Logitech G5 Laser Mouse Updated

Logitech has updated the superb G5 Laser Mouse. It’s a small but welcome bit better.

For a couple years now the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse has arguably been the mouse to get, particularly for gaming, and particularly if you can mouse right-handed and spend roughly $40-$50 on a mouse.

The G5 sports a 2000 dpi laser engine, but more importantly offers on-the-fly resolution adjustment, allowing you to move between three sensitivity settings. The scroll wheel has a nice grippy texture and supports rocking right and left.

Custom Weight

Another nice feature of the G5 is an weight tuning system. The mouse has a tray for various weights that slides and snaps into the mouse’s guts. Snap out the tray, pop in the combination of weights you want, then snap the tray back into the mouse. Or leave it out if you want a feather-weight mouse.

The G5 2007 Update

The updated G5 Laser Mouse has nearly the same specifications but adds a welcome second thumb button. Oh, and it’s now festooned with an obnoxious blue-black crackle pattern instead of the original decayed rust and gray gunmetal look. A step forward technically, but a step into aesthetic insanity.

Original G5 Specifications

Officially, the original G5 supported Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP, and Vista. Its tracking resolution was customizable but defaulted to 400, 800, and 2000 dpi. The image processing rate was 6.4 megapixels per second, maximum acceleration was 20 g, max speed was 45-65 inches per second, and supported 16 bits per axis. USB data reporting was 500 reports per second.

New G5 Specifications

A testament to the quality of the original, the new G5 has identical specifications, with the exception that it supports up to 1000 USB data reports per second (defaults to 500), and it has the extra thumb button.

Officially the new G5 supports only XP and Vista, but that is likely only a limitation if you install the Logitech software.

Compared to Other Mice

By way of comparison, the Logitech MX518 Gaming Mouse handles 5.8 megapixels per second, up to 1600 dpi, 15g, 16 bits per axis, and 125 USB data reports per second. Many people have apparently decided to go with the MX518 over the G5 simply due to the missing second thumb button. The G5 has now overcome that problem, and given the G5′s obvious edge technically, it’s now a no-brainer unless the extra ten bucks scares you away.

Microsoft’s Habu Gaming Mouse runs 45 inches per second, up to 2000 dpi, 25g, and 1000 reports per second. The Habu specs are pretty close to the G5, but does not match the G5 ergonomically or aesthetically — even considering the new crazy-blue G5 color.

Recommendation

Our recommended gaming mouse has been, and is now more than ever, the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse.

If you like the old color scheme or want to save a few bucks and don’t need the second thumb button, get the original G5. It’s a solid gaming mouse that continues to perform well.

On the other hand, if you don’t mind the wacky new colors or really want that second thumb button, get the new G5. You’ll pick up the minor improvement in USB reports per second and have the best mouse out there.

Tags: Hardware · Reviews