Cooler Master CK530 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Peter Donnell / 6 years ago

Final Thoughts

How Much Does it Cost?

At the time of writing, I couldn’t find stock in the UK for the Cooler Master CK530 Mechanical keyboard. That will likely change, as it could simply be out of stock. However, in the US it’s just $69.99 on Amazon.com. That’s a pretty good price for a stylish and feature-packed mechanical keyboard. You can spend twice that on the Razer equivalent and you don’t really get anything extra for your investment.

Overview

The latest keyboard from Cooler Master is certainly an interesting one. Cooler Master themselves make very similar keyboards for well over £100 that don’t offer much else in terms of design. What they’ve done here is build an economic edition of their premium keyboards, and passed the savings onto the consumer. If you want USB Type-C connectivity, detachable braided cables, a wrist rest, Cherry MX switches and more aluminium. Well, then you can grab their premium models. However, the CK530 still looks great and performs as well as the more expensive models, and it does it at half the price.

Build Quality

There’s certainly nothing wrong with the quality here. Sure, it’s cheaper, but it doesn’t really look it or feel it in any significant way. Of course, I would like detachable cables and MX switches, but I’m not going to cry about it at this price. I love that they’ve still got a big lump of brushed aluminium on there and fully customizable keycaps. It’s ticking all the right boxes as far as I’m concerned.

Performance

That’s the most important feature of this keyboard. It can keep up with the big boys in the business with no issues. Having three switch types to pick from means you’ll find one that’s best suited to your work/play style easily enough. Being able to dial in all of the lighting and macro features on-the-fly is fantastic too. All Cooler Master gaming keyboards do this now, and I love it. Plus, you can still use the software if you want, but there’s really no need. Plug and play is the way forward and it means less software clogging up your OS.

Should I Buy One?

It’s as simple as this. Do you want all the features and aesthetics of a premium Cooler Master keyboards? Do you have a tighter budget? If yes to all of that, the CK530 is here to save the day. A feature-packed keyboard at a great price, and all from a well trusted and respected brand name. Cooler Master nailed it with this one.