The Corsair VANGUARD 96 is a mechanical gaming keyboard with linear Corsair MLX switches. It has a customizable LCD display, a rotary knob, and five programmable macro buttons along the left edge. You can adjust settings using Corsair's downloadable or web-based software.
This keyboard is part of the wider VANGUARD lineup, which also includes a wireless model and a model with adjustable Hall effect switches. See the Differences Between Variants section for details.
Our Verdict
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 is an excellent gaming keyboard. It has superb latency performance that's suitable for casual and competitive gaming. It also has good build quality, with pre-lubed switches and stabilizers, plus several layers of dampening material that help round out the sound profile and add a bit of cushion when bottoming out keys. Most keys are also quite stable, although some larger keys, like Caps Lock, Tab, and Right Shift, wobble more noticeably if you hit them off-center. The RGB backlighting is also quite bright and has shine-through legends, making the keys easy to read in all lighting conditions.
Good build quality overall.
Superb latency performance.
Bright backlighting with shine-through legends.
Five dedicated macro buttons.
Noticeable wobble on larger stabilized keys such as Tab and Left Shift.
Effective 2000Hz update rate doesn’t match the advertised 8000Hz polling rate.
Although the Corsair VANGUARD 96 isn't explicitly designed for office use, it's satisfactory overall. It has good build quality and excellent typing quality, with pre-lubed switches and stabilizers, plus durable PBT keycaps. Unfortunately, while the alphanumeric keys are all quite stable, some of the larger stabilized keys wobble noticeably. It also lacks wireless connectivity for multi-device pairing, and although it's reasonably quiet, the typing noise may still bother those around you if you work in a very noise-sensitive environment. It has a somewhat high-profile design, but thankfully, it includes a wrist rest that provides good support and keeps you from having to angle your wrists too steeply to reach the keys.
Good build quality overall.
Excellent overall typing quality.
Five dedicated macro buttons.
Noticeable wobble on larger stabilized keys such as Tab and Left Shift.
Wired-only.
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 is a wired-only keyboard that isn't suitable for use with tablets or mobile devices.
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 is good for programming. The build quality is good overall, and the typing quality is excellent. It has pre-lubed switches and stabilizers and durable PBT keycaps, though it suffers a bit from noticeable wobble on larger keys like the Caps Lock, Tab, and Right Shift. It has a row of five dedicated macro buttons on the left side of the keyboard and bright RGB backlighting with shine-through legends, which is helpful if you prefer working in darker lighting conditions.
Good build quality overall.
Bright backlighting with shine-through legends.
Excellent overall typing quality.
Five dedicated macro buttons.
Noticeable wobble on larger stabilized keys such as Tab and Left Shift.
Wired-only.
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 is a poor choice for an entertainment or home theater PC setup. It's a fairly large and heavy wired-only model that's uncomfortable to use from a seated position. It also lacks dedicated media keys, though it does have media hotkeys and media controls via its control knob. Thankfully, it has fairly bright RGB backlighting and shine-through legends that are easy to read in dark rooms.
Bright backlighting with shine-through legends.
Wired-only.
Too large and heavy for comfortable couch use.
Lacks a full set of dedicated media keys.
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 has superb overall performance with very low and consistent single-key and multi-key latency, making it more than suitable for casual or competitive gaming in all genres. Unfortunately, while the computer polls the keyboard at 8000Hz, the keyboard itself only outputs updates at 2000Hz. This doesn't result in any noticeable latency difference, but it's measurable and may be surprising given the advertised 8000Hz polling rate. See the Data Transmission section for more details.
Superb latency performance.
Effective 2000Hz update rate doesn’t match the advertised 8000Hz polling rate.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 keyboard is available in Black or Dual Tone colorways. It's also available with four MLX mechanical switch options: three linear options, Pulse, Plasma, and Quantum, and one tactile option, Fusion. We bought the Dual Tone color option with MLX Plasma switches, and you can see our unit's label here.
There's also a wireless version of this keyboard, the Corsair VANGUARD 96 WIRELESS. We expect our review to broadly apply to aspects like build quality and typing quality, but performance results will differ.
The Corsair VANGUARD PRO 96 is a related keyboard in the same family that we've reviewed separately. It has adjustable Hall effect switches.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Corsair VANGUARD 96 is a mechanical gaming keyboard in Corsair's VANGUARD lineup, which also includes the Corsair VANGUARD PRO 96. The main difference is that this keyboard has conventional mechanical switches rather than adjustable Hall effect switches. It has slightly worse latency performance and lacks switch-level customizability and Rapid Trigger support, which lets you register faster follow-up inputs.
This keyboard's price puts it in an upper mid-range bracket, and it stands out for its compact 96% form factor, dedicated macro keys, and LCD screen. It also has better typing quality and higher-quality PBT keycaps than some other Corsair options, including the Corsair K70 PRO TKL and the older Corsair K100 RGB. That said, the VANGUARD 96 doesn't match the build quality or typing quality of some higher-priced adjustable-switch gaming keyboards, such as the Wooting 80HE, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz, or the NuPhy WH80.
For more recommendations, see our picks for the best keyboards, the best mechanical keyboards, and the best gaming keyboards.
The Corsair VANGUARD PRO 96 and Corsair VANGUARD 96 are keyboards in the same lineup and are similar in most respects. The main difference is that the PRO 96 uses adjustable Hall effect switches, which let you change the actuation point and enable Rapid Trigger for faster follow-up inputs. It also delivers somewhat better raw gaming performance, making it the better overall pick for competitive gaming. By comparison, the VANGUARD 96 is available with several mechanical switch options, including three linear options and one tactile option.
The Corsair K100 RGB and Corsair VANGUARD 96 are both wired mechanical gaming keyboards. The K100 RGB is larger and has a more conventional full-size layout. It also has a full set of dedicated media keys and somewhat better raw gaming performance. It’s available with either linear MX Speed switches or Corsair OPX optical switches. Comparatively, the VANGUARD 96 has a more compact 96% form factor with more compressed key clusters and a few missing navigation keys. However, it takes up less space on your desk, leaving more room for mouse movements. Unfortunately, it lacks a full set of dedicated media keys, but it does have media shortcuts on the F-row and a programmable LCD display that the larger K100 RGB lacks. It’s available with three linear and one tactile MLX mechanical switch options.
While they’re both wired gaming keyboards, the Wooting 60HE v2 and Corsair VANGUARD 96 have very different design philosophies. The Wooting has a much smaller 60% size, leaving more room on your desk for mouse movements. It also uses Hall effect switches, which let you customize the actuation point and enable features like Rapid Trigger for faster follow-up inputs. It has better raw gaming performance and is more specifically aimed at high-level competitive gamers. By contrast, the Corsair has a larger 96% size with nearly all the keys of a standard full-size model, except for a few navigation keys. It’s available with several linear mechanical switch options and one tactile option. While it doesn’t match the Wooting’s performance, it has a column of dedicated macro buttons, an LCD screen, and a rotary knob, features the Wooting lacks
The Logitech G915 X LIGHTSPEED and Corsair VANGUARD 96 are mechanical gaming keyboards with quite different design approaches. The Logitech is a wireless model, connecting with either a 2.4Ghz receiver or Bluetooth. It also has a much thinner low-profile design with a more conventional full-size layout, and a full set of dedicated media keys including a scroll bar. It's available in linear, tactile, or clicky switch options. Comparatively, the Corsair is a wired-only model with a taller, standard-profile but a more compact 96% size that has nearly all the keys of a standard 100% but looses a few navigation keys but takes up less space on your desk. It also has somewhat better performance, making it a better pick for competitive gaming. It's available in in several linear and one tactile switch option.
Test Results
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