Logitech G510 Gaming Keyboard Review
A main feature of the Logitech G510 gaming keyboard is the GamePanel LCD screen which
sets these keyboards apart from the their competitors,the screen provides up to the minute statistics on game play, system info, and Voip communications data as well as You tube video playback, Twitter tweets and instant messages and several other features. There are individual inputs for your headset and microphone using standard 3.5mm plugs.
Customizable back lit display allowing you to see clearly exactly which keys you are pressing. The Logitech G510 has eighteen fully programmable G-keys with each individual key allowing up to three macros for a total of 54 different possible permutations, be they single, in combination, or complex LUA scripts.
The G510 also has installed super-fast USB capability which means a much quicker report rate than most other keyboards in its class thus giving you an edge in performance over your rivals.
As with other Logitech keyboards you can press up to five keys simultaneously and they will all register allowing for increased user performance.
The Logitech G510 allows easy switching between game and computer mode so you can turn off the keys that may interrupt play at an inappropriate moment. The inline keyboard has a conventional layout with single touch controls for media play and sound volume.
Works with most Windows and Mac OSX operated systems. Comes with a software set-up CD-ROM and a manufacturers
Logitech G510 main features summary:
GamePanel LCD Display screen
Custom-color backlighting
Integrated USB audio
18 programmable G-keys
Full-speed USB
Multi-key input
Game-desktop mode
Instant media access
Straight keyboard layout
Software development kit
2-year limited hardware warranty
Palm rest included
G510 In Depth
But for those new to the Logitech G series keyboards, this is a great intermediate keyboard that offers most of the functionality of the flagship G19 and quite a bit more than the fairly standard G110 (see the reviews for these on this site also). The keyboard size is not too large, with the only extra width coming from the addition of the macro keys on the left.
The display screen on the Logitech G510 is monochrome LCD (unlike the G19 that is color) with some really good widgets available. For instance it works very well with Ventrilo, so it keeps you up to date with who you are playing, their comments etc, in addition many types of games have their own dedicated widgets too, that will show things like such as kill/death ratio, ping, map names, and so on,and they are all easy to read,you are also able to see additional data and statistics by continuing to the next screen.
The function keys for the LCD screen allow you to scroll thought different status screens, giving you details time/date, RAM and memory usage. You can preset different count down and stopwatch timers.
When listening to music on your computer, the track/artist information is viewable on the screen.
You can also use the display for profile selection, instead of your computer, additionally profiles may be loaded onto the keyboard itself if you expect to be using it on computers without the software installed. It will also serve as a POP3 Monitor and RSS feed.
It has back lighting that allows you to use a multitude of colors to light your keys. Separate audio/mic jacks are useful as it saves messing around plugging trying to plug into your tower, especially if the sockets are at the back of the unit, a scroll wheel adjusts the sound level, which may also be muted by a separate button.
It does lack the USB hub options of the G19, which may or may not be a bad thing, sometimes peripherals plugged into to keyboard USB ports do not always operate as they should because of the power drain of the keyboard itself. One nice feature is the Windows game mode slider which allows you to turn off the Windows menu keys on the keyboard to keep you from accidentally pressing them and minimizing or closing out of your game at an inappropriate moment.
A point often overlooked is the quality of the actual key tops themselves, in this case Logitech have done an excellent job, using laser etching for the key symbols, always far superior to any printed method, and when combined with a high quality finish over the transparent keys, the backlighting is very good with no light leakage underneath from any angle. It is powered through the connecting USB cable, so no power transformer is required, this is always a blessing and does away with yet more spaghetti behind your desk, and of course theres no need to find another socket.
Overall, for gaming purposes, the G510 is an excellent product and once get the hang of the macro keys it will be very hard for you to do without them as nothing is quite as fast and convenient as having those 18 G keys ready to go. If you like having a lot of extra keys to map and dont like using separate keypads, then this keyboard should suit.
Pros:
Well made
Much faster polling than standard keyboards
LCD display offers a lot of real time info and stats, for a game, application, or utility.
18 x 3 (54) key programming options allow for many combinations of macro, keystroke, function, or script,
Gaming/desktop toggling switch
User friendly software
Mute buttons for both the mic and headphones.
Millions of custom colors for keyboard illumination
LCD display is customizable, and offers high resolution text
Headphone/mic jack built-into keyboard
Excellent media controls
Setting up the keyboard is simple and you should be ready to go in a few minutes.
Cons:
Quite pricey
Not particularly comfortable for long periods of typing, (but this is for gaming)
Detachable palm rest is just hard plastic.
Non adjustable screen angle
Extra macro keys on left take a while to master
No USB hub integrated into keyboard
Feet on rear of keyboard are poor, not much elevation
Very sensitive volume wheel
The Logitech G-series profiler is still not perfect, as it may still have the odd problem detecting when certain games are running, the default of 2 or3 works fine though.
In conclusion then this gaming keyboard is a very worthwhile piece of hardware, it is considerably cheaper than the G19 albeit without the color screen, but this unit performs equally well.
by: Tim Brook
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