Logitech G513 Keyboard
Keyliner's new Frankenputer, "Nancy," wanted a new keyboard.
I have long been a fan of mechanical keyboards, but I have been using cheap plastic keyboards for the past several years. They universally suck. Some are better than others, but nothing beats a mechanical keyboard. This is a review of the Logitech G513 Mechanical Keyboard.
2023.04 Update: After 3 years of use, the keyboard started randomly ddouble-ttyping letters, especially with the space-bar. Searching the web, you will find there seems to be a history with this problem. Here are ten things that I tried -- all pointing to a hardware problem. I found no solutions -- except for one: Abandon the keyboard. I replaced the keyboard with a Razor Blackwidow V3.
Here are the things tried:
1) Many suggest changing the keyboard control panel setting for Repeat-Rate speed. What a horrible idea. It makes everything slower -- for example, arrow-key scrolling down a file, choosing items from a selection box, etc.
2) Many suggest removing all keys and super-clean the switches/keyboard, etc. This did not solve the problem. Plus, what are the odds multiple keys had the same problem?
3) Suspecting a software problem, I reverted to an older version of GHub. Nope.
4) Uninstalling GHub (registry clean, etc.). This did not resolve the problem. This had the side effect of disabling all GHub features, including the back lighting.
5) The keyboard has a Y-USB cable, one side for data, and the other for the lights. I tried disconnecting the power to the lights. Nada.
6) Move the keyboard to a different computer and test there. (I did not install the Ghub software.) Problem persists, indicating a hardware problem.
7) I tried different USB port(s).
8) Use a different keyboard on same machine. Found no issues, again indicating this is a hardware problem.
9) I found related, registry hacks for "bounce-back" rate, and I found user-developed programs that ran in the background, helping to control "bounce rates", etc. Uhm, no. This is a keyboard for god's sake. I should not have to work this hard. Plus, bounce-rates change how the keyboard behaved when you purposely wanted repeating characters.
10) This option worked: Give up.
There is the possibility a Microsoft Windows update caused this problem. Seems unlikely, but I could not adequately test this. My feeling is if this were true *all* logitech keyboards (or perhaps all keyboards) would fail. As busy as this problem is on the Internet, I am not seeing this.
More notes;
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The GHub software is suspect but the testing above discounted that possibility.
In addition to GHub being hard to use (setting colors, etc,), it is a weirdo bit of software that crashes after updates (not detailed here). Often, it requires complete un-install, re-install.
One of the problems is the software needs administrative rights to update but if you are running as a standard user, the update happens, and fails, without your knowledge. If you use GHub, disable all auto-updates. Although the program has a switch for [x] Disable Automatic updates, it ignores its own setting. You'll have to remove this from the registry.
Finally, adding another insult, two keys refuse to set their color. I know the colors work because "rainbow" effects show all the colors under each key. This is probably a problem with the GHub software.
Net opinion:
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I enjoyed the keyboard; loved the RGB colors; liked the keyboard action, but I would not buy this product again. Clearly the vendor must know of this problem -- there is too much chatter on the Internet, but all of the lame steps (cleaning the keyboard, setting a slower repeat rate) are half-ass solutions that don't address the real issue. This must be an internal hardware problem, but nobody is fessing-up.
T.
Original Review below: It was glowingly positive.
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Even though I am not a gamer, Logitech won my business with the G513 Gaming Keyboard ($130).
Keyboard Features:
- Romer-G Tactile (mechanical) keys
- Backlighted keys - surprised at how much I liked this
- Individually controlled key colors: See photos
- Weight! This is a heavy keyboard. 1,100g (2.5lbs)
- "Aircraft-grade" 5052 Aluminum-magnesium alloy; black or silver. Feels substantial.
- USB Wired (not wireless); braided cable
- Nice Palm-rest
- Fully-programmable keyboard, with macros, etc.
Drawbacks:
- Moderately expensive: $130.
Nobody really wants a twenty-dollar keyboard, but we tolerate them. Mechanical keyboards are more expensive and always will be. These are the rib-eye steaks in a hamburger world.
- No Num-lock light (why not?)
- Not as "clicky" as the IBM 3270 Cherry-switch keyboards or the GL915's GL switch; this is good and bad. No doubt this keyboard is quieter. (The GL915, besides being more expensive, has other features such as volume controls, wireless, dedicated macro keys, etc., that I did not want.)
- When the keyboard is first plugged in, it has a wild, and undulating color scheme. This is done purposely, making you want to download the software to stop this nonsense. From the Logitech site, download and install "Logitech G Hub".
- The Software auto-updates and is hard to block. Even though the Settings screen has a checkbox to stop Auto-updates, it ignores this and updates anyway. Occasionally (twice in the past 3 years) it muffs the update and you have to uninstall, clean the registry and re-install. In the end, it takes fiddling in the registry to stop the updates and I apologize for not documenting it here.
The keyboard is fully programmable with macros and other features, none of which I have used, not bothering with anything but setting the colors. Color settings are not saved to the keyboard, but instead are stored in the software, "Ghub". The keyboard will work without the software, but you will not have any control over the lighting.
Full-Color, illustrated:
Although not evident in this picture, I set the home-row anchor-keys "F" and "J" to bright green, where the other alpha keys are a polite blue, making it easy to glance at the home row. The number-row is red (orange in this picture; a white balance problem). Page-up and down are yellow. There was much fun setting these.
The software controlling this is weird and takes fiddling (it is actually pretty hard to use). It also seems to be buggy. It can get into states where changing one key's color changes others. It is more accurate to say the software is irritating.
Mechanical Switches
The keyboard's key actuators are why you have a preference for one keyboard over another. Logitech has probably a dozen different actuators. Cheap keyboards have a plastic-dome sheet that sits under the keys. When a key is pressed, the dome collapses, making an electrical contact. These are "mushy," have poor key-travel, with little tactile feedback.
Logitech has three different mechanical switches, each with different feel, travel, and sound.
I selected the G513 with a Romer-G "Tactile" switch (which is different than the boring Romer-G-Linear switch), and not quite as good as their more expensive GL-switch.
There are better mechanical switches on the market - with different tactile feedback and "clicky-ness." The keyboard I wanted was the G915 with GL-Clicky switches, but $230 was out of my league. Costs and sound-considerations come into play.
If you can, try the keyboard out. Those Best Buy folks are helpful. I asked a clerk if we could open an box and they happened to have one plugged into a computer along the back wall. This gave me a chance to feel the keys in the wild. This is why Best Buy gets my business. Brick and mortar is worth supporting.
Conclusion:
This new keyboard completes my new computer build. Not only is the new computer fast, modern, and functional, it now feels better. When nobody is looking, I sit in a darkened room and caress the keys.
Keyliner previously reviewed the Microsoft Sculpt keyboard, which was well-liked but abandoned. I type on too many non-sculpt keyboards, and my fingers were confused. If all keyboards were this style, this would be a hands-down favorite. If it used the Romer-G or the GL-Clicky actuators, it would be the best keyboard in the world.
Firewall Issues:
After a reboot, Windows Firewall asked for permission to allow LGHUB AGENT (the Logitech software that configures the keyboard). I promptly denied, thinking the keyboard was already programmed. Custom colors were lost and had to be re-set.
If you firewalled this like I did, Start, Run, Firewall. Launch Windows Defender Firewall. In the Inbound rules, locate LGHUB AGENT. Select Properties. Change to "Allow the connection if secure." Re-program your colors.
Related links:
Unicomp Buckling Spring Keyboards - an IBM 3270 keyboard; a favorite that I have used for many years, using an honest-to-god Cherry-switch. It is a loud keyboard, but glorious. Sigh... the keyboard looks so dated, with no backlighting. I wish they would call me for my industrial-design advice. I want them to succeed.
Related articles:
Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard
Microsoft Sculpt Wireless Mouse Less Accurate
Keyliner's Newest Frankenputer: "Nancy"
If you want a Northgate let me know I have several. Ed
ReplyDeleteHi, Ed. Nice to hear from you again. Thanks
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