Mechanical RGB Keyboards are all the rage these days but there are many who can’t afford the heft price tag that comes with them. Luckily Razer has unleashed the Cynosa Chroma upon the world, bringing affordable, per-key RGB lighting to the masses. It may not have mechanical switches but that doesn’t stop the Cynosa from delivering a quality keyboard packed with RGB goodness to the masses. Read on to see our review of the Razer Cynosa Chroma keyboard.
Specifications
- Soft cushioned gaming-grade keys
- Individually customizable backlit keys
- Razer Chroma backlighting with 16.8 million customizable color options
- Razer Synapse enabled
- 10 key roll-over with anti-ghosting
- Spill-resistant durable design
- Fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording
- Gaming mode option
- 1000Hz Ultrapolling
When Razer says soft cushioned gaming-grade keys, what they mean is that this is a membrane keyboard. What that means is that the keys are going to feel a little… squishy. The actuation is stiffer than you’d find on a mechanical keyboard but I want to stress that this doesn’t mean it’s bad – it’s just different. After an hour or so of use my fingers were used to the stiffer keys and typing was a breeze just like it is on my mechanical keyboards.
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I could talk about the keys, the design, etc. but there really isn’t a whole lot to say. It’s a pretty standard Razer design, delivering the user with a handsome keyboard that, despite the lack of metal framing and plates, feels like a quality keyboard. The underside of the top plate is a nice white color that accentuates the under-key lighting brilliantly, allowing colors to blend together between keys for smooth transitions.
Speaking of the backlighting, that’s where this keyboard shines. Per-key backlighting on a keyboard in this price range is a very hard find and coupled with a powerful software like Razer Synapse it’s almost unheard of. This is a keyboard for people who want the power of customization without the wallet-emptying price tag that comes with it. Razer Synapse features a wonderful set of preset lightings that are fully customizable and can even be layered on top of each other to create truly unique lighting experiences for the user. I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with the lighting capabilities.
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On top of being able to customize your own lighting profiles, Razer Synapse also works with a variety of games and heightens your gaming experience. With Diablo 3 Season 12 starting I got my first taste of this when, to my surprise, my keyboard went fully red and highlighted my ability keys in white. Even better it wasn’t long before I noticed that the lighting on the keyboard was tracking the cooldown of my abilities. Now I don’t look at my keyboard a lot when I’m gaming but I have to admit that this is a really cool feature that I wish developers would integrate into more games.
One drawback of the Razer Cynosa for some will be the lack of dedicated macro keys. A lot of us have become very accustomed to the five macro keys on the left side of the keyboard and for me they are very much missed. That being said, you do you have the standard media controls accessed with the Fn key and F1-F12, which lights up white whenever you push the Fn key. This may not be the coolest feature ever but it does demonstrate attention to detail you would expect from a keyboard with a much higher price tag.
Overall, the Razer Cynosa Chroma is the keyboard to get if you want the customization that comes with a Synapse enabled keyboard, without the painful price tag it’s usually accompanied with.
Pros
- Per-key RGB
- Customizable profiles
- Game integration
- Price
Cons
- No macro keys
The product discussed in this review was provided by the manufacturer.
