Should you buy the Razer BlackWidow or the BlackWidow Elite?

What's the difference between the two?

With the regular BlackWidow, you don't lose much compared to the BlackWidow Elite, but what exactly are the differences. Simply put, with the BlackWidow Elite you get this little lot over the regular BlackWidow.

• A choice of green, orange or yellow switches.
• Dedicated media keys and multi-function dial.
• An included wrist rest.

If you're a returning Razer keyboard buyer then the choice of switch may matter more to you. For folks who are either new or aren't as picky, the Razer Green switches are the ones you want. They have superb feel, a super satisfying clicking sound, and combined with Razer's newest, reinforced key caps it's a dream to both type and game on.

While the regular BlackWidow doesn't have dedicated media keys, the features are still there as alternative operations on the function keys. The only flat out omission is the dial.

And as for the wrist rest, it's not all doom and gloom. It would have been nice for Razer to toss one in, but you can buy it separately for $20 if you want it.

Almost all the bells and whistles

Aside from a few hardware features, the two are almost identical. The regular BlackWidow benefits from all the software bells and whistles, which includes HyperShift for adding secondary functions and macros to any key on the keyboard.

You have full Chroma lighting support, too, and all the colors, effects and integrations that comes with it. Whether reacting to your favorite game or hooking up with your Philips Hue lighting, Chroma has many pleasant surprises.

A much better price

The BlackWidow is also a much better price than the BlackWidow Elite. Unless you are 100% wanting different color key switches or those media controls, it's hard to recommend it over the regular model.

It's hardly a budget keyboard, but the price to performance is exceptional. The BlackWidow is Razer's most popular keyboard for a reason, and the legend lives on in the latest one.