HARDWARE REVIEW

Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2 Mechanical Keyboard Review

by Luke Walsh, September 20th, 2017

Razer has been bringing out a decent set of keyboards recently, with the Razer Ornata that is currently being used to type up this review and now the next line of the Chroma series the Black Widow Chroma V2.

Like the previous iterations of the BlackWidow comes with all the necessary features that most hardcore gamers looking to get everything they need for their gaming. To start, it’s very well made. Razer has opted to use their own “Green Switches” but there are a couple different versions you can opt to buy on their website which we will explain later.

First off, the keyboard is pretty big compared to the Razer Ornata but this is to be expected for a full sized keyboard. The keys, however, are quite close together when compared to something like the Logitech G910 or the SteelSeries M500, making it seem a tad shorter.

Build wise, it’s solid with the plastic casing without any flexibility in the frame. The matte black colouring makes it very minimalist which makes the illumined logo pop. If you do want to use the wrist rest, it will cover it up by magnetically attaching itself to the front of the keyboard. The leather rest feels nice, there is a lot of padding and allows your hands to be at the right angle to not cause any discomfort after long periods.

There’s a USB on the right-hand side as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack which you can use if you connect the additional cable into the back of your PC. It’s not detachable so if you want access to a USB port you might as well plug it in. Sometimes using ports on keyboards aren’t as good, either due to power output or the connection between the PC. With the BlackWidow Chroma V2 there was no issues connecting a range of different devices straight into the port on the keyboard.

All of the keys are coated with a soft plastic and can be quite easily removed to see the switches which is useful for cleaning once you’ve had it a while. Razer have opted, as mentioned, to make and use their own switches in the Chroma V2 instead of the more traditional Cherry MX Switches used by other competitor keyboards.

Three different switches can be put inside the Blackwidow Chroma V2, Green Switches which were found in the keyboard we reviewed stated as “Tactile and Clicky”, Orange switches which are “Tactile and Silent” like Cherry Browns and finally Yellow which are “Linear and Silent” similar to Cherry Blacks or Red. Green switches were definitely tactile, giving satisfying feedback, any gamer would be used to with Cherry Blue or Green but with a smooth downward press and neat click. As Orange and Yellow are being promoted as “silent” you can expect much less noise than your traditional mechanical keyboard sound, something closer in noise like the Ornata but not actually hybrid mechanical membrane switch.

If you’re a user of macro keys, the BlackWidow Chroma V2’s bigger body supports 5 ‘M’ keys which run down the left-hand side of the keyboard giving you dedicated programmable keys. Using Synapse, Razer’s software allows for more advanced options, being able to set up macros for any button you like. Like other hardware by the peripheral giant, you can also tweak lighting, games profiles and more.

In terms of lighting, any high end keyboard pretty much has to have RGB lighting to even be considered a gaming keyboard. The usual effects or colours can be added and the BlackWidow does as expected on the lighting front. I felt like the Oranta was able to produce a more softer, even lighting but the BlackWidow Chroma V2 was more vibrant.

In terms of performance, nothing beats a mechanical keyboard. Safe to say, the BlackWidow Chroma V2 is no difference and is ideal for the competitive gamer or the casual gamer. The green switches inside the BlackWidow we tried is definitely more for the more competitive end as they are the most responsive giving a definitive “barrier” before the key is registered. Lending itself to making sure no false or mistaken key presses happen, gamers in MOBA or MMO based games will be glad not to cast any unnecessary spells without planning to do so.

If you’re one which involves a lot of typing, you might want to opt for the other two switches, ideally the orange switches although not tested, sound like a good combination of giving feedback but also being more silent than the green switches. Of course, no mechanical keyboard will be as quiet as a membrane or chiclet style keyboard but makes up for it in the performance trade off. Gamers/Programmers I’d wager would prefer the orange over the greens, those more typing and casual gaming might even prefer linear yellow switches.

Trying out the keyboard for gaming, I opted for my usual three games Overwatch, Guild Wars 2 and Fallout 4. A game like Overwatches relies on precise but quick keyboard presses, while Fallout 4 uses more keys than an FPS but still needs to be reactionary. Finally, Guild Wars 2 being an MMO is going to tests the keyboards metal in a few PvP matches and a plethora of key presses.

In Overwatch, the keyboard was able to keep movement as quick and mobile as I needed being able to duck in and out of cover as Hanzo. Jump shooting is a common tactic in Overwatch for Hanzo and a number of other characters, so being able to feel the key presses really helps get a “feel” for the movement before actually actioning it in game.

During, Fallout 4 being able to use the keys in the same way was ideal but not as necessary when you have the V.A.T.S at hand. Still, the smooth but responsive reaction from the BlackWidow Chroma V2 made easy work of most actions in the game without ever worrying about pressing the wrong key. Building your settlement just somehow felt better with the pressured response it was returning through my fingertips.

Guild Wars 2 I think is where the keyboard really shined but not because of the additional macro keys during PvP. I’m not a gamer that ever uses macros as I prefer the more traditional F key approach for MMO or RPG titles. What was great is being able to easily tell when a spell was cast, feeling the ‘click’ and being able to time my rotation from that rather than looking at the screen for a visual response as often.

Should I buy the Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2?

The BlackWidow Chroma V2 is a pretty impressive keyboard and will give you a solid run of performance for any game you throw at it, excelling I think in competitive play such as PvP in MMOs or First-Person Shooters such as Overwatch. It also helps there are three difference types of mechanical keys to choose from which allows you to customise it to your type of gaming style or even work habits outside of gaming.

Long period of use is common for gamers and the cushioned wrist support is amazing, being able to allow you to game or type for hours on end without issue. Build wise, it is sturdy and can’t knock it for any quality issues so you’ll unlikely to be disappointed by picking up one of these. For the price of £169.99, you’d have a wide range of keyboards to choose from on the market and I’d definitely say it sits at the higher end but if you picked one up I think you’d be happy with your long-term gaming investment.