There’s something special about the Fall season and crunching crispy leaves underneath your feet. Sadly, season changes don’t really exist here in Los Angeles, so I instead settled for the clickity-clack of a mechanical keyboard. While it’s not quite the same, the Logitech G512 Carbon does provide that same sound-induced comfort, while also helping out my gaming…game.
If you don’t know much about mechanical gaming keyboards, there are a few key points to take note of. This includes what type of switches they have, actuation distance, actuation force, and total travel distance. What that translates to is: what sort of click you get, how far down you press the key to tell the computer you’ve done something, how hard you have to press the key, and the distance down you have to press to register the keystroke.
Long ago your options were Cherry MX switches or rubber-domed membrane, but now the market is full of choices. Logitech even created their own models, of which you’ll be able to choose one of three for the G512. There’s the Romer-G Tactile where you’ll feel a slight bump, Romer-G Linear for a smooth press, and the GX Blue keys, which are akin to the clicky MX Cherry switches.
The Look
Taking the G512 out of the box, you know you’ve got a quality piece of machinery on your hands. It’s encased in an aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, has matte black keys, a thick, 6 foot braided cable, and a USB port on the back for power and data. Before you even plug it in, it looks sleek and professional. The minimalistic design is definitely working in it’s favor though, as there is suddenly tons of space on my desk after using the Roccat ISKU for so long.
Once connected to power, a vibrant rainbow wave of color will wash over the keys. It’s one of those “Ooo shiny!” moments that makes you excited to start digging in the Logitech G software. You can program every key to be one of 16.8 million colors, and can create your own animations as well. Doing so is a little labor-intensive, but why shouldn’t we be able to make our rigs look exactly like we want them to?
The presets are more than enough for those of us that are drawn in by the pretty lights without having the patience to create a whole new lighting setup. The Star Effect has become a favorite of mine, for the fact that all the keys are still lit without any downtime. The options are only limited by your imagination, and thankfully some of the work has already been done for you.
Performance
In the keyboard department, it does all the things you’d expect, like type. Being on a membrane keyboard for so long, it was hard to adjust not having to go full-tilt with typing again. My fingers tired out quickly from mashing the keys, and it took some time to learn not to try so hard. This was also a bit more difficult of an adjustment due to not having a wrist rest. Ergonomics are all the rage now that we spend hours at our desks, and these little angle adjustments effect you more than you’d think.
The software and USB port never gave me any issues, and all the keys were just as clicky and responsive as I had expected. It’s almost like they made exactly what they advertised. They didn’t reinvent the wheel by making this keyboard, but they did make a solid keyboard that has cool features. It gives off the feeling that it will be a long while before I’d need to worry about getting a replacement.
Qualms
Not sure why the media keys are backlit in the feature video, but aren’t on the keyboard. Definitely fumbled with finding them in the dark on a number of occasions. As stated, a wrist rest would’ve been nice, but that’s more personal baggage than a true qualm. It’s a nitpick that would’ve raised production costs unnecessarily.
Conclusion
The Carbon G512 gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me. This keyboard is everything it advertises. It’s a mechanical gaming keyboard with lots of cool lighting features. It would’ve been nice to have backlit media keys and a wrist rest, but personal preference always comes into play. This is a solid option if you’re looking to go mechanical that isn’t too exorbitant in price at $99.99. If you want that clickity clack, Logitech-G has got your back.
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