Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M Mechanical Keyboard Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M is available from most major retailers for the very reasonable price of £79.99. That’s obviously still not cheap, but for a feature packed mechanical keyboard, it’s a pretty great deal and clocks in at around £15 less than the larger MasterKeys Pro L and 20% cheaper than the comparable RGB models from Cooler Master.

Overview

The Cooler Master MasterKeys M may look pretty humble, but don’t be fooled by those simple and clean aesthetics, as it is packing a huge amount of features, which is sure to put a smile on any gamers face. The design is sleek, nothing too crazy and ideal for those who don’t want the over the top gaudy lighting of an RGB keyboard, but something that they could use in the office and not draw too much attention, or take to a gaming event and still look like a pro.

The lighting engine is robust, which is great to see for a single colour setup. There are loads of profiles and even a game built into the on-board lighting engine. However, download the SDK from Cooler Master and you can “create your own signature illumination effects. No worries necessary. Simple knowledge of C++ is sufficient because of the easy to understand manual and guidelines. Stand out from the crowd and be the star of every event.” Of course, if you’re not feeling overly skilled, you can download other people’s work and upload it to the keyboard yourself.

Equipped with a powerful 32-bit ARM Cortex processor, complex macros, lighting profiles, and frantic mashing at the keys are not going to be an issue, and certainly weren’t throughout our testing. Super fast reaction times, anti-ghosting, N-key rollover and adjustable repeat rate, are all present and accounted for, ensuring you’ve got the edge on the competition.

With all the features you could ask for, packed into a 90% form factor to suit your space and transport requirements, the MasterKeys Pro M is one of the coolest keyboards launched this year. It’s not too over the top, but it’s not lacking anything either, and would make a welcome addition to any desktop setup, at home or in the office.

Pros

• Durable build quality
• Bright and clean white LED lighting
• 90% form factor
• Detachable cable
• Powerful and programmable LED lighting engine
• Macro engine
• Great for work and gaming

Cons

• None

“Cooler Master is well-known for creating high-quality keyboards and the Pro M is no exception. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro gamer or just doing your taxes, if you’re looking for a versatile keyboard that bridges the size gap between TKL and full-size, the Pro M is the perfect choice for you.”