Cooler Master has long been one of the premier brands in the world of mechanical gaming keyboards. Over the years, they’ve developed a reputation for solid build quality, good looks, and unique features that feel great to engage with. At Computex this year, we got our first look at the what the company is calling their new flagship, the MasterKeys MK750. When a company as well respected as this dubs something the best of the best, it’s time to stand up and take notice. But does it deliver?
Read on for our full review and enter for your chance to win down below.
Specifications
- MSRP: $159.99
- Switch Type: Cherry MX Red, Blue, Brown
- Material: Plastic / Aluminum / PU Leather
- Color: Gunmetal Black
- Illumination: Per-key RGB, 16.7 million colors
- Polling Rate: 1000 Hz
- Response Rate: 1ms / 1000Hz
- MCU: 32-bit ARM Cortex M3
- Onboard Memory: 512KB
- Cable: 1.8m braided, detachable, USB Type-C
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Additional Features:
- On-the-fly macro, LED, and multimedia controls
- Multimedia Keys Yes, 4 dedicated
- Smart cable manager: 180 degree, 3 ways.
- Wrist rest Removable magnetic with soft PU Leather
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If you’re new to Cooler Master’s keyboards, here’s what you should know. For years, they’ve been catering to gamers in the premium keyboard market, long before mechanical keyboards became the trend they are today. They have an uncommon understanding of what’s important to gamers and keyboard aficionados alike. One look at their keyboard product page tells the tale: the variety of options is above and beyond virtually every other gaming-centric peripheral company out there. CM isn’t without missteps, but their pedigree speaks for itself.
With that in history mind, it should come as no surprise that the MK750 is a very good keyboard. Having followed Cooler Master’s keyboard offerings for several years and spending nearly a month using it as my main keyboard, I have no reservations saying that this is the best keyboard mechanical switch keyboard they’ve ever produced. It’s well built, easily programmable, and offers more customization than ever before. Thanks to the 32-bit ARM Cortex MCU and onboard memory, it’s also incredibly responsive with no software lag to speak of.
The keyboard feels great to type on. The anodized aluminum top plate feels thicker than average, which does a good job of deadening the clack when you bottom out, eliminating the reverberation common in thin topped or hollower bodied keyboards. They keycaps are standard ABS, but fit tightly on their stem, so there’s less key key noise when moving your fingers. Cooler Master also opted for a standard bottom row layout, so swapping out custom keycaps is no problem, too.
Like most RGB keyboards, the MK750 adopts a floating key design. This styling is in vogue right now and for good reason. By removing the top portion of a standard keyboard case and exposing the bottom of the clear key housing, that gorgeous RGB illumination is able to shine through, giving the impression that the keys are “floating” on a bed of light (and looks great from the side). It looks great, and the gunmetal finish on the aluminum top plate keeps the colors nicely controlled for clean, impressive lighting effects.
The MK750 also features an RGB lightbar along the bottom and sides, lending an extra bit of flair not found on its closest competitor, the Corsair K70 LUX. The strip integrates with all of the dozen built in lighting effects. It’s also customizable across 25 different zones. The bottom edge, and best looking, part of the strip is cased in a high gloss acrylic that stands out from the matte finish on the rest of the board and looks fantastic.
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Most of the lighting effects can be customized right onboard, no software required. The learning curve here is a little steep, and I wish there was some better documentation included in the box, but with a few key combinations you can customize any preset to make it your own. Foreground and background colors are all adjustable by dialing in the amount of red, green, and blue with the function keys, up to nine levels of each. Want to take red right out of that rainbow wave? Dial it out. Want to customize every single key to a different hue? Switch to the custom preset and have at it. Speed and direction controls are also mapped as functions to the arrow keys.
Macro programming is also easy, once you get the hang of the combinations to record, map, and save them. I always test my keyboards between work and home, and I loved being able to record macros for any of my repetitive data entry tasks. In games, it’s even better being able to record keystrokes and map them in just a few seconds without ever leaving the game. The only thing that would make this better would be dedicated macro keys and the ability to remove delays without software.
There are also dedicated media keys, though, oddly, volume is still left behind as a secondary function.
When you’re out of the game, the MK750 does have its own dedicated software package that lets you change lighting and program macros/key assignments in the usual way. It’s all very intuitive and easy to get started with. I like that you can click and drag to select groups of keys for lighting effects. You can run up to four at once using the keyboard’s Multi Zone setting. You can also make it rain, breath, shoot a crosshair from your keypresses (my favorite - it looks like lightning).
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The other new addition here is the detachable PU leather wrist rest. It’s matte, so it doesn’t show fingerprints or pick up oil from your skin easily. It’s nicely padded and definitely more comfortable than the standard plastic wrist rests usually found on gaming keyboards. The downside is that using the wrist rest covers the bottom lightbar, which is too bad.
You’ll also notice in the picture above that it comes with a couple other pack-ins. Up top is a ring-style keycap puller, which is definitely the nicest I’ve seen packed with a gaming keyboard (the plastic ones risk scratching the keycaps). Down below are a set of nine doubleshot PBT keycaps for common gaming keys - WASD, arrows, and escape. PBT is well known to be the premium, more dense and durable keycap material. Many gaming boards offer swappable keycaps but none other that I’ve seen opt for such high end alternates - other than the MK750. The pink styling might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they stand out even in your peripheral vision, which helps get you back on the right keys without taking your eyes from the action.
Final Thoughts
The MK750 is a keyboard worthy of being called a flagship. It’s taking aim at its competitors and pointedly offering more for its price. It’s a smart move, and by coming in at only $159.99, it becomes an exceptional value. It’s not the most powerful RGB keyboard on the market but it’s certainly up there, and the fact that you can control it all without software is impressive. If you’re in the market for a premium RGB keyboard and don’t want to break the bank, Cooler Master’s MK750 is absolutely worth a look.
Cooler Master - MasterKeys MK750 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Giveaway
Want to win one of these for yourself? Cooler Master has offered to send two MMORPG readers an MK750 of their own. All you have to do is enter here for your chance win. We will contact the winner in one week to let them know they’ve won. Good luck!
Pros
- Onboard LED and macro programming (software optional)
- Lightbar looks great, overall RGB lighting is impressive
- Great build quality with solid feel and cable routing options
- Lush wrist rest
- Exceptional value for price
Cons
- Wrist rest covers main lightbar
- Lighting limited to foreground and background layers
The product discussed in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purposes of review.
