Bàn phím Razer BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma [RZ03-01770100-R3M1]
CÁC PHÍM BẤM CƠ HỌC GIÀNH NHIỀU GIẢI THƯỞNG CỦA RAZER
Bàn phím Razer BlackWidow X Tournament được thiết kế chuyên dụng để chơi game, các phím bấm cơ học Razer kích hoạt ở khoảng cách tối ưu. Mang tới cho bạn tốc độ và sự phản hồi như chưa bao giờ có trước đây. Các phím bấm cơ học Razer luôn được khen ngợi như một tiêu chuẩn mới cho các bàn phím chơi game cơ học kể từ khi được giới thiệu.
THIẾT KẾ VỚI ĐỘ BỀN CAO
Các phím bấm cơ học Razer luôn được coi là sự lựa chọn tuyệt vời nhất cho game thủ. Mang tới hiệu suất ưu việt và tuổi thọ đáng tin cậy. Công nghệ và thiết kế tương đương này từ Razer hiện đang được sản xuất khép kín trong mọi khâu. Đảm bảo đáp ứng các yêu cầu khắt khe hơn nữa cho từng phím bấm được làm ra. Khiến tuổi thọ sản phẩm lên tới 80 triệu lần nhấn
ĐÈN NỀN CHROMA VỚI 16,8 TRIỆU TÙY CHỌN MÀU TÙY CHỈNH
Razer BlackWidow X Chroma được trang bị các phím có thể lập trình riêng. Kèm theo đèn nền với 16,8 triệu tùy chọn màu, tất cả đều có thể dễ dàng thiết lập qua Razer Synapse. Từ các hiệu ứng ánh sáng được cài sẵn cho các loại game khác nhau. Cho tới bảng màu có thể lập trình riêng tùy chỉnh theo ý của bạn. Để bạn có thể dễ dàng cải thiện trải nghiệm chơi game của mình theo cách bạn muốn.
ĐƯỢC SẢN XUẤT ĐỂ TRỞ NÊN HOÀN HẢO
Bàn phím Razer X Tournament Edition Chroma có vẻ ngoài hoàn toàn mới. Thiết kế hở nhằm phô bày những chi tiết nhỏ và tinh tế được gia công khéo léo bên trong. Cấu tạo từ kim loại dùng trong quân đội, phần thân bóng của Razer BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma vừa chắc chắn lại bền. Đảm bảo bạn được tận hưởng hiệu suất ưu việt ngay cả trong những trận game dữ dội nhất.
Greetings Geekhack! This is Zar7, and I am back again with another mechanical keyboard review. Today I am going to review one of Razer's latest offerings in their mechanical keyboard lineup: the Blackwidow X Tournament Edition Chroma.
Razer Blackwidow X Tournament Edition Chroma
Introduction The Razer Blackwidow X Tournament Edition Chroma is a TKL mechanical keyboard, which makes it compact and portable enough for carrying it around to LAN parties or tournaments [hence why it is named the Tournament Edition]. The X version is an updated version of the original Blackwidow Tournament Edition Chroma, with several key changes in aesthetics and specifications [more on that later]. I collaborated with Razer previously as a technical reviewer, discussing about the original Blackwidow TE Chroma and how the design can be improved. So far Razer offers the Blackwidow X TE Chroma in their signature Razer Green switches [tactile and clicky, 50g actuation force], but in the future, other options will be available as well, such as the Razer Orange switches [tactile and non-clicky, 45g actuation force] and Cherry MX Blue switches [tactile and clicky, 50g actuation force].
Let's dive into the review now shall we?
Packaging It's Razer, so you can expect the packaging to be well-designed and professional. The box is simple and clean, with no crazy graphics or anything of the sort. It's just a simple image of the keyboard with the name on top. I really love how Razer kept it simple this time around. Much appreciated
The new Razer logo looks so much better than the previous one. Nice improvements so far! Inside the box you will find the usual user manual and product guide, as well as the Razer stickers packaged neatly with the rest of the documentation. The keyboard itself is tucked very firmly in the centre, complete with a dust cover on top for users to use later on. A dust cover is always a welcome addition, so props to Razer for that.
Core Design For the Blackwidow X Tournament Edition Chroma, Razer has overhauled most of the design aspect to make it a much better product for the customers. The top surface of the keyboard is made of military-grade aluminium, which makes it very durable and heavy. There is no numpad on the right side, which minimizes the keyboard's footprint, making it much more compact [saves a ton of space on the desk]. The LED indicators are right above the arrow keys, which lights up a solid white.
The logo for caps lock, scroll lock, gaming mode [Windows lock] and macro indicator is etched onto the aluminium in a semi-reflective black color, which blends in with the color of the aluminium. As a result, it might be hard to see which indicators are active. Not a deal-breaker, that's for sure, but it is something to be pointed out. They could have etched it white so that it contrasts with the aluminium face plate. Also, you cannot change the color of the LED indicators [static white, with the exception of the macro indicator, which lights up red]
Since Razer opted for the aluminium face plate this time around, the keys and switches are exposed in its full glory. The floating keys design, along with the aluminium top plate, makes the keyboard looks premium and professional.
As for the fonts, Razer changed it from the previous, gamer-focused blocky font to the new, simple yet elegant font that truly looks better. It is a font both gamers and non-gamers can appreciate, and it fits very well with the rest of the updated aesthetics. The symbols are no longer unidentifiable, and all of the clean fonts can be read easily now.
The bottom row is now standard [which I am really thankful for], which makes it so much easier for us to browse and look for after-market custom keycaps. Previously for my Blackwidow TE Chroma, I outfitted all of the keys on the keyboard with PBT keycaps, except the spacebar [which has a 6.0 spacing]. As a result, it ticks me off time to time when I knew that non-standard bottom row can be an issue for keycaps upgrade later down the road. With the exception of Max Keyboard [which does offer PBT keycaps with 6.25, 6.5 and 6.0 spacebar spacings], a complete keycap set for non-standard bottom row can be hard to find.
With the standard bottom row, users can now customize their Blackwidow X TE Chroma to their hearts content with custom keycaps and whatnot. I am now waiting for a set of new Doubleshot PBT Keycaps [backlight compatible] from Vortex to arrive, so I am already halfway there. XD
Another notable change is the stabilizers. Previously the Blackwidow TE Chroma sports a Costar-based wire stabilizers, but the Blackwidow X TE Chroma now utilizes Cherry-style stabilizers, which makes changing keycaps such a breeze. Personally I love the feel of Costar wire stabilizers, but the new generation of Cherry-style stabilizers is not so bad after all. The Cherry-style stabilizers on the Blackwidow X TE Chroma feels solid, durable and crisp, with no hint of mushy keypresses at all. Another advantage of Cherry-style stabilizers is that it will accommodate all kinds of keycaps you throw at it, no matter how thick it is. Costar wire stabilizers sometimes have issues with thick keycaps, as the inner wall of the keycaps grinds with the wire stabilizers, which impacts the feel of the keys by a huge margin.
The keyboard comes with a non-detachable braided USB cable. Underneath the keyboard, cable routing channels are provided so users can route the braided cable through the center, left and right side respectively. However, the cable routing channel at the center seems to be too tight, to the point that I am hesitant to route my channel through the middle because it might damage the USB cable. The cable routing channels that leads to the left and the right side of the keyboard however is perfectly functional. The cable will not be damaged if it is routed through the right or through the left. As for the center channel, I would not suggest it as it might damage the cable itself.
I was hoping for the cable to be detachable [just like the previous version], but unfortunately it is not. With the reinforced connection on the keyboard, as well as the braided USB cable, I am sure the connection will be fine for years to come. At least Razer moved the connection port jutting out from the rear of the keyboard to the underside of the keyboard [which protects it even more]. So far so good Razer!
The keycaps are ABS translucent keycaps, which allows the brilliant Chroma lighting to pass through. The keycaps themselves are not bad at all [albeit notably thin], and it is actually one of the better stock keycaps out there. But for me personally, I would always go PBT plastic for my keyboards.
Gaming Performance I tested the keyboard on games such as Starcraft II, Counter Strike Global Offensive, Dota2, GTA Online and Assassin's Creed Syndicate. As expected out of a gaming keyboard, the Blackwidow X TE Chroma performs extremely well, and it is hyper responsive to each and every action and keypresses made. The lack of a wrist rest does not impact my comfort level in using this keyboard for gaming, and it feels so smooth gaming with it, even during intense Zerg ambush or ace clutches on Dust2.
I even had the opportunity to use this keyboard during my second-ever Starcraft II tournament a week ago. It performs consistently and reliably, as I used it during the semi-finals clashing against an experienced Zerg player. I won the tournament using my trusty Leopold FC750R [Cherry MX Red], triumphing over a skilled Terran player with my Protoss army.
Typing Experience Typing experience is solid, crisp and consistent across the board. I wrote this review using the Blackwidow X, and it feels comfortable and smooth to type with. Each and every keystrokes feels responsive as ever, and I have not experienced any double-keypresses so far with this one.
Switches The new Razer Greens switches does not disappoint. Why did I say new? Because previously [pre 2016 models], Razer collaborated with Kaihua Electronics [famous for their "increasingly getting better" MX-clone Kailh switches] to produce their proprietary mechanical switches. As for 2016, Razer switched out the collaboration, choosing Greetech [which also manufactures MX-clone Greetech switches] to help them manufacture a new batch of switches instead. This explains why Razer bumped up the switch life of its new batch of mechanical switches from 60 million keystrokes to 80 million keystrokes. This claim is yet to be verified, but so far, the new Razer mechanical switches feels durable, reliable and strong. It wobbles less as compared to Cherry MX switches from what I have noticed.
Razer Greens [Kailh] VS Razer Greens [Greetech] Old vs New Simple rundown: - Newer version feels a bit more refined and crisp - Newer version is more consistent across the board - Newer version reduces key wobbles even more - Sound signature is pretty much the same for both new and old - Less quality issues with the new one [sticky switches and such] - Older version feels a tad bit lighter than the new ones - Older version feels just a little bit smoother on the upstroke
How to check version: Old version: If you see a logo right under the Razer name on the switches, it is made by Kailh [the logo belongs to Kaihua Electronics]. New version: If you do not see a logo, it is made by Greetech [if you diassemble the switches, you can see the Greetech company logo etched on the inner wall].
Function Keys F1, F2 and F3: Media Keys, which controls Mute, Volume Down and Volume Up respectively. F5, F6, and F7: Controls previous track, play/pause and next track respectively. F9: Macro Key - used to record macro keys F10: Gaming Mode - disables Windows keys, locking it from functioning which prevents you from kicking yourself out from games by accidentally hitting the Windows key. F11 and F12: Controls Brightness Down and Brightness Up, respectively.
Razer Synapse and Lighting By downloading Razer Synapse, you can customize the RGB Chroma lighting on the keyboard, making it do a rainbow wave, ripple effect, static, starlight, spectrum cycling, reactive and breathing. You can even use the Chroma Configurator to assign and customize your own lighting [such as combining static lighting and ripple effect together, or mapping different colors to keys for macros, micros, etc.].
Since there is no white back plate this time around [due to the aluminium surface], the lighting is not as bright as the previous version, but on the plus side, the keyboard glows more vibrantly with the aluminium reflecting off the lighting. It looks better this way in my humble opinion.
Underside Perspective
Conclusion: Razer, thank you very much for listening. Basically they have made every effort to fix everything that have been pointed out as flaws on their mechanical keyboard, and came back with a new design that functions well and looks nice. Most of the things I pointed out to the Razer representative that discussed with me is well-heard:
My complains and suggestions : What Razer did Rubber-coated top plate attracts fingerprints, use aluminium instead : Use solid aluminium that does not register fingerprints at all The font should be updated to adhere to more customer base : Changed to new, classy font Bottom row should be standard so that users can customize their boards easily with after-market keycaps : Makes the bottom row standard Flip-out feet is weak, should be strengthened and rubber coated : Makes the rubber feet sturdy and rubber coated Detachable cable FTW! : Nope, non-detachable cable rocks man [me: nooooooooooo! XD] Connection port is exposed, move it to the underside of the keyboard to protect it : Moves the connection to the underside Use new batches of Cherry-style stabilizers : Uses new batches of Cherry-style stabilizers Stock Razer PBT Keycaps FTW! : Nope, saving costs here man. [me: that would have been cool] More Chroma customization : Yep, as you wish. [personally I don't really care about RGB lighting, but oh well]
Overall, the new Blackwidow X TE Chroma is a solid choice for both gaming and professional use. Razer hits the nail right on the spot this time, rectifying all the right spots and made nearly all the right calls. New Razer switches are nice, new design looks dope as hell, and new improvements comes a long way. Good job Min Liang Tan and the gang at Razer! Would love to collaborate with you all again!