and it doesn’t have fabric that may get worn down over frequent use. Compared to other full-size keyboards, Steelseries Apex Pro is actually a little bit smaller at 17.2 x 4.4 x 1.9 inches. Read also: Anne Pro 2 vs Ducky One 2 Mini.
Corsair K100 is also a beautiful piece of gaming keyboard, being an upgraded and updated version of Corsair K95 Platinum XT. It offers a programmable control wheel and an improved wrist rest, which provides a thick and cushy surface and is also attached using magnets. It has a dark gray finish and, of course, an RGB backlight.
The metal top plate of Corsair K100 ensures solid durability. The PBT keycaps and the metal scroll wheel are also solid and durable. Corsair K100 comes with additional programmable buttons on the left side. Because of this, you can expect increased dimensions – the keyboard measures 18.5 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches. The increased dimensions may pose a problem if you don’t have much space available on your desk.
| Steelseries Apex Pro | Corsair K100 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
|
| Product Dimensions | 5.5 x 17.2 x 1.6 inches | 19.3 x 3.2 x 9.4 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 2.14 pounds | 3 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100: Features
Steelseries Apex Pro is equipped with a black-and-white OLED screen that’s easy to read. You can activate the menu by tapping twice on the button on the right of the screen. Then, you can navigate the menu by using the audio wheel. The screen and the built-in menu will allow you to adjust the keyboard’s settings without installing any software; this is a very useful capability if you want to use the keyboard on multiple computers or in LAN events.
There is also a USB 2.0 pass-through port, which is very useful for plugging in your mouse or Bluetooth dongle. Steelseries Apex Pro uses Steelseries OmniPoint mechanical switches on the main keys and Cherry MX Red mechanical switches on the numpad, arrow keys, and macro keys.
What’s cool about the OmniPoint switches is that they are adjustable. They have a linear feel similar to the Cherry MX Red switches, but they work very differently. They use magnetic fields to detect a key press. The magnetic fields are adjustable, and you can change the actuation point between 10 levels. The 1 level is the most sensitive, useful for fast typing, whereas the 10 level is the least sensitive and requires you to press deep before the keystroke is registered.
Corsair K100, on the other hand, comes with several additional controls. There is a programmable control wheel with a button for cycling between profiles, a Gaming Mode key that will lock the Windows key, and a metal ring that provides quick access to various functions. You can press the center wheel a few times to access different modes; its color will change to let you know what mode it is currently in.
By default, the center wheel will allow you to adjust the RGB backlight and record macros without requiring any software. However, you can completely change how the center wheel works via the software. Unfortunately, Corsair K100 doesn’t allow you to customize the actuation of the key switches. You can get this keyboard with Corsair OPX optical-mechanical switches or Cherry MX Speed Silver switches.
Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100: Software
As mentioned above, you don’t really need any software to customize Steelseries Apex Pro, but the Steelseries Engine 3 software will allow you to perform deeper customization. The software is very robust, user-friendly, and easy to use.
You can customize the 5 on-board profiles of Steelseries Apex Pro via the Steelseries Engine 3 software. You can change each profile’s light effects, speed, wave, reactive layer, and actuation level. You can also create a new profile from scratch and replace one of the on-board profiles with your own. Furthermore, you can also set a profile to activate automatically whenever you launch a specific application or game.
This is incredibly useful. For example, when you want to use a profile with a lower actuation level (higher sensitivity) and less RGB activity when launching Microsoft Word, and use a profile with a higher actuation level (lower sensitivity) and more colorful backlight when launching your favorite game.
Corsair K100’s full capability is available via two software applications, the Steelseries iCue software and the Elgato Stream Deck software. To customize the keyboard, you use Steelseries iCue, which is quite robust and powerful. It allows you to change the lighting manually or by using downloadable lighting profiles created by users on the online forum. It also allows you to record macros and manage the on-board storage.
With Elgato Stream Deck, Corsair K100 can be very handy for people who do streaming. You can use Elgato Stream Deck to program the six macro keys to do various tasks like recording clips, changing your in-game voice, entering chat replies, and so on. It works very nicely with Elgato devices, which are popular among gamers and streamers.
Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100: Performance
As a mechanical keyboard, Steelseries Apex Pro can be quite noisy, and the aluminum frame can create some metallic clinks if you type very aggressively. The keys of Steelseries Apex Pro are smooth and linear. You won’t notice any bump until you reach the actuation point, from which point the key will rise up together with your finger. This keyboard doesn’t give much resistance; it is great for people who like smooth, spongy keys, but it may make you feel tired quickly during typing if you prefer a keyboard with a tactile response.
The adjustable actuation is really awesome. By changing the actuation level, you can adapt Steelseries Apex Pro for any purpose. The difference is very noticeable. At actuation level 1, the keys are much more sensitive, they register from slight taps, and they feel great for fast typing. This setting is also nice for RTS and MOBA games, where you need to do lots of things rapidly. However, to avoid accidental presses when playing other game genres, you want to use actuation level 9 or 10. Steelseries Apex Pro works well with PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation.
Corsair K100 can be acquired with either Corsair OPX optical-mechanical switches or Cherry MX Speed Silver switches. Corsair OPX is similar to Cherry MX Red, with a similar actuation force, but with a shorter actuation distance. As the effect, it feels more sensitive and more responsive. People who don’t like optical-mechanical switches can opt for Cherry MX Speed Silver, which is totally mechanical and has a slightly longer actuation distance.
Corsair K100 feels nice and really clicky. It is suitable for fast typing, as the actuation distance is not too long. At the same time, it is also suitable for gaming, as the actuation distance is enough to prevent accidental presses. Corsair K100 is compatible with PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation. However, some users have pointed out that it is not fully compatible with PlayStation 4, in which case some of its buttons can’t register.
Steelseries Apex Pro vs Corsair K100
Conclusion
Although both of them are good gaming keyboards, Steelseries Apex Pro is generally more recommended. It is more compact, and it comes with adjustable actuation, which is very useful for using the keyboard for different purposes and game genres. Steelseries Apex Pro also has better compatibility with game consoles.