A few weeks ago I made the case that we need a little more variety when it comes to style in our PC components. While accessories don’t have nearly the same problem — you can get keyboards in an almost literal rainbow of colors — “gaming” devices seem to be stuck on black and RGB lighting, with only the occasional white variant. Cooler Master’s latest keyboard design is bucking that trend, specifically with its “Macaron” colorway.
Cooler Master
Cooler Master
Cooler Master
Look at this thing. It looks like a field full of Marshmallow Peeps in their natural habitat. While the MK770 keyboard does come in a far more typical “Space Gray” option, the mix of pastel green, pink, and yellow on the Macaron option gets my vote for sheer cheerfulness.
The MK770 is no slouch in terms of specs, either. In addition to the now-typical “triple wireless” connection (wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4GHz dongle), it’s adopting a lot of the usual features from custom-inspired designs like Razer’s BlackWidow V4 75% and Corsair’s K65 Plus. That means multiple layers of sound absorption in the case, a “floating” gasket mount for the PCB, high-quality PBT keycaps. The board has hot-swap switch sockets, but the ones that come with it are no slouch — Kailh’s Box V2 are some of my favorites for their stability, even if I’d go with something a little heavier than the standard linear Reds on display here.
RGB lighting hardly seems necessary on a keyboard so colorful, but it’s there all the same. The layout is a variation of the somewhat niche “1800” design, which means the number pad is squished into the left while preserving the arrow keys. Note that Page Up, Page Down, Delete, and Insert are all crammed into the function layer to make room for a beefy rotary dial in the corner.
The MK770 is listed at $119.99 on Cooler Master’s website. That’s well below the going rate for a board with this many features — Corsair’s custom-inspired design is $160 and quite a bit smaller. It doesn’t look like the keyboard is actually on sale yet, though. I’ve asked for some clarification on a release date, and I’ll update this story if I get it.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.