To add keys to a zone, select a zone in the Lighting Zones pane and then select a key. You can also use the + button to create additional zones. While plenty of mechanical keyboards use the venerable Cherry MX switches, Logitech has for some time now opted to develop its own mechanical switches named Romer-G. The G513 uses an all-new version of the company’s proprietary switches, so instead of just one type there are now two: either Linear or Tactile. Comparatively, the Romer-G Linear is akin to a Cherry MX Red switch with a smooth, fast keystroke. The Romer-G Tactile is closer to a Cherry MX Brown, with a tactile response with each key press.

G513 - ROG - Republic of Gamers 2021 ROG Strix G15 G513 - ROG - Republic of Gamers

The ROG Strix G15 offers a lot of pure performance and excellent workmanship in a 15-inch format, but connectivity leaves something to be desired.Your Effects: create and manage your own animated lighting effects. Choose from one of the 16 presets or read Create and manage lighting effects with Logitech Gaming Software to learn how to create your own. Zones: Group keys together into color zones. You can only assign an individual key to one zone at a time. Unfortunately, there are no dedicated media keys or volume wheel on the G513. But the keyboard’s array of function keys do offer media control as well as other secondary actions including a key to cycle lighting effects and brightness, and to switch on a customizable game mode which prevents errant Windows key presses. As I’ll discuss later, the Logitech Gaming Software is still the preferred means for tweaking presets, but it is nice to have some functionality on-the-fly via the function keys instead of needing to do it all in software.

Customize lighting settings on the G512 or G513 gaming Customize lighting settings on the G512 or G513 gaming

Per-key lighting customization is available, as is a decent amount of lighting presets such as color wave, breathing, ripple effects, and a really cool animation that makes it appear like an ocean wave is lapping across the keyboard. As mentioned above, you can also create your own animations, either from scratch or by copying a pre-existing one and customizing it. Creating anything worth looking at definitely has a learning curve, but it’s kind of neat if you’re looking to make your keyboard truly stand out. As we previously mentioned, the Logitech G513 introduces a new customizable, per key RGB lighting system. It’s as bright and vibrant as the illumination that the company has integrated into its higher-end peripherals, and the new LightSync tech will help synchronize lighting effects across your entire gaming setup. The G513 is a very comfortable keyboard; compact, yet with a pleasing angle and a wrist rest deep enough to support even larger hands. I spent multiple hours playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and never felt any wrist strain or general fatigue while using this keyboard. Color Wave — Select this option to set the colors to change horizontally, vertically or from the center out. Use the slider to set the speed at which the color wave cycles.Most brushed metal finishes on PC peripherals are fingerprint magnets, but Logitech’s blend of aluminum and magnesium seems to be built to repel them. The frameless design of this keyboard also features floating keycaps that make cleaning up dust and food crumbs with a can of compressed air a lot easier.

G513 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Logitech Support Download - G513 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Logitech Support

This new Romer-G Linear Switch, according to Logitech, promises a quieter and 25% faster keystroke than competitors. After using the keyboard for about a week, we feel the peripheral maker has fully delivered on its claims, and has developed a key switch that’s better than the Cherry MX Red switch. The G512 and G513 gaming keyboards feature onboard memory to store lighting effects. This comes in handy if you need to use a computer that does not have LGS installed. At the time of release, you can only store one Freestyle, Zones or Effects (except Star Effect and Key Press) Lighting Mode layout on the keyboard’s memory. For more information, read Access On-Board lighting effects on the G512 and G513 gaming keyboard s. Like nearly all of its gaming peripherals, the G513 Carbon utilizes Logitech’s Gaming Software for lighting customization and recording macros. I used an updated version of the client to review the G513, and while there’s little in the way of changes from recent iterations of the software, it’s fairly easy to use. Most notably, the G513 takes advantage of Logitech’s LIGHTSYNC functionality, which is similar to Razer’s Chroma or Alienware’s AlienFX. This system allows for deep customization of lighting animations synced to games and other compatible Logitech devices. There’s even an applet within the software that changes the colors on the G513 in-time with on-screen color changes. The new Logitech G560 speakers use the same tech to sync lighting with in-game action. CPU performance is slightly limited on battery power. The Cinebench multi-thread scores are a good 10% lower on battery power than when plugged in.

As usual with Logitech’s Gaming Software, you can also assign lighting and macros—the latter using a convenient drag-and-drop setup—to specific game titles. The software will scan your PC and look for compatible games, so the setup is fairly straightforward and simple.