Logitech G710+ Mechanical Keyboard and G600 MMO Mouse Review
by Dustin Sklavos on October 9, 2012 12:01 AM ESTConclusion: Both Recommendable for the Right Users
The essential problem with any peripheral review is that peripherals are very subjective; the key places to win are going to wind up being fit, finish, and features. You want to make the product the best you conceivably can while making it as comfortable as possible for the broadest set of users. You're not going to be able to hit everyone, and my experiences with the Logitech G710+ keyboard and G600 mouse are a testament to that. So I want to be clear: I'm trying to evaluate these products based on how well they might serve the needs of the individuals who they'll be best suited for, outside of the fact that ultimately they're clearly not for me. Because Logitech is one of the biggest names in peripherals for users across all markets, it's not going to be too hard to evaluate the feel of the G710+ and G600 on your own in retail.
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The G710+ keyboard hardware has, in my opinion, only one major flaw: the glossy finish surrounding the keyboard. Outside of that, I can't help but feel like Logitech has essentially thought of pretty much everything you're going to want or need. The keyboard layout is traditional for American markets, so no learning curve there. The white LED backlighting with configurable brightness and zones is pleasing to the eye and can be adjusted to suit the individual's needs, and I'm always happy to see a wrist rest included (one of the primary reasons I stuck with a Corsair K90 for my personal keyboard). Beyond that, the G710+ experience is going to be up to how you feel about the switches themselves. I think the $149 MSRP is a bit onerous, but the K90 was selling for roughly as much when it released; at around $129 the G710+ should at least be competitive, though I personally would give the slight nod to the K90.
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As for the G600 mouse, the hardware itself has no real weaknesses in my opinion other than a paucity of the accoutrements typically afforded higher end Logitech mice. With the G600, it really does just come down to whether or not the mouse feels comfortable to you, but the design is incredibly smart and I can see a lot of people getting fantastic mileage out of it. The G600 can be found hovering between $60 and $80 in retail online, but that should surprise no one; good mice usually command high prices, and they're usually worth it. I'd easily recommend the G600 over the Corsair M90 or Razer Naga, though.
I think the primary battles the G710+ and G600 are going to fight in the market will be based on comfort and price. Comfort-wise, the G710+ is going to have a tougher time than the G600, whose market is essentially self-selecting by virtue of how big these mice generally have to be. Corsair made a mouse that was definitely smaller, but at the cost of intuitive button design on the sides. Meanwhile, the good Logitech products have often commanded moderate to premium prices, so bargain hunters shouldn't be surprised to see these two on the high end of the scale. Whether or not they're worth the cost is going to be the result of a combination of factors; I don't think they're priced out of competition, they're just not bargains either.
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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.