The folks at Logitech must feel like they’re on a roll lately. The company released the Pro X2 Superstrike last month, which introduced gamers to its new haptic inductive trigger system. Next up is the G512 X, a gaming keyboard that supports two different kinds of switches — mechanical and analogue — making this one of the most configurable keyboards on the market.
The G512 X enters the fray
The G512 X is available in black and white, 75% and 98% layouts, and supports both Logitech MX mechanical switches and Gateron KS-20 magnetic analogue switches. Sadly, there’s no wireless option.
The magnetic switches rely on tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR) switch beds, so they operate a little differently from other magnetic switches, such as the Hall Effect switches used by Wooting. While the end result is similar, TMR switches do provide a few benefits over their Hall Effect counterparts, like higher accuracy, lower latency, and longer battery life.
Like other magnetic switches, you can customise the actuation point of individual key strokes, and they support rapid trigger and multipoint actuation, too, with five second actuation pressure point (SAPP) rings included in the box.
One of the biggest drawbacks of using TMR switches is that they usually cost more to manufacture, so Logitech has only included the hybrid switch beds in 39 of the keyboard’s left-most switches, and the board only ships with nine of them. That’s the side most gamers use anyway, so we don’t see that being a deal breaker, especially considering this is the only keyboard (that we know of) that supports swapping between two different types of switches.
Switching switches
The G512 X isn’t only barking on about its hybrid switch beds, it also supports high-end features like “true 8K performance”, which is said to bring input times down to around a tenth of a second. There are a few extras scattered around the board, like two dials in the top right corner that can be customised in Logitech’s G Hub software.
Other notable details include the clever way Logitech has incorporated the switch and keycap pullers into the board as its adjustable feet. There are also little compartments around the back to house the nine included mechanical switches, so don’t lose them. And, if you’re into it, there’s a great big RGB lightbar across the keyboard where your palms lie, with the option of a transparent wrist rest (sold separately).
Like most new tech, the G512 X doesn’t come cheap. In the US, the 75% layout demands $180 (about R3,000) while the 98% model bumps that up to $200 (about R3,340). Add $40-$45 (R670-R750) if you want that wrist rest.
We don’t yet know for sure that it will make its way to South Africa, although we can’t see why it wouldn’t. It’s just a matter of time.
