Razer Tartarus V2 vs Logitech G13
Gaming keypads may not be as popular as the keyboards but they are certainly useful for those who are only using the smaller amount of keys and prefer to have a simpler setup with lots of space. Razer Tartarus V2 Vs Logitech G13 are two amazing options from the leading companies with reliable performance yet are also quite expensive. If you are planning to move into gaming keypads, see below to check what these popular gamepads can offer so then we can shop quickly.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- What is Gaming Keypad or Gamepad
- What are Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13
- What Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 Look Like
- How are the Switch in Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13
- How are the Performance of Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13
- What else Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 can offer
- Razer Tartarus V2 Vs Logitech G13
Gaming Keypad
Just like music, games are very subjective and it is always best to follow what you want or what suits you best in your case since different people tend to have different opinions and tastes as well. Aside from the game titles and genres, the platform in which you can play them may differ too with people coming from traditional game consoles to the modern online games that can be played almost anywhere. Among those, PC gaming is still on the rise and seems to still be prominent in the market for the foreseeable future.
The trend opened another market for the accessories and peripherals which is why you can see lots of “gaming” products now. Many are standards like mice, keyboard, and headset, but most of us seem to be not very familiar with gaming keypad. This niche option used to be so underrated and seems too far away from many gamers but, depending on what you play, using the compact keypad can answer some problems we have with the full sized keyboards like Razer Huntsman Elite and Apex Pro.
For those who are not familiar with gaming keypad or gamepad, this is actually the smaller version of your keyboard and usually only as big as your palm, well, a bit larger in comparison but in most cases about the same size as an average adult’s hand. It is designed for gaming and has a limited number of keys based on the regular-sized keyboards but arranged differently to fit better under your palm or ergonomic in an attempt to facilitate quick and efficient gaming application.
For example, the caps lock button is quite rare being used compared to other keys which makes no sense on why it is often being bigger than the other keys like W or E. Unlike keyboards that are built for both of your hands, gaming keypad is only being used by your left hand while the right one is holding the mouse. If in regular keyboards the thumb job is pressing the space key, in gaming keypad it is assigned to few buttons and thumb pad so all fingers will have their own duty.
| Razer Tartarus V2 | Logitech G13 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 2.36 x 7.98 x 6.02 inches | 11.2 x 9.1 x 3.5 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 12.3 ounces | 1.43 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
If regular keyboard best advantage is on the amount of keys available, the gaming keypad boasts its quality because while it has far less keys than your keyboards, these buttons are arranged more ergonomically, making them easier to use and reach. It will be ideal for games like first-point shooters, role playing games or strategy games because your finger will be faster to reach the keys but for strategy games or complex RPGs which require lots of hotkeys, it may not be the best option.
About Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13
If you are often playing those types of games and have no use of the abundance of keys on a keyboard then moving to a gaming keypad will be a wise decision. While the options are not as huge or as well-known as amazing keyboards out there, there are actually quite few to consider. This is great for quick shopping because we don’t have to check out tons of options or consider their qualities one by one.
Talking about gaming peripherals, Razer and Logitech will be two very popular options to shop from. While Logitech itself is not focusing only on the gaming gear, they do have lots of products in this segment while the former is probably the first name you notice when shopping anything gaming related. What we love from both brands is the products quality itself because many have been proved to be the market leader yet, depending on the model, their price range can differ widely as well.
For gaming keypad users, Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 are two amazing options today. Tartarus actually has another version which is Pro that you can check on our Razer Tartarus V2 Vs Pro here and these two are similarly fairly new in the market by being released a few years ago. On the other hand the G13 is probably among the older keypads for modern PC gaming available and many users that use keypads today seem to be experienced with this model first.
What’s interesting about Logitech G13 today is while it is normal to see a product getting more affordable as it spends the time in the store, this is not what happens to this once favorite keypad. If you see on some stores, this model is even more expensive than high-end mechanical keyboards today which is why it seems unwise to spend more than $300 for an item aged more than a decade while many of its competitors are less than half of the price.
Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 Design
As you can see on the sample picture above, Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 are about the half of your laptop compact keyboard and for G13, it is about 650 grams with a length of 24 cm from the bottom to the top which is about the same to Tartarus V2 as well with the Razer one slightly smaller. What’s prominently different from the two is their design or shape because the former has this gauntlet shape and the latter has this 6-sided polygon.
They are equally coming with a wrist pad or rest to put your hand comfortably on top of the gaming keypad but, only G13 has this small display at the top. Another difference is the way they arrange the keys layout because Logitech arranges it horizontally and Razer counts its keys vertically. You can find 20 and 22 keys respectively on these gamepads which are also featured with one thumb button that carry the same function as your regular D-pad.
Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 Switch
Moving further, let’s see what these gaming keypads or gamepads can offer and start off with what is most important for most people which is the switch, Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 are already very different. Being released since 2008, the G13 is quite an old gear but what makes it not-so-good option nowadays is actually due to the switch itself as it is only membrane and if you are used to mechanical, we do think soft keys are instantly a big no for many people.
Tartarus V2 is actually not a full mechanical itself but made to mimic the same experience. What Razer used in this model is called a mecha-membrane which, as the name suggests, combines the mechanical and cushioning texture of the membrane. What’s impressive is that the keys are very clicky and does sound like a real mechanical with probably a very slight difference that is the cushiony effect that surfaces when you press the keys down.
Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 Performance
In terms of performance, these two gamepads don’t have anything to complaint about because just like reliable keyboards out there, there is no issue about response or how the unit is built to last but we will leave the switch to your personal taste as we prefer mechanical ones and Razer did a good job with Tartarus V2 here despite not 100% the same especially on the slight cushiony feeling and shorter traveling distance. In our opinion however, due to the similar layout of G13, this gamepad may be faster to get used to.
Comfort wise both are easy to your hand and palm with the slight arch in the middle to position the hand in a more ergonomic elevation. What we want to mention is you can adjust the V2 wrist rest to be shorter or longer, just in two positions to accommodate people with larger hands thus the middle depth will be flatter in comparison.
Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 Features
The last point we want to mention is the features itself and as it has been mentioned above, Razer Tartarus V2 and Logitech G13 have standard D-pad for your thumb. This can be programmed through their software along with other available keys. What’s better on G13 is the additional display to view various information such as stats and it is also bright enough to see but, in real-life situations we found that users rarely see their gamepad while gaming so we doubt its usefulness.
In modern days, many may think it is not a “gaming” product without the RGB lighting and if choosing G13, you have to be satisfied with the simple lighting mode with very simple effect while with Razer Synapse you can custom the lighting in a much more creative and interesting pattern.
Razer Tartarus V2 vs Logitech G13
Both of these gamepads are equally good but not the same because beside the shape and how they arrange the keys, the comfort can be different as well. Personally both are comfortable in our opinion but the switch type does affect the experience and those who are using mechanical keyboards already, you may feel more at home with mecha-membrane compared to the full membrane switch. The keys arrangement however, in G13 it mimics the standard keyboard so it may allow you to get used to the gamepad faster.
On the additional features side you can adjust the length of wrist pad on Razer Tartarus V2 and this model also has newer software, overall better and easier to understand than Logitech’s one, especially much more impressive if you want a very attractive RGB lighting.
Conclusion
All in all you can go with any of these gamepads because they are good and reliable but, when it comes to subjective part including the switch we prefer better, mechanical or in this case mecha-membrane Tartarus V2 feels better and if you need longer wrist rest, we can also adjust it to be longer than its original position.