The Cooler Master MK770 is the first keyboard we’ve reviewed in some time from the brand and it seems that it has something to prove. Like Razer, Corsair, and ASUS, the MK770 is Cooler Master’s custom-inspired gaming keyboard, complete with sound dampening silicone, gasket mounting, and pre-lubing. It easily offers the best out-of-the-box typing experience of any Cooler Master keyboard to date, and is competitively priced at only $119.99, but misses the mark in a number of ways.
Specifications
- Current Price: $119.99 (Cooler Master)
- Keyboard Switch Type: Kailh Box V2 Switch
- Keyboard Keycaps:
- PBT Double-shot Keycap (US/TC)
- ABS Paint & Laser-engraved Keycap (Other layout)
- Layout:
- ANSI: 98 Key layout
- ISO: 99 Key layout
- Material: ABS
- Color: Macaron, Space Gray
- LED Color: RGB, 16.7 million colors
- Polling Rate: 1000Hz (Wired/2.4GHz Mode), 125Hz (Bluetooth Mode)
- Response Time: 1ms
- On-board Memory: 128 KB
- On-the-fly System: Yes
- Multimedia Key: Through Function Key (FN)
- Connectivity: Wired, 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.1
- Charging: Support Wired charging
- Battery: 4000mah
- Compatible OS: Windows 8+, Mac OS X 10.10+, Android, iOS
- Software Support: MasterPlus+ Support
- Connector Cable: USB Type-C (Keyboard Side), USB 2.0 Type A (Computer Side)
- Cable: 1.8m, USB Type-C Detachable & Coiled Braided
- Dimensions (L x W x H):
- Standard: 380.89 x 140.42 x 38.74mm
- Feet Open 1: 380.89 x 140.42 x 42.9mm
- Feet Open 2: 380.89 x 140.42 x 45.51mm
- Keyboard Weight: 1052g / 2.319 lbs (without cable)
Cooler Master MK770 - Design and Highlights
If there’s one thing I’ll give Cooler Master over the years, they have a unique sense of design. All of their products lean into this pseudo-industrial aesthetic with this purple and gunmetal contrast that’s pretty cool. I dig it, and that’s a good thing, because it’s at play here in the MK770.
This keyboard is a compact full-size mechanical keyboard that aims to blend the worlds of gaming and productivity. It has all of the keys you would need for most apps or games but only takes up about an inch more than a standard TKL. It accomplishes this feat by removing the navigation and editing cluster and squeezing the numpad and arrow keys closer to the main key set.
Since the navigation and editing cluster houses nine keys total, some have been moved or shifted to the secondary Fn layer. Page Up, Page Down, Delete, and Insert are all positioned alongside the F-row, near the new multifunction roller. Home, End, Pause, Scroll Lock, and Print Screen are secondary, and build into keys 8 to +/= along the number row. Since there is a full numpad, everything except for Print Screen, Pause, and Scroll Lock are also available as normal secondary functions there.
The keyboard jumps into the bandwagon of enthusiast features. It features a soft gasket mounted design and uses layers of silicone between the plate and PCB and beneath the circuit board to fill out the case. There is also a layer of foam beneath the switches to add a lightweight poppy sound signature. The stabilizers come pre-lubed to reduce rattle. The keycaps are doubleshot PBT for improved durability and a cleaner look over time.
It also sports hot-swappable switches, should you decide the included Kailh Box Red linears aren’t your cup of tea. They’re fine but there’s definitely room for improvement if you’re open to changing them out to something better. If you do, there is no need to solder. You simply pull out the old switches using the included tool and press in the new one.
It also supports tri-mode wireless connectivity. You can connect it with up to three different devices over Bluetooth 5.1 or to a single 2.4GHz host for wired-like latency. There is even an included compartment for the wireless dongle underneath one of the two-stage tilt feet. This should be a standard feature on every wireless keyboard with a dongle but isn't, so I'm glad to see it included here.
It features a 4,000mAh battery, which is reasonably large for a keyboard like this. Cooler Master doesn't share any expectations for battery life, but I found that with full RGB it lasted about a week of regular use before getting between 10% and 20%. Based on this, I would expect it to last around 40 hours with backlighting on. With backlighting off, it very likely will last several hundred.
Since this is a gaming keyboard, you have to expect exceptional programmability and RGB backlighting. It has both, as well as software free programming of its lighting. For advanced controls and macros, you’ll need to use its MasterPlus software suite. All of these changes can be saved across four profiles on the keyboard.
Another new feature with this board is its three-way roller. Using the software, you are able to configure what it does when rolling up, down, or clicking it in. With the three onboard profiles by default, it controls volume, track controls, lighting brightness, and lighting modes.
The keyboard also feels quite sturdy in the hand. It's made of plastic but has some heft and stays in place well on the desk. I’m really not concerned about build quality at all with this keyboard.
Cooler Master MK770 - Impressions and Performance
I have been lucky enough to try a number of Cooler Master's keyboards over the years and can say with confidence that this is the best sounding and feeling keyboard it has ever produced. That's really not surprising since it is adopting so many features that enhance its sound and feel. I consider this keyboard right alongside the Razer Blackwidow V4 75%, ASUS ROG Azoth, and Corsair K65 Plus with what it’s trying to do. Which is to say, deliver a typing experience that’s superior to what gamers have grown used to over the years since COVID.
It succeeds in a number of ways but falls short in others. For starters, typing on it is smooth and quiet. The layers of sound dampening silicone reduce its overall volume, which makes it a good fit if you play games around other people or perhaps want to use it at work or school. The gasket mount implementation is also well done. Typing feels soft and the acoustics lack the usual sharp edge of most gaming keyboards. This would be a keyboard that I would consider “rounded,” which essentially means it has a gentler typing sound.
The keycaps are only alright. They are thick and have nice texturing. They should last many years without much difficulty. They also allow the backlighting to shine through to assist with typing in the dark. The RGB LEDs are not as bright as Razer or Corsair, however, and there is some definite inconsistency across each legend. The bottom of each is noticeably dimmer and it’s especially bad along the number row.
I also really like that you can create a custom lighting scheme using onboard key combinations. F1-F3 becomes a defacto RGB color mixer and you can tap to select which keys you would like to be each color you customize. You can also choose from a palette, where the entire keyboard will light up different colors and you can simply press the color you want. Cooler Master and Ducky have been the big companies pushing this, and it’s great functionality.
On its own, it delivers a solid typing and gaming experience without any noticeable lag using its 2.4GHz dongle. The keys are fine, though they’re nothing standard. My sample used Kailh Box Reds, which are a bog standard linear switch with a bare minimum of factory applied lube. They’re not scratchy but are pretty unremarkable and old at this point. These would be the first thing I would change out.
And this is where we get into some of the not-so-good aspects of the keyboard. For a product that’s clearly aiming to deliver an enhanced typing experience, the stabilizers leave a lot to be desired. They’re pre-lubed with what appears to be dielectric grease but it’s not consistent. There was still some rattle on my sample, but even after pulling them out and adding more lubricant, I had two that started ticking within a couple days of use. In my experience, that means the tick will never completely go away and it personally drives me crazy.
I also have to call out how customizable this keyboard truly is. On its social media, pictured above, the company claims you can use the MK770 to “dive into the DIY” scene. Yeah… no. You can change the switches and that’s pretty much it.
The case is clearly not made to be opened to try your hand at any mods. There are no visible screws, so either they’re hiding under the adhesive feet (forcing you to wreck part of your new keyboard to access) or you have to pry apart both halves of the case with special tools. Neither is DIY friendly.
Then there’s the keycaps themselves. While it’s not hard to find keycaps that support the 98-key layout anymore, the keyboard doesn’t play nice with Cherry profile keycap sets — which is the most common type you’ll find on Amazon. This is because it uses north-facing switches. It’s good for RGB because it positions the LED directly below the backlit legends, but it’s bad for Cherry keycaps because it causes the middle row to touch the PCB.
This interference creates a particular sound every single time one of those keys is pressed. You’ll hear it. And unless you know what it is, you’ll probably spend far too long wondering why your keyboard doesn’t sound right. This sole issue is the main reason why so many keyboards simply use opaque legends and orient the switches properly. If you want to customize or “dive into DIY,” this is a big no-no.
Now, if you’re not interested in changing keycaps or swapping switches, the above doesn’t really impact you. But what does is its poor reprogrammability. As of this writing, you can only remap keys on the base layer. Remapping anything or assigning a macro causes you to lose the default key. Hopefully, a simple software update will fix it, but as of this writing, it has worse programmability than virtually all of the competition.
Final Thoughts
Even at an affordable price of $119.99 and offering a genuinely pretty good typing experience, these issues culminate in making this keyboard a pass for me. It does certain things well, like the sound of the keys, but misses the mark on other fundamentals like the stabilizers under its larger keys, very limited customizability, and programmability that is somehow worse than that offered by tiny brands like Feker. This was a keyboard with a lot of promise, and, sure, it could improve its programmability with a single software update. But we can only review what we have right now, and it currently doesn’t achieve what it set out to accomplish.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
