CM Storm MECH - Review

Written by Profi | 20 October 2013
Posted in Articles - Reviews

Gaming division of Cooler Master CM Storm is presenting different gaming gears more often than any other manufacturer around. Besides that, the difference between presented models is really big and almost everyone can find optimal models for his very own purposes.

Recently, CM Storm presented Aluminum Gaming Series which consists of mechanical keyboard MECH, mouse Reaper and headset Pulse-R.

I got a chance to review all 3 devices and decided to start from the review of CM Storm MECH.

Specifications:

• Key Switch: Cherry MX Blue/Brown/Red
• N-Key Rollover: 64
• Polling Rate:  1000Hz/1ms
• Backlight: All Keys, 5 settings, 3 modes
• Output: two USB 3.0, mini-USB
• Audio: Out/In 3.5mm
• Memory: 128kb
• Dimensions: 553(L) x 267(W) x 43(H) mm
• Weight: 1686g

The Box

The box of the keyboard is big and heavyweight due to few factors: steel backplate, aluminum cover, non-detachable wrist rest. In front of the box you can see the picture of keyboard with brief description of main features.
 

Also, we can find info about MX switch. In my case it was Blue one. Actually I was happy to get these, because I never tried Blue switches before.
 

On backside there is detailed information on many languages about all features of CM Storm MECH keyboard.
 

Unboxing and Design

Inside the box there are Quick Start guides, keycap remover, cable USB 3.0 Type-B and tool for removing aluminum shell.
 

Design is significantly different than other keyboards around. Aluminum cover, non-linear form and stylish grip on left making the keyboard very attractive with “wow” effect.
 

There are 5 dedicated macro-keys on left.
 

Media-keys are combined with F-keys and could be used via Fn button. From the same row you can manipulate with backlight and block/unblock Win button.
 

On front side of keyboard CM Storm MECH we can find ports for connecting main cable (USB Type-B either 3.0 or 2.0), micro-USB, two USB 3.0 ports and audio ports for microphone and headset.

On backside there are 4 lines with special material for avoiding slip of the keyboard on the table. In my opinion, keyboard is heavy enough and couldn’t slip without such material at all. Unfortunately, there are no special “tunnels” for cable management which I liked in other CM Storm keyboards.
 

Certainly height of keyboard can be adjusted in "traditional" way.
 

You can easily clean your keyboard with included keycap puller.
 

For “complete” cleaning procedures or some color tunings, you can remove the cover with included tool.
 

It’s really easy and took less than a couple of minutes for me to remove it entirely.
 

Installation and Software

Right after connecting the keyboard to computer, my Windows 8 properly recognized it as MECH and installed all necessary drivers for keyboard itself, USB and audio ports. As expected, almost everything started to work out of the box: audio and USB ports, media-keys, Win Lock button and backlight. For using Macro profiles and customizing the keyboard functionality, we have to download the software from official website. The installation is exactly the same as for any other software. Double-click on installer, follow the wizard and you’re done.

Software showed that my keyboard has firmware 1.06 while on website there is 1.07. I downloaded and installed updated firmware without any problem as well.

Software exactly the same as we saw for keyboard CM Storm Trigger. It consists of 3 main tabs. On first one Storm CFG we can assign binds, action, media button, macro-command almost on all keys of keyboard. On right panel we can see all re-assigned keys for better understanding what exactly we have changed.
 

On second tab we can manipulate with profiles. Keyboard itself can hold up to 5 profiles in its memory. You can have unlimited number of profiles on PC. When it’s necessary, you can easily replace profiles from PC to keyboard and vice versa. In the same tab, you can assign application for particular profile with Auto Switch option. For example, by assigning profile to Starcraft 2 game, keyboard automatically will switch to respective profile once Starcraft 2 game is launched.
 

The third tab is designed for geeks. On this tab you can record macro keys and assign them to desired keys via Storm CFG tab. You can record your macros by typing it and tune-up later.  You can include to your macro-combination left and right mouse clicks as well.
 

I have described only the main functions of CM Storm MECH in this review. If you love to customize your keyboard in each and every aspect, I strongly recommend you to download the User’s Guide from the official website for learning all functions.

Besides the main software, there is Audio Software available too. As I mentioned earlier, all audio ports started to work out of the box in Windows 8. You need just to enable/disable the audio devices for switching between your default audio device and MECH’s one.

If you want to get all functionality from the embedded sound card, you should install Audio Driver for MECH. With it you can change a lot of settings and effects, including Virtual 7.1 effect. Just overview the screenshots below and you will get an idea what the audio driver can do for you:

 
 

Generally speaking by buying CM Storm MECH, you’re getting pretty good sound card too.

In Usage and Conclusions

When I first time connected keyboard to computer, I paid attention to its cable. I never saw such type of cable before and thought that it’s the proprietary format. I contacted with technical support for clarifying this and they informed me that it’s standard USB 3.0 Type B cable, moreover, I can connect keyboard with USB 2.0 Type B cable too. In this case keyboard’s USB ports will work with USB 2.0 speed. I tested this out and found out that keyboard working perfectly with both. No issues with connected headset and USB flash drives simultaneously.

If you are stickler on cable management, this keyboard will help you a lot. Connect MECH to PC and no need to drop cables for headset and USB Hubs.

With aluminum cover the white backlight looks very attractive.
 

It has three modes: full (when all keys have a backlight), breathing (when backlight keeps fading out and in) and selective (when only arrows, WASD, macro-keys and Win Lock have a backlight). There are 5 levels of backlight’s brightness, and for sure you will find the optimal one for yourself.
 

There is another cool engineers’ idea which I want to point out. Light indicators of NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock are physically located under the aluminum cover and it’s hard to spot them.
 

But due to immersed glossy “channel” between keyboard and palm rest, you can see the reflected lights of indicators on it! Probably you’re thinking that there is no big functionality behind it, but well, how many manufacturers around which are paying attention to such details?
 

My sample of MECH came with MX Cherry Blue switches. I never tested such type of switches before. As I heard over the Internet, Blue switches is more preferable for those who spend more time for typing and routine work than for gaming. Opposite to Black switches which is more preferable for those who spend most of the time for gaming sessions. Also, I heard that Blue switches are louder than other MX switches. Well, both stereotypes confirmed!

It’s a huge pleasure to type on it. Even if you don’t have what to type – you keep typing something. And yes, it’s louder than Black or Brown MX switches, but difference is not that big as I was expecting. The sound is “warm” and I really like it. Actually I haven’t met any person who doesn’t like the sound of his mechanical keyboard. But if you’re working in front of family members or with coworkers around, that “clack-clack-clack” most probably will not be pleasant for them.

After that I tested the keyboard in games. I didn’t feel a big difference between Black and Blue switches, but I guess due to my not professional gamer status. Anyway, mechanical keyboard with its tactile feedback makes any game easier to play. Especially in the games when you need to click many keys as fast as possible. Due to feedback, you’re sure about pressed button, and no need to press one button 2-3 times which is usually happens with traditional (membrane) keyboard.

A lot of full-size gaming mech keyboards on market are coming without dedicated macro keys, which is actually bad. That 5 keys are not taking too much space and it’s way handier to click one button instead of pressing FN+key for activating some tiny macro-command. Especially it’s noticeable in routine work. For example, I can assign shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S for one of the key for particular software and easily activate it by pressing single button. In case of using FN+key combination, there is no big profit – I have to do some acrobatic trick with my hand anyway.

Conclusion is short. It’s another big step ahead from CM Storm. Keyboard MECH provides everything what you’re expecting from gaming keyboard.  Design is not usual at all, but at the same time most of the users will like it. Everything will look more cooler if you use it with headset and mouse from Aluminum Gaming Series, which I’ll review later.

Pros:

• Mechanical switches
• Aluminum shell and embedded steel plate
• 5 Dedicated macro keys
• On-board memory
• Embedded audio and USB 3.0 ports
• Matte materials
• Full backlight with 3 modes and 5 levels
• Detachable cable
• Included keycap puller and tool for removing aluminum shell

Cons:

• No channels for cable management on backside
• Non-detachable wrist rest