True, I did smack Jero upside the head with the Gigabyte GM-M8000, that doesn’t mean he had to return the favor with the Logitech G500. On the other hand, it was nice to see that I got to try a new mouse and stop using the old ball-and-chain that I’ve been using for the last year (that’s right, I have been using a ball mouse, fighting the urge to move with the times and get a laser).
From an ergonomic view, the G500 is a very comfortable mouse. this mouse fits like a glove – the shape and base-weight makes it really comfortable. Thumb button placement is fine, though I would prefer it if they were a little larger and easily distinguishable on first use. The on-the-fly dpi controls in the upper left, makes changes easier while using the index finger. The first time I accidentally hit the mouse wheel toggle, I was like “WTF?” And then I used it while playing the Painkiller: Resurrection demo. “Holy Fuck Me Master Chief! Thank you Logitech!!”
Logitech has provided the mouse with three large slide-pads on the base of the mouse. A large pad spans both the front and back ends of the mouse while a medium-sized pad is in the middle of the left side. Logitech also provided a set of weights that can be installed into the mouse. You can add up to 27 grams (about an ounce) of weight to the mouse in increments of either 4.5 or 1.7g. I’ve driven the mouse both with the full 1 oz and without any additional weight. I personally like it with 13.5grams. Oh, and the extra weights have a separate carry case to be stored in when not being used.
The G500 will bring game-changing precision despite your current hand speed. Thanks to its gaming-grade laser engine, you are able to perform at the highest intensity levels without worrying about your hardware giving up on you, being capable of achieving a maximum hand speed of 165 inches per second (ips) and a maximum acceleration force of 30 gs. Logitech has its on-the-fly adjustable-dpi, on the left side of the left-mouse-button, that provides you with the right dpi level at all times, ranging from 200 dpi all the way to 5700 dpi for those who ‘twitch’ when they game (like me). The G500 won’t hook up wirelessly which is fine with me, you never want to have your batteries run out in the middle of a deathmatch.
Logitech provides the free SetPoint mouse control software though it must be downloaded from their web site. This software allows you to reprogram all the buttons of the mouse. One deficiency in this programming is the inability to assign a mouse operation modified by ctrl-, alt-, etc., to a button. You can create mouse profiles and then assign the profile to a set of applications. This allows optimizing mouse behavior for mouse intensive applications (e.g., Photoshop). The profiles can also be stored in onboard flash so that the profile automatically moves with the mouse (e.g., switching from the desktop to a laptop), though both computers must have Setpoint installed. (Side Note: The G500 has 8KB of profile storage, which is room for only one profile. Higher-end mice give you room for five.)
Official Specs Of The G500:
- Gaming-grade Laser
- Onboard Memory
- Weight Tuning
- Dual-mode Scroll Wheel
- Adjustable sensitivity
- 10 programmable buttons
Tracking
- Resolution: 200 – 5700 dpi
- Image processing:12 megapixels/second
- Max. acceleration: 30G
- Max. speed: up to 165 inches(4.19 m)/second
Responsiveness
- USB data format: 16 bits/axis
- USB report rate: Up to 1000 reports/second
- Sleep mode: Disabled
Glide
- Dynamic coefficient of friction – Mu (k): .09
- Static coefficient of friction – Mu (s): .14
- Tuning weight: Up to 27 grams
Durability
- Buttons (Left / Right): 8 million clicks
- Feet: 250 kilometers
Overall, the G500 is a fucking amazing gaming mouse. However, I have two problems with it. The first being that when I am working in a text document and trying to move the cursor between two characters, I have to lower the dpi from my basic 2500dpi to my lowest setting of 400dpi. If I don’t, I tend to miss the spot I am aiming for by a character or two (I have also noticed this in Photoshop when I am doing precision work). While not an issue in gaming, I don’t want to have to switch between mice depending on my current task. The second issue that I have noticed is that at times when I am using my mouse, I hear a faint squeal/distorted noise coming from my speakers.
Originally published November 11, 2009 on GamersRevenge.com
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