Software

Unlike the XTI and the Rapid-I the MasterKeys Pro L does have software that it comes with. This was actually a big surprise to me because really the whole keyboard is setup from the get go to run without any software. It does however help them get around being limited in the number of colors you can run. It also checks when you boot it up to make sure you are running the most current version of the firmware. This is important because Cooler Master has been big with introducing firmware updates that introduce new lighting modes.

So the software is sticking with the Make It Work branding that Cooler Master has gone with on the Master products. It also has the same clean styling that we saw on the packaging. Even going back into the installation of the software everything was clean and easy to use. When you boot it up though, after it checks your firmware, you basically land on a page dedicated to the lighting. Over on the right is the full color spectrum and on the left the keyboard layout. Here we can see the current lighting or the lighting profile that you are considering saving. Down below that is a list of every lighting mode with a checkbox next to them, you can turn them on and off from showing up when you flip through the lighting modes using the F4 key on the keyboard. Then down on the bottom we can see and select all four profiles.

Each of the lighting modes has its own options. On some you can change each of the lighting colors, like in the star effect mode you can set both the background color and the color of the stars flickering. For the color rainbow modes, you can set how quickly it rotates through the spectrum as well as what direction the effect runs, starting from the top, right, left, and bottom depending on the look you want. You can also do the lighting completely custom. In this mode you can select individual keys for each color or drag your mouse to select multiple at a time.

I was surprised though, with all of the macro functionality built into the keyboard, that the software doesn’t include that as well. It’s possible they might be adding it later, but I don’t see myself using it much anyhow so it’s not a big worry. Having the option to dig deeper into the lighting is nice though. Especially when its only optional, you can get along just fine without any software at all. The last page also adds in the ability to save and load profiles as well. If you have more than one PC with a MasterKey Pro you can use this to get the same setup on both. If you are moving the keyboard between two computers though, you won’t need it because the keyboard stores your profiles.

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garfi3ld's Avatar
garfi3ld replied the topic: #37828 15 Mar 2016 16:32
COoler Master took their time entering the RGB market, was it worth the wait? Check out my review today to find out

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