Cooler Master Masterkeys Pro L Mechanical Keyboard Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]

Conclusion

I’ve had the Masterkeys Pro L for over a week now and I have not been able to fault the keyboard itself at all. Sure I will always have my own preferences, but to remain subjective, I’m finding it hard to find anything wrong with it. It’s a solid keyboard that can be customised straight out of the box, sans any additional software and looks clean and simple – very little in the way of branding, which doesn’t distract your eyes from the fancy LED lighting effects – of which there any many.

One thing I would like to see from Cooler Master however, is better software. Sure simpler is often better, but I think the application to change the lighting is over-simplified. I’d like to be able to select the keys I want first, then choose the colour for them, not the other way around. It makes it difficult to then change all the blue keys at once for instance. I’d also like to see the ability to create different button assignments and macros as this feature is currently lacking – although only being software based, one would assume it would not be as difficult to implement.

Whilst it’s nice to have it, the repeat rate feature is not needed, which I stated also for the XTi. There are also a few overlooked flaws with the legends, such as having a left aligned “page down” but a centre aligned page up – little details that should have been fixed before production.

So, have Cooler Master created their best keyboard yet? I am inclined to say yes, as the keyboard itself is fantastic to use and now that they have included RGB backlighting, they really have given you the ability to “make it yours”. Sure there are a few issues with the software and the odd legend flaw, but the keyboard is a step up from the XTi, which is very similar in form. The next question is, would I buy it for £129 with the Corsair RGB STRAFE that little bit more, but with better software? I’d have to go with no, as Cooler Master are known for taking in feedback and then acting on it – so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a software update in the not-too-distant-future, to give us these features. Personally, I prefer the simple, clean design of the Masterkeys Pro; there is no fancy branding or odd key caps, so CM have focused on the performance of the keyboard and nothing else. The Quickfire XTi got a Silver award from Play3r last time, however with the improves to the backlighting and the clean, simple design, I’m more than happy to bump this up to a gold award – well done CM.