The Cooler Master SK630 is a tenkeyless, low-profile mechanical keyboard. Sporting Cherry’s new Low-Profile MX Red switches, the SK630’s low-profile design fits into any gaming or working environment. Cooler Master’s low-profile keyboard lineup also includes the SK650, which is the full-sized variant. The SK630 has full RGB functionality, with a myriad of preset effects and further customization within the Cooler Master Portal Software. The case is made of matte black plastic, with an aluminium top plate to complement the lighting and an RGB strip along the side of the keyboard. With minimal flex and no build quality concerns, the SK630 is both compact, light, and well-built, also arriving with extra accessories, including a felt carrying bag. With an MSRP of $119.99, the SK630 is a great solution for a portable and compact mechanical gaming keyboard.
“The SK630’s low-profile design fits into any gaming or
working environment.”
Pros
- Lightweight, Portable, Compact No Typing Angle Risers
- Great RGB Lighting and Pre-set Lighting Effects/Customization
- Low-Profile MX Reds aren’t great for typing
- Good Build Quality
Cons
- No keycap compatibility
- Extra Accessories (Keycap Puller, Velour Carrying Bag)
- Keys are compressed together, making it easier to mistype
- Detachable Braided Cable
Table of Contents
Specifications
- Cherry MX Low-Profile Red (50M Lifespan, 45g)
- Width: 125.5 mm
- Length: 353.5 mm
- Height: 29.8 mm
- 2 – Year Warranty
- Weight: 552g
- Cable: Detachable, Braided (1.8m / 6ft)
Packaging
The Cooler Master SK arrives in a small purple/white cardboard box, with pictures of the keyboard on both the front and back. The front of the box details the Cherry MX Low Profile Red switches, while the back explains the features and specifications of the keyboard.
Inside the box, Cooler Master includes a User Manual and a set of accessories. The SK630 arrives inside a felt carrying bag, which is a great addition for travelling/LANs. A gold-plated, braided USB-C cable is also included, along with a keycap puller.
Performance/Latency
The Cooler Master SK630 uses Low-Profile MX Reds, which have a majorly reduced actuation distance of 1.2mm, allowing a slightly faster switch actuation. Embedded in the SK630 is a 32-Bit Cortex M3 microprocessor, allowing for minimal lag/latency, with a response rate of 1ms and a polling rate of 1000Hz, along with anti-ghosting/N-key rollover. 512KB of onboard memory is also available, allowing you to directly save and store lighting/functionalities onto the keyboard itself.
Switches
Cooler Master offers the SK630/650 with one switch type: Cherry’s new RGB MX Low-Profile Reds. These are short-travel, linear switches that sit much lower than their standard MX counterparts. With a reduced actuation distance of 1.2mm (same as MX
Speed Silvers) and a total travel distance of only 3.2mm, they provide a unique typing experience. Being linear, the Low-Profile MX Reds have no tactile or clicky feedback, providing a consistent feel throughout the keystroke.
The switches sit very low and have a noticeable shorter keystroke, which may result in accidental keypresses while typing, taking only a little force to actuate the switch. The keys are also positioned closer together than a standard keyboard. Each individual switch is placed closer together, making the overall keyboard smaller, but also making it easier to hit other keys on accident.
Case/Internals
The housing of the SK630 is made entirely of textured black matte plastic, which feels thick and sturdy while maintaining a lightweight. A brushed aluminium plate is mounted below the switches, providing a clean and stylish look. There is minimal case flex, and the keyboard feels very durable and solid while being light and portable. The SK630 connects to devices via a 1.8-meter-long detachable USB-C cable. The cable is braided and thin, featuring gold-plated connectors and purple plastic inserts. With the few weeks I’ve had this keyboard, the cable hasn’t frayed, and seems to be of high quality.
On the bottom of the keyboard, there are four rubber feet that prevent slipping and moving around. However, there are no risers for the keys, meaning that there isn’t a way to manipulate the typing angle for the keyboard. Although this feature may not be incredibly useful for a low-profile keyboard, it’s still an addition I’d like to see on all mid-range mechanical keyboards.
Keycaps
The Cooler Master SK630 has shorter, flat keycaps that resemble taller chiclet keys. The keycaps and switches are standard MX-mount, but the SK630 can only fit special keycaps, as standard-sized keycaps will hit the base of the board before actuating. The keycaps have a standard, non-flashy font, which allows for shine-through backlighting.
Stabilizers
The SK630 has custom, non-standard stabilizers that attach onto the keycap through a metal bar. On certain stabilized keys, the rattle is very noticeable, such as the spacebar and shift keys, but they are above average for a gaming keyboard. These stabilizers are meant to be used with the low profile switches, hence the non-compatibility with standard keycap mounts. The stabilizers are not terrible in comparison with similarly priced keyboards, but they still do have resounding rattle and noise when pressed.
Keyboard Software
Cooler Master’s SK630 is a great TKL addition to the lineup of low-profile mechanical keyboards available today, with decent build quality, great RGB lighting, and Cherry’s Low-Profile MX Red switches. Cooler Master delivers a variety of preset lighting effects and macro functionality within their Portal software. However, the switches can cause typing errors, and the compacted layout makes it easier to hit other keys. Coming with a multitude of accessories, the SK630 is a great choice for a TKL low-profile keyboard.
Our Verdict: 8/10