Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510

Packaging
The Logitech G510 comes well packaged in a double cardboard box (an outer thin decorative one and an inner corrugated strong one), and is protected from the ravishes of shipping.

Installation
The Keyboard is very easy to install. Just unpack it, plug it into an available USB socket and Windows will recognize it on it's own. Then run the enclosed drivers disc and follow the instructions. This will get you access to the programmable keys driver and the LCD Manager driver. At the time of writing there is an update for the drivers available from Logitech's website.

General
The keyboard has a solid sturdy feel, the LED backlighting is about right and can be switched on or off and the colour can be changed. The keys have a nice tactile response which suites both the gamer and the touch typist. There are 18 programmable G keys and 3 settings on each via the M keys, and this can be done directly on the keyboard via the MR key. There is also a switch to turn on/off the Windows keys during gaming. Media control is supplied via 4 play controls, a mute button and a volume wheel. Sockets are provided that enable the keyboard to function as a USB sound card and output to headphones and input via a microphone. These can be independently muted by using the appropriate keys. Finally the LCD display has 5 control keys to switch between Applets and control the features within them.

Ease of use
The keyboard has a nice feel to it. The key travel is soft but with enough give to feel more like a mechanical keyboard. My wife is a touch typist and she had no trouble using it at all, I use it for gaming etc, and have also found it perfect. The software to program the Macro keys is easy to use, as is the LCD Manager used to control the little screen.

Features
The supplied software enables you to assign anything from a single key press to a complicated sequence, a LUA script or even a shortcut to a program, to any of the Macro keys (G1-G18). Here also you can create profiles so the Macro Keys have different functions depending on which program/game currently has the focus in Windows. It will also allow you to specify the colour of the LED backlighting of the keys. You can store up to 3 custom colours at a time on the M1, M2, & M3 keys. These 3 keys also allow you to assign up to three macros to each G key at a time, so altogether you can have up to 54 custom keys in any one program/game.
The LCD Manager software enables you to control what Applets are available on the keyboards LCD screen. For each Applet there is the option to enable/disable it and to configure it's settings. It also allows you to invert the display to dark on light if you need it.
Logitech supply a few basic Applets for the LCD display ranging from a clock to a POP3 email checker. I have to say that if there is one area that this keyboard is let down in it is by the lack of support for the LCD display. There are no Applets for things like Facebook or Twitter, and only a select number of games support the LCD display. While there are a few Applets written by the user community they are mainly for things like CPU temperature monitoring and other 'Techy' things. Also many require the installation of other programs to run them.

Conclusion
This is a great keyboard with a nice feel to it. It is ideal for everything from gaming to touch typing. The Macro Keys soon become indispensable, but the LCD display is lacking in support. Overall I would recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their keyboard!

Notes:
Logitech updates the drivers for their keyboards periodically and it's well worth checking every now and again or setting the software to auto-update.

The games that support the LCD display at the time of writing are:
Age of Conan® Hyborian Adventures by Funcom
America's Army by U.S. Army
Battlefield 2142 by Electronic Arts
Battlefield 2 by Electronic Arts
Brothers In Arms Earned In Blood(tm) by UbiSoft®
Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway by UbiSoft®
Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars(tm) by Electronic Arts
Commandos Strike Force by EIDOS
Crysis by Electronic Arts
Crysis Warhead® by Electronic Arts
DinoHunters by Kuma Reality Games(tm)
Dragon Age(tm) Origins by Electronic Arts
Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars(tm) by Activision
EverQuest® II by Sony Online Entertainment
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force by Graphsim/Lead-Pursuit
F.E.A.R.(tm) Perseus Mandate by Sierra/TimeGate
Fury by Gamecock (coming soon)
GT Legends by SimBin
GTR by SimBin
GTR 2 by 10tacle Studios/SimBin
Hellgate London(tm) by Flagship Studios
KumaWar by Kuma Reality Games(tm)
Lord of the Rings Online(tm): Shadows of Angmar(tm) by Midway
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames by Electronic Arts
Multiwinia by Introversion Software
Neverwinter Nights 2 by Atari
Prey by Human Head Studios/2K Games
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 by Tripwire Interactive
Rise of Legends by Big Huge Games
Shootout! by Kuma Reality Games(tm)
Sid Meier's Civilization IV by 2K Games/Firaxis
Sid Meier's Railroads! by 2K Games/Firaxis
SiN Episodes: Emergence by Ritual Entertainment
The Spiderwick Chronicles(tm) by Sierra®
Star Wars Battlefront II by LucasArts
Star Wars Galaxies® by Sony Online Entertainment
TimeShift­(tm) by Sierra®
Titan Quest Immortal Throne by THQ
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown(tm) by Ubisoft
Turning Point(tm): Fall of Liberty(tm) by Codemasters
Unreal® Tournament 2004 by Epic Games
Vendetta(tm) Online by Guild Software
War Front: Turning Point by 10tacle/Digital Reality
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos by Namco
Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning(tm) by Mythic Entertainment
The Witcher by Atari
World of Warcraft by Blizzard Entertainment
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade by Blizzard Entertainment
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King(tm) by Blizzard Entertainment

If your game of choice is not listed above then it will not make use of the LCD display (and likely never will).

The keyboard was tested on a Windows 7 64 bit PC and connected via USB 2.0.

After many years of fiddling about with crappy keyboards, i decided to get a decent gaming one. So i got this and tbh i am not disapointed with it.
Typing on it is dream the lcd is so helpfull it damm near makes the coffee. Only gripe is just one the bloody caps lock key keeps getting in the way. I wish they would move it or have an option to switch it off. Other than that well worth the money and the 5 star rating so for all you gamers out there ditch the crappy argos keyboard and get this from amazon asap.

The original G15 keyboard was probably the best keyboard I've owned, but I think this is better.

Everything a PC gamer could want for in a keyboard is here. The key movement is perfect. The software for Windows is excellent, but on OS X, it's a little ropey. The LCD is easy to use and read, even though it isn't tilt-able like the G15.

Changeable back-lighting and built in soundcard are plus points, I suppose, but I find them pointless.