Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Corsair Vanguard 96 is a beautiful and robust keyboard for users who want a premium experience during those long gaming sessions. I’ve owned lots of Corsair products in the past, but this one takes the cake in terms of fit, finish, and overall quality. I’ll be breaking down the keyboard and giving you my thoughts in this review. Design The Vanguard 96 is a looker, truly. The RGB lights are bright, the LCD screen is readable, and the MLX Quantum keys are akin to Cherry MX Reds but have a bit more spring to them. Every key press feels incredible. There’s no metal reverb from the backplate, either, thanks to the extra cushioning Corsair included in the keyboard. The 96-key layout means you get a numpad while still retaining a smaller-sized keyboard. This is ideal for gamers who still do a little more than just gaming on their PC. I’m that guy, so I appreciated having the extra keys for productivity work. The dual-tone white/black coloring looks remarkable on this thing, too. Paired with the RGB customization via the iCUE software or the Corsair Web Hub, this keyboard looks stunning. Features You get a few G keys, which serve as macro keys on the left side of the keyboard, making them easy to reach when you’re gaming. Adding to that is a customizable LCD screen next to a metal spinning knob. What you do with this screen and knob is entirely up to you. You can choose to have it be your volume control, your audio controls, or upload your own image and have it control various other system and keyboard functions. You might even want to upload an animated image to it—who knows? If you can think it, you can probably display it on this little LCD. Via iCUE or the Web Hub, you’ll be able to adjust your lighting settings, create new lighting patterns, bind your macro keys, adjust your polling rate, and much more. Please make sure you start there when you first plug in the keyboard, as there are several settings that will make your experience with the keyboard much better. Performance Every key press feels amazing on the Vanguard 96 with these MLX Quantum switches. The switch is linear but has enough resistance that you aren’t typically having accidental double actuations of keys, which is nice. I still occasionally type a character twice, but not as often as with other Cherry Red keyboards I’ve used in the past. While I’m not a competitive gamer, I can see the advantage of having slightly less input lag between when you press a key and when the action appears on-screen. So, setting the polling rate to 8000Hz is an impressive feature that I don’t typically see on other keyboards that would facilitate that reduced input latency. I tested all the different polling speeds and noticed no discernible difference, but I’m also old, so take that with a grain of salt. The macro keys are a little awkward to use at first, but after a while, I was able to bind some repetitive actions to them when playing New World. I was wishing I had this keyboard when I had more time to play MMOs. Overall The Corsair Vanguard 96 might just be the perfect keyboard for gamers looking for something small, but not too small, with several switch choices, and that just looks incredible. Honestly, this is a very good-looking and solidly built keyboard that has enough options for any serious gamer, while still retaining enough keys to get the job done when you’re not concentrating on your K/D ratio. Corsair builds solid gaming accessories, and the Vanguard 96 is no different. The price may seem a bit high to some, but you get what you pay for, and this keyboard delivers quality in spades.

This CORSAIR VANGUARD 96 RGB keyboard completely exceeded my expectations. The 96% layout is genius — it saves space without losing any keys, including the numpad. The build feels premium and solid, and the dual-tone design gives it a sleek, modern look. The MLX Quantum Linear switches are incredibly smooth and responsive. Typing feels effortless, and gaming performance is next-level. The FlashTap SOCD tech really makes a difference for competitive play — fast and accurate every time. RGB lighting is bright, vibrant, and easy to customize through CORSAIR iCUE. Whether I’m working or gaming, this keyboard delivers top-notch performance and comfort. If you want a high-end keyboard that’s compact but doesn’t compromise on quality, this is the one. Highly recommend it!

The new Vanguard keyboard lineup by Corsair feels great! I originally used an old bluetooth apple keyboard and needed to upgrade, and this was a perfect option for me! The keys aren't too sensitive like some keyboards, they do take a little force to fully press, and the cherry layout is something I feel comfortable with using.

Great Keyboard. The sound and feel are amzing, and i love all the features that come with it, like the LCD screen, the dial, the virtual steam deck button, and the extra G keys. The only issue i have with it is the software it uses (corsair webhub) it is awful, hopefully they fix this soon... overall amazing product.

Bought this and I think it’s a very nice feeling keyboard for my standards, I can at least say that either this or webhub was not ready to go. The fact that Icue isn’t supported is very annoying. I’m not a big fan of Icue either, because of how many issues it has. I get webhub is a new early feature, it’s so clunky and annoying to navigate. Having to disable Icue to tweak something is so tedious and it gets old after a few times. Not to mention that whenever I alter something on the vanguard pro 96, the keyboard softlocks and I can’t use the fn key or change things so I have to unplug and re-plug it in. The changes take forever to take effect. I really like the keyboard, it just sucks that I have to wait even longer to be able to utilize it properly, because Icue support was over looked. Would have been better to just have support and then end support when webhub was ready to take over.

Excellent keyboard. Very fast response, smooth switches, and the RGB looks awesome. My grandson absolutely loves it.

Got it because i liked the size with all the same keys. The enter key can be annoying at times as you kit the key directly to the right of it and delete the last sentence you typed. Will not work with the coil cables sold at bestbuy. The coil is too close to the plug and the plug socket on the keyboard requires a very thin male plug. I will be getting an extension to see if that is a viable option to use the coil cable.

Coming from a Glorious GMMK Pro, I will say the build quality is really good but not a fan of the connector for the usb c being under and far in the back

Great keyboard very comfy and sounds great and very responsive

Not a big Corsair person but this is the best keyboard I've ever owned as far as feel goes. The switch is so quiet and smooth. Very responsive. I may buy one for my station at work. First time I've ever thought that I finally found THE keyboard I've been chasing.

Simply put this is an amazing gaming keyboard with very good response on key press. And they silky smooth typing will definitely satisfy all you ASMR people. 3 things that do bug me but do not affect in any way how the keyboard operates. 1. They keyboard doesn’t always intialize on computer power on, the keyboard is on and fully powered however doesn’t let you type. You have unplug and plug it back in and then it works. 2. When the computer is off you normally expect the rest of your peripherals to be off as well , well with this keyboard if you happen to touch the keyboard, rgb led’s turn on, kinda of an annoyance if you game in your bedroom, the RGBs are bright. 3. The web based iCUE software is very inconvenient, I don’t agree that in order to modify your settings or change lighting you must have internet access. That’s just disappointing. It’s annoying having to open a tab to access setting when I have a full iCUE program with all the rest of my other Corsair components on the program. Other than those 3 things I love the keyboard.

Great keyboard, the keys are clicky and responsive but without being too loud. Currently no I-Cue support but that’s okay with me. I prefer it to my older k70. I like the fact that it comes black and white as it matches my black and white build.

This keyboard feels and looks great. The screen is kinda gimmicky but it could have potential. As of this review it does NOT support ICUE which makes things difficult if you have other Corsair products. This would be a 5 star if it did. They did state at some point it will be added to ICUE. Till this just be aware of that

It's pretty nice. The keys are smooth and bright. easy to remove if needed, and having an easy detachable wrist rest is something I didn't think I would like, but I kind of like it. Macro keys on the side are amazing. Couldn't tell you how many times I have been coding or fast typing and accidentally hit the older model ones, and it starts running through my tank macro... not fun. for the price.. Yea,h I guess it's worth it, maybe $30 less and it would be hands down best bang for your buck.

It looks and feels really nice and the design is so tough and it matches my gaming mouse. I like how it’s not too loud while having a cloud very soft feeling. Only problem is my windows doesn’t work when i started using it

Keyboard is very responsive Keys are easy to pull off Dial feels very premium Keys are a bit sensitive and it’s easy to double press without meaning to Wire guide under keyboard isn’t very tight and will sometimes fall out of the guide Keyboard sometimes does not immediately connect to device but will be powered on (just need to disconnect and reconnect cable) I added some silicon gaskets under the keycaps to quiet it down more and was able to put one more thin layer of memory foam deadening to make it just a bit quieter. Definitely don’t need to though since this keyboard is already very quiet.

This is a great slightly downsized keyboard. The feel of the keystrokes is just right. The spacing is a little tighter than a full sized keyboard, but the footprint is so much smaller, that the tradeoff is worth it. It is nice to have the 10-key included, without the keyboard being massive, like my other keyboards. The lighting options are fun and are useful when using in a dark space, like when gaming or working in a dark office. Overall, I really enjoy this keyboard and plan on adding a few more to my office and gaming environment.

Smooth and clicky. Perfect size for my desk. I don’t use it for gaming but as a heavy keyboard user, this one is a good one

The keyboard is just genunely fantasic, the key clicks are the most satisfying I have heard, and the program it uses is quite sleek and well done (even for being in beta, im impressed) The only caveot is the price, but if the features are what your looking for, its worth it. It really it.

Great product! Quiet keys! Love it for my gaming setup! Will be sticking with this brand in the future!