Cooler Master’s CK721 is their new 65% layout wireless mechanical keyboard sporting a nifty new mechanic. Cooler Master have a smaller 60% keyboard as well as a full sized mechanical keyboard that’s wireless too but the CK721 falls in the specific niche between those devices. It also has an extra feature which may appeal to some gamers. This feature being the “Precision Dial” in the top right corner of the keyboard.



Let’s dive into the technical specs before we get into the keyboard’s performance.

Keyboard Switch Type: TTC Mechanical Switch (Red/Blue/Brown)
Keyboard Keycaps: ABS Painting & Laser engraved, OEM Profile
Keyboard Material: Aluminum, Plastic
Keyboard Color: Space Gray, Silver White
Keyboard LED Color: RGB, 16.7 million colors
Keyboard Polling Rate: 1000Hz (Wired/2.4GHz Mode), 125Hz (Bluetooth Mode)
Keyboard Response Time: 1ms (Wired/2.4GHz Mode), 8ms (Bluetooth Mode)
On-the-fly System: Yes
Keyboard Multimedia Key: Through Function Key (FN)
Connectivity: Wired, 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.1
Charging: Support Wired charging
Battery: 2000mAh
Battery Life: 73hrs (LED Off)
Compatible OS: Windows 8+, Mac OS X 10.10+, Android, iOS
Software Support: Cooler Master MasterPlus+
Keyboard Cable: 1.8m, USB Type C to Type A, Detachable & Braided
Wrist rest: Cloth/SBR, 334 x 95 x 18 mm
Keyboard Dimensions (L x W x H): Standard: 334 x 118 x 37 mm / 13.15 x 4.65 x 1.46 inch, With 1st stage feet open: 334 x 118 x 43 mm / 13.15 x 4.65 x 1.69 inch, With 2nd stage feet open: 334 x 118 x 46 mm / 13.15 x 4.65 x 1.81 inch
Keyboard Weight: 764g / 168 lbs (without cable dongle)
Warranty: 2 years

Unboxing the keyboard, users will notice the spongy low-friction cloth covered wrist rest straight away. This wrist rest is soft to the touch and will be highly appreciated by gamers who spend extended periods of time at their keyboards. The only gripe with the wrist rest lies with the fact that it’s prone to getting dirty very quickly. This wrist rest is a dust and grime magnet and even though it’s darkly coloured, you can notice the dirt it picks up just from daily usage.

This wrist rest is soft to the touch and will be highly appreciated by gamers who spend extended periods of time at their keyboards.

Thankfully though, it’s super easy to clean since you can just wipe it down or dust it off quite easily. Only time will tell how long this spongy wrist rest will actually last though since these types of things tend to fall apart sooner rather than later - Especially if you’re moving them around or using them quite often.



When it comes to the actual keyboard itself, the CK721 looks great. It has a very clean minimalist aesthetic to it and the dial in the top right corner immediately catches your eye. Being a tenkeyless keyboard, there’s no numpad here but you do have a few extra centimeters which really help with the keyboard’s layout. The arrow keys for example aren’t as cramped as on the SK620 and there’s a neat little column created by the DEL, PGUP and PGDN keys with the precision dial right at the top.

The layout of the keyboard is excellent and feels like something that gamers would most likely prefer over the smaller SK620 since the extra space makes a world of a difference when typing and gaming. Of course this will come down to personal preference but I definitely enjoyed using this keyboard quite a lot.



The CK721 has adjustable feet which allow users to elevate the keyboard to just the right angle for their personal preference. Located on the left hand side of the keyboard is a tiny docking bay which has a plastic cover that clips into place. Located inside this is the 2.4 GHz wireless USB dongle which is kept in place by a spring. On the opposite side of the keyboard is a physical switch which can be slid to enable the 3 different connectivity modes available. This of course being wired mode, 2.4 GHz wireless mode and Bluetooth mode.



In the time I spent with the keyboard, I used all three modes and felt no real difference between any of them. It should be noted though that the polling rate is different when using Bluetooth though at only 125 Hz whereas it’s a solid 1000 Hz in both the wired and 2.4 GHz wireless modes. The response time of the Bluetooth mode is also 8ms as opposed to the far superior 1ms in both wired and 2.4 GHz wireless modes.

It should be noted though that the polling rate is different when using Bluetooth though at only 125 Hz whereas it’s a solid 1000 Hz in both the wired and 2.4 GHz wireless modes.

To reiterate though, I never noticed any real difference between all three modes. However, if you are playing a highly competitive game such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive or Starcraft 2, you’ll definitely want to either plug the keyboard in or swap over from Bluetooth to 2.4 GHz wireless for the added security of having a higher polling rate and response time.



The battery life of the SK721 was roughly around 70 hours with the RGB lighting disabled and I did have to plug it in to charge it during the time I spent with it. When the keyboard’s battery is low, there is a noticeable increase in errors when typing. If this happens that’s a signal to plug in the device and let it charge. Unfortunately, there is no real way to see how much battery life is left apart from looking at the icon displayed in Cooler Master’s MasterPlus+ software. Cooler Master, if you’re reading this please update the icon to show an actual percentage, this is a problem across all of the wireless, battery powered devices that use MasterPlus+.




Users can save their custom settings straight onto the board or via MasterPlus+ and this is pretty straightforward. Custom keymapping is also extremely easy to do via the software suite and changing the RGB lighting is a breeze too. The RGB lighting on the CK721 is perfectly set up with numerous preset colour schemes to cycle through as well as different speeds and brightness available. The overall aesthetic of the keyboard, with all the RGB lit up, looks amazing.



When it comes to the actual performance of the keyboard, typing on it felt slightly different to my daily driver keyboard (which is from a different brand). This was immediately noticeable and this is because Cooler Master have opted to use TTC Mechanical Switches on this keyboard instead of Cherry MX keyswitches. This may make or break your purchasing decision depending on which brand of keyswitches you are used to and prefer.

Using the keyboard to game was fine throughout my testing and typing on it wasn’t problematic either. Getting used to the slightly “springier” feel of the TTC Red keyswitches did take some getting used to at first though. This will come down to personal preference as to whether or not you will enjoy using these keyswitches over the more standard Cherry MX Reds seen in keyboards these days.



Another interesting mechanic that Cooler Master incorporated into this keyboard is the lever located in the dongle dock. Shifting this allows you to remove the aluminium top plate off the top of the keyboard. This allows for easy cleaning and for added customization if you want to remove keycaps or put in a new aluminium plate (Cooler Master is planning on selling coloured top plates for this keyboard soon). The overall build quality of the keyboard is quite sturdy so I don’t really feel as if anyone would need to replace the aluminium plate for reasons that aren’t purely cosmetic related.

The keyboard’s key new feature is the “Precision Dial” in the top right corner. This dial is useful for gamers who want to set it up to perform specific tasks such as skipping songs, adjusting their PC volume, adjusting the keyboard’s RGB brightness and more. Using the MasterPlus+ software suite, users can easily set this up and it’s good to go in no time flat. The precision dial feels like a bonus to an already pretty decent keyboard and it’s great that it works so well with a very satisfying rotation feel to it.

This dial is useful for gamers who want to set it up to perform specific tasks such as skipping songs, adjusting their PC volume, adjusting the keyboard’s RGB brightness and more.

Overall, the CK721 is a solid, 65% keyboard with a “Precision Dial” which may or may not seem like a gimmick to gamers. I personally got quite a bit of use out of it and loved it. I felt that the keyboard’s TTC Keyswitches were a bit of a downgrade over the Cherry MX keyswitches used in Cooler Master’s other keyboards though which was slightly disappointing. This, again, comes down to personal preference so if possible, see if you can try out this keyboard before making a purchasing decision. If however you are in the market for a 65% keyboard with a great additional mechanic that’s actually useful, the CK721 is definitely a great option to consider.