Razer Ornata Chroma Gaming Keyboard: Hybrid Mechanical Key Switches - Customizable Chroma RGB Lighting - Individually Backlit Keys - Detachable Plush Wrist Rest - Programmable Macro Functionality

I wanted to improve my gaming setup and I wanted a Razer product with RGB Chroma and this gem caught my eye. It in fact has RGB Chroma, and the lighting is exceptional and has a lot of customization featured Razer Synapse. Unfortunately, like most Razer products, this keyboard doesnt have a USB port on the side which is personally fine by me seeing as I dont need one; just couldve been a useful feature to have. The keyboard is made out of a very quality plastic, and its got a bit of weight to it so I dont see this thing breaking any time soon. Now onto the the actual keys of the keyboard. It uses mecha-membrane technology which sounds a bit weird at first seeing how it combines standard keyboards and mechanical one, but Im LOVING it thus far. Ive used actual mechanical keyboards previously and theyre dandy and all, but I just really like typing and gaming with this keyboard. I notice my movement in game as fast as I can humanly react, and can press up to ten keys at once for whatever reason. The keyboard also features mid-height key caps, meaning your responses are registered faster due to them being lower down. Another neat feature that this keyboard includes is the ability to enable gaming mode and this basically disables the windows key at the bottom of your keyboard so you dont accidentally exit the game, also giving the option to disable ALT-F4 and ALT-TAB. Last but not least, it includes the magnetic arm rest for when youre typing an essay for example or even this review (haha), its like a pillow for your arms. In total, great purchase and I dont hope to encounter any problems with this keyboard in the future.

After using it my Dota2 mmr is increasing lol

I didn’t think it would be as bad as some of the reviews said it was but it definitely requires a lot of pressure to press the keys. It’s literally just like pressing buttons lol uncomfortable and awkward and for what I play I need to have quick key inputs wish I could detach my laptop screen from its keyboard because I like the fluidity of the keys. My fault for cheaping out I guess. It’s more like an office keyboard than a gaming one

Ive only had this keyboard for a few hours, but its wonderful to use. Im a longtime membrane-keyboard user, and despite using a mechanical keyboard for several weeks after my previous one broke, I just couldnt get into loving one. For me, keys on a mechanical keyboard feel too stiff and difficult to press, even with the high-quality Corsair I was using. It fatigued my hands and fingers, and this is a no-go when you make your living off of typing. This keyboard is an excellent middle ground between a membrane keyboard and a mechanical one. I personally would say its closer to a membrane keyboard than a mechanical one, but I honestly like that about it. The keys are much easier to press than a mechanical keyboard, and they make a quiet, satisfying clicking noise, but still feel closer to membrane than mechanical. When I bought this keyboard, it was on sale for $60, and I may not have bought it if it wasnt on sale. Its clearly a budget keyboard with a plastic housing and keys (albeit very well-made), and Im still not sold on whether its worth the full price of $100. However, as its a Razer, you do pay the price a little bit for the premium brand name. I took one star away from its ergonomics because the wrist rest is a bit high compared to the Corsair I was using, but its softness mostly makes up for that. I have not yet used it for gaming, but I anticipate it being excellent for that, too. If youre a Razer fan that isnt quite willing to jump on the mechanical train yet, I would highly recommend this keyboard.

The keyboard has a soft touch feeling. The clicking sound is not loud. Very nice one!

Top half of this review is an overall performance overview. Bottom half is an update about quality control and slow replacement issues that made me change this from a 4- to a 3-star review. I didnt purchase this keyboard for gaming, just straight typing. I work in transcription and have many of the same problems gamers do. I type faster when the keyboard gives me the right tactile feedback, it cant be too loud, the key spacing needs to be on-point, and even ghosting is a problem. The Ornata is one of the best keyboards Ive ever used and has noticeably increased my productivity. Key Feel: Im a heavy-handed typist, meaning membrane is generally easier for me to use. However, I love a good click. Having a tickity-tack sensation with depression helps me stay in the zone while I type. When Im not working, I type fastest on my Macbook Pro keyboard. Macbook keyboards are a sort of membrane/mechanical hybrid like the Ornata, which is the biggest reason I went with it. You get that click while still having gentler touch. The Ornata has a more aggressive click than a Macbook keyboard, but its still that hybrid sensation. Key Height: The Ornata advertises itself as a mid-profile key on the Razer website (I dont know why all the professional reviews call it low profile; it definitely isnt even by gaming keyboard standards). I liked that idea. With low-profile keys (and especially full-on chiclets), it can be too easy to hit multiple keys at once when typing at max speed. However, the keys on the Ornata float above the profile of the keyboard base. The end effect definitely isnt as dramatic as high profile keys, but its still on the higher side. I expected something shorter. Key height can play a big role in hand fatigue, especially if youre a heavy-handed typist. If they set the keys even a little bit into the base of the keyboard, or make them just a touch shorter, it would be closer to mid-profile. The trade-off you get for this key seating is easier cleaning (see Cleaning down below). Anti-Ghosting: When typing quickly, I often have a problem where Im hitting the next key in a sequence before my finger has fully disengaged the previous key. On every other keyboard Ive ever used, this means ghosting. Id get thes instead of these and so forth. The Ornata prevents that, and it significantly improves my work efficiency. I spend less time correcting the thes and tht and thougs I normally have to deal with. Key Volume: Id rate this as a mid-volume key. Its much quieter 15-year-old, out of the box desktop mechanicals that pretty much go THUMPITY-WHACKITY, but its nowhere near as quiet as my Macbook. I can still transcribe without the key volume making it hard to hear my files, but a friend of mine who works on the phone noted that their customers would absolutely be able to hear their typing. To me, the volume is too loud for a hybrid key. It seems like its making an effort to make a sound. I think thats what bugs me the most about it. Its inorganic; it doesnt feel native to the key feel. If it was even the same volume but less sharp of a sound, it would be great. If youre looking for a stealthy keyboard, this definitely isnt it. Programability: TBA. I havent messed with this yet, but I use a number of macros while I work. Ill update this review after Ive fiddled with it. The one thing I will say is that the keyboard updates are a mild annoyance. Your keyboard will stop working until you restart your computer, which I found out the hard way. As an aside, the Synapse software frequently leaves a lot to be desired. Im on the beta for the new version. It works better, but the upgraded main interface is enormous, slow loading, and ugly. Lots of negative space for no good reason. It also lacks the customization capabilities you would expect. Everything about the keyboard is customizable, but you cant customize the interface to only show the options you use. The Chroma (color-change) customization screen is still awkward to use, though it works much, much better than it used to. Color & Color Programming: Phenomenal. The color is just icing for me, but it makes my work day a lot more interesting. Its rich and lovely with a good color-to-color shift. There are a few problems with programming it. The first is that the software needs work, though the beta of the new Synapse works much better than the old one. I still have problems with the keyboard abruptly resetting the color cycle to default after updates. Cleaning: Someone asked a question about this and made me realize this keyboard is absurdly easy to clean. I have dogs that shed nonstop; fur tends to build up between keys in other keyboards. Because of the floating set and spacing of the keys, I dont get as much fur between the keys, and what does get in is a cinch to get out. I can tease pretty much anything that falls between the keys out with just a napkin or my nails. It would be effortless to clean up with canned air or just a paintbrush. Even if something was stuck to the membrane, you could dampen a Q-tip or a stiff paintbrush and get it right off. Overall, definitely recommend for heavy-handed typists that have a need for speed and accuracy. I knocked off a star for it overcompensating on the click loudness and the keys being taller than they should be for true mid-height. UPDATE, reduced from 4 to 3 stars: After having the keyboard for about eight months, the LEDs started glitching out. Razer customer service personnel is fantastic; Ive dealt with them twice now, and theyre great. I sent my original keyboard back to Razer for a replacement. I appreciated free shipping both ways, but it was ground. It took almost a month between shipping it to them and getting my replacement. Six months after I received my replacement, the black coating is starting to wear off the center of my space bar. I have a .5 inch section where its totally worn off an a 2 inch section where it has a heavy gloss from wearing down and is about to wear off. I had a shoddy laptop keyboards coating last a good five years longer than this. The weird thing is that this didnt even happen on my last Ornata after six months of an equal amount of use. I contacted Razer customer service. I got prompt, professional replies, and the agent checked with a particular department about my issue. Unfortunately, this is considered normal wear and tear, and my warranty is considered to be from my original purchase date. Razer does offer replacement key caps, but they were out of stock when I contacted customer service. Youd think a gaming keyboard would have key coatings tough enough to withstand heavy, rapid key press abuse. Just six months is pretty pathetic. This could be a quality control flub, but if so, the Ornata definitely has QC issues; this marks the second time something has gone wrong with a brand new Ornata within less than a year. If this were a $30 keyboard, I wouldnt care so much. But you cant have a $100 MSRP on a keyboard and have quality issues like this, let alone replacement shipping thats as slow as it is.

I have been using the original Ornata for over 3 years now, it works as expected. I have experience with true mechanical keyboards using blue and brown switches. The Ornata is definitely closer to the blue but quieter. Almost like a blue switch with the little o-ring silencers installed. However I wouldnt say its silent. Its definitely still got a bit of that mechanical sound and feel. What I like is that it has low profile key caps. I prefer laptop style keyboards but Im still fine with the Ornata. The backlighting and customization is fairly easy to use but it is a bit disconcerting when the LEDs are completely off. I prefer to use a solid dark red color without any other fancy blinking or effects. Although I am not a super hardcore gamer, COVID quarantine has me gaming a bit more than before. Its still holding up however I have noticed wear and tear on the left side of the wrist rest. I believe my watch has been rubbing on it heavily since I used the WASD keys a lot. Speaking of the wrist rest, it only connects magnetically and I wish it was a stronger connection. Seems to come off too easily.

i loved the design and over all quality but the clicking sounds it makes when you type a key is kind of annoying but mostly you get used to it and now i kind of like the clicky sound but at first you will probably think its to loud also i like how the ramp up to the keyboard is magnetic instead of the usual attaching ones that break easily

My son had a cheaper gaming keyboard that served him well for about a year, but he really wanted a better one. He did his research and chose this one. He really likes the customizable lighting options, and he loves the keyboard. He was used to his previous wrist rest, so hes not currently using the one that came with the keyboard (which is nice, being that it attaches /w magnets). It is not issue free - the rubber feet on the bottom of the keyboard just arent quite thing enough / grippy enough, so it moves on the desk. It did it less so with the wrist rest attached. We cut a piece of yoga mat to fit under it, and its solid now. The first keyboard we bought had the K and L keys reversed. Although it operated fine, we requested a return and ordered another one. It may have been possible to remove and switch them... but its not recommended. The second came faster than the first, and the refund was issued the day we got the new one. So all is well.

The keyboard itself is of a great quality and much quieter than traditional mechanical keyboards. If youre not somebody that cares exactly what kind of colored switch the keyboard has and what those colored switches do, and you just want a neat keyboard thats good for gaming, then this is a solid choice. The wrist rest stays attached to the keyboard by some weak magnets, and surprisingly doesnt move unless youre really trying to get it to. In other words, it slides off easy when youre trying to slide it off, but it stays on and doesnt move when youre not trying to. Before I built my new computer I was mostly used to a membrane style keyboard, and at the time of building I bought a cheap mechanical keyboard (the Redragon Kumara w/ no backlights), but over the past couple months I was thinking I should get a keyboard that lights up so I can see it while playing games in the dark, quieter typing/playing, and has a number pad, so this was a perfect fit that wasnt overtly expensive. On top of that, based on my preference and frequent use of a membrane keyboard before getting the new keyboard, this one feels so much better and familiar than the mechanical keyboard I was using before. I also had a strange problem while playing games like CSGO where I accidentally would hit the Windows key when trying to crouch or the tilde key (which opens the console) while switching weapons (to the point where I outright took those keys off). This hasnt happened at all with this keyboard, but that probably has more to do with my familiarity with membrane keyboards by comparison than a problem with my previous keyboard. However, the reason I didnt give this five stars in spite of all the good things I feel for this keyboard, is because of the Razer Synapse software youre supposed to use with it. Ive read on other reviews that the keyboard lights will stop working briefly or theyll lose their custom settings because of this software, and I figured it couldnt be that bad. But as it turns out, it can be that bad, over the past couple days Ive had this keyboard Ive had the lights stop working occasionally and sometimes during those occurrences my keyboard wont accept input, and I can only imagine that has something to do with the software the keyboard runs with rather than something with my computer or the keyboard itself (considering that its brand new). Yesterday afternoon I booted up my computer to see that my keyboard lights werent reflecting my settings, so I opened the software to see if I could access or remake them, but I couldnt actually find the menu I was using the day before to set them, and it was almost as if the software wasnt recognizing the keyboard anymore. The program never prompted me for any updates, and I even checked manually in the settings, so I figured I should probably just uninstall it and install a different version. But after going into the Apps and Features menu and accessing the programs interface to uninstall it, it says in bold letters UPDATE AVAILABLE, so I clicked that instead of uninstall and after applying the update, my keyboard settings were loaded immediately. That aside, I felt that creating the custom settings was a bit of a hassle and strangely vague, so it quickly became a headache to use. About an hour after I managed to set the keyboard lights how I wanted, except for the fact that I couldnt apply any lights to the arrow keys, no matter what effects I tried or how I tried them, I just couldnt get any settings to apply to them, so as it stands theyre the only unlit part of my keyboard. Theres also some applications on Razers website to integrate the keyboard with Discord or games like CounterStrike and Overwatch, or you can even play Snake on your keyboard if youre that bored. Overall, this is worth a buy if you want a good hybrid keyboard for a decent price, but the Razer software can be a bit of a pain to deal with. Also, if anybodys wondering whether or not this would fit on an extended mouse/desk pad, this keyboard fits perfectly on the