Peripheral Wars: Corsair vs Razer

If you are in the market looking for good gaming peripherals, two of the most common brands that you will come across is Razer and Corsair. They have been in the market for some time and are more or less considered the pioneers of gaming peripherals. While both companies are not that different from each other, there is a fundamental difference in their philosophy.

Razer believes in creating peripherals that are created for the gamers, by the gamers, and keeps themselves limited to a few products while Corsair looks to offer peripherals and components that are more industrially designed, and move outside the traditional range of peripherals as well

Whether you want to buy the best gaming keyboard or a mouse, you will see offerings from both of these companies in the list, as well. So, that made us wonder, we should totally draw a comparison between these companies so there can be a better understanding amongst the consumers.

Products Offered

First things first, when you are comparing two companies who are part of the same industry and have the same target market, you need to know just what products are they offering. Needless to say, the portfolio for both companies is similar but at the same time, it is different, too.

Let’s look at what Razer has to offer first.

• Laptops.
• Smartphones.
• Mice.
• Keyboards.
• Headsets.
• Controllers.
• Chassis (designed in collaboration with NZXT and other companies)

There is no denying that Razer does has an impressive portfolio of what they are offering. How does Corsair fair against them? Let’s have a look at that, as well.

• Cases.
• Keyboards.
• Mice.
• Headset.
• Prebuilt computers.
• Power supplies.
• Coolers.
• RAMs.
• SSDs.
• Chairs.

Needless to say, Corsair’s portfolio is certainly impressive. As a matter of fact, it is impressive to the point that you could actually build an entire PC out of Corsair components.

Winner: Corsair

Prices

Whenever you are buying peripherals, price is one of the most important factors that you can look at in the market. Without competitive pricing in the market, it becomes really difficult for any company to stand their ground and stay relevant.

With that said, Razer has been known for charging a premium over most of their products in the market, and while that was okay in the beginning, it soon became an issue for the company because other companies started bringing similar offerings for cheaper prices.

For starters, let’s compare the price of the Razer Huntsman and the Corsair K70 MK II; two keyboards that are a lot more similar than you might think. The Huntsman costs $149.99 while the K70 MK II costs somewhere between $140 to $135. Not a huge difference in price, but it is cheaper than the Huntsman. Such price differences can be seen across the board, as well. Giving Corsair the edge when it comes to prices.

Winner: Corsair

Warranty

As far as the warranty is concerned, many people think that peripherals don’t really need to have a warranty but in reality, the warranty can really benefit you in case your peripheral starts malfunctioning somewhere in the way.

The good news about the warranty on both is that Corsair offers a 2-year warranty on all its peripherals, but the actual warranty on some of the other components go as high as 10 years.

Razer, on the other hand, offers 2 years warranty on their peripherals, too.

But the warranty is not just the one thing, their customer support who oversees the warranty has to be good, as well. Well, in terms of Corsair, you really do not have to worry about their customer service. It remains among the best even despite the management changes, they have been top-notch. Having experienced their support more than a few times, I can guarantee that it remains the best.

As for Razer, while their customer support has certainly improved, it still has the way to go. Aside from the personal experience I have had a few times, the internet has a lot of issues with their customer support being unresponsive for a long time before it gets sorted out. However, they are improving, and things are looking better.

Winner: Both.

Design and Build Quality

Design and build quality are two of the most important factors of any peripheral that you look into the market. Gamers are becoming more and more conscious about these things and want something not only looks good but lasts them a long time, as well.

Keeping that in mind, the design on the Razer products is actually pretty good; it is mostly focused on the gamers with matte black finish across the board. It looks and feels good too. The build quality has improved a lot over the past couple of years, and the modern-day Razer products are built to last. So, you really do not have to worry about that.

Design on the Corsair peripherals is something that sways between industrial and gamer. Their keyboards are crafted out of aircraft-grade aluminum that is anodized later. The result looks fantastic and the build quality is the same. Their mice have a matte black finish to them, giving them a nice feel in hand.

Both companies have similar design cues in some places, and the build quality is largely consistent, as well. Sure, over time, you will face some wear and tear but based on our experience, the products do age well.

Winner: Both.

Conclusion

Drawing a conclusion is actually a lot easier than you might think. There is no denying that both Corsair and Razer are here to stay as they are among the finest companies that have some of the best products available in the market.

Granted, their peripherals have some price disparity and Corsair offers more products as compared to Razer, but in the end, when you are comparing the products that are same, it really is hard to distinguish between the quality that is being offered.

So, in order to sum it all up, one could say that both Corsair and Razer are fantastic companies with some fantastic options. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend.