Logitech Pro X TKL Rapid review – peak performance with some design flaws

Logitech is taking a large leap and getting into the Corridor Impact keyboard market with the Professional X TKL Fast. This board additionally has the most recent in-demand options like speedy set off and key precedence inbuilt. These new options are shortly turning into commonplace in gaming keyboards, however this effort from Logitech feels very fundamental, even for a primary enterprise into Corridor Impact design.

Worth can also be an element holding the Logitech Professional X TKL Fast from being top-of-the-line gaming keyboards, as its comparatively plain design does little or no to justify the $170 value, though its construct high quality is usually excellent, bar some minor key wobble issues. Granted, OLED screens, a wealth of RGB zones, wi-fi connections, and extra in-depth media controls aren’t what make or break a gaming keyboard, however they’re good to have when contemplating the extent of funding.

Specs

Design

Logitech has taken a no-frills strategy to the design of the Professional X TKL Fast, which is obtainable in black, white, and pink. It’s undeniably a Logitech board, that includes the big bezel throughout the highest the place the media controls sit, in addition to the G brand on the far left. The keyboard additionally options RGB brightness controls and a recreation mode button.

The keyboard comes with three top ranges from which to decide on, utilizing flip-out ft, which implies there’s each likelihood your perfect typing angle is roofed. There are additionally 5 plastic grips on the rear of the board, with three alongside the underside. These options are all of the Professional X TKL Fast provides when it comes to anti-slip measures, and I discovered that when utilizing the board on my NZXT Zone desk mat, it was vulnerable to the occasional slip when making fast or heavy actions whereas gaming, regardless of its pretty heavy 1kg weight. Nonetheless, the board fared a lot better when sitting immediately on my picket desktop.

In the meantime, per-key Lightsync RGB is obtainable on the Professional X TKL Fast, which could be adjusted utilizing the Logitech G Hub, which is a really easy course of. Every thing is laid out with the visible of the keyboard, and you can also make per-key changes, group keys collectively, or make entire board modifications in only a few seconds. Simply ensure you don’t enable Home windows to regulate the lighting on the board earlier than attempting to edit the lighting, in any other case nothing will occur and also you’ll be caught with a generic blue underglow as an alternative.

Exterior of the keyboard itself, the one different merchandise included with the Professional X TKL Fast is the 1.8m USB-A to C cable. Sadly, this simply makes use of fundamental plastic housing fairly than a cloth different, that means it may be fairly awkward to bend into form and manipulate to make sure it doesn’t disrupt the aesthetic of your desktop cable administration.

Efficiency

The efficiency of the Logitech Professional X TKL Fast is just not up for debate. This gaming keyboard is extremely responsive, and I discovered there to be no points with adjusting the actuation of singular keys or with each the important thing precedence and speedy set off options.

Whereas gaming, I had no points with the responsiveness of the keyboard’s speedy set off function when set at each excessive and low activation gates, and the identical goes for the final adjustable actuation. Whether or not I had the board set to be extremely delicate or to make use of the total journey distance of the switches, the Professional X TKL Fast felt nice to make use of, and its responsiveness was flawless.

An enormous purpose why adjustable actuation could be so helpful is that if, like me, you’re vulnerable to fat-fingered errors when gaming. If I’m enjoying a recreation reminiscent of Name of Obligation: Warzone, the place I’m solely going to be utilizing the motion keys and some choose motion buttons, I can set these keys to be extra delicate whereas leaving the encircling keys as needing a full press to register. This prevents me from hitting an unintentional enter and messing up my rhythm whereas gaming.

The identical goes for speedy set off, a expertise that enables for a keypress to be registered once more as quickly as uplift is detected. Fast set off ensures that a number of, quick inputs could be registered with out a key needing to be totally depressed earlier than it’s reset. That is perfect for motion in motion video games and rhythm video games too.

Multi-point actions, generally referred to as dynamic keystrokes or dual-activation, are additionally attainable to arrange through the Logitech G Hub, and these work nice too. This function means that you can set two instructions for a single key press. As an example, a half-press of a key may start the method of cooking a grenade, after which a full key press may throw the grenade.. I personally like to make use of this setting in Fortnite, the place I can assign a half-press of the WASD keys to strolling, whereas the total press is used for working. This successfully takes away the necessity for shift toggling for working/sprinting in video games the place it’s attainable.

Lastly, there may be key precedence, a function which is typically referred to as snap faucet, snappy tappy, or speedy faucet. Addressing the elephant within the room first, this function is banned in Counter-Strike 2, so it must be disabled previous to enjoying. For now, it stays unbanned in different aggressive video games.

This function successfully permits for layers of keypresses to be arrange and prioritized accordingly, however without having to launch an enter for it to re-register as soon as the prioritized keys are launched. For instance, when you’re holding the A key to strafe left, key precedence means that you can then press D to strafe proper whereas conserving the A key pressed. Upon releasing the D key, you’ll return to strafing left. Complicated strafing isn’t as essential in different video games as it’s in CS2, and Valve did act shortly to ban the function when it was first revealed, however there may be an argument that it makes little or no distinction exterior of the elite degree of play.

One concern, nevertheless, is {that a} slight key wobble could be felt at full press, which signifies some instability throughout the board’s construct. It could go unnoticed most of the time, however when holding down a key so far as it is going to go, it’s simple to detect and worries me that, underneath long-term use, put on and tear injury will happen a lot faster than with different gaming keyboards.

Elsewhere, on-board reminiscence profiles additionally imply that when you make modifications in Logitech G Hub, it can save you them to the board fairly than having to re-download the software program on whichever system you might be enjoying. That is nice when you plan to attend LAN occasions or, for no matter purpose, play utilizing a PC that isn’t your personal.

Not like some gaming keyboards, the Logitech Professional X TKL Fast additionally maintains an honest common typing really feel. That is aided by the adjustable actuation, as you’re in a position to set the board to match your wants. For those who’re a heavy-handed however quick contact typer like, you may set a low actuation level to make sure no errors are made when you unintentionally drag throughout a key whereas typing. I by no means felt slowed down by the design of the Professional X TKL Fast, and this was confirmed when my Typing Check outcomes returned as 72 phrases per minute with an accuracy charge of 99%. My document for this check is on the Drop CSTM80, the place I managed 75 phrases per minute with a 99% accuracy. One draw back, nevertheless, is that the quantity of the board can really feel exacerbated when in a typing move, which could be off-putting when you’re used to a extra muted sound coming out of your keyboard.

Recorded from a 20cm distance, the Logitech Professional X TKL registered a median of 65dB whereas typing, hitting a max of 70dB, usually when the enter or house key was used. Examine this to the 57dB common of the NZXT Perform 2 and 48dB common of the Turtle Seashore Vulcan II TKL Professional, two boards that actively use noise-dampening methods, displaying that there’s a noticeable distinction when no noise-reducing design options are added.

Worth

At $169.99 / £169.99, the Logitech G Professional X TKL Fast feels barely overpriced as a result of fundamental design. Nonetheless, in the case of uncooked efficiency, you get your cash’s value with the suite of recent options and the way nicely they’re all carried out.

Options

Steelseries Apex Professional

Early adopters of options reminiscent of speedy set off and speedy faucet, the Steelseries Apex Professional boards are an incredible different as a result of vary of sizes by which they’re accessible, with wi-fi boards additionally available on the market. One drawback of utilizing a Steelseries board, nevertheless, is the bloated software program required to edit and modify the options.

Keydous NJ98-CP

Whereas the Keydous NJ98-CP is barely $10 cheaper than the Logitech Professional X TKL Fast for the aluminum plate mannequin, it has the good thing about being a full-size keyboard and in addition provides wi-fi 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connection choices. It additionally has a small magnetic multi-function display and is available in a spread of colorways. That is all on prime of implausible gaming and typing efficiency due to the Gateron Jade Professional switches.

Verdict

The Logitech Professional X Fast TKL is a stable gaming keyboard that brings little or no to the desk when it comes to new and thrilling options, as an alternative serving as the primary in a brand new era of gaming keyboards from Logitech.

Fast set off and key precedence are positive options so as to add, even when one is a bit dangerous, and this has clearly been the course for gaming keyboards for the previous few years, however asking players to cough up $170 when there may be so little else to shout about is a troublesome promote.

There are rivals on the market providing a much bigger whole package deal, albeit for the next MSRP, however it looks like extra is being finished to justify these prices than is being finished right here with the Logitech Professional X TKL Fast, which feels as if it’s enjoying catch-up to the likes of Razer and SteelSeries.

The Logitech Professional X Fast TKL is nice for players who need to be on the reducing fringe of keyboard efficiency, and who aren’t involved about fancy design options or wi-fi connections. For everybody else, there shall be a sense of purchaser’s regret if you’re hoping for extra on the design entrance.