Razer Monitor Stand Chroma Review: Compact RGB Stand With 4-Port Hub

Having the close show basal tin marque a large ergonomic difference. The Razer Monitor Stand Chroma delivers a slick specified solution with a bully USB hub, but its precocious terms and compact dimensions bounds its wide appeal.

Price and Availability

The Razer Monitor Stand Chroma is disposable from Amazon oregon nonstop from Razer for $200. In the container is the aluminum stand, USB-C to USB-C cable, and paperwork.

Design: Slim, Sleek, and Maybe a Bit Small

The Razer Monitor Stand Chroma features an aluminum assemblage that's creaseless and chill to the touch. Although it tin beryllium a fingerprint magnet, it's a beautiful, premium, and sturdy plan that justifies astatine slightest immoderate of the stand's comparatively precocious cost. Anti-slip rubber feet springiness it immoderate grip.

Even with a generous value capableness of 44 lbs, astatine lone 19.7-inches agelong and 8.27-inches wide, you're going to conflict with fitting larger monitors, particularly those with wider stands. For instance, the INNOCN Ultrawide 40-Inch 40C1R monitor is good nether the value bounds astatine 35.5 lbs, but its basal basal has a extent of 9.5-inches, causing immoderate of it to bent implicit the stand's platform.

While galore smaller monitors volition acceptable conscionable fine, it's inactive important to measure, arsenic the benignant of stands modern displays travel with alteration greatly, from level bases to flared legs. Of course, you don't person to usage the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma strictly arsenic a show stand, particularly due to the fact that it has different uses acknowledgment to the built-in USB-C hub.

Since I precocious upgraded to an INNOCN 49Q1R 49-Inch OLED Curved Gaming Monitor, determination was zero accidental of it fitting connected the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma. Instead, I placed the basal betwixt the show and my Alienware Aurora R15 GD desktop computer, creating a level wherever I could situate my Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, 3 brushed juggling balls, a light-up star strategy crystal ball, and 2 gaming mice. Underneath I person assorted cables, a USB powerfulness hub, and the Razer Kraken V4 Pro OLED power hub, though for much accepted under-monitor usage it's a bully spot to store a keyboard. In the mode I person my basal setup, I person the remappable Chroma fastener and 3 USB ports facing retired and wrong casual reach.

Ports: Three's Company

Razer says the Monitor Stand Chroma has a four-port USB-C hub, which is technically true, but a spot misleading. On the stand's close broadside is the remappable Chroma button, 2 USB 3.2 Type A ports, and 1 USB 3.2 Type C port. On the rear close is simply a full-size HDMI 2.0 larboard and a USB Type C connector that's meant to link to 1 of your computer's disposable USB-C ports.

Unfortunately, the included USB-C to USB-C is abbreviated astatine astir 39-inches, truthful if you don't regenerate it yourself with thing longer, you'll request to guarantee that the basal is comparatively adjacent to your computer. To marque usage of the stand's HDMI 2.0 output, your computer's USB-C larboard volition request to enactment video output, which successful this lawsuit maxes retired astatine 3,840 x 2,160p 60HZ. For afloat functionality of the hub, Razer recommends a USB Type C big that supports 15W alternatively than the 7.5W of immoderate specified connections.

While you get astir 2.4-inches of abstraction nether the stand's platform, the broadside and rear ports are successful a tiny enclosure, truthful you suffer astir 0.5-inches of tallness successful that area. Since this enclosure is lone conscionable implicit 4-inches wide, you don't suffer that overmuch under-shelf space, but it's inactive thing to note. While I would person liked the rear ports to beryllium flush with the backmost of the basal alternatively than inset, it's understandable that Razer preferred that the broadside ports beryllium much centered for aesthetics and reach.

Software: Only for Windows

As is the modular with Razer products, you'll request Razer Synapse, which is lone for Windows 10 oregon 11 computers, to power the Monitor Stand Chroma's broadside fastener and RGB lighting. Because there's not overmuch functionality with the stand, the disposable options successful Razer Synapse are much constricted compared to immoderate of their different products.

The down-firing RGB airy portion adjacent the beforehand of the basal tin person its brightness adjusted and assorted effects applied, akin to different Razer products. These options see a azygous static color, assorted colour cycles, and different effects similar responding to audio.

More interesting, astatine slightest to me, is the Remappable Chroma Button, which is referred to arsenic the Multi Function Button successful Razer Synapse. By default, it cycles done the assorted chroma effects, but tin besides beryllium acceptable to toggle the lighting connected oregon off, mimic keyboard oregon rodent functions, tally macros, motorboat programs, and more.

To me, it's a shame that Razer lone included 1 specified programmable fastener connected the Monitor Stand Chroma, due to the fact that it truly is simply a utile feature. As it is, it tin beryllium hard to take conscionable 1 relation to execute erstwhile determination are truthful galore possibilities, but I'm gladsome I astatine slightest got one.

Performance: Great USB Hub, Mediocre Brightness

Not each USB hubs are created equal, truthful it wouldn't beryllium retired of the mean if the 1 included successful the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma was not rather up to the task. Fortunately, Razer is known for their performance-oriented gaming gear, truthful it's nary surprise, then, that the USB hub successful the basal is besides an fantabulous performer.

There were nary noticeable show hits utilizing the ports connected the hub erstwhile connected to a rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C larboard connected my desktop computer. For instance, utilizing EaseUS DiskMark to measure a Lexar D40E 256GB USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C flash drive connected my desktop's beforehand USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, I measured a sequential work velocity of 33.74 MB/s and sequential constitute velocity of 22.96 MB/s with a 244.783 and 360.005 sclerosis delay, respectively. Using the USB-C larboard connected the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma, I measured a sequential work velocity of 34.26 MB/s and sequential constitute velocity of 23.80 MB/s with a 241.467 and 345.802 sclerosis delay, respectively.

I've recovered immoderate of Razer's RGB lighting solutions to person comparatively precocious powerfulness draws and beryllium picky astir powerfulness sources, truthful it's not a shocker that, since there's nary abstracted powerfulness root for the stand, it's a spot dim, adjacent astatine 100% brightness. It's surely not a deal-breaker and should beryllium thought of arsenic much of a bias airy than thing that mightiness dramatically heighten a gaming experience, for instance, but I was astatine slightest hoping for the enactment to spell brighter than it does.

Even with the lackluster brightness of the lighting, I'm inactive blessed to person the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma. You conscionable benignant of hide that it's there, which is simply a bully thing, and erstwhile I bash request it, similar to property the Remappable Chroma Button to motorboat a programme oregon to rapidly usage 1 of the 3 disposable USB ports, it performs flawlessly.

Should You Buy the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma?

The Razer Monitor Stand Chroma does precisely what it says it does and does it well. It's an attractive, coagulated basal that besides functions arsenic a USB hub and accent lighting. Of course, adjacent putting the precocious terms aside, it's not perfect, arsenic its comparatively tiny size is limiting, the included USB-C to USB-C cablegram is short, and the brightness of the lighting is limited.

If you marque definite your monitor's basal fits wrong the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma's dimensions and don't caput spending a spot lavishly connected your enactment oregon play space, this is decidedly a measurement up from the accustomed integrative show platforms. It's conscionable a shame that Razer couldn't person done conscionable a spot much for the price.