Logitech G513 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review – Let There Be Light

Written By: CS:GO Guru
Logitech G513 review
Summary
An excellent gaming keyboard for CS:GO and any other competitive shooter out there. A bit pricey if you don’t need a top notch keyboard but if you want premium quality then the Logitech G513 is your choice.
Pros
Stylish exterior
Feels excellent
Everything just absolutely glows quality
The lighting is as customizable as it gets
Cons
4.6
Logitech G513 RGB Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Romer-G Linear Keyswitches (Carbon)
  • High performance RGB keyboard with customizable full spectrum color lighting per key plus LIGHTSYNC game-driven lighting colors and effects
  • Advanced Romer G Linear Mechanical keyswitches for 25 percent faster responsiveness and super smooth keystroke feel
  • Soft and strong Memory Foam palmrest for premium comfort and durability that resists sweat and wipes clean
  • Aircraft grade brushed aluminum alloy top case for a high end look that seals components with rugged protection
  • Convenient USB pass through port makes it a snap to plug in your mouse, flash drive or phone for direct data transmission or charging

Logitech has introduced two gaming keyboards in their gaming peripherals catalogue lately: G513 and G613. Even as they have plenty of other models on the market, we could make a clear-cut organization of the newest gaming focused keyboards: G513 is the flagship, G613 is the wireless option and G Pro is the tenkeyless option. Pretty straightforward and makes deciding between the new keyboards really simple.

As you would expect, the G513 is the successor of the Logitech G413 – it does everything as well and even better than it’s predecessor. But is it good enough to justify purchasing a new keyboard already if you’ve had the G413 previously?

What’s (New) In The Box?

Logitech G513 Gaming Keyboard Review

So, what’s new? With G413 you had two background lighting options: Carbon came with red lights and Silver with white lights.

With the G513 things are somewhat different. The Carbon (black) is available with two different keywitches: tactile and linear. The Silver comes with only the tactile option. We’ll explain the difference between these later on in the article.

Both have fully customizable full spectrum RGB lighting with the new LightSync feature which we’ll discuss later. At the time of writing this we could not find the silver version on sale anywhere yet, but it’s likely to come anytime soon.

G513 also comes packed with a palmrest and onboard memory, plus you get to decide between two different keyswitch types. You also get the 12 additional shiny gaming keycaps as you would with G413, and the puller for swift keycap removal.

What we really appreciated was the fact that the palmrest is removable. That might sound a bit obvious, but they actually made it integrated on the G613. The palmrest itself is of high quality. Leatherette surface with memory foam filling not only feels nice but also contributes to the premium look of the keyboard. It’s also easy to keep clean, which is something you will quickly learn to appreciate on a palmrest.

The Big Brother of G413

Well, talking about big brother might be a bit misleading as G413 and G513 are exactly the same size. Both measure at 5.12”H x 17.5”W x 1.4”D but the G513 is actually 85 grams lighter. Technically we should speak of a little brother then, eh?

Quality-wise there is not much difference between the two. This might sound a bit underwhelming but it’s not – the G414 was and still is an excellent gaming keyboard. The aluminum alloy with a brushed metal finish is just pure eye candy and makes the keyboard as sturdy as they get.

Logitech’s own Romer-G mechanical keyswitches are right up there with the industry standard Cherry MX’s, maybe even better. At least Logitech states that they are quieter and 25% faster than standard mechanical switches. This could very well be the case, we didn’t have a decibel meter to benchmark this. What we do know is that they are excellent for both gaming and writing.

Logitech G513 features

All the same ”extra” features that made G413 great are also included in the G513. The additional USB passthrough port is a handy little thing that you’ll never miss before you get used to it. You can plug any USB device in it – charge your wireless headset, phone, or plug your USB stick with your CS:GO config at a LAN.

Just as in the G413 the multimedia controls are behind the function key but you can easily change them as your first priority from the Logitech Gaming Software.

…And The Light Came

Most of the times you are using the software will be for switching between different lighting profiles. Logitech is taking the light game to a whole new level with the LightSync.

As mentioned above the Logitech G513 gaming keyboard is equipped with full spectrum RGB LED lighting. This means about 16.8 millions colors and they are customizable per key, not in areas as in most keyboards.

The lighting profiles vary from waves, breathing and star effects to fixed colors, cycles with customizable speeds, key presses… Even the (already dead?) television gimmick ”ambient lighting” that simulates colors shown on your screen is available. It’s customizable, let’s just say that. You can get a better overview at Logitech’s lighting guide. If you don’t like LED’s you can always turn them off, too.

The big new thing of the keyboard is it’s compatibility with Logitech’s new LightSync. This means that you can hook the keyboard up with the new Logitech G560 gaming speakers (yeah…it’s a casual thing. Filthy plebs.) and G502 gaming mouse, creating quite a lighting show on your gaming setup.

Is It Good For Competitive Gamers?

Most definitely.

As we mentioned you can choose between two mechanical switches: tactile and linear. Tactile is the regular Romer-G’s you would find on earlier Logitech keyboards and Romer-G Linear is a new, smoother keyswitch with no feedback. Tactile switches are better for esports and linear are better suited for casual gaming.

Truth be told the difference between the two is not that big and you can easily use linear switches for CS:GO too. But variety is always nice.

Logitech G513 is an excellent gaming keyboard if you’ve got the space on your desk. Being 17.9” (455 mm) wide it’s not ideal for potentially cramped spaces at BYOC LAN’s but if you only play at the comfort of your home it’s just the same as any full sized keyboard. If you are looking for a space saver you should go for the Logitech G Pro instead.

If you are uncertain have a look at our Best Keyboards For CS:GO guide!

Summary
An excellent gaming keyboard for CS:GO and any other competitive shooter out there. A bit pricey if you don’t need a top notch keyboard but if you want premium quality then the Logitech G513 is your choice.
Pros
Stylish exterior
Feels excellent
Everything just absolutely glows quality
The lighting is as customizable as it gets
Cons
4.6
Logitech G513 RGB Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Romer-G Linear Keyswitches (Carbon)
  • High performance RGB keyboard with customizable full spectrum color lighting per key plus LIGHTSYNC game-driven lighting colors and effects
  • Advanced Romer G Linear Mechanical keyswitches for 25 percent faster responsiveness and super smooth keystroke feel
  • Soft and strong Memory Foam palmrest for premium comfort and durability that resists sweat and wipes clean
  • Aircraft grade brushed aluminum alloy top case for a high end look that seals components with rugged protection
  • Convenient USB pass through port makes it a snap to plug in your mouse, flash drive or phone for direct data transmission or charging

Logitech has introduced two gaming keyboards in their gaming peripherals catalogue lately: G513 and G613. Even as they have plenty of other models on the market, we could make a clear-cut organization of the newest gaming focused keyboards: G513 is the flagship, G613 is the wireless option and G Pro is the tenkeyless option. Pretty straightforward and makes deciding between the new keyboards really simple.

As you would expect, the G513 is the successor of the Logitech G413 – it does everything as well and even better than it’s predecessor. But is it good enough to justify purchasing a new keyboard already if you’ve had the G413 previously?

What’s (New) In The Box?

Logitech G513 Gaming Keyboard Review

So, what’s new? With G413 you had two background lighting options: Carbon came with red lights and Silver with white lights.

With the G513 things are somewhat different. The Carbon (black) is available with two different keywitches: tactile and linear. The Silver comes with only the tactile option. We’ll explain the difference between these later on in the article.

Both have fully customizable full spectrum RGB lighting with the new LightSync feature which we’ll discuss later. At the time of writing this we could not find the silver version on sale anywhere yet, but it’s likely to come anytime soon.

G513 also comes packed with a palmrest and onboard memory, plus you get to decide between two different keyswitch types. You also get the 12 additional shiny gaming keycaps as you would with G413, and the puller for swift keycap removal.

What we really appreciated was the fact that the palmrest is removable. That might sound a bit obvious, but they actually made it integrated on the G613. The palmrest itself is of high quality. Leatherette surface with memory foam filling not only feels nice but also contributes to the premium look of the keyboard. It’s also easy to keep clean, which is something you will quickly learn to appreciate on a palmrest.

The Big Brother of G413

Well, talking about big brother might be a bit misleading as G413 and G513 are exactly the same size. Both measure at 5.12”H x 17.5”W x 1.4”D but the G513 is actually 85 grams lighter. Technically we should speak of a little brother then, eh?

Quality-wise there is not much difference between the two. This might sound a bit underwhelming but it’s not – the G414 was and still is an excellent gaming keyboard. The aluminum alloy with a brushed metal finish is just pure eye candy and makes the keyboard as sturdy as they get.

Logitech’s own Romer-G mechanical keyswitches are right up there with the industry standard Cherry MX’s, maybe even better. At least Logitech states that they are quieter and 25% faster than standard mechanical switches. This could very well be the case, we didn’t have a decibel meter to benchmark this. What we do know is that they are excellent for both gaming and writing.

Logitech G513 features

All the same ”extra” features that made G413 great are also included in the G513. The additional USB passthrough port is a handy little thing that you’ll never miss before you get used to it. You can plug any USB device in it – charge your wireless headset, phone, or plug your USB stick with your CS:GO config at a LAN.

Just as in the G413 the multimedia controls are behind the function key but you can easily change them as your first priority from the Logitech Gaming Software.

…And The Light Came

Most of the times you are using the software will be for switching between different lighting profiles. Logitech is taking the light game to a whole new level with the LightSync.

As mentioned above the Logitech G513 gaming keyboard is equipped with full spectrum RGB LED lighting. This means about 16.8 millions colors and they are customizable per key, not in areas as in most keyboards.

The lighting profiles vary from waves, breathing and star effects to fixed colors, cycles with customizable speeds, key presses… Even the (already dead?) television gimmick ”ambient lighting” that simulates colors shown on your screen is available. It’s customizable, let’s just say that. You can get a better overview at Logitech’s lighting guide. If you don’t like LED’s you can always turn them off, too.

The big new thing of the keyboard is it’s compatibility with Logitech’s new LightSync. This means that you can hook the keyboard up with the new Logitech G560 gaming speakers (yeah…it’s a casual thing. Filthy plebs.) and G502 gaming mouse, creating quite a lighting show on your gaming setup.

Is It Good For Competitive Gamers?

Most definitely.

As we mentioned you can choose between two mechanical switches: tactile and linear. Tactile is the regular Romer-G’s you would find on earlier Logitech keyboards and Romer-G Linear is a new, smoother keyswitch with no feedback. Tactile switches are better for esports and linear are better suited for casual gaming.

Truth be told the difference between the two is not that big and you can easily use linear switches for CS:GO too. But variety is always nice.

Logitech G513 is an excellent gaming keyboard if you’ve got the space on your desk. Being 17.9” (455 mm) wide it’s not ideal for potentially cramped spaces at BYOC LAN’s but if you only play at the comfort of your home it’s just the same as any full sized keyboard. If you are looking for a space saver you should go for the Logitech G Pro instead.

If you are uncertain have a look at our Best Keyboards For CS:GO guide!

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