The Corsair Vanguard 96 is a fantastic keyboard to use for both gaming and productivity purposes, though its LCD display feels much more like a gimmick than anything else.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compact size without missing out on features | Slighty cramped layout has a definite learning curve |
| Customisable rotary dial works really well | Display screen is a cute idea – but it’s not terribly practical in real world use |
| Incredibly satisfying thocky keys | Corsair Web portal has a tendency to crash |
Score: 4/5
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In this review
Corsair Vanguard 96 Design
Corsair Vanguard 96 Performance
Corsair Vanguard 96 Verdict
Ethical disclaimer: The Corsair Vanguard 96 used in this review was provided to me by Corsair, and typically (while I don’t know this for sure) they don’t tend to ask for products to be returned.
I mention this at the top of the review because I strongly feel that way too many online reviews do a terrible job of disclosure and the potential (or perceived) conflicts of interest and influence that may arise as a result.
I don’t work that way, so to be clear, Corsair has absolutely zero influence over my review, doesn’t get to see it before it goes live and whether or not it goes back or not makes absolutely zero difference to my review process.
For more on ART’s Ethics position, see here.
Design
The Corsair Vanguard 96 is a gaming keyboard that sits smack dab between the size of smaller keyboards (like the recently reviewed Corsair K70 Pro TKL and a full-sized keyboard with regular spacing for the number pad.
The Corsair Vanguard 96 does feature a number pad, but it crunches everything in to deliver a keyboard that’s going to take up less desk space; the core market that Corsair is after here are gamers who need keyboard access but want as much mousing space as possible, something you can’t do as easily with a full-sized keyboard.
The compromise here is that while this does deliver a suitably slim keyboard, measuring in around 39cm side to side and weighing 994g, everything is pushed in towards each other, with minimal spacing between keys and the cursor keys shuffled between the number pad and regular keyboard keys.
There’s not a lot of space here. That’s kind of the point.
The right side of the space bar houses function and dedicated (but customisable, more on that shortly) Elgato Stream deck keys, not a surprise given that Elgato is a Corsair-owned brand.
Gaming keyboards of course don’t just come with regular keys and nothing else, and here Corsair throws in two different sets of bonus inputs.
On the lower left hand side of the keyboard sits a dedicated gaming mode button and five customisable G keys, while the upper right hand side of the keyboard facing features a vertically placed mechanical dial and a small colour LCD screen. No, the Corsair Vanguard 96 isn’t some kind of very-small-form-factor PC, but I’ll get into what the display is useful for when I’m discussing performance below.
Where a lot of gaming keyboard opt for wireless connectivity, typically focusing on dedicated wireless channels and adaptors, the Corsair Vanguard 96 keeps it old school with a wired USB connection. It’s pleasing to me that this is via a supplied but removable USB cable, simply because it means that over time if the cable frays or breaks, you’re not stuck with a keyboard that you either recycle or (if you’re handy with a soldering iron and not risk-averse) have to attack with a soldering cable to get any use out of.
Like the K70 Pro TKL, Corsair provides a magnetically attaching wrist rest with the Corsair Vanguard 96, matched to its width. It’s quite comfortable, especially if you opt (as I have done) to use the small riser feet at the base of the keyboard to tilt it up slightly.
It would be remiss of me not to note that the Corsair Vanguard 96 is also RGB capable, but I do kind of feel that this is almost assumed for any gaming keyboard these days. If you love the blinking lights and multiple colour patterns that RGB can provide, they’re certainly here. The Corsair Vanguard 96 is available in either a straight black finish or a dual tone finish with primary alphabet and number pad keys in a white tone.
Tastes can of course vary, but I will say that I’m quite happy that Corsair sent me the basic black model; I think the dual tone model is rather spectacularly ugly.
(Alex ducks behind cover, because he feels he’s sure to cop some serious scorn for that entirely subjective viewpoint. I still stand behind it, but I’ll take cover while doing so, because I’m (mostly) not a fool.)
Performance
Out of the box, the Corsair Vanguard 96 will work as just a regular keyboard, but nobody sane is spending the ~$249 AUD that the Vanguard 96 commands for just an ordinary keyboard.
The Corsair Vanguard 96 is a fully configurable keyboard, which is not uncommon for gaming peripherals. Like the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro, the Corsair Vanguard 96 uses Corsair’s entirely web-based Corsair Web Hub for altering settings.
When I reviewed the Sabre V2 Pro, the Web Hub interface was in private beta form, but it’s now open to the public and has expanded beyond being PC only… at least in theory.
While Corsair states that it’s both PC and Mac compatible, I could only get it actually working on a Mac if I installed Opera – honestly, the first time I’ve been near the Opera browser in more than 10 years – as Chrome saw the keyboard but delivered a flickery and unusable web page every time I tried. I strongly suspect that 99.9999999% (or higher) of the Corsair Vanguard 96’s user base will be on a Windows machine, but if you’re not, it’s worth bearing in mind.
Even on the PC side of matters, I did hit some issues with getting the Corsair Web Hub to play nicely with the Corsair Vanguard 96.
The big advantage with a web-based configurator in this sense is that when it does go wrong, fixing it is largely just a matter of closing and re-opening a web browser tab, not watching as iCUE takes itself and sometimes your entire system down – but there’s still clearly room for improvement here.
Configuration covers the usual bases of RGB lighting arrays, key assignments, polling rates – up to 8,000hz if you’re so inclined — the use of the rotary dial and what appears on the tiny display screen. FlashTap is also supported if you’re at that level of gaming; I’m not and won’t comment on how well it’s implemented because it’s honestly above my personal skill set, but it’s here if you want it.
Corsair produces the Corsair Vanguard 96 a number of different key style combinations, with its MLX magnetic switches available in “Fusion”, “Quantum”, “Plasma” or “Pulse” styles.
Those sure are some marketing names there, but what each of these equates to are differences in actuation points and force, and to an extent sound as well. One note here that (as per Corsair’s web site) if you do want the dual tone keyboard, it appears to only be available with the Quantum switches.
The model sent my way by Corsair features its MLX Fusion switches with 40g of actuation force and 2.0mm actuation point, and a style that’s described as “Thocky and Tactile”.
Thocky is a great and very pleasing word to both type and say (give it a try!), and it’s also an apt description of the feel and noise of this particular keyboard.
My own tastes do tend to vary over time, but I will say that using the Corsair Vanguard 96 during my review period for both gaming and writing content has been highly pleasing in both an audible and tactile sense. I can say that I learned how to touch type on an actual typewriter – yes, I’m that old, and before you ask, there are cobwebs on me, but I will NOT tell you where they are — and the action of the Corsair Vanguard 96 gives me a pleasant feedback feeling that’s somewhat reminiscent of those old-school IBM electric typewriters I first started learning on. Is that intentional? Almost certainly not, but keyboard users of a certain age will know what I mean.
I have had some issues around that 96% size that are an inevitable consequence of slicing down the keyboard’s format, and at my normal typing pace I’ve hit some accuracy issues, especially if I need to use the cursor keys for any length of time, because they’re jammed right in there at the base of the keyboard.
While I do still love Corsair’s vertical volume knob and use it frequently, it also has little separation from the number pad, and it’s not uncommon for my fingers to brush over the minus key when I want to use it.
Then there’s the LCD display, which you might think could be a touch-sensitive configurator or gaming feature in its own right.
Sadly, it’s not so; it does change based on your switching between modes and displays details like the current polling rates at the sides, but the majority of the display is just a tiny display for images of your choice. I’ve dropped a couple of photos of my cats (because I love them) and an animated GIF of Godzilla on there, and while that’s “fun” in a very simple sense, it’s not terribly practical.
More to the practical side of matters, for the most part when I’m using a keyboard, whether I’m working on it or gaming on it, I don’t tend to look down at the keyboard itself.
This is my typical view of the LCD screen. Not so useful…
Unless you sit directly hunched over the keyboard – which is terrible for your spine, don’t do that – then the top of the number pad is likely to obscure part of the display anyway.
It’s pretty much the exact problem I had with Apple’s stupid Touch Bar back when it insisted that every MacBook had to have that installed; unless you do look at your keyboard a lot, the LCD display is likely just wasted space, and to a lesser extent, power.
Corsair Vanguard 96: Alex’s Verdict
You’re certainly spoilt for choice in the gaming keyboard market, with the option to spend only a little or a lot on a good quality keyboard. The Corsair Vanguard 96 is a good quality keyboard, and on the simpler metrics of feel, response and layout – as long as you’re happy at the 96% size – it compares very well indeed.
However, there are some compromises; obviously it’s all rather crunched up for some typing styles, and the LCD display, while eye-catching at first feels like a feature that should do a whole lot more than it actually does, while also being hampered by the fact that I just don’t look down at my keyboard much while I’m using it. Your own usage may vary in that regard, but what you can do with the display won’t.
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Corsair Vanguard 96: Pricing and availability
The Corsair Vanguard 96 retails in Australia for around $249.
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