Corsair Galleon 100 SD

An interesting but expensive approach is the best way to describe this because what Corsair has done isn't just make the numpad differently, they made it into a Stream Deck, or whatever you like, because the whole thing can be programmed as you see fit. And since it's able to show icons, you can customise it just as you want.

But the actual keyboard itself isn't lacking either. 8000 Hz polling rate, Axon platform, aluminium chassis, and six layers of sound damping is used, and it works, especially as the chassis itself is immovable from keystrokes and is just a very solid platform. It even has a cyberpunk-ish light strip running on top of the keyboard, which is subtle and discreet. My old setups with dark red or dark blue over black would have been a perfect match.

Like most high-end keyboards, it comes with a palm rest, and being magnetic and made with fabric is an big plus as I am getting tired of the hard ones made from rubber. What it does have, that I have rarely seen in other places, is a real USB-passthrough, using its own separate USB-cable. This is actually quite genius if you often use USB-drives or switch USB-receivers on your peripherals often, and don't care to plug them in to the I/O part of your motherboard due to physical limitations, as that port is supposed to be plugged in directly to the motherboard.

Corsair has seen constant improvements over the last few years, and Galleon 100 SD is a clear sign that Corsair can make a high-end keyboard, built like a high-end, high-tier product. It's pretty sleek despite the many design-elements that have been integrated due to, well, simple functionality.

The numpad is replaced by two rotary knobs, with me personally preferring to keep one of them for volume, while the large LCD display capped at 1280x720 sits under the dials, but atop 12 LCD keys. They are, due to acting like small screens, made from a see-thru rubber material, and don't use mechanical switches, but are a membrane-type, adding even more wobbliness to it. This in total allows for extreme customisation based on the programme used - or you can just have it return to a numpad if you need it - although a typing-wise inferior numpad. Oh, and the screen is really well put together. The resolution is just enough for a non-pixelated image when viewing from normal distance.

And it's a fully integrated Elgato Stream Deck. Easy to use, drag 'n' drop all the way, and space saving at the same time as Stream Decks are usually separate and take up space. and I do like to have real-time info on my CPU and GPU integrated in to my keyboard. It does however, enlarge the footprint of the keyboard, so hardcore FPS gamers that use 65% keyboards angled at 45 degrees will not like this design. The integration also gives you access to the Elgato marketplace. It's a bit like an app store, where you pay £10 for a colour theme, and a lot of things are not compatible. That being said, all the functionality widgets seem to be free, including Discord and Nvidia control, but many are just a more fancy interface that functionally doesn't differ from generic media keys.

The switches are the MLX Pulse from Corsair, where at 80M they are surprisingly silent, and generally a treat to use daily. At this price point, I might have expected to have magnetic, and not mechanical switches, but at this level, it's very much a question of preference.

While I generally like Corsair's switch to a web based software, especially as my computer already has way too many small drivers, I do find that with a keyboard, and this one especially, the overview tends to get lost, and a more user-friendly interface is preferable. It's naturally difficult to make such an interface simple with all the options, but most functions can be covered with the existing multimedia keys. Oh, and it needs a bit of polish, like a basic "back to start" button after a firmware update, where you have to use the browser function instead, as the web app cannot figure out how to go back to the main interface...

I do like the customisability, and how it can easily be switched around. I mainly used it as a numpad or as an advanced media controller, with a third setup to control a lot of macros because that's also possible. I would have loved it if it was modular, with either left placement or the option of having it be free-standing since the keyboard is wired anyway. And this brings me to another point; why isn't this wireless? I doubt the amount of data sent via the Stream Deck part is so much that it makes it impossible, and at £310 price tag, this isn't an unreasonable request.

All in all, there are a few things that can be improved, like the interface of the driver software, and others cannot, like the lack of wireless connectivity, but if you are an active user of Stream Deck-like gadgets, then this keyboard makes perfect sense, or if you prefer all the options you get with a switchable, programmable numpad and two rotary dials.