Cooler Master CK552 Feature Roundup

Cooler Master’s newest keyboard, the Cooler Master CK552, released on June 19th. It’s available exclusively through Best Buy. Today we’re rounding up its biggest features and giving you our thoughts! It’s out now for $79, which is a reasonably low price for a mechanical gaming keyboard. Is it good enough to consider for hardcore gaming, or does it compromise too much for that price point? Let’s get into it. 

The Keys and Switches 

Mechanical keyboards, of course, are known for their switches. The Cooler Master CK552 is available with three different Gateron switch types: reds, browns and blues. The red switches are the “balanced” option, being great for both typing and gaming. Browns are a slightly louder, more tactile switch. Blues are the loudest, clicking and clacking like a typewriter. They’re all great here, just go with whichever fits your preference. Gamers love blue switches for games like World of Warcraft, where key presses have to be purposeful and misclicks are deadly. Browns and reds are preferred for first-person shooters, where linear key inputs aren’t a problem. 

Design 

The keyboard itself has a sleek, futuristic look. It’s almost industrial-looking, sporting a brushed aluminum look with raised keys. The keys stick far off the base of the board, giving them a sci-fi appearance that looks right at home on a gamer’s desk. The CK552 comes in black, but other models are available in silver and gunmetal colors. The keyboard is sturdy and heavy-duty, which is great for its price. Many gaming keyboards of similar price range don’t feel as sturdy or solid as this, which puts it in the same league as Razer. That’s seriously high praise, as Razer sets the bar for gaming keyboards.  

Cooler Master CK552 Star Feature: The Lighting 

So, we’ve established that it’s durable and the keys have great action. But the star of the show here is the lighting. You can customize lighting profiles right from the keyboard, which is great for the software-averse. You can also download Cooler Master’s free software and get granular with your lighting profiles. That said, all the lighting options in the world wouldn’t matter if they didn’t look good. But they don’t look good here, they look great. The raised keys and open-style keyboard allow the lights under the keys to spill out all over your desk. It’s a fantastic visual experience, unrivaled by keybaords from any price range. 

Bottom Line 

For the reasonable price of $79, the CK552 is a stellar keyboard. If you’re in the market for a new RGB keyboard, or looking to try a mechanical keyboard, this is a great start. If you already have a good mechanical keyboard, this one isn’t going to sway you from your preferred input device. That isn’t to slam the Cooler Master, though. It’s still a great entry point for those looking to see what all the hype about mechanical keyboards is about.