Logitech G Professional X Overview: The Final Gaming Keyboard You will Ever Want

Logitech G Professional X evaluate: The last word gaming keyboard

“Swappable switches give this keyboard an indefinitely lengthy lifespan.”

Clear, understated look

Swappable switches assist customization

Removable USB cable is sturdy

Stable construct with rubberized toes

Recreation mode is helpful and easy

RGB lighting does not cowl whole keycap

No devoted media keys

Solely F keys might be remapped

Neglect canines, mechanical keyboards are mankind’s greatest pal. They’re quick, snug, and correct, and so they final for years. However after tens of hundreds of thousands of key presses, even they begin to put on out, and also you invariably want to purchase one other board.

Logitech’s G Professional X gaming keyboard turns that paradigm on its head, by introducing not solely swappable keycaps, however swappable switches too.

Out there with Logitech’s personal model of GX Blue, Brown, or Purple switches, the Professional X comes with a swap removing instrument which helps you to swap out for any of the opposite swap choices everytime you like. With a removable USB cable and a strong design, the Logitech Professional X might be the primary high-end gaming keyboard that by no means grows outdated.

Gaming in Neverland

Logitech is nicely conscious that the majority keyboard customers gained’t ever have to swap out their keys. It sells the Logitech G Professional for that very cause — it’s the precise similar keyboard, however its switches are onerous soldered to the board as a substitute. However for individuals who need the choice of fixing out their swap sorts — say having purple switches on the arrow and quantity keys, however blue or browns for the alphabetical portion of the board — they’ll achieve this with the G Professional X.

Ought to a person key die in your new keyboard due to a defective swap, or simply since you occur to like smashing your fingertips into one specific key while you’re annoyed, then you definately don’t have to swap out your entire keyboard. You possibly can simply change the swap in a matter of seconds, and get again to gaming. Or typing. Or angrily smashing.

The Logitech G Professional X could be the final keyboard you ever purchase./pullquote]

Likelihood is most individuals will wish to improve their keyboard for brand new options nicely earlier than their switches begin to die. However in case you attempt the Professional X and like what you see and really feel, then having the ability to maintain it alive indefinitely with new switches is a singular characteristic which might cater completely to that subset of players. There’s nothing stopping Logitech introducing new swap designs sooner or later both, making this a fantastic future platform for Logitech followers.

The method for swapping out the switches is comparatively easy, if a tad fiddly. Logitech bundles a white, plastic instrument for the job which doubles as each a keycap remover and swap remover. There’s no actual distinction within the movement, you merely press the instrument down, give it somewhat wiggle to get each side of the clip in place, then squeeze and pull.

Keycaps pop off simply and switches aren’t a lot tougher to take away. You then change them by lining up the choice swap’s twin metallic pins with their respective holes on the board and push into place.

When it clicks, you’ve simply changed your swap. It took me 10-15 seconds to interchange one swap, so doing a complete keyboard wouldn’t be a lot enjoyable. However I wouldn’t need it to be a lot simpler, or I’d be involved that switches might come unfastened throughout heavy utilization or transit.

Elsewhere with sturdiness in thoughts, Logitech made positive this keyboard has a removable micro-USB cable, in order that it may’t be ripped out throughout transit. Or, as soon as once more, in case your cable ever turns into broken, you may simply change it with out shopping for a brand new board.

It’s, nonetheless, Logitech’s personal design with a few side-prongs for extra stability. However I examined it with some generic micro-USB cables I had mendacity round too, and so they labored simply as nicely.

What’s in a swap

Historically, mechanical gaming keyboards have been constructed utilizing switches manufactured by Cherry, with MX Blue, Brown, Purple, and Black being the most well-liked. That’s nonetheless frequent at present, however following shortages a number of years in the past, various keyboard producers, Logitech included, began growing their very own switches. That result in the creation of Logitech’s Romer G switches, and extra just lately its GX switches, which characteristic on this keyboard and extra carefully resemble Cherry MX’s authentic line.

Actually, they’re nearly similar. They’ve some minor variations in actuation top, actuation drive, and journey distance, however for all intents and functions, they’re the identical swap. That may not be thrilling by way of pushing swap know-how ahead, however it introduces various essential benefits this keyboard has over different, extra bespoke swap designs. Particularly since they’re swappable.

For starters, it implies that anybody who’s used to Cherry MX-powered keyboards will know what they’re getting with the Professional X. It additionally implies that Cherry MX switches ought to be appropriate with the Professional X, as Toms confirmed, so if Logitech stops making its GX switches for no matter cause, you can pay money for some Cherry MX ones to swap in as a substitute. Arguably extra importantly although, which means the Logitech Professional X and its switches, are absolutely appropriate with customized Cherry MX keycaps. In case you have a totally personalized Cherry MX board and wish to transfer over to the Professional X, you may carry your whole keycaps with you.

What Logitech did change with these switches, is their methodology of attachment to the keyboard itself. The place conventional switches (and people in the usual Logitech G Professional) are soldered to the keyboard itself, the Professional X makes use of a specialised socket system. Upon our questioning, Logitech confirmed that this socketing system introduces no sturdiness points, with the Professional X passing the identical checks that its different keyboards do, earlier than occurring sale.

Whenever you do come to interchange the switches (as a result of in case you don’t plan to there’s little level in shopping for this board over the cheaper, normal Professional) you should purchase bespoke swap kits immediately from Logitech. They’re priced at $50 every and include 92 switches, sufficient to interchange your entire keyboard and nonetheless have a handful left over as spares.

All the professionals and cons of mechanical

Exterior of the flexibility to swap out the switches, the Logitech G Professional X is a strong, tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard. It’s beautiful to sort on and sport with. In case you just like the numpad part, this isn’t the keyboard for you, as its compact design necessitates ditching these extraneous keys. That does give the board a really clear, minimalist look, although. There’s no overblown gamer styling and, crucially for these wanting to maintain this board for years to return, only a few nooks and crannies for mud and particles to get caught in, making cleansing easy and efficient.

There are additionally no devoted macro keys, though the help for Logitech’s stellar G Suite means you may remap the F keys to no matter you want. I’d have preferred to have seen extra customization choices there, as with small arms, F keys aren’t the best for me to achieve in a frantic sport or prolonged Photoshop session.

The RGB lighting is way more customizable, however it’s not excellent both. The LEDs are brilliant and might be modified to any of hundreds of thousands upon hundreds of thousands of colours, so you may animate them to scroll, wave, ripple, or the rest your coronary heart wishes.

Because the underlying switches mirror these of Cherry’s designs, nonetheless, they’re prone to the identical problematic keycap lighting protection. That’s, that the highest of the swap is the one portion that’s illuminated. That’s completely high quality for each key’s regular operate (Logitech made positive that its quantity keys all characteristic the designation on the prime, for this very cause) however the designations for secondary features, just like the @ image or the media controls, stay frustratingly unlit, as a result of they occupy the underside half, and even user-facing portion, of the keycaps.

That is one thing that Logitech has mounted with its personal Romer G switches, which have a centrally (slightly than prime) mounted LED. It’s a disgrace that there isn’t a greater answer to this subject and I want Logitech had discovered some approach to spotlight the media keys somewhat higher. In a nicely lit room, it may be onerous to see what features do what. In case you’re in a darkish room, it’s inconceivable.

Lighting might be switched on and off with a bodily button on the Professional G itself, alongside which you’ll additionally discover the Recreation Mode button. That locks down the Home windows key and a few others by default, making them non-responsive when you sport. As with every thing else in regards to the Professional X, you may customise which keys are turned off to your desire after which save that profile within the board itself, to take with you wherever you go.

And irrespective of the place you do go, this board gained’t transfer an inch until you need it to. The rubberized toes on each the board itself and its extendable legs imply that it doesn’t slide wherever, irrespective of how onerous you employ it.

Our take

The Logitech G Professional X mechanical gaming keyboard doesn’t reinvent the wheel, however it does make it solely replaceable piece by piece. Logitech claims the switches might be changed over 100 occasions with none dips in sturdiness or usability, which implies that so long as nothing else comes alongside that you really want as a substitute, this might be the final keyboard you ever purchase. The lighting isn’t excellent, (I bumped into a number of points with it typically turning off for no cause) and I choose devoted media controls, however aside from that, there’s little to complain about.

Are there any alternate options?

Sure, and no. There aren’t any different keyboards of this high quality that allow you to swap the switches out. In case you don’t look after that characteristic, although, then the usual Logitech G Professional is similar to this one and it prices much less too. In case you simply need a fantastic tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard, then you can additionally take a look at the Cooler Grasp MasterKeys Professional S RGB keyboard, or the Razer BlackWidow X Match Version. Each are wonderful mechanical boards with RGB lighting and compact frames, and aggressive pricing.

Need extra choices? Try our favourite mechanical keyboards.

How lengthy will it final? 

In idea, perpetually. Whereas spilling a beer over the board may see it surrender the ghost, switches and cables are the best elements of any keyboard to break and in case you do this with the Logitech G Professional X, you may simply change them. Whereas we’re positive that some characteristic(s) will come alongside sooner or later that you simply’ll wish to improve for, in each different respect, the Logitech G Professional X ought to final so long as you need it to.

Must you purchase it?

Sure. In case you like the concept of having the ability to chop and alter switches as you need for personalisation or improved longevity, then that is the best mechanical board for you.

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