Reddit reviews Razer BlackWidow Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

I just ordered the Razer BlackWidow and it should be arriving tomorrow. It's mechanical (MX Blue switches) and pretty cheap ($73.12) for a mechanical keyboard.

Honestly there is nothing special about "gaming" keyboards other than the fact that they are overpriced because of the "gaming" tag for marketing. If you want a solid new keyboard (and I'm sorry that you'll hear this a lot here), go with a mechanical keyboard. Razer even makes one.

If you're looking for a bit higher quality, though, there's the CM Storm Quickfire Rapid which is very highly regarded and low price for a mech board.

This is one of the old ones with MX blues.

link

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Deathadder-Infrared-Gaming-RZ01-00151400-R3/dp/B002Q4U5DK

Should be a nice setup for ~$115

In the case you don't find a deal here, amazon has it for $54 (used), $61 (new) shipped:


http://www.amazon.com/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8

In terms of mice, I would recommend either the Razer Naga Hex for six side buttons, or the Logitech G600 if you like the idea of 12 side buttons better. Some people might advise looking into the the regular Razer Naga which has 12 side buttons as well, however because of the grooved button design of the G600, the G600 is typically regarded as a lot better from those who have tried both mice, as it has more buttons overall and is a lot easier to develop muscle memory with.

Also, I know you were only asking about gaming mice, but I would also point you in the direction of taking a look at some other stuff like the Razer Nostromo keypad, which has gotten a lot of praise from people in this subreddit alone who have used them for GW2.

Or better yet, you could also look into getting a mechanical keyboard. I just got my first one a few days ago, and I absolutely love it-- it feels so, so much better than standard membrane keyboards. The particular model I bought was the CM Storm Trigger, which as you can see, has five additional keys on the far left side which you can use as macros or simply remap them to in-game functions. If something like the CM Storm is too pricey for you, you can look into something like the Razer BlackWidow or the Razer BlackWidow Stealth Edition (I recommend that one more for gaming because of the switches it uses), which also have five macro keys and is priced similarly to that of a gaming mouse. The only issue with BlackWidows is that build quality is a bit poor and sometimes downright defective out of the box, so it's a bit of a luck-of-the-draw situation. If you're wanting something with even more extra keys than that, you can also take a look at the Corsair Vengeance K90 which features 18 extra customizable keys, the downside being that not all of the keys on that keyboard are mechanical.

Sorry for the long reply, but I've been heavily researching all these various peripherals in recent months when I was in the market for a new gaming mouse and keyboard, so those were some of the products I've came across and have learned about. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer if I can.

You can get it slightly cheaper on amazon.com (after shipping). It's 61.99 on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZJ1VD8) and if you want to get it a bit faster, you can sign up for the free trial of amazon prime (30 days) and get free 2 day shipping.

Just be sure to cancel the amazon prime membership within the month if you don't want to pay the yearly fee to have free 2 day shipping.

Amazon says 2010

$2000 for everything?

I had fun with this one, enjoy your browsing :)

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor | $328.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | Scythe SCMG-2100 74.2 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $42.98 @ Newegg
Motherboard | MSI P67A-G45 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard | $147.86 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $99.99 @ Newegg
Hard Drive | Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.99 @ Newegg
Hard Drive | Western Digital RE4 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $66.99 @ Super Warehouse
Hard Drive | Western Digital RE4 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $66.99 @ Super Warehouse
Video Card | XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB Video Card | $339.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | $149.99 @ Newegg
|| Total
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1298.76
Additional Items | -- Items not available in System Builder -- | --
Case | Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid | $109.99 @ Newegg
Optical | Random Lite on DVD burner | $22.99 @ Newegg
Monitor | ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms | $218.98 @ Newegg
Mouse | Razer Lachesis 5600dpi | $68.61 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Razer BlackWidow Mechanical | $77.48 @ Amazon
Surface | RAZER Goliathus Fragged | $17.98 @ Newegg
Headset | Audio-Technica Import ATH-AD700 | $93.90 @ buy.com
Mic | Zalman Microphone Zm-Mic1 | $12.21 @ Amazon
|| Grand Total
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1920.90

brief:

• Not all games make use of the hyper threading in the 2600K but some do and many more will follow. Your budget allows for it so do it. Additionally, it's still the faster CPU per core so all games will benefit and this is your most powerful option.
  
  
• You have a budget that can allow for the luxury of silence. Fractal Case and Scythe heatsink will keep everything cool, quiet and classy.
  
  
• Motherboard is Crossfire ready and so is the power supply. Why skimp on our upgrade powers when there's some flex space in the budget?
  
  
• 8gb of ram so you can stream or record your games so while your kicking ass with this new rig everyone else can know about it. I made sure they had low heat spreaders as well so they'd fit under the massive scythe heat-sink.
  
  
• High quality, fast response, 24" monitor.
  
  
• Dual RE4 250gb hard drives with 64mb cache for a 500gb RAID0 to boot from. The fastest and most stable platter drives you'll find. SSD if you want but this will let you store all your games and provide better stability. 1tb Spinpoint for other storage because it's cheap and fast. We're spending big but we don't need to waste on a storage drive.
  
  
• The new Lachesis (not the one with problems) and a mechanical keyboard for the smoothest play you've ever had. Round it off with a Goliathus mouse surface for the ultimate experience.
  
  
• Audio Technica AD-700 headphones: if you take everything out of my build you better keep these. These are, hands down, the best headphones for gaming I've ever used. Huge sound stage and great for games where you want to hear your enemies coming.
  
  
• Zalman ZM-Mic1: don't let the price fool you, this is a pretty awesome mic with exceptional clarity for a fair price.

I have a PS3, so I purchased the Sony Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headset for 90. Works with the PC as well.

I plan on getting the Razer Mechanical Keyboard for 70 and the CYBORG Rat 7 for 80.

the additional memory is worth it if you're photo/video editing. for almost everything else, it's not worth it. if you're mostly just planning on gaming, then it's not.

there aren't many things that use USB 3.0 now, but there probably will be in the near future. it's mostly just important that your motherboard has a couple 3.0 connectors.

both those cases are good. the HAF one is considered pretty top-of-the-line and I think corsair makes the best cases overall. but of course there's the price premium (and they're huge). if you look at cases on newegg, people give good reviews. you should choose something that has good airflow. and why do you need a case that large - are you planning like 10 hard drives?

as far as keyboards, the general trend in gaming (especially starcraft) these days is to go for mechanical keyboards. the blackwidow is one of the cheaper and more popular ones, but some people say they're made a little bit cheaper too. other popular ones: steelseries 6gv2 (and they have other models), Das (several models). Really, you should go search for "keyboard" on /r/starcraft. there are tons of threads about it. i don't have a mechanical one yet, but i might look into it in a little bit.

i don't use headphones, so i can't really say anything about that. if you don't have speakers though, i have the klipsch 2.1 THX promedia and they're the best 2.1 speakers i've ever had.

you probably could http://www.amazon.com/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334032659&sr=8-2

its only a sweet deal for Canadians because of the shipping benefits. If i was to order a 50$ keyboard form the US i would be paying 15% tax because its my Provinces tax plus shipping and handling, and duty fees if the package is sent through there. Basically forking out more on receiving the package then the package itself...

Sure. For the price of that keyboard you could get a mechanical board. Actually less if you got the Razer Blackwidow. Also, what kind of games does your friend play? That mouse may or may not be suitable for him. Finally take a look at the NZXT Phantom for a case. It would knock a few bucks off for him, but if he likes the other one he should go with that.

here is a snippet from the Ripster WW Shopping Guide.

>[H="3"]Canada[/H]


Amazon.ca - [URL="http://www.amazon.ca/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1294251661&sr=1-1"]Razer BlackWidow non LED [/URL] [URL="http://www.amazon.ca/Razer-BlackWidow-Ultimate-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ5B4I/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1294251661&sr=1-2"]Razer BlackWidow Ultimate(LED)[/URL]

Canada Computers - [URL=http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_273_274&item_id=035381]Razer BlackWidow (non LED)[/URL] - [URL=http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_273_274&item_id=033118]Razer BlackWidow Ultimate (LED)[/URL] - [URL=http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_273_274&item_id=034998]SteelSeries 6G V2[/URL] - [URL=http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_273_274&item_id=038596]Thermaltake MEKA G1[/URL] - [URL=http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_273_274&item_id=038595]Thermaltake MEKA[/URL]

[URL="http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?23490-Ducky-Channel-International-Co-Mechanical-Computer-Keyboards-w-Cherry-Switches"]
Ducky Channel International Co. Mechanical Computer Keyboards /w Cherry Switches[/URL] - Sold by rFlux, a Geekhacker. Check the thread for stock and email him.
DirectCanada - [URL="http://www.directcanada.com/search/?kw=das%20keyboard"]Das[/URL] for ~$100, Thermal Take, Mionix, Corsair

[URL="http://elitekeyboards.com/"]Elitekeyboards[/URL] - ships to Canada and full warranty support for [strike]Filco[/strike]Leopold, HHKB, and RealForce.

NCIX - [URL="http://ncix.com/search/?categoryid=0&q=das+keyboard"]Das[/URL]. [URL="http://ncix.com/search/?categoryid=0&q=steelseries"]Steelseries.[/URL] [URL="http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57022&vpn=RZ03-00390100-R3U1&manufacture=Razer"] Razer BlackWidow non LED.[/URL] [URL="http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57745&vpn=RZ03-00380100-R3U1&manufacture=Razer"]Razer BlackWidow Ultimate(LED)[/URL], Corsair, Azio, Mionix,Thermal Take. Retail locations: Vancouver met area, Southern Ontario

Newegg - [URL="http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040"]Rosewill RK-9000 for $85-$99 Canadian.[/URL]

Tek Gear - [URL="http://www.tekgear.com/index.cfm?mysearch=das+keyboard&pageID=100&select=0"]Das[/URL]

[URL="http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/guidedSearch.asp?CatId=9"]TigerDirect.ca[/URL] - Corsair, Thermaltake , Adesso.

[url]www.shopbot.ca[/url]
Search for you favorite model here to get a good idea of what is available and where. Searching mechanical keyboard gives some good results.

[url]www.memoryexpress.com[/url]
Retail locations! Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver
A good shop to order from and if you have one locally you can go try things out before you buy.
Thermal Take, Corsair, Coolermaster, Razer, SteelSeries and Azio. - Dec 2011

[url]www.directcanada.com[/url]
Vancouver
Online distributor discount store (basically a front end to a distributor or two with no storefront). Good prices. But not a big selection. Using the same distributor as bestdirect.
Das keyboards, Thermal Take, Mionix, Corsair. - Dec 2011

[url]www.bestdirect.ca[/url]
Vancouver
Online distributor discount store (basically a front end to a distributor or two with no storefront). Good prices. But not a big selection. Using the same distributor as directcanada.
Das keyboards, Thermal Take, Mionix, Corsair. - Dec 2011

https://www.amazon.ca/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8

I recently bought a razer blackwidow and am love with it. It's a definite improvement over my old G11 for typing and gaming. It's probably one of my favorite pc-related purchases. The only downside is you can barely talk over the thing.

I'll have to go and try out a mechanical keyboard at the store. I used to have an old IBM keyboard and I did not like the extreme tactility of it and how high the keys were, but things have most certainly changed.

I looked around on Amazon and found the Razer Black Widow for $80.

I'd go with the Blackwidow. Since you're from Canada, there's a sale on BlackWidow on amazon.ca for only $50. I just ordered one for myself :D

http://www.amazon.ca/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1324832485&sr=8-6

Looks cool! If you're intending to spend over $50 on a keyboard, you should definitely take a look at some mechanical keyboards; for example, the Razer BlackWidow. They are quite expensive so it'd be wise to find a way to try one out before buying, to see whether the feel of it appeals to you.

Additionally, with a Z68 motherboard you could implement SSD caching. Other than that, Z68 boards are very similar to the various P67 offerings.

if you are willing to spend up to 80$ already you might as well go with razer I have never had an issue with them and I love mine.

This Razer keyboard is $70 and it seems to be what your looking for.

The Ultimate edition has backlit keys but will cost you around $110.

If your looking for a decent keyboard with backlit keys, expect to be paying more then $50.

Found this http://www.amazon.com/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8/ref=sr_1_22?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1418503155&sr=1-22&keywords=keyboard

I perfer Razor keyboards and a Corsair mouse

• Keyboard - http://www.amazon.com/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8
  
• Mouse - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0AJ3751527
  
  Those two work awesome for me :p i would just wait for a sale

Some other site's affiliate link. ಠ_ಠ

Why don't you give back to Reddit instead and have the site make a bit o' money instead.

FTFY:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZJ1VD8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=redditco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B003ZJ1VD8