Cooler Master CK721 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Compact 65% Layout, TTC Mechanical Switches, Per-Key RGB Backlighting, Hybrid Wireless Technology, Precision Dial - Space Grey, UK Layout

Product Information

However, you’ll lose the function layer legends — effectively pushing you into having to use the MasterPlus software.

The keycaps on the Cooler Master CK721 are made out of ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, plastic. To recreate the full-size keyboard experience in a 65% keyboard (a keyboard that is 65% the size of a full-sized one), Cooler Master added special controls that let you change what certain keys can do—no additional software required. Rounding out the CK721 is the inclusion of a removable aluminum top plate that comes in two colors: Gunmetal and Silver White.The keycaps are laser engraved, which means the keycap is painted over in the opaque color, and the legends are etched out with laser. However, it doesn’t show the specific battery percentage or explain what happens during low-power mode.

The excellent software-free options are counter-balanced by the MasterPlus software itself, which constantly hung and crashed when I tried to use it to update the keyboard and program custom layouts faster. Ocuk Limited trading as Overclockers UK is a credit broker, not a lender, and is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.Overall, the lighting customization is impressive, especially as you can choose specific colors on-the-fly. This was not the case and for my testing purposes was quite useful to connect to another computer in a different room. While I was in the middle of a game or writing an in-depth review, I could easily adjust per-key backlighting, switch between lighting modes, and record macros without having to stop what I was working on.

In broad daylight, this is not as big of a deal, but in darker environments, the uneven lighting may affect legibility of the front legends. Outside of the one issue we had with the software, our overall experience with the Cooler Master CK721 was excellent. Not sure if it was the board or placebo effect, but I had climbed a lot in Valorant and Apex Legends competitive play since switching to the CK721.To help the connection of your appliance go smoothly, please watch our dishwasher or washing machine connection video. While ghosting is a marketing term, there are cases where keyboards will not be able to recognize more than one keystroke at a time, causing for missed keys. I have 3 other mechanical keyboards which have a similar issue, though not as pronounced as the CK721.

In terms of heft, the Cooler Master CK721 tips the scales at 764g for the keyboard alone, which is again a bit more than you might expect at this size. But an abundance of options is not a bad thing, and you’ll get the hang of actually using the board after a few weeks. Embedded in the left side of the keyboard behind a removable panel is a USB-A adapter that allows you to connect the keyboard wirelessly to one supporting device.Get the functionality of software without needing to have software bloating your system - saving you time and precious PC resources. Coming soon we'll have a braided coiled cable, PBT keycap sets and colored aluminum top plates for you to customize and truly make the CK721 yours. Toss in its comprehensive software suite for customization, and you have a solid addition to any gaming setup, that's also versatile and suited to a variety of needs. It is common for the keycap puller to be a janky piece of plastic, but Cooler Master included the wire version that made pulling the keycaps off seamless.