At first I would like to thank Cooler Master for sending a sample of their CM Storm Trigger Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for testing and reviewing.

 

 

About CM Storm:

"Owning the PC trenches for almost two decades, Cooler Master ’s veterans present their scars from battles past as claims of triumph over the competition. United with a new generation of eSports athletes and engineers, now marching under the flag of CM Storm, the time has come to reveal truly ground-breaking, military grade hardware for the gaming revolution.

 

Through long-standing research programs, CM Storm is co-developed with the world’s most prolific enthusiasts and eSports prodigies. Thanks to intensive testing and continuous feedback, the CM Storm division has been able to encompass and improve upon gamers’ needs and their tough to handle scenarios.

 

By working directly with the gaming community we have injected our Storm Tactics into each and every product we make. Storm Tactics, with a heavily dedicated focus on Strength, Security and Control, will keep your most vital gear fortified and well tuned at all times.

 

2008 marks a new era for Cooler Master, as its fierce Storm Gear stands ready at bay to mobilize and back up your gaming skills.

 

CM Storm – Arming the Gaming Revolution"

 

Product Features:

 

High durability gold-plated Cherry switches rated for over 50 million key strokes

Multi-media control keys for convenient sound control

5 macro keys with profile management

18K gold plated ultra low latency USB plugs

Anti-ghosting 6 key rollover

64KB on-board memory for profile storage

Storm tactics key for deactivation of Windows key

1000Hz driverless polling / 1ms response time

Two port enhanced USB 2.0 hub

Detachable wrist rest

Braided cable for durability

Non-slip rubber coating

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

The mechanical CM Storm Trigger keyboard from Cooler Master comes in a military themed packaging and on the top we can find a small see-through window along with the main product features and the notice that this product contains Cherry MX Black switches:

 

 

 

Some more product information can be found on the box sides but also on the back:

 

 

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover we will find the keyboard sitting in a foam protective mold:

 

 

 

The Trigger comes with a rugged appearance, and the top has a combination between grey plastic and some rubberized areas for achieving a better grip:

 

 

 

The CM Storm logo can be found near the ESC key and is lit by a separate LED:

 

 

 

Some extra programmable buttons M1…M5 can be found on the left side of the keyboard:

 

 

 

Between the CTRL key and ALT left keys can be found a CM Storm-branded one which replaces the Windows key:

 

 

 

The key we talked about earlier can be used together with the additional functions of the F keys like choosing the lighting mode, light intensity or to turn the LEDs off completely:

 

 

 

The rest of the multimedia keys can be found nearby:

 

 

 

 

The directional keys are surrounded by a rubberized plastic surface:

 

 

 

 

The top right side of the keyboard comes with another CM Storm logo and the Num/Caps/Scr LEDs:

 

 

 

On the back side of the keyboard we will find a DC-IN 5V port, an USB port for the keyboard cable, but also two extra USB 2.0 ports:

 

 

 

The bottom side of the keyboard also features a large CM Storm logo:

 

 

 

On the bottom sticker which is located underside the directional keys we will find the product serial number along with the model code name:

 

 

 

The keyboard comes with multiple rubber feet but also some top plastic feet for raising the keyboard at an angle:

 

 

 

Inside the box we will also find plastic wrist rest with a rubberized texture, which follows the same design lines:

 

 

 

It can be attached to the keyboard with the 6 small plastic claws:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a view of the keyboard with the wrist rest attached:

 

 

 

The keyboard cable is fully sleeved and the connectors are gold-plated:

 

 

 

 

 

Now to the documentation; the keyboard is supplied with a small leaflet which tells us where to find the necessary drivers:

 

 

 

Inside the multi-language manual we will find instructions on how to operate the GUI of the Trigger software:

 

 

 

 

When powered on, the keyboard lighting can be customized (even without installing the software), for achieving a nice effect. We can set the lighting completely off, fully on with different intensities, set a pulsating mode or leave only WSAD and directional keys lit up:

 

 

 

 

The Trigger App software can be downloaded right from the CM Storm web page, the latest version at the moment of the review being 1.2:

 

 

 

The GUI is quite easy to understand and operate; the interface is split into three separate tabs: Main Configuration tab, the Profiles tab and also a third tab for Macros:

 

 

 

When moving the mouse cursor near each key, we will find right away its current function:

 

 

 

If we modify the current key function, in this case the Storm logo key on the left, the new function will appear on top, but also on the right side column; the configurations can be split on 5 different profiles:

 

 

 

The M buttons on the left can be assigned with macros or can be also disabled completely:

 

 

 

Any other key can be remapped to another value:

 

 

 

In order to select a Macro function for a key, we have to create some first:

 

 

 

For the keys we can also specify some Windows functions:

 

 

 

The keys can be also used for launching applications and we will be asked to trace the executable:

 

 

 

The second tab contains the profiles that are stored in the keyboard, but also in our computer. Here we can create new profiles or move them from PC to keyboard and back:

 

 

 

The Macro Studio tab will allow us to build new macros, which can be mapped to a single button:

 

 

 

Some extra options can be selected when creating a Macro:

 

 

 

The result of the key presses will appear in the table:

 

 

 

The CM Storm Trigger mechanical keyboard from Cooler Master does not fail to impress; the product comes in versions with different Cherry MX switches like Blue, Black, Brown or Red and features red LED backlight, which is customizable in a number of ways. For Macros we have a total of 5 keys available on the left side and even if the keyboard does not come with a Windows key, we can remap anytime its replacement with the Windows key function, by using the Trigger software from the website.

 

The keyboard comes with a rugged, military look and the top side features a combination between grey and rubberized plastic surfaces. The keyboard cable is fully removable for easy transport to LAN parties (would have been nice though to see an included carry case as the last TTeSports keyboard we have reviewed), and two additional USB 2.0 ports for plugging in low-powered devices. If we need to use the ports for plugging in any other devices, we will also have to supply additional power to the keyboard via the DC-IN 5V port.

 

From our past experience, we have seen that both Red and Black switches are very good for gaming, which is the main purpose of this product, the main difference between the two switches being that the Black has more resistance. If you will also get the keyboard for heavy office tasks and a lot of typing, it might not hurt looking upon the version with Black Cherry MX switches.

 

The keyboard software is easy to install, but it takes a little more space on the drive than intended, basically because the devs chose to use “.bmp” format for the GUI textures and not a more compact, compressed format. Hopefully, a revised software version will fix this, but that does not mean that the application performance or functionality is affected in any way.

 

Cooler Master CM Storm Trigger Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Recommended For:

 

I would like to thank again to Cooler Master for making this review possible!