Cooler Master MK730 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

A Closer Look and Performance

The included wrist rest is very nice indeed. It’s quite compact, matching the TKL length of the keyboard. However, it’s also packed with soft padding that’s going to be very forgiving to your tired wrists. It is covered with a PU Leather material too, giving it a premium look and feel.

It features six rubber grips to keep it in place, however, it’s magnetic mounting too. Just drop it in front of the keyboard, and it automagically snaps into place.

The Type-C cable is very nice too. Heavily braided, but with plenty of flex for easy placement around you desktop.

The Keyboard!

OK, we come at last to the star of the show, the MK730 its self! Cooler Master hasn’t reinvented the keyboard here, but damn have they done a fine job of putting this one together. The top panel is a thick plate of brushed aluminium. It has a fairly aggressive texture to it too, which looks and feels fantastic. It’ll really help capture and diffuse the RGB lighting in all those textured lines.

It’s a fully mechanical keyboard, featuring all Cherry MX keys. The one we have here is Cherry MX Blue, but other switches are available to suit your needs and tastes. Because the keyboard is aluminium, it feels incredibly sturdy and has very little key feedback travel through the keyboard. MX Blue already feel clicky and responsive, but in a study chassis they feel even better I think.

The edges of the keyboard are nicely angled and a lot of effort has gone into the fit and finish of the MK730. The edge trim is a durable plastic with a glossy finish. Overall, it provides a nice contrast to the metallic surfaces. It’s also quite a slim chassis, befitting the TKL width.

Built-in Control

This keyboard uses a fantastic software free design. It may be packed with features, but they’re all adjustable right on the keyboard. You could use software, but a quick FN-Shift will allow you to change everything in seconds anyway. The arrow keys her, allow you to change the RGB change rate and flow direction; depending on the current effect of course.

Up here, you’ve got all your basic multimedia controls. I listen to a lot of music while I work and game, so having these controls means I spend less time alt-tabbing to my media player. On the top row, you have the repeat features, which are perfect for gaming and work macro features.

The same features carry over the whole top row too. You can adjust the RGB on a per-key basis, changing the R, G and B values, brightness, and more for each as you desire. However, there’s a huge amount of profiles built-in too, and I’ll be amazed if you’re not happy with more than one of the pre-sets. Either way, you can customise as much as you damn well please.

Key Caps

The keyboard is very nicely designed, but so are the little details. The quality of the keycaps is what you would expect of a premium gaming keyboard. They’re UV coated and ever so slightly textured, giving them a nice tactile feel. They’re nicely weighted too, so feel easy to type on resting on those MX Blue switches. However, as with all Cherry MX switches, they have a snappy return rate, meaning you can really push to APM to the max. MX Blues are still as noisy as ever though, but that doesn’t make them any less satisfying to type on.

Upside Down

The durable construction is everywhere to see. I like that they’ve kept the bottom of the keyboard clean and tidy too.k There are durable rubber grips built-in, keeping it firmly planted on your desk.

Two chunky rubber coated kickstands act as grips when laid flat, and still have some grip when deployed also.

The USB Type-C port is hidden in a recess on the underside. This means you don’t have a connector sticking out the back of the keyboard to snag on sometimes. Furthermore, you can route the cable out the back, or the left/right sides of the keyboard.

Overall, it’s a fantastic look keyboard, even with the RGB lighting turned off. I don’t always want RGB lighting, and I could quite happily have this on my desk looking as it is. However, the MK730 still has a lot more to offer…

Going Further!

Well, the first thing would be to add that glorious wrist rest. I haven’t used a keyboard without on for many years now. Quite honestly, I think all keyboards should have them, and in the long run, your wrists will thank you. It’s a quality add-on too, not only completing the aesthetics but greatly improving the long-term usability too.

The next step is firing up the keyboard by connecting the USB Type-C cable. The keyboard sparks to life with some fantastic colours, such as this warm Purple that matches the Cooler Master colours. Again, that brushed aluminium texture looks superb, just catching a little light and really showing off the details.

When you want to change some colours, just hold the FN Shift (between the right Windows and CTRL keys, see picture above). When you do this, the F2-F4 keys change to their corresponding colour. Just select what you need, set brightness, and start tapping keys to apply it. Super simple, super fun.

ARGH-GEE-BEE!

Damn right it can do the puking rainbow trick, and I wouldn’t have expected any less. The layout of the keyboard and that metal top panel really light up nicely. Look how the keys illuminate the bottom of the surrounding keycaps. It’s like a warm fire glow of colour that’s considerably less harsh on the eyes than some other brands RGB setups.

When it comes to work and gaming, the MK730 is as adept as any other. It packs all the right features and quality needed that make it a joy to work with. The built-in on-the-fly macro recording is a nice feature. Not something I use often, but for repetitive editing tasks, or grinding a few levels in MMO games, it does come in handy. As for the switches, they’re Cherry MX Blue and deliver that consistent Cherry quality we’ve known for decades. From eSports to the office, you’ll find lots of joy here.