Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2014 Gaming Keyboard Review

The Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Elite 2014 is Razer’s latest flagship gaming keyboard.

The previous Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Elite model looks the same as the new model except for the new switches. It offers an advantage to your gaming experience as their new ‘Clicky key’ with an optimized tactile feel  allows you to click your keys faster and not have to push all the way down to actuate the switch.

The switch comes in two different types, the green switches which are used for the ultimate Razer keyboard, the original and the tournament editions of the keyboard and the orange switches which are used for the stealth and the stealth ultimate editions of the keyboard.

The new Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Elite keys require 50g of  force applied  for the key to be registered and the actuation point is 0.4mm. The BlackWidow has 5 fully programmable macro keys located on the far left of the keyboard which work well with on-the-fly macro recording as well as having the ability to be bound to any desired combination of keys and mouse functions . The macros work well in game to help defeat your opponent and provide you with a competitive advantage. It is also important to mention that although these are all-new keys from Razer, they are still compatible with all Cherry MX key caps if you wish to customize your keyboard.

This keyboard is the best individually backlit keyboard that I have ever encountered, it also has a green backplate which greatly helps the individual green leds to illuminate with great effect which contrasts to the beautiful soft-touch, matte black finish creating a truly beautiful keyboard to emerge on both visual and ergonomic sides.

The keyboard has 10 key rollover with anti-ghosting technology which is great although is expected at this price point. The BlackWidow comes with Razer’s gaming mode which disables the use of the windows key, Alt + Tab and Alt + F4. This helps when you are in game so you don’t accidentally click the windows key and interrupt your gaming session. The keyboard has an amazing Ultrapolling rate of 1000Hz, which is great for reducing  lag when playing  games.

It is also important to state the general build quality of this keyboard and i have to say that it’s fantastic. The keyboard comes with a very thick, cloth braided cable along with a gold plated usb connector for a more reliable connection and a longer lifespan. The keyboard also includes a headphone, microphone and USB2.0 passthrough on the right edge of the keyboard which is also a very nice feature.

The keyboard works with Razer’s software, Razer Synapse 2.0 which is an excellent and easy to use all-in-one software for all the latest Razer products. In the Synapse software, it is possible to make any adjustments including lighting, lighting effects, macros and much, much more! The software is extremely easy to use with the beautiful graphical interface and easy usability providing  a win on Razer’s side.

In my opinion, the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 is an excellent mechanical gaming keyboard in many areas due to it’s unrivaled aesthetics and innovative hardware which is what earned this keyboard such a high rating for me:

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• Has a great feel to the keys
• Nice matte black finish
• Best individually backlit keys
• Flexible customisation options

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OVERALL RATING:  9/10

You also watch a video of the unboxing of the latest Razer gaming keyboard: Razer Gaming Keyboard: Unboxing the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014

Buy the Black Widow Ultimate 2014 Gaming Keyboard from Amazon now:

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TECH SPECS

• Razer™ Mechanical Switches with 50g actuation force

• 60 million keystroke life span

• Individually backlit keys

• 10 key roll-over anti-ghosting

• Fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording

• 5 additional dedicated macro keys

• Gaming mode option

• Audio-out/mic-in jacks

• USB pass-through

• 1000Hz Ultrapolling

• Razer Synapse 2.0 enabled

• Braided fiber cable

• Approximate size: 475mm/18.72” (Width) x 171mm/6.74” (Height) x 20mm/0.79” (Depth)

• Approximate weight: 1500g/3.31lbs

System Requirements

• PC with USB port

• Windows® 8/ Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP (32-bit) / Mac OS X (v10.7 to 10.9)

• Internet connection (for driverinstallation)

• At least 200MB of hard disk space

• Razer Synapse 2.0 registration (requiring a valid e-mail), software download, license acceptance, and internet connection needed to activate full features of product and for software updates. After activation, full features are available in optional offline mode.

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