Logitech G710+ Mechanical Keyboard and G600 MMO Mouse Review
by Dustin Sklavos on October 9, 2012 12:01 AM ESTIn Practice: Work
I've actually been using the Logitech G710+ keyboard and G600 mouse while writing up this review, and hammering out something detailed while having to check specs and so on gives both peripherals a good working over in productivity setting. I'm particularly familiar with the G600, which has been out longer and in my hands longer, and I've tried it in quite a few different environments.
For typing, I have to say that at least by my experience with the G710+, I'm not a fan of Cherry MX Brown switches. While I personally enjoy the feedback and clickiness of the MX Blues the best for typing, they really are inferior for gaming to all the other switches, so the MX Browns are at least an attempt to balance things. The problem is that the Browns feel like they have higher resistance than the Blues, Reds, or Blacks even though they're actually specced to have the least resistance. They may actually be bottoming out faster, but either way they put vastly more stress on my wrists than the other switches do. I'll have to see how the Rosewill keyboard I have in house with Cherry MX Brown switches plays out, but I can tell you the G710+'s feedback feels more like stiff membrane keys than the other mechanical keyboards I've used. This is all subjective, though; undoubtedly you'll be able to play with the G710+ in retail and feel for yourself.
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Meanwhile, the G600 has a very smart design that felt incredibly intuitive in my hand. Feeling out the hot button array on the left side was easy enough to do (I preferred using the lower array instead of the upper), but fair warning: this is not a mouse for small hands. This mouse will probably be very comfortable to users who either like big mice or have big hands, but if you have small hands like I do, it's liable to stress your wrist and hands a bit more. I found my wrist cramping up after about a half hour of using the G600, but your mileage may vary.
In Practice: Play
I tried a few games with the G600 and G710+, but the one that got the most attention (and the one that's been dominating my attention span over the past couple of weeks) is the closed beta of MechWarrior Online. I could go on and on about how awesome the game is even in its current, somewhat buggy and slightly unbalanced state, but suffice to say pretty much everyone I know has made a concerted effort to get into it and either lucked out with a beta key from registering or actually bought into the closed beta with a Founder's Package, and griefing heavy mechs with my idiotic little Streak SRM Commando has been a delight.
The same resistance, size, and weight issues I experienced in day to day use with both peripherals unfortunately still apply in gaming, but the MX Brown switches used by the G710+ still remain superior to the Blues for games and certainly a valid option. I still think the Reds or Blacks are ultimately preferable in either productivity or gaming (I probably give a slight edge to the Reds), but the Browns are perfectly serviceable.
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On the other hand, I think the G600 is an absolutely killer gaming option for users who are built to enjoy it. A friend of mine with larger hands found it incredibly comfortable and intuitive to use, and the ability to configure a DPI shift (similar to Corsair's sniper button) to the third surface button for precise aiming is incredibly useful. Likewise, as a MechWarrior Online afficionado I can't help but appreciate the potential of using the button array to control the various firing patterns.
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Cannyone - Thursday, April 11, 2013 - link
I prefer "Blacks" because they actually have some resistance... But everyone else seems to be such a bunch of wimps that complain about the actuation force. *deep sighStill if I had to choose between reds and browns I'd pick the browns hands down. Hence this keyboard is the first Logitech that's interested me in a few years. But that mouse is not going to cut it! Sometimes simpler is simply superior.
Swiper34 - Thursday, January 7, 2016 - link
A lot of League of Legends pros use the Browns, seems like its 50/50 between Browns and Reds.Source: http://lolsetup.on-winning.com
blackmagnum - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
A decent evolutionary product of the Logitech gaming line, but compared to the Razer BlackWidow, it looks too awkward and distracting.Samus - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Logitech has been mainstream for years, it's getting really annoying. They used to release groundbreaking stuff at a palatable price but they're obviously playing catchup to almost everybody in every product segment.Remember the beginning of the MX-series mice? The G15 keyboard? The G25 steering wheel with a 6 speed shifter!? All affordable and good quality.
Not they just have run of the mill stuff with spotty reliability. My DiNovo Edge has died twice (now out of warranty) and it was a $150 keyboard...wont be buying another one thats for sure
Omega215D - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I'd never thought I'd see the day Logitech would put out a mechanical keyboard, let alone a gaming version with a brown switch (blues/ blacks seem to be the most common in gaming boards). The price is decent... maybe it'll grow on me enough to want to buy it.Chaitanya - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Finally, after so many days of waiting for mechanical keyboard, logitech delivered a good one. though like some other logitech products customisable backlight would have gone nicely with this keyboard.dishayu - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I love my Cherry MX "louder than hell" Blues in the blackwidow ultimate and have no plans to switch.HisDivineOrder - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I tried a Blackwidow Ultimate and the loudness was actually beginning to make my teeth rattle. I could feel the clicks in my bones. I switched to a Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth and briefly had them side by side.Let me tell you something. The typing experience on the Blues was very, very mildly better in tactile response and so insanely loud--a mind piercing clicking that could drive lesser men to become axe murderers--that I'd upgrade it to the Stealth 10 times out of 10. The Browns are quieter enough to make an incredible difference in usage. I remember reading one review of the BWU that said, "I started hesitating to use my keyboard because of how long it was." That was me. It was THAT loud.
That said, I can't imagine giving up the tactile response of the Blues or Browns, though. That's part of what makes them awesome for typing. I type more than I game, so the lack of response on the Reds or Black's is kinda meh for that usage.
For gaming, though, I can imagine Reds being better. Not Blacks, not with their higher resistance, but Red's being the Brown's without the feedback, I can see it.
Hell, the BWUS has better rollover, matte finish, is still blue backlit, and it is DAMN quieter. Oh, and it still feels worlds better than any other gaming keyboard. Yeah, BWUS. Forget BWU.
RoninX - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
It's a matter of personal preference.I like the clickiness and audible (as well as tactile) feedback of the Blues on my Blackwidow Ultimate -- for both typing and gaming. But then, I also liked the original IBM PC keyboard, which was even louder.
RoninX - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
On the other hand, I have refrained from bringing a BWU to work, since it might be a bit distracting in an office cubicle environment...