I am trying to find a reliable and fully programmable keyboard (all keys programmable and reassignable, with the possible exception of a (set of) key(s) dedicated to controlling the programming process, choosing a profile, or adjusting backlight brightness if applicable). This means main keyboard (QWERTY), function keys (Esc, F1..F12), middle keys (PgUp, Insert, Delete, Left, Right, &c), number pad, &c. This also means that if I want to rearrange any of the keys, like swapping Ctrl and CapsLock, it’s supported. A feature to be able to temporarily disable Window, Mouse, Menu buttons would also be nice.
I don’t use macros much, but if they are supported, it would be preferable that they can be assigned to (almost) any key as well. Additional keys for macro use are acceptable but not obligatory.
Since I do occasionally play games, and prefer mouse + keyboard (I’m left handed, so I prefer to use the numeric pad instead of WASD and friends) so full N-key rollover (or at least support for ten or more keys down at the same time) is important.
Backlighting of the keys would be welcome, full layout RGB is preferable here (region RGB I would probably only use as single colour), but single colour is acceptable. However, backlighting must be able to be dimmed or disabled completely, preferably from the keyboard itself, I would rather do without any backlighting than to be unable to dim it or turn it off when necessary. The ability to automatically dim after an interval of non-use would also be welcome.
The keyboard can require a utility program to configure (Windows or Linux would be a reasonable OS for this), but the entire configuration (mappings, macros, backlight, other settings) must be implemented on the keyboard itself, not in some resident driver or daemon, and it must remain intact across power cycles, and be functional in any OS -- even one that does not have an explicit driver for the keyboard. I use multiple operating systems and a keyboard that does not implement its configuration on the keyboard itself is practically useless to me. Ideally the utility would be able to deal with the keyboard across a KVM switch.
I want something of high quality and durability. I’m a little rough on keyboards and work in a fairly dusty environment, so I end up having keyboards fail because some critical key stops working properly (rather than an overall failure). Dust and even spill resistance would definitely be a plus. It would be nice to finally buy a modern keyboard that lasts more than a year or so.
With all this in mind, does Razer offer a model that covers what I need? Which model(s)? I can not tell from the website whether my requirement for the configuration being stored on the keyboard is met, nor whether the ability to remap/reassign (almost) all keys is supported, nor whether the keyboard requires a resident driver to be anything more than a paperweight (or at best a basic unprogrammable keyboard). Again, needing a setup utility to configure the keyboard is not a problem, but needing some proprietary software to be running full time in order for the keyboard to work as I need it to work IS a problem.
Thank you.