- Affordably Priced
- Detachable Foam Wrist Rest
- Customizable Lighting Effects
- No Extra Features
- Some May Not Like Key Height
- Not Actually Mechanical
OUR RATING
The Razer Ornata Chroma is the perfect middle ground between the Razer Black Widow and the Razer Death Stalkers. These unique keys sit at a mid height, taller than chiclet keys but shorter than full sized ones, a perfect height we personally enjoy. The layout of the keyboard is pretty standard including the function lights on the right, and without any extra buttons on the sides.
Beneath the keys is a nice white back plate, which really helps the lights from the keyboard shine brightly and vividly, and adds some extra ‘pop’ to the keyboard. On the back side of the keyboard there is a cable channel where you can either recess the cord for the keyboard straight, to the left, or to the right, depending on which direction you want your cord to extend out of. This channel has been improved over previous models, now both holding the cord more firmly in place, but also not damaging the cord at all when removing or re-inserting. Also on the back side of the keyboard is 4 rubber pads to keep the keyboard from possibly scratching any surface, and two feet to elevate the keyboard to a raised and typically preferred position. Included in the packaging of the Razer Ornata Chroma is a detachable wrist rest that magnetically attaches to the bottom of the keyboard. The wrist rest is topped with soft and durable leather and stays connected to the keyboard easily.
The key switches for the Razer Ornata Chroma are what sets it apart from the crowd. The keyboard is not mechanical, but has the same ‘click’ sound just like one would have. These “mecha mebrane” keys do a very good job of mimicking the sound and feel of a mechanical keyboard, with all the benefits of BOTH a mechanical and a membrane keyboard, all at an affordable price point. Users will find that the audible and tactile feel of the clicky keys help their gameplay stay at a high level, while the cushioned membrane style action at the bottom of the keystroke will keep your fingers form pain or fatigue after hours of typing or gaming!
Overall, the Razer Ornata Chroma is HIGHLY recommended by us, is well worth it’s price, and is sure to enhance your gaming experience!
2. Logitech G213
- Dedicated Media Controls
- Spill Resistant
- Wrist Rest Is Plastic
- Not Mechanical
OUR RATING
The Logitech G213 Prodigy keyboard is an entry to mid level keyboard that includes a lot of features for it’s price point including RBG lighting, a wrist rest, and spill resistance.
The board has a slim body design that uses mech-dome key switches. This keyboard has RGB lighting support with 5 customizable zones that include 16.8 million colors. There is a palm rest built into the keyboard but it is non-removable, and there are dedicated media controls at the top left of the keyboard. The keyboard is also spill resistant so if you have an accident, you don’t have anything to worry about. The width of the keyboard is on the larger side (17.8 inches/approx 1 1/2 feet) especially with the non-removable keyboard so keep that in mind if your area is cramped. The cable is hardwired to the keyboard which means it’s fixed and non removable. The cable is braided and very thick, so it should not degrade over time. On the bottom of the keyboard you have 4 rubber pads and 2 stands which also have rubber tips on them, all helping keep the keyboard in place and preventing marks to your desk.
At the top left of the G213 Prodigy there is the Logitech G logo which illuminates with the rest of the keyboard. At the top right side you have your media controls including mute, volume up and down, play, stop, previous, and next track. The stop button is square shaped while all the others are round, making it easier to quickly recognize and use that button. Slightly left of the media controls there are 2 buttons. 1 button that disables all the illumination on the keyboard, a helpful function that might be used if you want your RGB lighting off during that day or while you’re watching a movie. The 2nd button is a gaming button that disables the windows key, this key is used to prevent the windows key accidentally being activated and causing unwanted results in your game. A very helpful function!
The Logitech G213 Prodigy has a software that allows you to program your keyboard in multiple ways. The software allows you to program all of the F keys to do whatever you want, literally any function you can do on a mouse or a keyboard you will be able to program to one key. This software is great because some people may be doubtful if this is going to be perfect for them because there’s no dedicated macro keys on the board (M1, M2, M3, etc), but once you have the ability with this software to remap the functions, obviously there’s no longer a worry! You can also add profiles so when you play certain games, you can have set key mappings and colored lighting for each game you play. You can do this manually or also click the ‘scan’ button and the software will search your game library for anything that Logitech has created a preset profile for and add that to your available profiles. Each of these pre made game profiles by Logitech are also fully customizable.
The keyboards software also allows you to customize the lighting. The first method available is editing the different zones. There are 5 options available, you can just select a color and then click the zone to change it. The available effects are fixed color, breathing effect, color cycle, and color wave.
The Logitech software also allows you to change what the joystick logo button at the top of the keyboard does. You can have it disable just the windows key or you can add on any other buttons to the function that you want to be disabled, so it’s nice to have a selection on what you can do with that button. Another function of the software is the heat map, which shows you which keys you press the most on the keyboard. A common use of this function would be to start the function before you play a game and then stop it when you’re done, and see which buttons you press the most. This gives you an idea if you want to remap any buttons or illuminate them differently, maybe you want W,A,S,D or other keys illuminated differently? Something to note about this keyboard is that it’s not the brightest illuminated. Some may prefer this and some may not, and will vary with each person.
Overall, the Logitech G213 Prodigy is a good value for the price, and is definitely worth considering for your next keyboard!
3. HyperX Alloy Elite
- Dedicated Media Controls
- RBG Lighting
- 3 Different Key Choices
- Wrist Rest Is Plastic
OUR RATING
The Hyperx Alloy Elite is a full size gaming keyboard that includes media keys, a volume knob, wrist rest, and 3 sets of Cherry MX keys to guarantee it feels the way YOU want it to.
The HyperX Alloy Elite looks very good. Red LED lights illuminate from the keys and have 6 options for lighting sequences. It’s also very sturdy, you can physically feel how durable the keyboard is when you hold it. The keys are smooth to the touch, but have a definite friction if you slide your fingers over them.
Above the typing area, there are media keys and a volume knob that is smooth but also has small notches with it’s movement so you can tell how much you’re actually raising/lowering the volume. A line of red accent light separates the typing area from the media area, this doesn’t have any mechanical function but definitely sets the keyboard aside from others and adds to the game feel. The keyboard comes with a detachable wrist rest that at first, may seem underwhelming and disappointing, but turns out to be just fine. The wrist rest is surprisingly comfortable, not too hard on the wrists, and has a cross texture the helps prevents your wrists from slipping. On the underside of the keyboard there are rubber squares at each corner the keep the board in place and to prevent any scratching to your desk surface. There are also two rubber feet that when flipped up, raise the top portion of the keyboard.
The HyperX Alloy Elite is designed for the gamer who doesn’t frequently travel to and from competitions, and is made to stay at home with your gaming setup. This keyboards heavy duty braided cable is non detachable and splits into 2 USB ports. One port powering the keyboard, and the 2nd port acting as a pass through. This means you can do things like plug your mouse directly into your keyboard, or charge a phone!
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