Razer BlackWidow V3 keyboard review | Laptop Mag
Our Verdict
The Razer BlackWidow V3 delivers the same premium feel every bit the company's higher-end gaming keyboards at a much more than affordable price.
For
- Excellent build quality
- Minimal matte blackness pattern
- Extensive lighting and customization options
- Comfortable typing experience
- Affordably priced
Against
- Bundled wrist rest is terrible
- Long cable is not platonic for all setups
- Limited extra controls
Laptop Mag Verdict
The Razer BlackWidow V3 delivers the aforementioned premium experience every bit the company's college-end gaming keyboards at a much more affordable cost.
Pros
- +
Excellent build quality
- +
Minimal matte black pattern
- +
Extensive lighting and customization options
- +
Comfortable typing experience
- +
Affordably priced
Cons
- -
Bundled wrist residuum is terrible
- -
Long cablevision is not ideal for all setups
- -
Express extra controls
The Razer BlackWidow V3 is the wired version of the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro, and beyond the addition of a cable, there's a considerable drop in both weight and price that make it the better solution for some users.
For $139, the BlackWidow V3 gives you an excellent entry betoken into a full-size keyboard that still delivers the same splendid build quality, full-RGB lighting and robust software that has earned previous Razer keyboards a spot amongst our all-time gaming keyboards.
I've now been using the Razer BlackWidow V3 as my primary keyboard for gaming and productivity work for a few weeks. While in that location are a couple of other choices to consider before hitting that buy button, the BlackWidow V3 is a solid choice and an excellent value for those looking to footstep into the earth of mechanical gaming keyboards.
Razer BlackWidow V3 toll and configuration options
There are three versions of the Razer BlackWidow V3 and all of them cost $139. The Blackness model is available with two different sets of switches beneath the keycaps, either Razer Green or Razer Xanthous. The Quartz model is limited to just the Razer Green switches.
Razer Green is the traditional choice, which is nearly comparable to Cherry MX Blue with a i.9mm actuation point, 4mm of key travel and 0.4mm reset betoken. Razer Yellow is a newer linear pick similar to a Crimson MX Speed Silver with a 1.2mm actuation signal, 3.5mm of fundamental travel and 0mm reset point.
For those who haven't looked into keyboard switches previously, this means the Razer Green is considerably louder and better suited to general-purpose employ with a mix of typing and gaming. The Razer Yellows are relatively quiet and more expressly for gaming, requiring just a slight depression to activate and instant reset. More serious gamers volition appreciate the Razer Yellow, but either one is perfectly suitable for mixed-use in my experience.
My review unit features the Razer Green switches, but if you lot are interested in more specifics on the Razer Yellow switches, I covered them in my contempo review of the wireless version of this keyboard, the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro.
Razer BlackWidow V3 Gaming Keyboard design
The BlackWidow V3, even more than so than its wireless sibling, doesn't call attention to itself as a gaming keyboard at first glance. It wouldn't look out of place in an office setting with only a standard total-size keyboard layout along with a multi-part roller wheel and media central in the upper-right corner.
While the rest of the body is plastic, the elevation is a durable matte-black aluminum. The keycaps are Razer's new doubleshot ABS which I'll accost in the keys department. If you accept a potent preference for PBT keycaps, it'south an easy swap out, and Razer has four colour options available for $29: Green, Mercury, Black and Quartz.
I say that the BlackWidow V3 doesn't scream gaming keyboard, just that's bold you don't have the RGB light show on full brandish. All of the keys, except for the aforementioned media controls, offering full RGB backlighting as well as the Razer logo centered at the front of the keyboard.
A wrist balance will naturally cake that logo, then if you are looking to Clark Kent your gaming keyboard for work, just selection one upwards that doesn't prominently feature the Razer logo like the one bundled with it. Speaking of which, you should definitely choice up a dissimilar wrist rest anyway considering Razer's is a blank-bones choice made of rigid plastic that only relieves pressure by giving y'all a better angle for typing.
The braided USB Type-A cable is half dozen anxiety long, which should be enough of reach for most people. It was a flake excessive for my own setup as I was but routing it to a USB-C hub on my desk, making the thick braided cable a bit of a hassle. Helpfully, the keyboard has built-in cable management on the bottom and so y'all can route the cable from the left, right or center depending on your desk-bound layout. If you are all in on USB Type-C already, you'll need either a hub or at least a USB Type-A-to-USB Blazon-C adapter.
The lesser of the BlackWidow V3 features four rubberized pads that do an excellent job of belongings the keyboard in identify on your desk. To get a more pleasant typing angle, at that place is a pair of two-stage foldable feet at the top of the keyboard that let you set up it at either six or nine degrees.
Again, beyond the RGB lighting that I'll accost in the software department, the merely extras found on the BlackWidow V3 are the media controls at the top right. By default, the media key is set to control play/pause, skip, and dorsum while the roller wheel handles volume and mute (click the roller in). While I have a slight preference for the more complete set of media controls found on the BlackWidow V3 Pro, these perform their functions well and offer a make clean, minimal look.
The BlackWidow V3 Pro comes in at a reasonable ii.ii pounds and 17.eight ten 6.one x one.seven inches, which is pretty average for a total-sized keyboard. If you are looking for something that takes up a little less desk infinite, check out the BlackWidow V3 Tenkeyless (14.iii ten 6.one ten 1.62 inches, 1.85lbs), which drops the number pad.
Razer BlackWidow V3 keys
The BlackWidow V3 Pro has a standard 104-cardinal layout, excluding the media key and roller bicycle. The keys are Razer's new doubleshot ABS keycaps that, afterwards about three weeks of testing and tens of thousands of words, are showing no wearable. I can't speak to the long-term durability, but the doubleshot procedure is intended to prevent wear with added thickness and layering over the lettering. The switches are rated for 80 million keystrokes, so even the about prolific and aggressive users should exist good for a few years.
If you are coming from laptop keyboards or membrane keyboards, the Razer Greens are going to be a shock to the system both in terms of the fundamental travel and the auditory assault. I said this keyboard could exercise double-duty in an office, but but if you are in your ain office and won't be subjecting a cubicle or open office mate to your typing. Now, don't get me wrong, I beloved the staccato report of the Razer Greens every bit I type; it feels like I'thousand typing something vitally important at a fantastic charge per unit, but it takes some getting used to.
Again, for those of you coming from laptop or membrane keyboards, the deep 4mm of cardinal travel on the Razer Green switches is going to feel like sinking into a big comfy couch. The 1.9mm actuation point alone is more than travel than even the all-time laptop keyboards and the 0.4mm reset point will handle even the fastest typists.
If yous are in a shared office or work from home, consider the Razer Yellows as they deliver a very comfortable typing experience with considerably less noise thank you to the new silicon dampeners. Gamers will also value some of the advantages of the linear Razer Yellow switches, including the 0mm reset point.
Razer BlackWidow V3 performance
Despite the very different experience of typing on this keyboard versus the Razer Yellows or my regular Lenovo Yoga C940, information technology doesn't seem to affect the speed of my typing at all. My 10fastfingers.com results came in at my normal 86-wpm average. Withal, my accuracy was slightly improve than normal. I suspect the longer actuation point is saving me from the occasional misfire, so that is giving me a scrap of a speed heave when it comes to editing.
While the Razer Light-green switches on my review unit are geared more to mixed-utilise than pure gaming, this is nonetheless a gaming keyboard after all, so I put information technology to the test with some Phone call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Assassin'due south Creed Valhalla. Having only come off reviewing a BlackWidow V3 Pro with Razer Yellow keys, I could acutely feel the differences between the two.
If y'all are playing a fast-twitch game similar CoD, the Yellow's are absolutely going to be the superior choice for peak functioning. The minimal actuation betoken and instant reset help immensely there. However, for slower-paced games like AC: Valhalla, there's petty discernible difference betwixt the two switches. And to exist clear, if y'all are a casual gamer the difference isn't going to be significant enough that you'll care if the sound or the feel of the Razer Greens appeals to you.
While I'm not going to be taking abode whatever esports trophies anytime shortly, I accept a slight preference for the Razer Yellowish, even for mixed-use. While I savor the sound of the Razer Green switches over the course of a day, the excessive noise can get to be a bit much.
Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro software
Every bit with all of Razer's devices, the Synapse app is the key to the more advanced features of this keyboard. With the app installed, yous can remap keys, create macros, command the RGB lighting, create profiles and set up Hypershift shortcuts.
If a lot of that sounds unnecessary to you, don't worry. You lot can get deep into configuring your keyboard through Synapse, all of the nuts are accessible. When you launch the app, you volition run across any attached Razer products listed under Devices and can click i to begin configuring it.
The ii primary tabs are Customize and Lighting with the latter handling your RGB and the onetime doing pretty much everything else.
The main screen for the customize tab is an paradigm of your keyboard; you only click on whatsoever key to remap information technology. Only the Windows key and the right role key tin't be remapped. The right function key is the Hypershift key; if you click on Standard at the lesser of the keyboard view, y'all tin remap whatsoever key to have a different behavior when property down Hypershift. Macros are assigned in the same style with an overflow menu that appears when you click on any key in the customize view.
There are 11 quick effects options for lighting if y'all simply want something basic, just if you desire to have complete control of your keyboard lighting, at that place are near limitless options. For this, yous will crack open up Chroma Studio and you can apply whatever combination of those 11 effects with per-key RGB lighting set up to whatever color you can imagine. Still not enough? With Connect your keyboard tin react to in-game events for some games, or you tin can use it to connect up with your Alexa, Philips Hue, Nanoleaf and more to wield your RGB lighting power throughout your space.
And if this is a shared space or you have changeable moods with your keyboarding, you can set up to four on-lath profiles with dissimilar keyboard and lighting customizations each.
Bottom line
The Razer BlackWidow V3 at $139 is certainly not cheap, merely if you lot don't mind dealing with cable management, the keyboard brings you all of the great features and fantabulous build quality from the BlackWidow V3 Pro at $ninety less. Given the projected longevity of this keyboard and the robust Razer ecosystem, it feels similar a solid value.
If, on the other manus, money is no object, nosotros recently reviewed the Razer Hunstman V2 Analog, the bleeding edge of gaming keyboard design with the company's new analog optical switches. Only at $249, it's a serious investment.
Returning to the BlackWidow V3, I came away pleased with its performance every bit a gaming and productivity keyboard. And while I admittedly just scratched the surface of the RGB functionality and was a flake skeptical at beginning, it does legitimately make the keyboard more fun to use. There's something very soothing about the shifting colors even when I'yard typing away for hours. In a similar vein, the depth of functionality and accessibility of Razer Synapse keeps me tinkering with this keyboard and finding new ways to optimize my settings. Finding a mode to make my keyboard more compelling is certainly a useful fob, and the BlackWidow V3 pulls it off.
Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/razer-blackwidow-v3-keyboard
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