First things first: This is an extremely good keyboard. The action feels great and Razer's green switches provide excellent feedback for typing. That's why I wanted this keyboard, for a great typing experience... not gaming. It definitely delivers, except on one flaw that is so major, it ruins everything else.
This keyboard requires Synapse 3 to work. That is, if you want to enjoy the RGB backlighting. Without Synapse 3, the only thing it can do is cycle between solid colors. When I read the horrible reviews of Synapse 3 before buying this keyboard, I thought the reviewers were just being dramatic. They weren't. Synapse 3 is awful because:
1) It's a 400 meg download. That's right. As opposed to Synapse 2 at 26 megs (which btw, will NOT work with this keyboard), Synapse 3 is hundreds of megs. Why? What is it doing?
2) That's not too worrisome once you've got it downloaded, but Synapse 3 runs at least 8 different processes and eats up about 300 megs of RAM. What??? 300 megs of RAM... to make a keyboard light up? What in the world else is it doing? Some say it is logging keystrokes. I don't know about that, but it's clearly doing SOMETHING. I don't have a gaming rig, so it slows down my computer noticeably. Even if you do have a powerful machine, why would you voluntarily give up so much RAM and processing to something so simple?
3) Without Synapse 3, the keyboard is just a basic keyboard. Yes, it can store macros without Synapse, but it can't store light patterns. All it can do is cycle between solid colors. And that's what it will be doing EVERY TIME you restart your computer, until Synapse 3 kicks in and tells it what to do. On my machine, that takes over a minute. Everything else comes to a grinding halt while Synapse tries to load on boot-up. I only have 6 gigs of RAM, but I have an SSD hard drive. Without Synapse, it boots in under 10 seconds. With it, more than 2 minutes.
4) According to Razer tech support, Synapse 3 requires Windows 10 and at least 8 gigs of RAM. That's not what this keyboard says on the box. It says Windows 7. According to Razer, that's what is required to use it as a keyboard, but I suspect nobody is buying this just as a standard dummy keyboard without any of the features Synapse gives it. Deceptive.
5) As previously mentioned, Synapse 2 is smooth and light. There are also a lot more downloadable profiles for it. None of these profiles are compatible with Synapse 3, and Synapse 2 will NOT recognize this keyboard. You're stuck with Synapse 3 (which, btw, has been in beta for more than 2 years) or nothing.
If you don't believe any of this, head on over to Razer's page and see for yourself. You don't need this keyboard to download Synapse 3. Just download it and see what I'm talking about. I could not send this keyboard back to Amazon fast enough. That's sad, because I wanted to love it. I did love it, but I couldn't deal with these headaches. So I got a Red Dragon keyboard with blue switches. It doesn't have customizable lighting effects, but it has tons of built-in options that exist on the keyboard itself and doesn't require ridiculous bloatware (possibly spyware, too) to operate.
Another quick thing I was willing to overlook, but is annoying as a typist: secondary functions are not backlit on this keyboard. So if you're working in the dark, I hope you remember where $, %, &, etc. are... because you certainly will not be able to see them.
What a shame this wonderfully engineered hardware is completely ruined by software that someone had to purposely try to make as wretched as it is. All Razer had to do was make this keyboard backwardly compatible with Synapse 2, and everything would have been fine. Or make Synapse 3 something that actually works.
This product is available as Renewed.
Razer BlackWidow Wired Gaming Mechanical Green Switch Keyboard with Chroma RGB Lighting (Renewed) $68.98
(85)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
(85)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
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Customer reviews
Excelente sensación el clikeo , pero no es tan robusto y los materiales son se sienten de calidadSale bien comprarlo en oferta abajo de los 70$ sino mejor hay mejores opciones
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Not reliable for work
Reviewed in Canada on November 27, 2020
Amazon Customer
Reviewed in Canada on November 27, 2020
Update: Still think this is one of the best-looking keyboards. However, in the past month or so, I haven't exactly loved it all. The keycaps have come off ( easy fix to pop them back up ) but when typing emails for work that is frustrating. the keyboard for some reason doesn't register keystrokes at times, the input lag of keys pressed, some repeated letters. this isn't an everyday occurrence but it has happened. I'm still keeping the keyboard though and won't replace it.
Update on 31/12/2021: I wish i hadn't gotten this keyboard. Honestly, i make so many mistakes with this and it's not pleasant to type on. Granted I am not an expert in typing by any means but i never make this many mistakes when I use my dell xps or macbook air or even my work keyboard . i just don't know what it it about this keyboard honestly
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Carlos Ivan Marroquin
¡¡¡EXCELENTE!!!
Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2020
Carlos Ivan Marroquin
Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2020
El RGB es muy fácil personalizar gracias al Razer Synapse en lo personal me gusto
-Nota: al usar Switch Green suele ser muy ruidoso, si hay alguien cerca puede que le resulte muy molesto (o incluso a ti te puede molestar después de un rato de usarlo)
-al ser un Keyboard muy grande ami me resulto molesto ya que suelo usar mi Mouse DPI bajos para mejorar la precisión en ciertos juegos y eso hacia que mi mouse chocara con el
Por desgracia termine cambiándolo a los 2 meses por un "Razer BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma V2" ya que es un teclado mas chico y Switch Yellow es mucho mas silencioso y el recorrido es menor (en juegos en competitivo el recorrido ayuda muchísimo)
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Ariamis
Decent keyboard, premium price
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2021
Ariamis
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2021
This is actually my second Blackwidow. The first one I bought was the Dragon Age special edition one with Cherry MX Blue switches. I am happy to say that this revised version is better than its predecessor from a decade ago.
The 2019 Blackwidow's body has a sturdy matte black plastic finish with minimal/no flex when you try to bend the keyboard. The lower middle part of the keyboard has a glossy section that will leave fingerprints, but it shouldn't be a concern since one will be rarely touching that portion of the keyboard.
The keycaps that come with this keyboard are ABS, which is a shame. That means that your finger oils will stick to the keys and it's going to be noticeable quickly. At this price point, you can expect the keyboard to come with PBT keycaps from certain brands.
Typing and gaming with these Razer Green switches feels great. It's comparable to Cherry MX Blue. If you're coming from a membrane keyboard or a softer, linear mechanical switch, once you get used to the actuation force of these keycaps (it takes a few minutes for most people), your typing speed will go back to normal. These switches are quite loud, which is not everyone's cup of tea. I personally do like the auditory feedback in combination with the tactile bump.
Razer Synapse, the software you'll need to access a lot of lighting features, is a mixed bag. There's a bit of a learning curve to it, but once you get it, you'll have tons of options to customize the RGB in your peripheral. One of the coolest features is the custom lighting profiles you get when you play certain games. Synapse needs to be constantly updated and that can be a bit annoying when you also have to restart your computer after the update. There's also the fact that you may need to download additional software, but only if you want Synapse to work with things like Phillips Hue.
In short, if you don't mind forfeiting the extremely customizable (and kinda fun) Razer RGB, you can most likely find a more affordable keyboard with the same quality, if not better. Keep in mind that with the Blackwidow, you're paying extra for the software experience and the Razer name brand.
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lonelyWolf
Nice for gamers but software dependant
Reviewed in Canada on March 21, 2021
