Hey everyone!
Recently Razer announced the “New” Blackwidow X Chroma, which personally is just a new version of a modified version of a keyboard Razer already had… But anyway let’s look into it.
The Blackwidow series of Keyboards is possibly one of Razers most popular gaming keyboards, using mechanical switches with improved lifespan and some other bits (I’ll admit that the clicky keys are a novelty that I’ve come to love as well).
But I question why Razer feel the need to fiddle with something that already sells in an abundance? Very few retailers stock Razer products in the UK but when they do, they sell… Fast! So to me it wasn’t really necessary and when you look at the specs, I certainly won’t be buying one.
So, let’s take a look at the specs?
Switch Type:
The Blackwidow X Chroma is limited to Razer’s Green mechanical Switch which is the switch that gives the “clicky” sound however the standard Blackwidow comes with Green or Orange switches (Orange being “Silent”), so straight away if you’re a gamer that finds the click sound annoying you clearly won’t want a Blackwidow X.
Lighting:
Both the Blackwidow Chroma and the Blackwidow X Chroma make full use of Razers “Chroma” lighting with various effects, up to 16.8million different colors and the possibility of making custom effects as well as downloading others to use yourself.
Construction:
The Blackwidow X has been altered in the way of it’s construction, both Blackwidow’s have Metal top mounting however the Blackwidow features a top cover, with the Blackwidow X they’ve left it off giving a more “exposed” look similar (or identical) to the Corsair K series keyboards… so nothing new there.
Macro Keys:
Most of the gaming keyboard these days come with Macro Keys that can be mapped to certain keys, the Blackwidow X however doesn’t feature these.
USB / Audio pass through:
On the Blackwidow this IS a feature, you have the ability to connect a usb device into the keyboard as well as a mic and headphones if the keyboards cables are connected to the PC but again with the Blackwidow X… this isn’t a feature.
Cable Type:
The Blackwidow is a multi cord keyboard due to the USB / Audio pass through and comes braided, though as the Blackwidow X doesn’t have the pass though ability obviously it’s just a single braided cord.
Though unlike the original Blackwidow, the Blackwidow X has Cable routing.
My opinion:
So we’ve seen how some features have been removed with the “New” Blackwidow and at £134 (GBP) the price difference isn’t enough for me to merit paying for, yes it’s cheaper by £10 though you have more features with the original Blackwidow Chroma.
Personally if you want a gaming keyboard with “chroma effects” then I would strongly recommend the Corsair Strafe RGB, this border-less keyboard comes in varied Switch types and the multicolor RGB lighting control however the prices also vary from £130 to £145.
For me though, I’ll stick with my Razer Blackwidow Chroma!
Thanks for reading and until next time, take care and I’ll see you all again soon.
Kev.
