Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard Review

Mine Keyboards are often overlooked during the purchase of a new computer; for many there does not appear to be any real difference between any two keyboards outside of wireless technology, backlighting, or extra keys. Those who game heavily or those who are typing enthusiasts for work or hobby might be in the market for a more personalized experience. There are whole categories of keyboard styles which allow a tailored solution to your personal style of use right down to the type of switch used to register a keystroke. Razer is no stranger to the production of input devices but they are stepping slightly out of their element with their recent products: The BlackWidow and the BlackWidow Ultimate, the first two from Razer which are based on mechanical switches. Membrane keyboards comprise the majority of the cheapest keyboards in the market with scissor-switch taking up the laptop and thin-profile keyboard market. Despite being cheap, these keyboards also have the advantage of being quite silent. A mechanical keyboard on the other hand uses an actual mechanical switch for each and every key. While such as system costs substantially more than a membrane keyboard the cost may be offset by the precision, the response, or the ability to type without “bottoming-out” each keystroke. If the concept of a mechanical keyboard interests you then you will likely be dealing indirectly with Cherry Corp in the near future most likely with their MX line of switches. I say indirectly as Cherry avoids selling their keyboards except to business, industrial, governmental, and medical suppliers. For the rest of us there exist several companies who purchase large quantities of mechanical switches and manufactures keyboards with them for retail end-users. Some common mechanical keyboard brands include Filco, SteelSeries, XArmor, Optimus, Das Keyboard, and Ducky. Keep in mind that while there are many brands, almost all of their keyboards are produced by iOne, Datacomp, or Costar with a few exceptions. In our situation, Razer’s BlackWidow and BlackWidow Ultimate are produced by iOne who also produces the XArmor line of mechanical keyboards. the cables : keyboard, usb, speaker, mic One of the most stand-out features of the XArmor line of mechanical keyboards is backlighting. XArmor is one of just two mechanical keyboard manufacturers that I am aware of (the other being Deck) who have models with LED backlighting for their keys. Knowing Razer, if it is possible to install backlighting in any given device then you can reliably bet that at least one SKU would sport some color glowing from it. The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate, along with two 3.5mm audio jacks for headphone and microphone and a connection for an extra USB device, is set apart from its non-Ultimate sibling by its blue backlight. If your reason for reading this review is to learn the difference between the Ultimate and regular BlackWidow then you have your whole answer: 3.5mm audio ports, one usb port, and backlighting in exchange for extra money. I do, however, encourage you to read on to see how the unit itself fairs as a keyboard. Build and Feel Quality and Features Ultimately what matters most about a keyboard is the way it feels while typing and gaming. The Razer BlackWidow uses Cherry MX Blue keys which are known for being loud with characteristic snapping as part of the key internals gives way during each press. Cherry MX Blues are not typically lauded for gaming when compared to the Black and to a lesser extent Brown switches particularly in games where single-button mashing is required. Blue switches are predominantly designed for typing though they do perform well in games when compared to just about any membrane-based non-mechanical switch out there. The keyboard body is made up of glossy plastic with Razer’s practically-trademarked rubberized non-glossy surface for each keycap. Personally, I like the feel of Razer’s keycaps and prefer it to my other keyboards. The glossy parts of the keyboard collect fingerprints very easily. During the unboxing of the keyboard alone I created a large palm-print which required glass or screen cleaner to fully remove. I personally do not care about fingerprints on my devices (except screens, of course) but it does seem quite counter-productive aesthetically. The light up The backlight has five stages toggled via pressing function-F12: off, low, medium, high, and pulsing. I find medium to be the best setting for my room and taste which is always a good sign as there is room above and below my taste for others who prefer it brighter and dimmer than what I consider best. While I hope I do not need to discuss the off setting, the pulsing setting is fairly useless for actually using your keyboard. The only application I could think of for the pulsing setting would be to set to before leaving your computer and immediately switch back to one of the other four settings when the keyboard is actually in use. The media keys are definitely a welcome addition for those wishing to control a music player while doing intensive typing or during gaming where distractions are detrimental. Five recordable macro keys are also available although I personally have never used macro keys on my keyboard even for games where I play WSAD. That said, using Razer’s drivers you can assign a macro to any button on your keyboard if you do not use a specific key and wish to change its function temporarily. It is handy for games whose keybinding system leaves something to be desired which is not too uncommon nowadays. Personally I bound NumPad0 to send a left mouse button click to fire a weapon using my keyboard. Yes, sniping and instagib is easier when you look with a mouse in one hand and fire with the keyboard in the other hand. You are welcome. Benchmark: Rapid Response Mechanical keyboards have a number of physical advantages when it comes to response relative to their much cheaper membrane brethren. This test consists of hitting five keys in rapid succession using the edge of a credit card. The credit card ensures that those five keys will be pressed in sequence either right-to-left or left-to-right depending on which side of the edge you strike the keyboard with first. Ideal keyboards would register each of the five keypresses as well as in the correct order. This test is extremely severe on keyboards and it is very unlikely that most people will notice their keyboard’s performance except, for instance, the tip-top 300+ APM Starcraft players or a serious professional typer. Starcraft FTW !!! 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time As we said the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate is Razer’s first attempt at a mechanical keyboard through their partners at iOne of XArmor fame. Their choice to limit users to just Cherry MX Blue switches may put off potential buyers if they prefer a quieter keyboard or they do not like the way the switch actuates for gaming. For a keyboard lauded as a gaming device you would expect that they would have used the switches that are themselves typically lauded for gaming: the MX Blacks or the MX Browns. I am personally satisfied with gaming on MX Blue switches as most gamers would be if contrasted against membrane-based keyboards. That said; it is neither quieter nor better responding than the black or brown counterparts and stereotypically performs worse in both categories to both of those switches. Their decision does not seem to make sense unless it was some simple behind-the-scenes cost argument. In any case: you are buying a keyboard. No-one can ultimately make the decision for you; it is still up to you to make the purchase based on your personal preferences and needs. If you have a local small-business computer store which has a demo model of the Razer BlackWidow then definitely experience how it feels to the touch. While you are there be sure to check out the SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard uses PS2 port, which they say should be better, i'm not a hater of steelseries but as they say ps2 ports once you click is registered compared to 1000Hz Ultrapolling which they claim should be faster in response. Nah... dont believe what they say you should go try it out yourself. Quote directly from Steelseries: We absolutely recommend using the PS/2 connector when possible. First,it will give you total freedom with no limit to the amount of simultaneous key presses. And, equally as important, using the PS/2 may just improve your overall gaming experience. The reason is that when you use a USB keyboard your computer is actually using CPU time polling your keyboard. The higher the polling rate the more CPU time is used to perform the polling. And because of the built-in debounce rate found on any quality keyboard, any polling rate above 200Hz is simply a waste of CPU time and really just a result of pointless marketing hype. Unlike USB keyboards a PS/2 keyboard isn’t polled at all. The keyboard simply sends a signal to the computer as key presses are made, which causes a hardware interrupt, forcing the CPU to register the signal.