Logitech G513 Carbon LIGHTSYNC RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with GX Brown Switches – Tactile

I type this review after having this Romer-G Linear switch keyboard after having it for about 4 days.At first it took me some time to get used to the typing feel but the more i type with it makes me want to type even more as it feels great now. Not too loud and the pressure needed to type or actuation point is quite fluid and short so makes your typing feeling smooth and quick. I have not tried the MX Speed switches but I can safely say this is a really fast typing keyboard for someone like an average typist like me. Awesome feel and build quality, if you want the most premium look and feel on a keyboard then this is it!

Pros:* Clean minimalist design* Romer-G Tactile feels great to type on and is reasonably quiet for most keys (more on that later)* High quality wrist restCons:* Wobbling — out of the box the keyboard was not level and would wobble back and forth depending which side of the keyboard was pressed* Horrible loud clacking and rattling sounds for the larger stabilized keys like space bar and shift, which is not an issue on my other Cherry MX keyboard (after searching for Logitech mechanical keyboard space bar problems this seems to be a widespread issue across several Logitech models) — this is especially problematic for a gaming keyboard if you use space bar to jump, which is the default in most games* Cable is non-removable* USB passthrough is limited to USB 2.0, so not useful for large file transfers to flash drivesOther issues:* LED white color quality is bad, this is not as noticeable when using the colorful RGB effects but you will not be satisfied if you intend to set the keyboard color to a static white* Keyboard causes Windows to make the sound for a USB device being plugged in every time the computer is booted up and makes the sound for a USB device being unplugged every time the computer is shutdown* No numlock indicator light, yet still has a numlock button that has the same effect of changing the numpad behavior* Significant aesthetic inconsistencies between Romer-G and GX Blue switch variants (Romer-G has center-aligned labels with illuminated secondary labels, GX Blue has top-aligned labels with non-illuminated secondary labels)

I was apprehensive to purchase this keyboard at first. I came from a Logitech G910 and I loved that thing to death, I was worried about the lack of media controls, but you can use the F9-F12, print screen, scroll lock, and pause keys as media controls by holding down the “FN” key. You can also just make those keyes into media keys via Logitech’s software.PROS:+ Very durable and hefty. As the title says, I feel like I could use this to fend off burglars in the night. It’s made of aircraft-grade brushed aluminum which may or may not be overkill, but I’m not complaining.+ The keys sit directly above the metallic plate, there is no dip or trench into the frame. This makes the keyboard much easier to clean and maintain.+ Removable keys. The board comes with a key remover and replacement keys for the Q, W, E, R, A, S, D, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 keys that give them a more distinct feel than the other keys.+ Small and compact.+ The board is quiet if you don’t have heavy fingerfalls.+ The LED lights are RGB-adjustable, so just about any color is possible. (Though if you set the color to white you will notice a slightly blue tint) You can also program the lighting to have various effects such as a rainbow or make the keys light up when you press them, leaving a ghost of what you type that fades after a second or two.CONS:- No media control keys (but see above).- If you’re like me and you do have heavy fingerfalls while typing, there is a little metallic ringing sound. Its still not too distracting, though.- The board uses two USB ports. One of the ports is for the keyboard itself, and the other is for the USB port located on the keyboard itself. This keyboard doesn’t give you an extra usb port, it basically just moves it to where the keyboard is. Which is still convenient if you have a wireless mouse. Note that you can just plug in the keyboard and not the extra-USB chord and the board will work just fine.- The palmrest is not attached to the keyboard, and as far as I can tell can not be bought separately, so hopefully it doesn’t break. It is very comfortable though.All in all, this board is fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone for either gaming or conventional uses. It feels fantastic to use and is definitely durable. It could also serve as a makeshift shield if you find yourself in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, so bonus!

Edit 2/10/19 – 30 day updateOK – I’ve decided to keep this keyboard primarily because I love the backlighting, particularly the lack of light “wash” inherent in any Cherry type switch due to the the design of the Romer-G switch. It’s beautiful. I’ve got used to the feel of the Romer-G switches and they feel great to type on. I worry about the longevity of the keycaps, which are basically painted black, so time will tell on that front. I don’t use any of the software features other than to occasionally set different color layouts for games or applications – I much prefer the fixed non-flashing display. It’s still too expensive for what it is, but if you can get it for a good deal (possibly refurbed), then it won’t be bad. I have another non-led mechanical for backup – if you want to invest in a kb that is robust, look for a kb with Cherry type switches. But if visual looks are near the top of the list, the G513 will be hard to beat as if feels nearly just as good, but the keycaps probably won’t last and are hard to source.Original review -I had high hopes for the G513 RGB keyboard – already owning a good Cherry MX Brown mechanical, I was drawn like a moth to the promise of something equal with really cool rgb lighting. Researching the new Romer-G switches, the design seemed to make perfect sense – put the leds directly under the center of the key rather than on the edge of the switch body. Personally I prefer cleanly lit keys and not a messy backsplash of backlit lighting that even the newer rgb style Cherry’s provide. And with per-key rgb assignments, I could arrange my keyboard coloring the way I wanted with effects to boot when wanted.The G513 _almost_ gets there – while I knew the Romer-G switches would feel different, the feel is further apart from my beloved Cherry’s than I had hoped. Though they are generally widely panned by KB enthusiasts, there are a good number of people who seem to actually prefer them – so it figured like a good shot. The Romer’s have a ‘scratchy’ / ‘gritty’ plastic-on-plastic feel that is hard to describe – certainly not the effortless smoothness the Cherry’s have. Initially I suspected that perhaps that might be related to the fact I ordered the tactile version instead of the linears – but a later test elsewhere confirmed both suffer from the same malady. In short – I was prepared for ‘different’ but got ‘meh’.OK – so for a bit I’m still thinking perhaps the cool lighting overrides the switch feel (kidding myself here – you can close your eyes but need your fingers), but the lighting is somewhat more limited than I expected… For starters, the Logitech Gaming Software seems a little bloated (surprise!), even maxing bursts over my network (why? oh – for something called ARX so it could show PC stats on my phone [no thanks] and color sync with products I do not own). Then it turns out that while the keyboard is advertised as having internal memory so you can use it without the software you are limited to the disco effects rather than anything sensible unless the LGS software is running. And while you can have per-key rgb lighting, you can’t add effects to that – it’s one or the other. And once you set up a nice color pattern on the keyboard, every time the pc boots up or shuts down (ie the LGS software isn’t running) it defaults back to this rainbow splash effect even if you don’t want it.TLDR – the brains of the effects are much more in LGS software than built into the keyboard so you pretty much need to run the bloated LGS software to use the thing in any sensible way. And even then you are limited to what color / effect combinations you can do. IE the ‘keypress’ effect that follows typed keys only runs by software and cannot be stored into a user profile in internal memory.So – I’m on the fence… The colors DO look very nice. I really like the centered led and clean lighted lettering on the keycaps – it’s stunning and the font used is quite stylish and doesn’t scream ‘gamer’. The build quality in general seems very good, though I worry how long the keycaps will last and being proprietary you can’t replace them. The included wrist rest is so comfortable that if they offered it separately I’d buy more for work. But the key’s feel ‘meh’ and the effects can’t be combined how I imagined unless running bloated software… all for a premium price. I just don’t know. 50/50 it may go back. It’s way more limited than I expected and I’m having a hard time getting over the key feel.

Ok — Quickly going through the mumbo jumbo. This keyboard feels like a $100 keyboard. Amazing LED lights and corresponding software to completely customize the visuals + some key macro options ( I did not go into this much)This board was very very nice to type&feel on it. The Romer G switches feel like Cherry MX blacks but with a different press at the end (you have to try it to get it). Key caps on the board are really outstanding.Great looking and great feeling.Cons: Massive USB cable. You don’t get it until you use it. It’s basically a double braided USb cable since the board has a USB pass through. This isn’t a big deal. But it’s a thing worth mentioning.No numlock indicator…. I generally would like this answered by someone who worked on this board. Why? You legitimately couldn’t add one extra LED light for the numlock?Most importantly. Reason I returned the board. In order to change the volume, mute, change songs, etc. You have to hold Function. There is no Function lock, there is no Function on/off. You have to hold it.You know what makes a “Gaming” keyboard great? Have to take your hand off your mouse, while gaming, and use both hands to change the volume of your PC. This may be one of the most out of touch features I have ever seen from a piece of “gaming” hardware.