• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard [unboxing and mini-review]

Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.17/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
I just picked up a Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard. I've been looking at getting one of these "gameboards" for a while now and after researching various Belkin, Saitek, and other similar parts it became obvious Logitech had some pretty good hardware on their hands with the G13. With that said, I simply could not justify spending nearly $100 on a gameboard, no matter how advanced. However, the prices have dropped considerably since launch and upon seeing the unit in person I realized this was no ordinary gameboard.

[Note: Photos were taken with a cheap digital camera and haven't been post-processed. I will keep the comments short and photos colorful to aid our ADHD afflicted members. Let's get on with unboxing...]

In addition to G13 this particular Fry's store (where I purchased the unit) had several other gameboards out-of-box on display for people with tinker with, including a Belkin n52te and a Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit (v2). It was obvious Logitech had a better product on their hands. The grip/feel of the G13 is much more comfortable in large part due to the rubberized wrist-rest, the proper placement and curvature of the keys (which are rubber coated themselves), as well as the fact the G13 unit seems to have some decent pads that keep it from sliding all over the place. Also, the G13 seems to be much heavier as well as sturdier. I imagine it can survive the occasional drop to the floor although I would recommend against testing out such scenarios. The Saitek unit seemed to be very cheaply made in addition to its keys being very hard to press and many keys seemed to stick, permanently. Although, I will forgive that since we are talking about store display units that must have been abused by hundreds of inquiring shoppers. Another thing I noticed is that G13 is massive. It is nearly twice the length of the Belkin's n52te unit.


The front of the box is pretty bare. The unit itself is the centerpiece here with the G13 branding and a WoW trial propaganda taking up minimal space at the bottom.





On the back you can find the basic information (very basic) relating to the unit itself, in several languages. I was glad Logitech decided to stick with the facts and not plaster the box with too many excessively colorful non-essential graphics, logos, or banners. The back of the box is very subdued, much like the front.




The packaging is decent, not great though. For instance, the plastic shell protecting the unit is pretty thin at the front. Something to keep in mind if you are purchasing this item online and the shipper decides to skimp on the packing materials.




Finally, out of the box! Again, the unit is massive compared to Belkin's n52te and even the slightly larger Saitek part. Heavy too.





The back is curved and you can see the pretty large pads along the edges. They are very good and I've tested them on several surfaces including wood, glass, and even carpet floor. This unit will not slide easily, although that has probably something to do with the mass of the unit as well.





Here is a up-close shot of the metal back-plate, in all its blurry glory.





The unit is plugged in! I was surprised how bright and readable the display was, even in well lighted surroundings, considering my experience with such displays is that they tend to get overpowered by the ambient light. Also, while I don't want to get too deep into the software side of things (this wouldn't be a mini-review anymore) but the software for the LCD is pretty awesome. You got everything from a clock, media player display (compatible with WinAmp), resource monitor, and similar other applets.





Here it is without the flash.





The unit also offers twelve different backlight colors, including the six in the photo below. Both for the keys and the LCD display.






Overall, a great product. Build and quality-wise G13 surpasses the units I had the chance to try out, including a pretty sleek but ultimately tiny and lightweight Belkin n52te and the toy-like fragile Saitek unit that seemed on the verge of falling apart. In the box aside from the unit there was a CD with the drivers which I disregarded and simply downloaded the latest software from Logitech's website. Also, there were some pretty lightweight installation and warranty pamphlets which were superfluous, since the installation of the unit consist of simply plugging the unit itself into the nearest USB port.

After a short test of the unit in action (first Crysis Warhead then ETQW) I must say I was impressed. Although, I had to tweak the default key layout for ETQW to suit my own preferences, but then again that is the whole idea of a product like G13.

G13 can be had for $39.99 after a mail-in rebate and a instant discount at your local Fry's store.




Also, it seems nVidia is serious about promoting their brand. Here is a little nVidia themed booth that wasn't there the last time I visited Fry's. 3D glasses and everything...


 

Attachments

  • g1301.jpg
    g1301.jpg
    161 KB · Views: 4,358
  • g1302.jpg
    g1302.jpg
    163.3 KB · Views: 1,851
  • g1303.jpg
    g1303.jpg
    139.3 KB · Views: 1,870
  • g1304.jpg
    g1304.jpg
    116.1 KB · Views: 1,956
  • g1305.jpg
    g1305.jpg
    118.2 KB · Views: 1,828
  • g1306.jpg
    g1306.jpg
    41.1 KB · Views: 1,679
  • g1307.jpg
    g1307.jpg
    186.8 KB · Views: 2,207
  • g1308.jpg
    g1308.jpg
    101.1 KB · Views: 1,725
  • g13colors.jpg
    g13colors.jpg
    72.7 KB · Views: 4,382
  • booth.jpg
    booth.jpg
    87.6 KB · Views: 1,831
Last edited:

PVTCaboose1337

Graphical Hacker
Joined
Feb 1, 2006
Messages
9,501 (1.43/day)
Location
Texas
System Name Whim
Processor Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.4ghz
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V LX
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Memory 2 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws @ 1600mhz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte GTX 670 2gb
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256gb, WD 2TB Black
Display(s) Shimian QH270 (1440p), Asus VE228 (1080p)
Case Cooler Master 430 Elite
Audio Device(s) Onboard > PA2V2 Amp > Senn 595's
Power Supply Corsair 750w
Software Windows 8.1 (Tweaked)
That product looks really promising for a person like me with a laptop, and no room for a full keyboard. Alas, I still use an IBM Model 5 (a huge keyboard) much to the annoyance of my roommate, who hates the size almost as much as the clicky keys.
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.17/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
That product looks really promising for a person like me with a laptop, and no room for a full keyboard. Alas, I still use an IBM Model 5 (a huge keyboard) much to the annoyance of my roommate, who hates the size almost as much as the clicky keys.

Be warned though, this thing is pretty big. It is way longer (if not wider as well) than my already large gaming mouse pad. I could barely fit G13, G5, and my keyboard on the rather large tray on my desk. (Barely!) In fact, for those online matches where I want to make sure I get the best performance, I simply move my keyboard to a different spot on the desk altogether. Pictures don't do the justice in showing how large this thing really is.

I should say, now that I have tried more games with this pad, I can see it becoming simply indispensable for my everyday gaming. It took minutes to adjust to it and now after few days I think I got a pretty good handle on it. Most of the games I tried to date have been first-person shooters but with some layout tinkering and macro creation this thing can be a pretty useful tool for various fantasy MMO's and even RTS games.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
4,013 (0.75/day)
Pardon my ignorance, but does the small console type joystick replace the AWSD keys? Do you use your index finger on the joy, and your thumb and middle finger on the adjacent buttons (say for crouch and jump?) It looks pretty nifty, but my primitive mind cannot comprehend its funcionality...
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.17/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
MT Alex said:
Pardon my ignorance, but does the small console type joystick replace the AWSD keys? Do you use your index finger on the joy, and your thumb and middle finger on the adjacent buttons (say for crouch and jump?) It looks pretty nifty, but my primitive mind cannot comprehend its funcionality...

You can use the little joystick as WASD in addition to the already whatever WASD setup you got going on the other "G" keys. Also, the little joystick can be set in the options to emulate a mouse, which can be beneficial for some games where you just want to use the G13 and nothing else.

For instance, the little joystick can be really nice in games like BF2 where you switch from a soldier on the ground to a pilot in the helicopter. You can use the standard WASD G keys for foot movements and joystick for easier piloting/maneuvering.

It is all fully configurable. Here is a screenshot of the "Key Profiler" software:



To tell you honestly I really haven't tinkered with the software side of things that much aside from creating few custom layouts. There seems to be tons of stuff to do, including some pretty nifty macro creation options.
 

Attachments

  • joyg13.jpg
    joyg13.jpg
    80.2 KB · Views: 2,349
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
8,518 (1.43/day)
Location
Kansas City
System Name The Dove Box Rev 3.0
Processor i7 8700k @ 4.7GHz
Motherboard Asus Maximus X APEX
Cooling Custom water loop
Memory 16GB 3600 MHz DDR4
Video Card(s) 2x MSI 780 Ti's in SLI
Storage 500GB Samsung 850 PCIe SSD, 4TB
Display(s) 27" Asus 144Hz
Case Enermax Fulmo GT
Audio Device(s) ON BOARD FTW
Power Supply Corsair 1200W
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Win 10 64x
Nice mini-review :toast:

How much? $60?
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.17/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
Nice mini-review :toast:

How much? $60?

I think I already posted the pricing info in the review, but if they (Fry's) still got the same deal going on, it should be $39.99 after $15 rebate (+ whatever tax %, depending on the state/county.)
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
8,518 (1.43/day)
Location
Kansas City
System Name The Dove Box Rev 3.0
Processor i7 8700k @ 4.7GHz
Motherboard Asus Maximus X APEX
Cooling Custom water loop
Memory 16GB 3600 MHz DDR4
Video Card(s) 2x MSI 780 Ti's in SLI
Storage 500GB Samsung 850 PCIe SSD, 4TB
Display(s) 27" Asus 144Hz
Case Enermax Fulmo GT
Audio Device(s) ON BOARD FTW
Power Supply Corsair 1200W
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Win 10 64x
Eh, close to $60. Not too bad but MIR suck ass.

Still good review man.
 

@RaXxaa@

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
473 (0.09/day)
Location
Pakistan & US
System Name ROG
Processor AMD PhenomII X6 1090T 3.2-4.0 GHZ
Motherboard Crosshair IV Formula
Cooling Thermaltake Frio
Memory OCZ Gold 1333 4GB
Video Card(s) XFX Radeon HD 5850
Storage 1000GB SeaGate Sata
Case Thermaltake V4
Audio Device(s) Built in
Power Supply OCZ Modextreme 700W
Software Win7 & Win2k8 server
Benchmark Scores Almost 20300 in 3D 06 6.9 IN Cinebench 11.5 CPU Score
I dont know about the layout, i rather use a simple 360 controller and with uncompatiable games such as MW and L4D2 i use the JoyToKeyboad emu simply works for me
 

Glazierman

New Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
100 (0.02/day)
Location
Lake Tawakoni,Texas
System Name CoolerMaster S.S.Gaming Mouse/Logitech G-13 Pad
Processor Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield
Motherboard Asus Rampage II Extreme
Cooling Zalman CNPS10X cpu / 5-Aerocool S.Q.BLU-LED140 MM
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600 12-GB
Video Card(s) 2-XFX HD-6990's-Crossfired
Storage OCZ Vertex Turbo ssd 60G / W.D. 1-TB. X2 (Raid 0)
Display(s) Sceptre 24" Black 1080P 2mcs
Case Thermaltake Xaser VI ATX Full Tower Black & Silver
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar D2X / Roccat Kave 5.1 True Surround H.S.
Power Supply Ultra X4 1.6 KW
Software Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit
G-13

I've had mine for three months I don't go to battle without it !!!:rockout:
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.17/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
I will be making another trip to Fry's today for the purpose of picking up a new keyboard for my workstation/gamestation. My current illuminated keyboard is already showing sings of serious wear. Some keys are randomly sticking and badly (the "Enter" key for one). I'm not 100% sure on what I will pick up but they have Logitech G15 (v2), Saitek Eclipse II, Saitek Eclipse III, Saitek Cyborg and few others in stock. Who knows, I might pick up something completely plain and ordinary. I really prefer pearl colored keys which is what I have with my current keyboard (similar color scheme to various Apple branded peripherals) but it seems there are few keyboards out there like that which have illumination as well. Well, from any decent manufacturers at least.

Hopefully I will have unboxing/mini-review of whatever I pick up posted tonight or the day after at the latest.
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Messages
1,583 (0.22/day)
Location
Poland,Slask
System Name HAL
Processor Core i5 2500K
Motherboard Asus P8P67 Pro Rev3.1
Cooling stock
Memory 2x4GB Kingston 1600Mhz Blu
Video Card(s) Asus 560Ti DirectCuII TOP
Storage Kingston 120 3K SSD,WD Black WD1502FAEX
Display(s) LG 1440x900
Case Chieftec Mesh Midi
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX750V2
Software w8
ahahahah lmfao @ CPU % RAM % :) :) :)
 
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
1,177 (0.20/day)
System Name KOV
Processor AMD 5900x
Motherboard Asus Crosshair Hero VIII
Cooling H100i Cappellix White
Memory Corsair 3600kHz 32GB
Video Card(s) RX 7900XT
Storage Samsung 970 evo 500gb, Corsair 500gb ssd, 500GB 840 pro & 1TB samsung 980pro. M2.SSD 960 evo 250GB
Display(s) ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ1B 165mhz, Dell S2721DGFA 27 Inch QHD 165mhz
Case Corsair 680x
Audio Device(s) ON Board and Hyper X cloud flight wireless headset and Bose speakers
Power Supply AX1200i Corsair
Mouse Logitech G502x plus lightspeed
Keyboard Logitech G915 TKL lightspeed and G13 gamepad
Software windows 11
Much prefer my N52te to be honest, its not that I don't like logitech I mean I use the G15 keybaord and G5 mouse but for gaming I will stick with the N52te or even my old N52
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.17/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
Well, the unboxing of the new keyboard will have to wait until the weekend. I had some serious problems with a Logitech G110 I picked up at a local MicroCenter, problems which I documented in a different thread.

Anyways, after I returned that seriously flawed piece of hardware to the store, I ordered something else. Even though I'm not a fan of Microsoft peripherals anymore (their quality has gotten worse over the years) I have a brand new Microsoft SideWinder X6 on the way. It should be here on Friday and I should have some photos and a mini-review on Saturday or Sunday.
 
Top