Now I have to say, I tend to have a love/hate relationship with keyboards, especially gaming keyboards. The "good" ones to me tend to be very chunky, big keys, etc. I keep thinking of an IBM Selectric typewriter, and if you don't know what that is then get off my lawn.
Now my daily computer is a MacBook Pro. I use the Magic Keyboard when docked and, well, it's a low profile keyboard that I like very much. Going from that to a pro-level mechanical gaming keyboard is really a shift. So here, Razer seems to have solved my dilemma. This is a low profile keyboard but it does have a positive response that is expected from a gaming keyboard. But it also straddles a line between pure gaming and pure general use. In that it works, and works well. Think of this as a keyboard that isn't 100% focused on the gaming.
Now then, about the functionality. It does what it's supposed to do, though some things are little absent. Media control buttons are just those...buttons. No scroll wheels or dials. Odd to me. Layout is generally as expected, and I'm old school enough to really want the ten key there. The clicking of the keys is a nice thing to me, as it does provide some positive feedback...the keyboard isn't as mushy as a purely membrane keyboard. It's not quite as positive though as purely mechanical either. Yes, I confirm the ad copy that this is a hybrid, which does require some compromise.
So this all said, lighting is in ZONES and not individual keys. This gets me a bit perturbed as I kind of like WASD to be set off from the rest of the keyboard. The zones are mostly decent, in that I mean the two right hand zones follow the format of the keyboard, but after that I'm not seeing a rhyme/reason to the zone borders. And yeah, you have to use Synapse/chroma for the functionality and colors. That is, well, I'm not reviewing Synapse but I'll say I have a love/hate relationship with it.
I like the wrist rest, and really recommend keeping it on there especially if you're using this as an everyday keyboard. I like having it there for general use, but in gaming I tend to remove it and rotate the keyboard slightly clockwise to make it more accessible with my left hand. It responds well enough for this amateur gamer. It has great build quality for the application, inasmuch as it's not designed to take a serious pounding but it IS sturdy enough to work well for most anything under that.
Responsiveness is similarly appropriate. It's wired only, so take that into account...you'll need a USB port.
So I like it. A lot. It's not a pro keyboard, but I'm not a pro. Accounting for the compromises, I don't see anything there that seriously impedes the mission of the product. Yeah, the zone lighting is a bit yuck, and the anti-ghosting...isn't there...but for shall we say motivated amateur use I like it a lot.
| Brand | Razer |
|---|---|
| Series | Ornata |
| Item model number | RZ03-04881900-R3M1 |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Item Weight | 2.61 pounds |
| Package Dimensions | 16.3 x 7.68 x 2.64 inches |
| Color | Hello Kitty |
| Power Source | Wired |
| Manufacturer | Razer |
| ASIN | B0D7Z4HJPN |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Date First Available | July 25, 2024 |
