Coolermaster Masterset MS120 Review
Introduction
It is easy to get so involved in the world of home computers and gradual upgrades that you can forget we all had to start somewhere. Whenever we look at a pre-built system which provides good value the comments are awash with people pointing out how building your own might be cheaper. Forgetting that most of us started with a pre-built and then moved on to gradually swapping bits ourselves before we built our own entirely.
Similarly if you are new to the world of PC ownership then one of the first things you need to do is grab a keyboard and mouse. Yes by now most of us have separate peripherals that fit our own personal taste based upon years of trying various models, but if the keyboard and mouse you have is the one that comes with your pre-built system then it very much needs to be high on your list of the first things to change, largely because the ones included with systems tend to be worth about 20p.
Coolermaster have looked at this sector of the market and believe there is a yawning gap between el cheapo keyboard/mouse of the type you’d get with an all in one system, and the high end items that might be excellent but probably cost a fifth of your entire system. Enter the Masterset MS120, a keyboard and mouse combination that ticks an awful lot of boxes whilst remaining within the reach of those on a tight budget.
Technical Specifications
The primary expense in peripherals has to be a Cherry MX set, where a full 105 key layout can set you back £80 before you’ve even got into the world of RGB lighting and additional features. Rather than keeping the cost low by going with a squishy horrible membrane keyboard, or going the opposite route and pricing everyone out of ownership by including Cherry switches, Coolermaster are using a hybrid switch which has the click and feel we’ve come to know from the Cherry MX Blue switches with the affordability of a membrane switch. Further they have included RGB lighting, something guaranteed to lend an air of loveliness to a product whilst also enabling you to customise the lighting to your own preference. Think of it as the first step on the road to personalising your system.
The mouse ticks a lot of quality boxes without going too far down the expense route either. It might be only 3500 DPI, but it is an Avago Optical sensor and utilises Omron switches. Admittedly the more affordable models in their respective ranges, but still pukka brand names found on much more expensive products. Let’s take a look.