Gaming keyboards are a dime a dozen. We’ve seen the likes of Razer, SteelSeries and Corsair dish out variants of mechanical keyboards over the past few decades. Logitech is another familiar name you can add to that list. We’ve recently taken a look at and reviewed the Logitech G213 Prodigy keyboard, an excellent entrance keyboard for more casual PC gamers. The Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum, on the other hand, is targeted to the more dedicated spectrum of gamers.
The Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum is a refreshed version of the old G910 Orion Spark, the first Logitech Keyboard to use Logitech’s proprietary Romer-G switches. The G910 Orion Spectrum is the fifth such keyboard to feature the switches, but compared to the Orion Spark, is quite different in appearance.
The Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum measures 210x505x34.3 mm and weighs in at 1.5 KG, giving it quite a hefty, heavy and sturdy build. This is the sort of keyboard you’ll take with you to LAN competitions without having to worry if it’ll snap in half as some flimsier models would, though it certainly does take up a lot of space. The sturdiness and build quality are excellent; at no point during my testing period did I feel the framework bend anywhere on the keyboard, unlike the G213. A palm symmetrical palm rest allows for your wrists to rest whilst typing or gaming giving an ergonomic feel.
RGB lighting is ubiquitous when it comes to gaming keyboards and the G910 Orion Spectrum is no different. Unlike the G213 Prodigy, every single one of the keys on the Spectrum can be colour coded. The only exception are the multimedia keys. With access to over 16.8 million colours, hues and shades, you can transform your keyboard into something that would make a rainbow-coloured unicorn nauseous. In my case, I went with the classic colouring of the primary gaming keys to stand out from the rest of the keys.
However, to do any customisation, one would have to download the Logitech Gaming software. When it comes to RGB customisation, users can opt for Freestyle, which lets you customise each key colour; Zones, which group keys into colour zones; Commands, which lights up the keys that are used in a game and Effects, which are preset transitional effects.
When it comes to key layout, the Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum has the usual keyboard layout familiar to Windows users. The only difference that may take some getting used to is the addition of five macro keys to the left of the default keyboard layout, and the addition of four more macro keys above the first four function keys. While it may not seem like much, it does take some getting used to as my muscle memory for typing and gaming places my pinky on the left most key. This resulted in me hitting keys to the left of the ones I wanted to type. However, with a bit of usage, your muscle memory soon adjusts. My only other complaint is that for a gaming keyboard, the left “shift” key is woefully small (the keyboard layouts are dependant per country).
When it comes to performance, the G910 Orion Spectrum is a shining beacon. First, the stats. The G910 Orion Spectrum utilises Logitech’s proprietary Romer-G mechanical keyboard switches. These switches have an actuation force of 45g, an actuation point of 1.5 mm and a total travel distance of 3 mm. Compare this to the Cherry MX Red switches, which have the same actuation force but longer actuation points and travel distances. The lower actuation point and travel distance of the Romer-G keys allow for quicker responses when it comes to gaming sessions. Furthermore, the Romer-G has a longer life, going for 70-million keystrokes.
A slight bump gives a very slight amount tactile feedback when pressing keys which is both a boon and a disadvantage. It’s a boon because it results in less noise. However, that same lack of noise and little tactile feedback result in the G910 being a problematic keyboard when it comes to writing up an essay, or this review, especially when listening to loud music, drowning out the “clicks” the keyboard makes. Don’t get me wrong, with enough muscle memory you can type at quick speeds (thanks to low actuation point) but you will be vulnerable to missed characters every now and then.
Another important bit of information about the G910 Orion Spectrum is the Arx dock. It’s a slide out dock where you can place your smartphone, which with the Logitech Arx Control app, serves as a secondary screen during your game sessions. Since the Arx Control app doesn’t affect the G910 Orion Spectrum’s performance massively, I won’t spend that much time covering it. You can use the app to monitor your computer stats, including CPU/GPU temperature and RAM usage. Its biggest performance changing feature for the keyboard is changing your keyboard’s profiles. However, one would have had to have saved the profiles beforehand via the desktop Logitech Gaming software application.
In the end, the Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum is a gamer’s dream of a keyboard. The low actuation points, RGB lighting and lack of hysteresis is perfect for dedicated gamers looking to get the edge over their opponents. However, the very slight tactile feedback and relative quietness of the keyboard does not make it the best of friends for typists. Furthermore, at the steep price of $179.99 it’s a product meant for hardcore gamers.
