Civ6 Razer Chroma App
The third entry in Razer's lineup of external graphics card enclosures, the Core X Chroma brings together the best of its previous options in a single package. Not only does it bring the RGB. Welcome to ChromaProfiles! We love sharing RΛZΞR Chroma lighting profiles. Jan 26, 2019. Moonlighter on PS4 — $19.99 at Amazon ($10 off); Civilization 6 on Switch. Razer BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma — $99.99 at.
External GPUs have ambition. Plug it in with a single cord, and you’ll transform your laptop into a top-tier gaming rig. In theory.
Razer has made these enclosures for years now, but its newest entry blends the best of its previous attempts into one sleek package. The Core X Chroma has the larger size and wattage capability of the X model, but reintroduces RGB lighting and USB ports. Taking the place of the Core V2, this new external GPU is the best of the breed.
Light it up
The Razer Core X Chroma looks identical to the previous Core X. Its black, machined aluminum and sturdy panels are designed with a fit and finish befitting Razer laptops.
It’s the same size, as well. About a foot long and a half a foot tall, it’s not unlike a small desktop tower sitting flat on your desk. Last year’s Core V2 was considerably smaller, but the Core X has a slightly larger 400-watt power supply, opposite the stock 120mm fan. The tray still easily slides out using the handle on the back. From there you have easy access to the PCIe slot. It’s a smart, simple design — as long as you don’t mistake the latch as a handle and accidentally lift it right out of the enclosure.
A Razer product without RGB just never felt quite right, but that’s been rectified. You’ll find Chroma lights, meaning they can be customized and programmed with Razer’s Synapse software. It’s the same lighting we saw on the Razer Core V2, and really shows of your GPU. Some light leaks under the bottom of the front panel, providing a nice, subtle, simple glow.
RGB lights might be the headline feature, but the more important update to the Core X Chroma is the extra USB ports on the back. Along the Thunderbolt 3 port used for connecting to your system, there are now two USB-A 3.2 ports, as well as HDMI and an additional USB-C. This matches what you get on the Core V2 and is a big step up over the original Core X, which only has a USB-C port.
These ports turn the Core X into a USB hub. You can have your monitor, mouse, keyboard, and external SSD all plugged into the Core X. You’re just one Thunderbolt 3 port away from accessing all these peripherals. It makes for a clean desk setup, and connecting is wonderfully simple.
But how does it perform?
The Razer Core X — and all external GPUs — face hurdles in performance. You can’t expect the same power you’d get from your RTX 2080 Ti when it’s plugged directly into a motherboard. There’s a significant percentage drop in performance, which should always be accounted for when considering an external GPU.
We tested the Core X Chroma in a couple of different scenarios. First, we slotted in an RTX 2080 Ti and hooked it up to a Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop. In that scenario, we saw a 31% decrease in performance compared to a desktop setup, both in 3DMark benchmarks and in gameplay. You can expect a similar drop no matter what card you choose. Games like World of Warcraft or Civilization VI, which tax the CPU a bit more than the GPU, see that difference cut down a bit.
In the case of our RTX 2080 Ti, the performance in the Core X Chroma was more comparable to an RTX 2080 Max-Q mobile card, though it depends on the game or benchmark. It’s 27% better in 3DMark’s TimeSpy benchmark than an RTX-powered laptop, while it’s actually beaten slightly by that same laptop in the older Fire Strike benchmark.
We also tried the Core X Chroma with a much smaller laptop, the Razer Blade Stealth. It turned a system that could barely get by in Fortnite into a monster gaming rig. The Stealth saw a 8% decrease in performance behind the Razer Blade, most notably because of the slower U-series processor. Even so, we dropped into Battlefield V and easily pushed 80 FPS (frames per second) on Ultra detail at 4K resolution.
None of this is any different than previous versions of the Core, though. The basic technology hasn’t changed. Still, playing Battlefield V in 4K on a tiny laptop feels amazing. Any laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 port will work, as will just about any graphics card you might have laying around, including brand new RTX 20-series cards or AMD’s Radeon VII.
One thing Razer did improve was stability. Plug-and-play was one of the big innovations of Thunderbolt 3 and the first crop of external GPUs. Since then, it’s only improved. The second I plugged in the USB-C, the fans whirled up, the RGB lights began to glow, and Windows 10 instantly recognized the card. After downloading some drivers and doing a quick restart, everything felt smooth. I could unplug and reconnect the Core X at will.
Proceed with caution
You’ll pay $400 for the Razer Core X Chroma, while the standard Core X is $300. That’s more expensive than a lot of options, especially those that include a graphics card inside. The Gigabyte Aorus Gaming Box, for example, includes a powerful RTX 2070 inside for just $649, while the Blackmagic eGPU is $699 and includes a weaker Radeon Pro 580.
The Razer Core X Chroma doesn’t fix any of the inherent issues with external graphics cards. They tack on an extra premium that makes the value slide compared to a traditional desktop gaming rig. The expense of modern GPUs only makes that premium more painful. The Core X Chroma’s $400 price is on top of a video card that’s going to set you back $300, $600, perhaps even $1,200 — if you opt for Nvidia’s RTX 2080 Ti.
What do you get for the premium? A dream. PC gamers have long wanted a do-it-all solution that combines excellent portability with desktop-like power. The Core X Chroma, and its siblings, finally deliver that, especially if you ever already got a Thunderbolt 3-powered laptop. You’ll feel a tingle of awe when you plug in your XPS 13 and play Battlefield V at 4K. It’s pure magic.
Editors' Recommendations
Sold and Shipped by Newegg
- Fully programmable slim Chiclet keys
- 10 key rollover in gaming mode
- Chroma lighting, 16.8 million color options
- Razer Synapse Enabled
- Overview
- Specifications
- Warranty & Returns
- Reviews
Learn more about DeathStalker Chroma
- Warranty
- Limited Warranty period (parts): 1 year
- Limited Warranty period (labor): 1 year
- Manufacturer Contact Info
- Manufacturer Product Page
- Website: http://www.razerzone.com
- Support Phone: 1-888-697-2037
- Support Email: support-us@razersupport.com
- Support Website
- Return Policies
- Return for refund within: 30 days
- Return for replacement within: 30 days
- This item is covered by Newegg.com's Standard Return Policy.
Pros: Works well and looks good
Cons: lighting failed after about 6 months which makes the keys hard to see.
Overall Review: Annoying that the lighting failed, but I love this keyboard anyways.
Cons: a bit of a grease magnet. nothing that a wipe can't fix though.
Overall Review: Fn button would've been great if added on the left side as well, you can't really adjust volume through keyboard with only one hand.
Razer logo in the middle would be nice to light up.
Pros: works as it should
will lite up even if computer is off
nice feel
low noise for a gaming keyboard
Cons: could have been built better. its a bit on the flimsy end
for a mid end keyboard i expected a sleeved cord (still a nice flexable cord tho
Overall Review: this was almost exactly what i was looking for in a keybord:
flat
colors
Razer Chroma Keyboard
Cons: The chroma software is not the same as if I had purchased the black widow. The chroma softwear only supports breathing, static, spectrum , and wave. The key component that most people love, ripple, does not work. That means you lose the effect of key striking and getting colors to ripple across the keyboard. This is the reason I purchased this keyboard and was bummed to find out the software does not support this. Razers website doesn't explain this at all.
Edit: 9 months later the back lighting dies it I touch the keyboard too hard. The keyboard is on a tray that slides out from the desk and if it jiggles too hard the back lighting dies. Cannot return out of warranty. Going to look at other brands now.
Overall Review: Hopefully software updates in the future will correct this. Maybe a rep can confirm this....
see edit
Pros: LEDs on keyboard are super customizable. Different sections can be different colors or even special effects. There are also a small handful of apps that utilize the keyboard LEDs. My favorite is the one that makes the keyboard light up to the sound of the music coming through the speakers.
The keys are very nice. They require a decent firm press, which is nice so you don't accidentally hit the wrong key, especially when gaming, and the spacing and layout is clean and functional.
The Razer software has a lot of programming options. Custom shortcuts, macros, etc are easy to set up and use.
Overall I love this keyboard. For gaming, some people have very specific things they are looking for such as additional macro keys. I myself do not want these. This is a professional looking keyboard that looks nice in an office set up or at home at your gaming station. But above all, the COLORS are amazing! I will definitely buy this keyboard again. 5 Eggs no sweat.
Cons: The only thing missing in the software is to switch the F keys to default to volume, play/pause, etc. You could likely do this in the settings manually, but it is a convenience thing I wish was there. Not nearly enough to deter me from owning this keyboard, it's fantastic.
Razer Chroma Modules
Overall Review: Saw some bad reviews so I needed to chime in. Of course a broken keyboard would be disappointing and needs to be replaced, but this keyboard is great for gamers or for those who want a high quality colorful keyboard.
I will repeat that the build quality, and quality of materials is impressive. The shape and design is clean, and every element is well thought out. It is a shame to return it.
Next, I'm not commenting on whether this key type (Chiclet) is ideal for gaming or not. If you prefer mechanical keys, this is not the board for you of course. Key feel, and general typing is exactly what you'd expect from this type of key switch.
One last unrelated bit on the Synapse software. Yes, you must have a Razer account for initial setup, and to ultimately store settings with Razer, but you can certainly put things in offline mode thereafter. I understand some of the concern around the Internet requirement, but don't believe it is a deal-breaker.
Pros: Les couleurs sont très bien et c'est le seul point positif que j'ai trouvé.
Cons: plsatique cheap ont sent qu'il renfonce quand on appui sur les touches.
le programme de base pour configurer les couleurs a des bug et pour téléchargé les différents setup d'autres utilisateur qui on créé ne fonctionne tout simplement pas!
s'allume et s'éteint tout seul quand l'ordinateur n'est pas allumé!
aucun port usb sur ce clavier.
impossible de configurer touche par touche comme exemple metre wasd en bleu et le reste blanc il faut débourser d'avantage pour de la qualité et des options.