Zones: Group keys together into color zones. You can only assign an individual key to one zone at a time.

G513 can be customizable per key with approximate 16.8 M colors. Create your own animations or choose from a selection of preset effects. And with LIGHTSYNC technology, lighting is driven by games, audio, or your screen to deliver the most immersive RGB experience ever. 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. 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.

Customer reviews

Complementing the aluminium design another noteworthy styling choice was made: Where you would usually find the brightly lit G logo, Logitech have opted instead to change it to a discrete, polished metal G. Though you can’t change the logo’s colour with crazy lights, it looks absolutely stunning and reinforces the clean and stylish look of the G513 Carbon. G513 is crafted from incredibly strong and durable 5052 aluminum-magnesium alloy which allows for both a minimal design and a beautiful aesthetic. The rigidity of 5052 alloy also provides a sturdy, non-slip chassis that houses a full suite of features for an unbeatable gaming experience.

The wrist rest itself is one of the most luxurious and comfortable wrist rests I have ever had the pleasure of using. I will frequently take it with me for use with the G Pro keyboard, too. (I have even been known to use it while playing Xbox so that I can rest my hand on the desk in premium comfort. It’s unorthodox, but it works!) 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. Advanced GX mechanical switches—engineered and 100% tested for performance, responsiveness, and durability. 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. That said, the key-lighting colors appear a bit dim versus other RGB keyboards on the market, especially the K95 RGB Platinum. Even Logitech's own G810 Orion Spectrum seems to shine brighter. While I prefer the subtlety of the G513 Carbon, some gamers tend to enjoy splashier keyboards—the more ostentatious the lighting, the better. For those folks, I'd have appreciated the option to crank up the intensity, even if I would have left the level at my review unit's default.

More info

title=More%20Expert%20Tech%20Roundups&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=tech-roundup&count=6&columnCount=6&theme=article 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. The advantages of the aluminium-alloy construction go beyond style, though. The G513 is impressively stable and rigid, and this translates into a solid and planted feel when using the keyboard. No matter how hard you are typing or playing, the G513 never flexes or feels like it can’t withstand the force, even when you go harder than you would ever need to.

The key switches may have special appeal for those who aren't satisfied by the half-dozen or so flavors of Cherry switch in common circulation. The Romer-Gs aren't for everyone; some seasoned gamers will turn up their noses at anything not made by Cherry, and I didn't find a huge difference in feel between the Tactile and Linear. But they were both quite comfortable. I was, however, impressed with the RGB effects shining through those legends. I found them to be particularly vibrant, with a crisp, precise feel to each color and very little blur between wave effects. There is a little bleed around the bottom of the caps, but everything generally feels remarkably restrained yet bright. Performance Another big change from the G413 is the inclusion of full RGB lighting, as opposed to the former model's single-color setup. The change has brought this keyboard in-line with other high-end mechanical boards in terms of vibrant, customizable RGB light shows. Logitech’s Romer-G switches do a great job with lighting as it only comes through the keycaps instead of from underneath the keys themselves, and the effect looks fantastic glowing through each key’s iconography. The lighting customization options universally affect the G512 and G513 gaming keyboards by default. However, you can also configure lighting settings to be set on a per profile basis. On paper, the Logitech G513 Carbon is a typical 101-key typer, with 12 additional keycaps available in the box (replacements for the WASD and function keys); these have angled tops for your fingers to distinguish by feel. But don't judge this keyboard by its key count and specs alone—the G513 Carbon pulls off a sophisticated look with a unique set of key switches that don't quite parallel anything in Cherry's portfolio. The Romer-G switches aren't as sharp or snappy in their key-press response, but they feel sturdy and make the G513 Carbon a lot quieter to type on than most mechanical keyboards.G513 is a high-performance gaming keyboard featuring your choice of advanced GX mechanical switches. The detachable, memory-foam palmrest and premium aluminum-alloy construction make G513 full-featured and best-in-class. The keycaps on the G513 Carbon have a comfortable, soft-touch finish. Key spacing felt great while typing, and I rarely produced any errors while typing out long strings of text. Moreover, even with the floating design, the keycaps are solid and there’s no cheap-feeling, wiggling keys on the G513. Larger keycaps, like the spacebar in particular, don’t suffer from wobble when you’re hitting one side of the bar. Logitech has also included a set of replacement keycaps for the WASD keys as well as the Q, E, R, and 1 through 5 keys. The replacements have a satisfyingly deeper recess that cradled my fingers, and the WASD keys in particular are wonderful for gaming. One of the stand out design features that set the G513 apart from the vast majority of gaming keyboards is its aircraft-grade aluminium-alloy body. This brushed finish gives the G513 a premium and sturdy feel while giving it an air of elegance usually absent from gaming keyboards. Second to the right, the Zones lighting mode is more convoluted. Using the Lighting Zones panel at lower right, you can create "zones" (groups of keys to be lit), labeling each with a title of your choosing before selecting a group of keys to assign to that zone. This process helps alleviate the tedium of per-key assignment, but the process isn't immediately obvious; you have to create a zone before selecting keys to have the keys become part of that zone. Selecting the keys first won't work. 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.