Features
The Elixir keyboard is large keyboard, but it size is in line with other gaming keyboards on the market. The keyboard measures 20-inches wide by 7.87-inches deep by 1.14-inches high and weighs 1.85 pounds. The keys are membrane tactile switches and all key tops are coated with rubberized material. The Elixir also has 10 blue macro keys that feature three user-defined profiles. There's also a full complement of media control keys. OCZ says that the key lifespan is 5 million cycles. Software for setting up macros and binding them to any key on the keyboard is also included.

In Use
Visually, the Elixir is a near dead ringer for the Razer Tarantula, with its blue macro keys and glossy black plastic. One significant feature the Elixir lacks to keep the price down is backlighting. Backlighting is one feature I have vowed not to live without on my gaming keyboards. I tend to play at night and like to do so in a dark room. If you don't need backlighting, the loss of that feature is not a big deal. Cutting out that feature is going to be offset for many users by the reduction in the price of the keyboard.

The software for binding macros to keys on the keyboard is very easy-to-use, and very self-explanatory. You simply start the software, open the macro recording box, enter the keystrokes needed, and select which macro button to save the macro to. The rubberized coating on the key tops of the Elixir is a little slicker than the similar rubberized coating on top of keys of the Razer Lycosa gaming keyboard.

One thing I have found on every gaming keyboard that I have ever owned is that after using it 8 to 10 hours a day five days a week simply typing -- not even counting gaming -- the keys start to wear after a while. To remedy this OCZ actually includes extra key tops to replace the most commonly used keys -- including the WASD keys used for movement, the spacebar, the shift key, and the arrow keys. Extra keys are a feature I have yet to see much more expensive gaming keyboards on the market offer.

Typing feel for the keyboard isn't the worst I have come across, but it's not the best either. The keys have a decent tactile feel, and offer a slight audible click when pressed. On the left side of the keyboard are four hotkeys that you can bind to different applications or websites, and the media control keys are located on the right side of keyboard.

When all is said and done, I wouldn't be willing to trade my Lycosa or my Logitech G15 for the Elixir. However, gamers on a budget will have a hard time finding a better keyboard at a lower price.