Cooler Master MasterKeys MK750 Keyboard Review

Introduction

Whilst Cooler Master already had a substantial line-up of gaming keyboards, they announced a new flagship mechanical model at Computex in 2017… the MasterKeys MK750. Today we take a hands-on look at the new range-topping model.

Specifications

Closer Look

The packaging of the MK750 follows the new design Cooler Master has recently introduced, and features a large full-colour image of the product, sat on a dark grey background with purple accents. To the rear, we have a few highlighted features and a further full-colour product shot.

The unit is a full-size keyboard and features a floating switch design, sat above an aluminium base plate with four dedicated media keys sat above the number pad. A detachable wrist rest comes included, which is held in place with a magnetic connection. The surface of the wrist rest has a rubbery leather effect feel to it, with what feels like a firm memory foam padding.

The base of the unit features four rubber feet, two of which sit on extendable legs at the rear. The wrist rest itself also features further 6 rubber feet for stability. Access channels allow the cable to be routed left, right or straight out the centre depending on your preference.

Speaking of the cable… this is a braided USB Type-C variant, measuring 1.8 metres in length. Nine extra PBT keycaps are also included, along with a keycap extractor.

Our review unit came with Cherry MX brown switches, but the specifications state that blue and red variants are also available. Cooler Master has opted for genuine Cherry switches for a long time now, and quality & performance are guaranteed. Being RGB enabled, the switch casing is transparent to allow as much of the LED light to flood out from under the keycaps.

Performance & Testing

The MK750 is absolutely dripping with RGB. Given the floating switch design, the light floods in every direction from underneath the keycaps, reflecting nicely off the aluminium plate. If this wasn’t enough, further light bands adorn the front and side of the unit. The sidebars aren’t really visible to the user during operation, however, and the front detail isn’t either if you install the optional magnetic wrist rest.

In order to tweak the settings of the MK750, you basically have 2 choices. You can download the dedicated software from the Cooler Master website, but you can also use shortcuts on the keyboard to achieve the same end result.

The Cooler Master software is identical to the software I was used to using on the MasterKeys Pro keyboard I swapped out. It’s a very simple, no-frills piece of software, but does pretty much everything you would need.

First up is the LED lighting control tab. A number of predetermined effects are programmed in, along with adjustments available for the direction of animation, and custom RGB colour selection. A full-size on-screen keyboard allows you to select individual keys for any custom configuration you desire.

The second tab is where you record your macros, and is achieved in 3 easy to follow steps. Create your macro instance, record your actions, then assign the key-press to execute.

Next, we have the keymap feature, allowing you to reassign any key available, or completely disable should you wish.

Finally, we have a simple list of the 4 profiles that can be saved, that you have set throughout the previous screens. Options to import & export allow you to transfer between a new & old keyboard, along with the option to restore any given profile to the default settings.

In order to test the MK750 I decided to replace my usual everyday driver, that is attached to my main rig. This is used for a multitude of tasks, from writing review texts, to editing images, as well as the occasional game of PUBG.

I swapped out my existing keyboard, a Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M, with blue switches. This has served me really well, and the blue switches are a dream for long typing sessions when writing reviews. Therefore, I was interested to see how I would get on moving to browns.

Whilst you don’t get as much of a satisfying “click” with the browns as you do with the blues, I found long typing sessions to be an enjoyable experience, and I suffered no ill effect from the difference in actuation.

As you would expect, the brown switches came into their own during gaming and performed without fault. Even during the most heated of gun battles, the rubber feet held the keyboard in place and I found the wrist rest to provide excellent comfort. What the MK750 didn’t do was instantly turn me into a competent PUBG specialist, but I guess that can’t be levelled as a shortcoming of the keyboard itself!

Cooler Master MasterKeys MK750 Review: Our Verdict

What’s Hot:

• Huge amount of RGB goodness on offer
• Wrist rest is very comfortable, and the magnetic attachment works really well
• Easy to use software
• On-the-fly system means you don’t need to use the software to change settings

What’s Not:

• There really is nothing to dislike about the MK750

The recommended retail price of £149.99 in the UK is to be expected of a premium, range-topping mechanical gaming keyboard. At the time of the review, however, the MK750 could be found for as little as £118.99 online searching the latest offers on Dealslands. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone at the recommended price, but for less than £120 it’s an absolute no-brainer!

Huge thanks to Cooler Master for sending the MasterKeys MK750 in for review