When we entered into our review of the CM Storm MECH it was inevitable that there were going to be comparisons with the excellent Corsair Vengeance K95 that graced our desk so recently. Both are mechanical, both include macro keys, and both are around the same UK MSRP. As convenient as that would be, the keyboards target two different sorts of gamers, and it’s important to reinforce the distinction.

The CM Storm MECH really targets what is often termed the 'Gamer Demographic' who, MMO and FPS alike, value more than just the gameplay experience. They want customisation, personalisation; to go to a LAN and really show off both their peripherals and their rig. It’s for these power users, who are also serious gamers, that the Mech is really designed.

In creating a product for this audience CM Storm have married high quality components to a unique design in order to satisfy - at least as much as may be possible with an off-the-shelf keyboard - what they believe to be untapped demand. Crucially, they don’t rely on a gimmick; Cherry MX switches, a USB 3.0 hub and on-board soundcard are all value-added parts of a strong whole. It’s easy to underestimate how useful you may find them. From a pure performance perspective, the MECH should have all that a gamer needs, and additional features than they would value highly.

There are still a few kinks which need to be worked our in our mind before the MECH could reach legendary status. There's no getting away from the face that the MECH AP software really needs work to make it more user friendly, whilst a few firmware tweaks would solve lingering doubts about effective macro execution being truly independent of software. For all that, if you're willing to work within the boundaries you can still have an gameplay excellent experience.

Now that the MECH and rest of the AL-series are in stores we hope that CM Storm and Cooler Master follow-through with the promise of customisation potential. We’re talking more faceplates, more themed design, releasing the component dimensions of each removable portion on a AL-series device. I’m sure if they let design-oriented gamers run with it, the results will be awesome.



Too often peripherals for the stereotyped 'gamer' have compromised on build quality and component choices, but this is not the case with the CM Storm MECH. Cherry MX mechanical switches, macro keys and software-free functionality are married to a design which provides unique out-the-box looks and an unmatched aesthetic customisation potential. Amongst a field of excellent mechanical keyboards, the CM Storm Mech stands out. It could get no less than our Gold and Creative awards.






Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to CM Storm for providing this review sample.