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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AmdInside - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Can you comment on the brightness of the backlit keys please? I own a Logitech G110 which I had to retire early because the backlit keys were very dim which is a feedback I've read a lot on the internet about the model. I moved onto a mechnical keyboard with Cherry MX which I find perfect for my mixed gaming/office productivity needs but would be nice to get a Logitech keyboard as I could use the macro keys and backlit keys since I don't like to have the light on in the office at night.Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
BRIGHT. But adjustable. :)DanNeely - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
The nearest Fry's/Microcenters are a full days round trip driving; and while WorstBuy claims "available now" for most of Razer's keyboards; that apparently means "can be shipped to the store same day for pickup"; since when I went to my local location they didn't have any of them out and the instore version of their website indicated not stocked locally.ScytheNoire - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I've had the G600 since I could first buy it and so far it's my favourite mouse on the market. Possibly favourite mouse ever (and that's a lot of mice).Between the G600 and the Razer Naga Epic, the G600 wins, hands down, easily. I haven't had my hands on the Corsair M90, but I suspect that the thumb key layout would bother me. G600 fits my hand perfectly and the concave thumb buttons is what makes it superior to the Razer Naga Epic, I can always tell where my thumb is in relation to the buttons.
I've been looking for a mechanical keyboard, was tossing around the Corsair K90, but might also check out this new Logitech one. I think I really need to find a store that carries a lot of mechanical keyboards so I can really test them out before plunking down the money they cost.
maximumGPU - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
" 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. "i find that very odd. I have both Blues and Browns and i can definitely sense the extra stiffness of the blue keys, no question about that. Could there be another explanation to your findings?
on another notte, I know a lot of folks generalise statements like Blues are better for typing, etc... but really every advice for mech keyboards is useless. It's a case of try out what's best for you.
Case in point, i'm a very light touch typist, and i far prefer Browns over Blues for both typing and gaming.
Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
This doesn't sound like descriptions I've read of other brown keyboards, so I wonder what's up with this one...browns should have the same operating force as the reds, except for the little catch where it actuates. They definitely should feel lighter than blues.Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
My Rosewill with browns feels almost identical to my K90 with reds, I barely even notice the tactile bump with typing since I don't use the Rosewill a lot (it's more noticeable while gaming but then I usually bottom out regardless so it's kinda moot). Logitech might've tried to innovate somehow and screwed up the standard feel of browns.lyeoh - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Can we have some benchmarks and stats please? What are the various button and key latencies in milliseconds?How fast can the mouse be moved and still track accurately (cm/inches per second)? What's the mouse update rate for this? 1000Hz? 500Hz?
What's the repeatability of the mouse? e.g. set it to linear, place it on position A, move it to position B X cm away at Y cm per second. Move it back to A (you can use guide rails or similar to limit the movement) then see if the pointer is still at the same spot.
How many keys on the keyboard can be pressed at the same time before they stop being detected (excluding the modifier keys)? Which keys are those for maximum?
Holly - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Actually keys hit at once generally become problem in software processing much earlier than hardware, even for my primitive D3D semestral work I had to implement my own keyboard handler to have it working properly for more complex actions.ahamling27 - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I've been using the Monoprice Backlit Macro Mechancial Gaming Keyboard(Apparently, Monoprice calls their products how they see them) for about 3 months now to game and type on and it's been a pleasurable experience to say the least. It's got Cherry MX Reds and is backlit red, with 4 birghtness settings and a pulse setting. It also has 2 usb 2.0 ports and 3.5 mm audio in and headphone jacks.Many dismiss it because it uses the shell of an existing brand that has since gone out of business but I can attest that the innards are far from similar. It's priced less than this Logitech keyboard, and you can sometimes find it on sale for less than $100.
I hope you would consider calling Monoprice up and ask for one to review. Monoprice is known for their quality and it shows in this keyboard.