CORSAIR OPX key switches: Engineered for competitive play

While browsing our retail site for a new keyboard, you might have come across the CORSAIR OPX switch as an option on things like the K65 PRO MINI, K60 PRO TKL, and the venerable K100. This is our very own switch design that we’ve tailored specifically for competitive PC gaming. This includes the weight, pre-travel, total travel, and everything else, so let’s take a look at why a CORSAIR OPX keyboard should be your next gaming weapon of choice.

• Pre-travel (actuation distance): 1.0mm
• Total travel: 3.2mm
• Actuation force: 45g
• Lifespan: 150m keystrokes

As compared to regular key switches, the biggest difference of the OPX switches is the travel. These switches stop at 3.2mm, which is 0.8mm shorter than normal switches.

That may not sound a lot given normal switches travel a total of 4.0mm, but we’ve shortened the travel distance by a considerable 20%. This has a huge impact on the gaming experience.

Less travel means that the switch stops sooner, as it bottoms out faster. Given that most people go all the way to bottom-out instead of stopping at the actuation point, this will make a big difference to the speed that gamers can use the keyboard. However, that’s not to say that the 1.00mm actuation distance won’t help, speaking of which:

That 1.00mm actuation is around half the normal distance for mechanical key switches, meaning that your keypress will be registered twice as quickly. This virtually doubles the speed at which your reactions are registered.

If you’re looking for real-world benefits of the CORSAIR OPX switches, then take CS:GO and Counter-Strike 2 as examples. Given that these are two of the twitchiest, most competitive titles out there, the unique characteristics of the OPX switches will make a big difference.

Fort example, with the 1.00mm actuation point of the OPX switches, you’ll be able to strafe back and forth super quickly. This allows you to peak round corners and hide again faster than you’d be able to with a normal actuation distance of around 2.00mm. The same advantages can be enjoyed for any input that you’ve mapped to the keyboard. In short, the OPX switches feel more responsive, regardless of the application.

Traditional key switches use two conductive plates. These are brought into contact with the downward motion of the switch when it's pressed.

When the plates touch, a circuit is completed, and the signal is sent to the computer. However, herein lies a problem known as debounce. Essentially, as the two pieces approach each other, touch, then separate, that signal can be sent multiple times during a single keystroke. Anyone who's had an old keyboard start to type letters 3 or 4 times per keystroke will know how irritating this can be.

Previously, in order to solve this problem there was a software-based solution called a debounce delay. This artificially slows down how many times the signal is registered per keystroke. This is fine for general computer use, however, it can also slow you down when it comes to gaming.

Luckily, the OPX switches, in addition to having shorter travel, also make use of optical technology for actuation. Instead of two plates touching, a piece of plastic moves downward and blocks a laser. When the laser is blocked, the keystroke is registered. This prevents debounce, removing the need for debounce delay, therefor removing the speed limit at which you can repeatedly press the switch. Additionally, now that we've removed the need for two copper plates slapping each other, the lifespan of the switch has been doubled.

People can get very precious about key switches, so here’s a few questions we see very often.