Razer Ornata Chroma vs. Ornata V2 vs. BlackWidow V3: Differences and Reviews 2024
Gaming keyboards are one of the crucial peripherals used by PC enthusiasts when indulging in competitive video games or regular tasks. Razer is one of the biggest names in the world when it comes to gaming, having created many award-winning gaming keyboards over the years, from low-end rubber dome versions to premium ones with patented optical switches. No matter what your budget and needs, you can find a good option. The Razer Ornata Chroma, Ornata V2 and BlackWidow V3 are three of the most discussed gaming keyboards of late, you may want to know the difference between them and which one is more suitable for your need. In this guide, I will make a detailed comparison between Razer Ornata Chroma, Ornata V2 and BlackWidow V3 to help you make right decision.
Razer Ornata Chroma vs. Ornata V2 vs. BlackWidow V3: Overview
| #1 Razer Ornata Chroma
Google Users Rating: 4.7/5
Razer: $99.99 (up to 2% cashback)
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Reviews: The Razer Ornata Chroma is a great gaming keyboard that uses proprietary hybrid switches. It combines the best of both membrane rubber domes and mechanical switches to deliver a typing experience unlike anything before. While traditional rubber dome keyboards are known for their soft cushioned touch, they fail to deliver accurate tactility due to their mushy feel and lack of actuation control. On the other hand, mechanical switches deliver fast actuations and distinct tactile feedback but cause fatigue during extended gaming sessions.The Razer Ornata Chroma features a custom designed keycap that has been made shorter to reduce the time it takes for your actions to register, allowing your fingers to move freely between each key without missing a single stroke.
The individually backlit keys are powered by Razer Chroma with 16.8 million customizable color options. With interactive in-game effects, you’ll experience more immersive gameplay as your keyboard reacts to your game. This Razer Ornata Chroma gaming keyboard has anti-ghosting technology that allows up to 10 keys to be pressed simultaneously for successful game play. You can also easily set macros on any keys. Like most models, the Razer Ornata Chroma comes with a comfortable wrist rest. By attaching the wrist rest to the front, you reduce hand fatigue when using the keyboard.
PROS | CONS |
Ergonomic wrist rest | Limited features |
Razer Hybrid Mecha-Membrane Technology | Hybrid keys add nothing |
Mid-Height Keycaps for Faster Actuations | |
Razer Chroma Customizable Lighting With Full 16.8 Million Customizable Color Options | |
10-key roll over | |
Fully programmable keys with on the fly macro recording | |
Dedicated Gaming Mode | |
Anti-ghosting capability for up to 10 simultaneous key presses |
| #2 Razer Ornata V2
Google Users Rating: 4.7/5
Bestbuy: $99.99 (up to 0.5% cashback)
Reviews: The Razer Ornata V2 is a great full-sized gaming keyboard. It's the replacement of the Razer Ornata Chroma and comes with the same Razer Hybrid Mecha-Membrane switches. These are considered a hybrid between mechanical and rubber dome switches; they offer the same tactile feedback as a mechanical switch, but like some rubber dome switches, they require a bit of force to actuate. The difference is that the Razer Ornata V2 features new dedicated media keys, scroll wheel for volume control, and new software enhancements. The cable routing has also been adjusted, the Razer Ornata V2 gaming keyboard is designed with grooves that allow you to neatly tuck in its cable and feed it out in any direction, so you can keep your desktop clear of clutter and mess.
With 16.8 million colors and a suite of effects to choose from, the Razer Ornata V2 gaming keyboard not only has deep customization, but offers greater immersion with dynamic lighting effects as you game on Chroma-integrated titles.The soft, cushioned support magnetically snaps to the gaming keyboard and is perfectly aligned to relieve pressure on your wrists, making it more comfortable to game over long periods. You can game more efficiently by mapping your desired functions via Razer Synapse 3, and tweak the gaming keyboard to suit your playstyle by creating and saving unique profiles and macros.
PROS | CONS |
Mixes membrane and mechanical switches | Hybrid Mecha-Membrane switches require a bit of force to actuate |
Plush leatherette ergonomic wrist rest | Not that many new or updated features |
Multi-function Digital Wheel and Media Keys | |
Full RGB Chroma support with Razer Synapse | |
N-key rollover | |
Gaming mode option | |
Cable routing options | |
Fully programmable keys with on the fly macro recording |
| #3 Razer BlackWidow V3
Google Users Rating: 4.5/5
Razer: $139.99(up to 2% cashback)
Bestbuy: $79.99 (up to 0.5% cashback)
Reviews: The Razer BlackWidow V3 delivers the same premium experience as the company’s higher-end gaming keyboards at a more affordable price. It's a wired variant of the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro. You can choose Razer Green Mechanical Switches or Razer Yellow Mechanical Switches. Green Mechanical Switches offer optimized actuation and reset points for better precision and performance when gaming. With no tactile bump and include sound dampeners to reduce its already low sound profile even further, Yellow Mechanical Switches provide a good typing experience.
Its completely clear design provides brighter RGB lighting to display the true brilliance of what Razer Chroma™ RGB can do—from deep lighting customizations to greater immersion as it dynamically reacts with over 150 integrated games. The sturdy wrist support perfectly aligns to the keyboard to relieve pressure on your wrists, so you feel less fatigued when gaming over long periods. This mechanical gaming keyboard is designed with grooves that allow you to neatly tuck in its cable and feed it out in any direction, so you can keep your desktop clear of clutter and mess. You can set macros to any key with the Razer Synapse 3 software. While it works with Linux and macOS, the customization software is available on Windows only.
PROS | CONS |
Full-Sized Keyboard | No dedicated macro keys |
Ergonomic wrist rest | Razer Green switches can cause accidental typos |
Razer Green switches are great for gaming | |
Customizable backlighting with 16.8 million color options | |
On-the-Fly Macro Recording | |
Multi-function Digital Roller and Media Key | |
N-Key Rollover | |
Integrated hybrid memory and cloud storage for up to 5 profiles |
Razer Ornata Chroma vs. Ornata V2 vs. BlackWidow V3: Detailed Comparison
Before diving into my in-depth discussion, look at the table below to get a key specs of them.
Razer Ornata Chroma | Razer Ornata V2 | Razer BlackWidow V3 | |
Dimensions | |||
Height | 1.3" (3.2 cm) | 1.2" (3.1 cm) | 1.7" (4.2 cm) |
Width | 18.1" (46.0 cm) | 18.1" (45.9 cm) | 17.8" (45.1 cm) |
Depth | 6.1" (15.4 cm) | 6.1" (15.4 cm) | 6.1" (15.4 cm) |
Depth With Wrist Rest | 9.3" (23.7 cm) | 9.4" (23.8 cm) | 9.1" (23.1 cm) |
Weight | 1.83 lbs (0.830 kg) | 1.98 lbs (0.900 kg) | 2.21 lbs (1.002 kg) |
Build Quality Close Up | ABS | ABS | ABS |
Ergonomics | |||
Board Design | Straight | Straight | Straight |
Minimum Incline | 3° | 0° | 4° |
Medium Incline | N/A | 5° | 6° |
Maximum Incline | 7° | 8° | 8.5° |
Wrist Rest | Detachable | Detachable | Detachable |
Backlighting | |||
Backlighting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Color | RGB | RGB | RGB |
Individually Backlit Keys | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Color Mixing | Great | Great | Great |
Effects | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Programmable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cable & Connector | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired | Wired |
Detachable | No | No | No |
Length | 6.9 ft (2.1 m) | 6.9 ft (2.1 m) | 6.4 ft (2.0 m) |
Connector (Keyboard side) | Not Detachable | Not Detachable | Not Detachable |
Wireless Versatility | |||
Bluetooth | No | No | No |
Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing | No | No | No |
Proprietary Receiver | No | No | No |
Battery Type | No Batteries | No Batteries | No Batteries |
Extra Features | |||
Media Keys | Hot Keys | Dedicated | Dedicated |
Macro Programmable Keys | All | All | All |
Trackpad / Trackball | No | No | No |
Wheel | No | Yes | Yes |
USB Passthrough | No | No | No |
Numpad | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Windows Key Lock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Lock Indicator | Caps, Scroll & Num lock | Caps, Scroll & Num lock | Caps, Scroll & Num lock |
Keystrokes | |||
Key Switches | Razer Mecha- Membrane | Razer Mecha- Membrane | Razer Yellow |
Mechanical | No | No | Yes |
Feel | Clicky | Clicky | Linear |
Operating Force | 60 gf | 61 gf | 43 gf |
Actuation Force | 38 gf | 41 gf | 41 gf |
Pre-Travel | 2.5 mm | 2.5 mm | 1.4 mm |
Total Travel | 3.4 mm | 3.4 mm | 3.6 mm |
Typing Noise | Loud | Loud | Quiet |
Latency | |||
Latency Wired | 11.4 ms | 10.1 ms | 1.7 ms |
Latency Receiver | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Latency Bluetooth | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Software & Programming | |||
Software Name | Razer Synapse 3 | Razer Synapse 3 | Razer Synapse 3 |
Account Required | No | No | No |
Profiles | 6+ | 6+ | 6+ |
Onboard Memory | No | No | Yes |
Cloud Sync | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Macro Programming | Software | Software and Onboard | Software and Onboard |
Ease Of Use | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Software Windows Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Software macOS Compatible | No | No | No |
Keyboard Compatibility | |||
Windows | Full | Full | Full |
macOS | Partial | Partial | Partial |
Linux | Partial | Partial | Partial |
Android | No | No | No |
iOS | No | No | No |
iPadOS | No | No | No |
Design & Build Quality
All the three are full-size gaming keyboards. The overall build of both the Razer Ornata Chroma and the Ornata V2 is made from plastic that doesn't feel too premium. But on the upside, both of themcome with with a very nice and comfortable wrist rest. The Razer BlackWidow V3 has excellent build quality, similar to the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro. It's also mostly made of plastic, and it has a matte black aluminum top plate that exhibits little flex. The doubleshot ABS keycaps are good quality and slightly textured.
Ergonomics
All the three keyboards have good ergonomics. The Razer Ornata Chroma and Razer Ornata V2's lower profile of the keycaps makes typing smooth and feels like a hybrid between a regular mechanical and a chiclet keyboard. The Razer Ornata Chroma comes with a nice and plushy magnetic wrist rest, while the Razer Ornata V2 comes with a detachable wrist rest, which is also fairly plushy and comfortable. Compared to the single one available on the Razer Ornata Chroma, The Razer Ornata V2 has two incline settings. The Razer BlackWidow V3 is a straight board design that has two inclines. It comes with a hard wrist rest instead of a padded one. You can place below the keyboard, but it doesn't attach to it since there aren't any connectors.
Backlighting All the three gaming keyboards has amazing RGB backlighting. You can easily customize it with the Razer Synapse 3 software on a per-key basis and set different effects. You can also control the brightness directly on the keyboard with the function keys.
All keys of the three keyboards are programmable. The Razer Synapse software offers a good amount of customization with these keyboards, whether it's key-remapping or RGB lighting. It is worthing mentioned that the Razer BlackWidow V3 has onboard memory, you can create as many custom profiles as you want and save up to four of them to the onboard memory. Howerver, both Razer Ornata Chroma and Ornata V2 don't have onboard memory.
Typing Experience
The Razer Ornata Chroma and Razer the Ornata V2 features Razer's unique mecha-membrane switches, the overall typing quality of is good. However, these aren't real mechanical switches and feel a lot more like typical rubber dome switches. They offer clicky feedback, which tries to imitate the feeling of a mechanical switch. While it feels comfortable to type on, the actuation point is quite farther than other mechanical keyboards, which might not feel as responsive when gaming.
The BlackWidow V3 has the Green Mechanical Switches or Yellow Mechanical Switches to choose from. The Razer Yellow switches are linear and silent. They don't require a lot of force to actuate, thanks to their low operating force, and their short pre-travel distance should feel responsive for gaming. But the linear Razer Yellow switches don't provide tactile feedback, which might cause unintentional keystrokes if you're not used to them. If you prefer a tactile feel, you can choose Razer Green switches. Green Mechanical Switches offer optimized actuation and reset points for better precision and performance when gaming. All in all, the Razer BlackWidow V3 has greater typing quality than The Razer Ornata Chroma and Razer the Ornata V2.
Keyboard Compatibility The three keyboards has decent compatibility overall. The software is available on Windows, making these keyboard fully compatible and customizable on this operating system, but it's not available on macOS or Linux, which is unfortunate. So you can't customize any settings. However, all keys should still work properly, except for the Pause Break and Scroll Lock on macOS.
Razer Ornata Chroma vs. Ornata V2 vs. BlackWidow V3: Verdict
The Razer Ornata Chroma and Ornata V2 offer nearly identical features. Both of them feature mecha-membrane keys. The typing experience feel fairly similar. Thanks to the mecha-membrane keys, the Razer Ornata Chroma and Ornata V2 work for both typing and gameplay. Such universal nature is useful if you need to relax while working, with no need to switch keyboards.The main difference bewteen them is that the Razer Ornata V2 has dedicated media keys with a volume wheel. So If you prefer having dedicated media keys, the Razer Ornata V2 is the better option.
If you game a lot and with variety, I recommend you to choose Razer BlackWidow V3. While the Mecha Mechanical keys get the game done, they're nowhere near as good as a decent set of mechanical switches. In addition, The Blackwidow V3 has onboard memory for you to save custom profiles whichwill bring you greater gaming experience.
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