Minimalist beauty
Logitech G413 Gaming Keyboard
Keyboards like the HyperX Alloy FPS have tapped into the demand for simple and fuss-free peripherals, and the Logitech G413 Carbon hopes to muscle in on this scene.
Its minimalist build is actually one of the most appealing and unique aspects of the G413. We reviewed the Carbon model, but Logitech also makes a Silver version with white backlighting.
The G413 Carbon features single-color red LEDs and a clean, frameless design, where the keys sit on top of a 5052 aluminum-magnesium alloy top plate and oat free of any restricting top cover.
One benefit of this approach is that it’s far easier to clean, as there are far fewer corners for dust and dirt to accumulate. Furthermore, you can blow out dust bunnies without needing to remove the keycaps.
The single-color backlighting is a departure from the mind-boggling customization options available on many other gaming keyboards, but they can appear either limited or blissfully simple, depending on your expectations.
You only have a choice between static and breathing effects, although the Logitech Gaming Software will let you adjust things like brightness and lighting speed. Alternatively, hitting Fn + F7 allows you to toggle through $ve different brightness levels.
The keyboard features Logitech’s own Romer-G switches, which are quiet, tactile switches that attempt to approximate the feel of Cherry MX Browns. They are quite different though, as the bump is a lot less apparent, presenting itself nearer to the beginning of a key press.
Nevertheless, one of the distinguishing features of the Romer-G switches is a central light guide that helps focus light from the surface-mounted LED, minimizing light leakage and allowing for more even illumination. They’ve also been designed with shorter actuation distances that facilitate quicker response times and key presses. But this is all theory; we’ve noticed little, if any tangible difference.
However, the proprietary design of the Romer-G switches means that thirdparty Cherry MX sets are incompatible. You won’t be able to swap them out for a higher-quality PBT set, and the ABS keycaps are wont to shine and pick up grease in the long run.
CONCLUSION A simple, elegant and affordable introduction to mechanical keyboards.