Tech review
The Logitech G512 X is a keyboard that decides to do a lot. It’s a mechanical keyboard that includes swappable analog switches, the ability to customise those switches, with additional rings for a slight tactile feel and some twisty knobs for flavour.
Unfortunately, all of this comes at a premium at $350, while not being completely flawless.
The keyboard is plastic, which while not feeling cheap, is a bit of a kick in the teeth given how expensive the keyboard is. There are LEDs under every key, as well as a light bar along the front, all able to be remapped and customised using the Logitech G HUB software. The box also comes with a switch and key cap puller. The keyboard itself is wired only, despite the price tag.
I have the purple and black colour combination, which is rather nice to look at, especially after making all the LEDs purple, though it also comes with some all-black keycaps.
The sound of the base switches is nice. Not super loud or clicky so more suited for an office environment but that’s not why you’re buying it. The selling point of this keyboard is the swappable switches which includes nine TMR analog switches in a compartment on the back of the keyboard and the ability to use both mechanical and analog at the same time.
Mechanical keyboards have individual switches, which is where the feel and click of them comes from. Analog switches essentially don’t have a set point where the switch clicks, instead being down to sensors that reads the pressure and activates the key.
You can also put "SAAP" rings (second actuation pressure point) on the bottom of the keycaps with the analog switches. There are five that come with the keyboard that add some resistance to the switches, which you can then programme into the Logitech G Hub software to add a "multi-action" assignment to, essentially giving one key multiple uses.
Unfortunately not every switch can be swapped over to analog either. Only about half the keyboard is analog compatible, which is a bit of a shame, not to mention the low amount of switches provided.
Generally, I don’t have many technical issues with Logitech’s offerings but this time I do. When returning from sleep mode, the keyboard seems to continuously be pressing something, filling up my password and locking me out.
I must unplug the keyboard and plug it back in to fix it. I am also disappointed that I can’t remap turning the knobs to do other things apart from volume or LED control. Sure, pressing the knobs can be remapped, but not the turning.
My final gripe with the keyboard is simple. With the low amount of analog switches, I could easily see someone getting annoyed with having to swap over keys to what they want for different games. It seems like a decent keyboard to try out the concept with but therein lies the issue. It’s in a strange middle ground. Not enough for the enthusiasts and too expensive for most others, so I’m not exactly sure who this is for.
As a side note, I was also given the palm rest that goes with it. It’s made of clear acrylic, so it catches the light from the front light bar of the keyboard very nicely and is shaped so it sits flush. It’s weighty, doesn’t move around and is resistant to fingerprints.
Unless you have another palm rest, I think this is a required accessory, unfortunately it is $90 on top of the already expensive keyboard.
While the keyboard is undoubtedly quality, I think most of its features are wasted on me. I don’t really see a use for these analog switches as they’ll just cut down on response time, which to me isn’t that big of a deal.
All in all, it’s like most of the higher priced stock at Logitech. Well built, very customisable and geared towards the very competitive focused players that will value the high-performance kit pre-built.
I could say that maybe getting more of the analog switches is recommended as if you are an enthusiast for this, you’ll want more of it. If that’s you and you can fork out the $350 price tag, then it’s still a very decent option.
By Michael Robertson
