Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro L RGB – Hardware Review
It’s no secret we loved Cooler Master’s QuickFire series, not only because of their clean design, but also their sturdiness and performance were able to win us over quite easily. Nonetheless, it has been quite some time since we last discussed one of the brand’s gaming peripherals, and now with the release of their MasterKeys keyboards we simply couldn’t restrain ourselves to present you with another review. At first glance it seems like Cooler Master is holding dear to the overall design and robustness of the QuickFire series, but whether the performance is the same, only time will tell (or we will).
Design
We were quite stoked to see that Cooler Master is clinging to their iconic ‘QuickFire’ looks with this new series. This means that the keyboard itself is rather robust, but doesn’t have that many whistles and bells added to it. You’ll see subtle changes such as additional ‘profile’ buttons and the windows logos have been altered to the Cooler Master logo.
Compared to many other keyboards on the market, the MasterKeys Pro L (the S’ bigger brother) doesn’t bother with a big frame around the keys. Other mechanical keyboards tend to get rather clunky or oversized simply because of all the excess framework around what truly counts. Of course this means there is no actual palm rest added to the device either.
Comfort
Seeing the device doesn’t have that many extra whistles and bells, the comfort features are relatively basic. There is no palm rest or anything other than that, but the buttons have a rather soft and smooth feel, which ends up being quite pleasant when working/gaming with the keyboard for longer periods of time. Perhaps it would have been useful to add a detachable palm rest, to service an even bigger crowd of gaming enthusiasts. That being said, smudges are clearly visible on the rather soft keys, which means, if you like to keep your stuff clean, it might take some extra management. You’ll also be able to remove the keys separately, with the tool provided in the box, allowing you to thoroughly clean the device. Nonetheless, the tool included is a bit different than most other ones on the market.
Something Cooler Master has always done (or at least with the keyboards that have passed our revue) is add a detachable cable to the fray. While this sounds like a very simple feature to be happy about, it’s actually very useful for gamers who attend many LAN parties or move around their set up from time to time. Also, in case your cable breaks down, it’s easy to replace it, without having to turn in your keyboard for repairs or simply buy a new device, in order to continue gaming. The cable itself is a standard (braided) Micro USB to USB cable, thus it’s easy to find.
Specs
- Cherry MX Switches
- Detachable cable
- RGB lighting with 16.7 million colors
- Multiple lighting modes
- On-the-fly macro and profile support
- 100% anti-ghosting with N-key rollover
Overview
Cooler Master’s product is a simple matter of plug and play when connecting the device for the first time. It’s best to attach it when your PC is turned off the first time, even though in most cases you won’t experience any problems when doing so when your PC is turned on. Of course, you’ll only be able to use the basic functions of the device if you don’t use the accompanied software (which can be found on their official website).
As macros tend to be rather user specific and programming them depends on the task you want the device to perform, we’re not going to dive into the specifics. That being said, this keyboard supports macro functions, thus you’ll gain a worthy ally when you’re in need of such capabilities. Other than that, like on a typical laptop keyboard, you’ll find an extra button, namely the FN key, which allows you, when pressed down, to use several other buttons’ second function. In this case it allows you to access certain color options, the windows lock mode, and so on.
After diving into CM’s software designed for the MasterKeys, things proved to be extremely straightforward, seeing it easily states which profile you’re working on (1 to 4) and from here on out it lets you mess around with the color options and whichever fancy tricks you want your keyboard to perform. If you’d rather have a simple color during your gaming sessions, but like your keys to respond to music, creating a pretty looking colorful equalizer, that’s a possibility too. Not only does the keyboard offer an array of different effects, it also offers you a massive amount of colors. That being said, not all options responded properly and some colors don’t always look like the color you selected on the pallet, yet there is still nothing to mope and complain about.
The MasterKeys Pro L RGB comes with the (Red) Cherry MX keys, which means you’ll be treated to a robust but very sensitive keyboard. This means that the keyboard is ideal for shooters and action games, but it also holds its own in strategy titles and pretty much everything outside of that. A remark that might be negligible but was still quite noticeable for us is that the spacebar is actually very sensitive and compared to many other keyboards, you will notice it’s very light, which makes typing and gaming a tad more pleasant.
Conclusion
Even though Cooler Master’s keyboards don’t come at a cheap price, they have always proved themselves worth the investment. With the MasterKeys Pro L RGB we come to the same conclusion and truth be told, this device is pretty much the same as the QuickFire series, but it simply feels like an improved version with a bit more options concerning macros and many customization possibilities. If you’re looking for a robust, good looking and high performance keyboard, this one might tickle your senses.
Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro L RGB - Hardware Review,
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