Join for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation plus sign you up to our newsletter.
By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over,
have read our
Privacy Policy
and agree to the
Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Save $60 on Corsair's impressive 96% gaming keyboard with Elgato Stream Deck integration — the Vanguard 96 RGB features pre-lubed mechanical switches, sound dampening, a color LCD screen, and a full-size number pad
Desk space is an important commodity, and for some, it's an ongoing battle to keep as much free space as possible. Apart from regularly removing clutter, one thing that has popped up over the years is the minimization of keyboard sizes. Gamers have gotten used to sporting tiny 60% keyboards in an effort to free up more space for unhindered mouse movement, but what if you still want a useful keyboard for your day job that has a number pad and some function keys? Well, that's where this keyboard sits: the Corsair Vanguard 96 RGB has a discounted sale price of just $119.99 at Best Buy, a hefty $60 knocked off the $179.99 list price.
The Corsair Vanguard 96 RGB mechanical gaming keyboard is a 96% keyboard that compacts the layout so it can fit a number pad, arrow keys, function keys, six G-keys (macro/elgato), an LCD screen, and even a rotary dial, all while keeping the overall dimensions of the keyboard around the standard size of a TKL (TenKeyLess) keyboard.
To achieve this compact form factor, some of the traditional key dimensions have changed, such as the zero key on the number pad and the removal of the right CTRL button. So a little muscle memory reprogramming may be needed to fully acclimatize to this keyboard.
Other features of the Corsair Vanguard 96 RGB include an 8000 Hz polling rate for super low-latency gameplay, pre-lubed Corsair MLX switches, a hot-swappable PCB (supports 3 & 5-pin switches), RGB lighting, four-layer sound-dampening foam and silicone, and Elgato Virtual Stream Deck integration.
A compact and colorful gaming keyboard that squeezes in a full number pad, F-Keys, and G-Keys with Elgato Stream Deck integration. Place pictures or animated GIFs on the full-color LCD screen and easily control your volume with the rotary dial. Pre-lubed Corsair MLX switches offer a smooth gaming and typing experience with sound dampening to keep the key-clackiness to a minimum.
We haven't reviewed this particular model of the Corsair Vanguard, but we did cover the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96, which has the same layout and functionality as the Corsair Vanguard 96 RGB in today's deal, but uses Corsair's MGX magnetic switches instead of Corsair's MLX mechanical switches. So if you want a better idea of the keyboard in this deal, check out that review.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Stewart Bendle is a deals and coupon writer at Tom's Hardware. A firm believer in “Bang for the buck” Stewart likes to research the best prices and coupon codes for hardware and build PCs that have a great price for performance ratio.
