Cooler Master’s brand-new MasterKeys Pro S really takes advantage of its lack of a numeric keypad, having no extra keys or bulk and thus a very small footprint. Its minimalist aesthetics will stylistically fit practically anywhere, but belies both the quality of its materials and its surprisingly large feature set.
The smooth, matt plastic is mark-resistant and hefty steel reinforcement means it’s robust and reassuringly weighty. It grips smooth surfaces with ease even with its feet extended, and the detachable cable completes the picture of an extremely wellbuilt keyboard.
Beneath each keycap sits a Cherry MX RGB Red switch. These switches are popular with gamers and for good reason – their light, linear action provides a solid feeling of responsiveness. In use, the keyboard emits standard noise levels – considerably more than a membrane or chiclet model, but less than clicky Cherry MX Blue switches. Meanwhile, N-key rollover alleviates any concerns about unregistered key presses.
The MasterKeys has a software package, but unlike the likes of Razer or Corsair’s offerings, it’s optional rather than essential if you want to access advanced features. The vast majority of the features are all fully accessible via the hardware alone – a respectable approach.
As usual, the FN key is vital, enabling you to unlock secondary functions such as the Windows key lock, repeat rate control, media and volume manipulation and profile switching – in this case, with keys 1-4 (or Esc for the default, macro-free profile). Symbols for each of these functions are clearly displayed, and when you hold FN, the relevant keys light up white to show your current profile and repeat-rate setting at a glance.
Even the RGB lighting is handled similarly, with F1-F3 handling the red, blue and green channels – and helpfully lighting up in these colours when FN is held – and F4 toggling the current LED mode, of which there’s plenty enough to keep you entertained. Like the Quick Fire XTi (opposite), you can also record you own per-key pattern, with the FN key acting as an indicator of your currently selected colour.
The lighting quality is excellent too – a reflective plate provides a lovely flow between keys, which makes the effects very striking and means even dual-symbol keys have a mostly even glow. Meanwhile, macros can be applied to nearly any key in each of the four custom profiles, and the recording method is simple and intuitive.
Playback modes can be chosen but delays are recorded as they’re inputted with no option to change them. When macros are playing, the keys being triggered light up white in real time.
The software doesn’t expand on the macro capabilities of the MasterKeys Pro S. Instead, it simply allows you to fine-tune the lighting further than the hardware allows.
It gives you precise RGB controls for each LED mode in all four profiles and adds a couple of extras – System Status, where the keyboard can display audio EQ or system load, and Multilayer, where you can combine up to four effects from the other modes – for example, making a custom static pattern that ripples when keys are pressed. You can also easily back up, import and export your lighting settings.
Cooler Master has focused on maintaining quality at every level of the MasterKeys Pro S and keeping its extensive features easily accessible. More complex macros via software and a wrist rest would be welcome touches, but this keyboard offers the best balance of all the keyboards on test for a reasonable price, and if you need a numeric keypad, we’re happy to recommend the £130 Pro L version too.
VERDICT
Outstanding design, a solid feature set, enviable simplicity of use and a fair price.
SPECIFICATIONS
Connection Wired, USB
Cable 1.5m, braided, detachable
Material Plastic
Switch type Cherry MX RGB Red (Brown available)
Backlighting RGB, per-key
Extras Programmable keys, N-key rollover, media keys, Windows key lock, key removal tool, repeat rate adjustment