Coolermaster QuickFire Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

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CoolerMaster has certainly been moving very quickly in the gaming peripherals market; no more than 2 months ago we had a look on the high-end Trigger Mechanical Gaming keyboard and the company already released a new gaming mechanical keyboard, the QuickFire Pro. Although the QuickFire Pro does not have the number of features or the versatility of the Trigger, it is a very interesting product nevertheless. Read on for a detailed review on its quality, features and performance.Manufacturer’s features and specifications

• Mechanical CHERRY MX switches
• USB 2.0 full speed
• NKRO in USB mode
• Multimedia shortcuts
• 1000Hz/1ms response time
• Windows key disabled in game mode
• Partial Red LED backlight
• Removable braided USB cable with cable routing

Model	SGK-4010-GKCC1 (CHERRY Black) * SGK-4010-GKCL1 (CHERRY Blue) * SGK-4010-GKCM1 (CHERRY Brown) * SGK-4010-GKCR1 (CHERRY Red) *
Key Switch	CHERRY Black / Blue/ Brown/ Red *
N key Rollover	6/Full N Key
Polling Rate	1000HZ/1ms
Backlighting	Partial Keys
Windows Key Disable	Yes
Media Keys	Yes
Interface	USB 2.0 Full Speed
Cable Length	1.8 m
Dimension	454(L) x 155(W) x 31(H) mm 17.9(L) x 6.1 (W) x 1.2(H) inch
Weight	1300 g / 2.86 lb
Warranty	2 years
UPC Code	884102015687: SGK-4010-GKCC1 (Black) 884102015670: SGK-4010-GKCL1 (Blue) 884102015694: SGK-4010-GKCM1 (Brown) 884102015700: SGK-4010-GKCR1 (Red)
Notice	* availability depends on regions

Read more: Coolermaster QuickFire Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review by VR-Zone.com

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CoolerMaster supplies the QuickFire Pro keyboard inside a standard cardboard box with an aggressive visual theme, displaying the keyboard surrounded by red lighting arcs. A sticker indicating which version of the Cherry MX keys are installed on this particular model can be seen at the lower right corner of the box.



Inside the box we found the keyboard very well protected, wrapped in a thick and soft nylon bag and with the keys protected by a transparent plastic cover.



The bundle accompanying the QuickFire Pro keyboard is rather minimal, consisting of only the necessary USB cable, a standard colored manual and, interestingly enough, a simple tool to remove the keycaps with. The USB cable is braided and has gold-plated connectors.

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At first sight, the CoolerMaster QuickFire Pro appears as if it is a slightly aesthetically enhanced version of simple mechanical keyboards, such as the Rosewill RK-9000; however there is much more about this keyboard than what meets the eye. The chassis of the keyboard is plastic, with a red metallic plate beneath the keys. The theme of the keyboard is close to the the ridged “militaristic” theme of the Trigger but the quality and feel of the chassis is notably inferior, with the QuickFire Pro feeling nothing more than simple plastic. Still, every key on the keyboard is mechanical and the keycaps are laser-etched, therefore quality is present where it really matters.



Much like they did with the Trigger, CoolerMaster replaced the Windows keys with keys featuring their Storm series logo. The key serves the same function as windows keys but can also be locked during gaming. The FN key, which replaced the “office” key, is used to access secondary controls through other keyboard keys, as described below. It operates much like a “Lock” button, remaining operational until it is pressed again.



The F keys offer a variety of alternative controls when used in conjunction with the “FN” key. By holding down the ex-Windows key and pressing the corresponding F key, the user has control over the keyboard’s lighting features, common multimedia actions (Pause, Stop, Play, FB and FF) and volume (Mute, volume up and volume down).



In a similar fashion, the use of the “FN” key in conjunction with the Del key initiates the full N-Rollover mode which allows for multiple keys to be pressed at once. The top series of the numeric pad keys offer control over the keyboard’s polling rate.



We received the QuickFire Pro with Cherry MX Red switches, perhaps the most popular gaming switches available; however CoolerMaster offers the QuickFire Pro in four versions, with red, blue, black or brown Cherry MX switches. Since this is a partially backlit keyboard, some of the switches have a red LED embedded but not all of them.

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The CM Storm series logo occupies the right area of the keyboard’s back side. There are no connectors or any important features on the back side of the keyboard.



The connector of the USB connector can be found at the middle of the keyboard’s bottom. The design of the QuickFire Pro allows the cable to exit from the back, the left or the right side of the keyboard.



CoolerMaster placed four sizable anti-skid pads beneath the keyboard. The pads are more than enough to prevent the keyboard from accidentally sliding on any kind of desk surface.



At the top right side of the QuickFire Pro, CoolerMaster placed enlarged versions of the three common indicator LEDs, aligned with the keyboard’s visual theme. Right next to the LEDs CoolerMaster placed the series logo, which also lights up when any of the keyboard’s lighting modes are on.



CoolerMaster programmed three lighting functions in the QuickFire Pro keyboard. The first setting is the “constrained cluster” setting, with only the WASD and Arrow keys lighting up.



The second setting is the “extended gaming cluster” setting, where the Space bar key and 25 of the keyboard’s keys light up. The third and final setting is the “breathing” setting, which cannot be captured by a simple picture. In this setting, the LEDs of the 25 + Space Bar keys will slowly light up and fade, creating a “breathing” effect which is certainly impressive but we think that most people would find that setting to be extremely annoying in a dark environment.

[siopao1984]

It is obvious that the CoolerMaster QuickFire Pro has been designed as an entry-level gaming mechanical keyboard with enough features to please hardcore gamers and enthusiasts, yet not too many at the same time in order to keep the retail price as antagonistic as possible. Although the quality of the QuickFire Pro is not as high as that of the Trigger or comparable to other high-end mechanical keyboards, it still meets the standards expected from a quality gaming keyboard. The mechanical strength of the keyboard is excellent, the keycaps are laser etched and the quality of the Cherry MX switches is known to all enthusiasts, therefore quality is present where it really matters. If not for the flimsy looking plastic chassis, the QuickFire Pro would be nearly perfect in terms of quality.

Despite the partial backlighting is not a bad feature, we believe that most gamers will not be thrilled by it. Most people would even ask “why not go all the way” but the answer is very simple; CoolerMaster is obviously trying to make the QuickFire Pro an appealing gaming keyboard at the minimum possible cost. Still, enthusiasts and hardcore gamers rarely ever glance at their keyboards, especially during action, therefore backlighting is more of aesthetic than practical nature anyway.

We found the CoolerMaster QuickFire Pro retailing for about 90 EUR / 100 USD / 130 SGD at the time of this review. Although the retail price of the QuickFire Pro is actually quite competitive for a mechanical keyboard, the actual price difference between it and other models with more features would appear insignificant to the eyes of most enthusiasts. Even the CoolerMaster Trigger, a superior product with more features, retails at a price only 20% higher than that of the QuickFire Pro, creating internal competition. Nevertheless, gamers who do not care about full backlighting and macro keys or with a strictly limited budget will certainly enjoy the QuickFire Pro.