Bought as possible replacement, possibly only temporarily, for a substantially more expensive Corsair K70 also fitted with Cherry Brown switches. A very small spillage of tea onto the desktop had dripped onto the keyboard below and caused various erratic behaviours of the few affected keys. The spillage was quickly mopped up and I await whatever moisture that may be inside to dry out. My choice of substitute was limited to what was currently available rather than including some on a 2-3 month or longer backorder list.
As a 'gaming' keyboard, it should be capable of taking a degree of rough treatment, including a heavy and often repeated rapid depression of certain keys (mostly WASD and a few others). It could have several shortcut or macro keys, although the keyboard was purchased for its key action rather than gaming. The Cooler Master is a boxier design than most and cased in plastic although the keys are claimed to be mounted on a metal sub-frame. The boxy format is needed because the key switches are substantially deeper than they would be a with typical membrane board which needs be only millimetres thick. Although the key construction is supposedly identical (unless of a different series) to those on the Corsair, they have a rather lighter feel and slightly less clicky sound than on the Corsair product. This may be partly due to the Corsair's metal deck and sub-frame on which the keys are mounted. There is white backlighting which I had on several previous backlit boards, but the Corsair's is blue but there is no preference; emulation of Blackpool illumination is unnecessary for my needs and would be an avoidable and additional expense.
In terms of its overall appearance, it is not the most attractive keyboard available and probably not even in the top 20 of designs. If the edges and corners were rounded or angled rather than square and sharp, it may have been an improvement but as this is a 'compact' rather than standard size, and dimensions may be restricting design options. As is now popular, the keys are black (more very deep grey) as is the board's deck. Without the backlighting, and in less bright room illumination, the key labelling may be otherwise difficult to read.
The font used on the keys is unique to Cooler Master, is rather modern and geometric and may need some familiarisation. Some may not like it! The layout is for the UK with several deviations, most specifically, incorporating the DEL/INs and Navigation block of keys into the numeric section which necessitates using the FN key rather more often and with more frequent thought than is normal or convenient. Had that limitation in design been noticed sooner, the purchase would not have occurred. In any event, the Navi keys are the only ones not illuminated, which makes them stand out in a rather negative and unhelpful way. You can use the MODE switch to change that but the instructions are poor and unhelpful.
The Keyboard is classified as 'Compact' and is about 5-6cm narrower than is usual and 3-4cm less from front to rear. Individually, the key caps are about 90% of 'Full Size' and comparable to those of many laptops in size and separation. It is, as suggested by the 'boxy' description used above, significantly but necessarily deeper than most modern alternatives. As previously mentioned, the keyboard is much taller than almost every other currently available, and also deeper than many using Cherry key switches but it does not come with a suitably matched wrist rest that can be attached and detached at will. When gaming only a few keys are normally used but when typing nearly all will be used and comfort when typing is imperative, as is support for the wrists when they are raised as much as this keyboard demands. Although not specifically matched for height, some of the gel-filled keyboard-sized wrist rests (possibly those made by Kensington) may be of about the correct height unless it is Cooler Master's deluded belief that their keyboards will only be used when gaming but you will then use another for typing.
As is usual for gaming keyboards, its cabling is braided, but unusually is detachable. However, it is rather thin compared to that of the Corsair which is 6 or 7mm in diameter. It can be arranged into channels leading out to either the left or right edges, if needed. It uses a mini-USB connector so (in theory if not in practice) could be replaced with a standard manufactured cable. However, the slightest tug can cause the cable to detach and there is nothing to prevent it. One other noted difference is that it does not have individually dedicated multimedia keys (play, stop, fast forward, reverse and volume up, down and mute) that many such models include but its compact design may again be a ruling factor.
At the price paid, about 60% of the Corsair which has since been updated and is now more expensive than when purchased, it is about midway in price between the better membrane designs and the best of the mechanically switched models while providing most or all of the advantages of the latter, namely the typing experience or 'feel', the longevity of the key switches (up to 60 million depressions is claimed) and the more solid construction that the gaming versions need. The switches for the backlighting options are via a FN/Fx combo but they are not detailed in the booklet nor are they immediately obvious. Most other backlit keyboards used previously have either a single isolated key or switch to control backlighting.
There are some good points about this keyboard but its manufacturers and designers have failed to fully consider its users and some of the finer points of usability. Other gaming keyboard manufacturers mainly avoid the shortcomings evident here; there is no excuse for Cooler Master to have failed. Also, because of its unusual key arrangements on the non-alpha section, it will need familiarisation and may cause problems if switching between PCs.
NOTE: A key-cap puller is included to remove the standard keycaps and to replace them with the red gaming versions that are usually included. They aren't included with this although some stockists and gaming stores sell them as an add-on but they can be costly.
| Brand | Cooler Master |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 37.69 x 13.79 x 3.3 cm; 10 Grams |
| Item model number | SGK-4020-GKCM1 |
| Manufacturer | Cooler Master |
| Colour | QuickFire TK White LED |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 10 g |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
