6. Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical
We review new gaming keyboards from Logitech, Razer, SteelSeries, Thermaltake and Gigabyte. Five will enter, one (or maybe two) will leave...
Razer is yet another industry heavyweight when it comes to PC peripherals. The company has a very deep stable of gaming mice, headsets and keyboards, but the BlackWidow Ultimate is a departure because of its mechanical roots. Like the 6Gv2 from SteelSeries, the BlackWidow Ultimate uses mechanical switches instead of rubber membranes. Beyond sharing that trait, the latter keyboard is a totally different experience from the 6G.
The BlackWidow Ultimate comes with a driver install CD, a Certificate of Authenticity, quick start guide, master manual and a Razer product catalog.
The BlackWidow Ultimate doesn’t depart from other Razer keyboards when it comes to design. Every keyboard they make is “different” but we see the same design philosophy across the board: tons of black and blue, pulsating lights, and squared-off, futuristic-looking fonts. For many hardcore PC gamers, this is enjoyable, so Razer is sticking with a winning formula. The build quality might not be the same as the 6Gv2, but the Razer board is not flimsy or cheap by any means. It’s a fairly high and angled keyboard, so you probably won’t need to click open the feet on the bottom (although it’s nice that they’re included).
Similar to the 6Gv2, the BlackWidow Ultimate’s media and backlight keys are integrated into the function keys. Instead of using the left Windows key to toggle functions, however, the BlackWidow Ultimate uses the menu key on the right side. The media keys work as advertised, and like most of Razer’s gaming mice, the backlight can be set to three brightness levels or to a pulsating mode.
The BlackWidow Ultimate comes with one USB port, mic in and audio in. Instead of running all of these through one USB cable, the board uses two USB cables and two 3.5mm cables, so the BlackWidow Ultimate basically acts as a convenient extension cable. This poses a major benefit and a minor issue, however. On the upside, the USB port has full power, so any USB-powered devices (iPod, phone, etc.) can be plugged in without blinking an eye. However, it seems like the keyboard can cause some very light static through your headphones on occasion. It’s only noticeable if no sound (music, gameplay) is present, so it’s a minor hassle at worst. We would prefer it if the ports were on the left side and not the right, too, as it can interfere with mouse movement, depending on your setup and desk size.
The mechanical switches used on the BlackWidow Ultimate are different than those on the 6Gv2. While both keyboards only require a key to be pressed halfway down to register a hit, the BlackWidow Ultimate lets you know when you reach that point with a satisfying meaty “click”. We love the tactile feedback of this keyboard.
The software from Razer is largely unchanged from previous models. There are five programmable keys on the left side of the keyboard (think Logitech G15), with three profiles in the software (so 15 keys total). Assigning commands and setting up macros is as easy as ever, and from a style perspective, we like the look and design of the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate software the best out of any board we’ve tested in this roundup.
We loved the performance of the BlackWidow Ultimate the most out of these five keyboards. The click of the mechanical switch is gratifying to the fingers, there is no ghosting to be seen, and the overall feel of the BlackWidow Ultimate is hard to beat or duplicate.
We love the BlackWidow Ultimate, there is no doubt about it. While it’s the most expensive keyboard in our latest roundup, the mechanical switches and solid build quality mean it will last for years, given the right owner. The backlighting is easy on the eyes and help with low-light/LAN party gaming, and the included ports make accessorizing a breeze. Our only hang up is the $130 price tag, but with the extra features and solid performance, you should seriously consider shelling out the extra cash.
$129.99 - http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.211651300/
- 1. Keystroke Bonanza!
- 2. Logitech G510
- 3. Thermaltake Challenger Pro
- 4. Gigabyte GK-K8100 Aivia
- 5. SteelSeries 6Gv2 Mechanical
- 6. Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical
- 7. Conclusion
Why bother with the G510? It's the same thing as the G15 but with no usb....
I have the G19 and will never look back, the thing is amazing.
In the pics, it looks like the right-shift button is the smallest of the two. Not the left. ??
In the pics, it looks like the right-shift button is the smallest of the two. Not the left. ??
Typo, fixed! Thanks for pointing that out!
-Devin
SteelSeries 6Gv2 - this would probably be the one for a gamer with kids to buy lol. i know my kids have killed 2 keyboards in a year
SteelSeries 6Gv2 - this would probably be the one for a gamer with kids to buy lol. i know my kids have killed 2 keyboards in a year
No doubt about it. You could probably smash someone across the face with the 6Gv2, put it back on your desk, and game away. It's a shame that some of its other shortcomings ($$) hold it back.
amazing review... thanx
I sometimes miss my old IBM "battle board" That thing was a tank, had the nice capacitive switched, and outlasted like 4-5 computers. I still cant believe I finally managed to kill the thing.
The key is grabbing the g15 v2 on sale...i snagged a dented box one for 40 bucks.
Keep your eye on slickdeals.net
Was the razer's Black Widows' small wrist rest ok? I love the look of the keyboard but need one with a descent wrist rest.
I like my g110 for the feel and look, but I have yet to find a use for the macro keys. Mostly, this was a luxury because I used to have a cheap dell keyboard that didn't feel as good and didn't have backlit keys. I wish I had got the g19 or g15 for the screen but this one was on sale.
I don't want to be rude, but writer doesn't know what is he writing about "While the company still offers membrane-based keyboards like the 7G and Shift" 7G is also mechanical keyboard, 6G is cheaper version of 7G
"While the BlackWidow from Razer has a click built into its mechanical switches, the 6Gv2 does not, which is hit or miss as far as performance goes." writer didn't do hes homework, most of people that own more than one mechanical keyboard say, that nontactile feedback is suited more for gaming that tactile like black willow had, 6G is using cherry black switches, black willow is using blue cherry switches
most used keyboard mechanisms
http://www.overclock.net/keyboards [...] guide.html
I got SteelSeries 6G v2 and its worth the many, no questions there, i wouldn't buy membrane keyboard, because its not worth it.
what a shit....so commercial brands. And where is Roccat
What about the Merc or Zboard keyboards? Those are true gaming keyboards in my opinion. They have a plethora of dedicated gaming buttons, and the zboard has swappable keysets. They put all the others, except maybe the logitech, to shame when it comes to improving your game.
More keys.
Most games these days allow you to Macro pretty much any key on your keyboard, so any keyboard can be a gaming keyboard. For me, more keys is at the top of the list, which means the 18-button G15 or G510 of these reviewed, none of the others need apply. The G15 gen 2 will not do.
Each to his/her own though, something I understand thoroughly and something that was said repeatedly in this article. Apparently some people skipped over the parts that said the opinions were often just opinions of the testers, nothing more.
I don't want to be rude, but writer doesn't know what is he writing about "While the company still offers membrane-based keyboards like the 7G and Shift" 7G is also mechanical keyboard, 6G is cheaper version of 7G"While the BlackWidow from Razer has a click built into its mechanical switches, the 6Gv2 does not, which is hit or miss as far as performance goes." writer didn't do hes homework, most of people that own more than one mechanical keyboard say, that nontactile feedback is suited more for gaming that tactile like black willow had, 6G is using cherry black switches, black willow is using blue cherry switchesmost used keyboard mechanismshttp://www.overclock.net/keyboards [...] guide.htmlI got SteelSeries 6G v2 and its worth the many, no questions there, i wouldn't buy membrane keyboard, because its not worth it.
I'll give you the bit on the 7G...but how can you say "most gamers" prefer anything? What data is such a statement even based on?
-Devin
I am dissapointed in this article, where is Saitek? I have owned three Cyborg models and I love them. I prefer the Cyborg 2 far above the Logitech board. What gives?
Frankly, I liked the Gigabyte much more than the reviewer did - the software is a little buggy, but all in all the rest of the features are implemented very well. If anything, the lighting on the Gigabyte is very dim - I wonder if it was tested in a very dark room! In a room with any lighting at all, the backlights are hardly noticeable.
The black version has been out for a while, and typing on it is smooth and silky. I like it!
I goofed a bit in my comment, I have owned three Saitek keyboards, but only the current one is a Cyborg, the other two were the eclipse one and two. I still fail to see how such an important peripheral maker like this is omitted.
I goofed a bit in my comment, I have owned three Saitek keyboards, but only the current one is a Cyborg, the other two were the eclipse one and two. I still fail to see how such an important peripheral maker like this is omitted.
Saitek hasn't come out with a new keyboard in a while, and we were trying to include newer products.
-Devin
My biggest complaints about the hotkeys/macro's on keyboards is that they are software based. These do not work in many environments and can lag depending on the system status. Firmware based programming is far superior.. that was by far my biggest complaint about the G11 and 15. Do any of these use firmware based programming?