Keyboard

Compared to the Racer 2.0, the Racer 3W has dropped the beveled layout in favor of the now more popular Chiclet setup (34 cm x 11 cm). This provides a cleaner look while increasing the distance between keys to reduce mistypes. Fortunately, travel has remained about the same if not a bit deeper than before for more satisfying feedback. Keystrokes are relatively quiet and the full-size arrow keys and numpad return from the previous Racer model.

On the downside, the wider spacing between keys has forced some rearrangements, specifically on the numpad. Whereas the older Clevo P150EM model has a numpad consisting of four columns, the Racer 3W has a numpad consisting of only three columns, so some keys like plus (+), star (*), and period (.) had to be shifted to different locations. Of course, users will quickly acclimate to the slight change after regular use of the keyboard.

Touchpad

The small size of the touchpad (8.5 cm x 4.5 cm) is a bit disappointing, though to be fair the Precision M4800 and MSI GT60 workstations have small touchpads not ideal for multi-touch use as well. Nonetheless, the competing ZBook 15 and Precision M3800 have touchpads with larger surface areas for easier mouse navigation.

Even so, the Racer 3W touchpad is responsive without any random jumps or noticeable lag. The hardware is powered by Synaptics V7.2 and the textured rough surface is identical to the surrounding palm rests and are separated only by the slight elevation change around the edges. Because of its diminutive size, it is a little too easy to bring up the Windows 8 right-column dock by accident during regular use.

The two mouse buttons immediately adjacent to the touchpad are also small and textured similarly, but the feedback and resulting audible click feel weak and lack the high quality tone that we expect from a workstation. The sound, for example, feels hollow and the buttons themselves feel thin. In terms of functionality, they are as responsive as the touchpad with few to no input errors.