Logitech G500 Review

[Flitterkill]

So my sweet steal of a G500 arrived Saturday afternoon and was still in front of my door on Sunday morning when I figured out that it was actually delivered (just not with the regular mail delivery). So that's a plus for starters.

 

Short version: A perfectly excellent evolution of the G5 removing the few flaws the G5 actually had.

 

And it all starts with this bad boy - the scroll wheel.

 

 

The wheel has gone from a tactile (sticky even) all rubber wheel to a refined form consisting of a ridged (yet enclosed) tactile rubber surface with the bulk of the wheel now being entirely metal. Oh yeah, it's also balanced and weighted. What's that mean? Glorious spin but more on that in a moment.

 

 

The pic above shows my G5 with a closeup of the rubber wheel with the G500 in the background. Now, to be clear, I didn't knock the rubber G5 wheel when I got this mouse a few years a back. That tactile grippy sticky touch was and is pretty awesome. The downside? The space between the wheel and the mouse housing is pretty large and if dust or hair or Munchos debris arrives within the vicinity of said opening it's going in and staying in and eventually causing problems. The mostly metal wheel of the G500 means much less debris will be attracted into the housing (no sticky rubber to grab debris and pull it in)

 

 

The DPI switch has moved from just under the scroll wheel on the G5 to the upper left on the G500. There is a new button underneath the scroll wheel on the G500: the click or no click button. Engaged, the scroll wheel behaves as you expect, with subtle yet solid clicks on each step which is perfect for weapon switching and the like. Click that button again and the clicks are now off and the utility of the weighted and balanced scroll wheel becomes readily apparent (with a slight tinge of nostalgia for us old timers).

 

 

Yes. Just like that. That same feeling when you took that spinner and just let it fly. Same. Thing. As for utility, it is a different feeling (I like) and it will certainly let you fly up and down large webpages or documents. A decided plus in my book.

 

 

Other take aways from that side by side shot are that the two mice are essentially the same size. The G500 has a slightly larger thumb flare on the base of the mouse. The side housing plastic has perhaps a slightly rougher texture than the G5 but that might just be a function of the three+ years I've rocked the G5 as my primary.

 

 

On the base of the mouse another nice engineering tweak are indentations on the housing next to each of the Teflon gliders to make it far easier to swap them out when they get worn down.

 

 

The weight system is essentially unchanged but for one thing, making the cartridge perfectly square and insert-able in any direction.

 

 

The old system required the cartridge to go in one direction only and right side up. Not hard but annoying sometimes. The gram weights are the same two sizes with only minor style changes. The weights themselves may in fact be interchangeable.

 

 

The case for the weights is a little thicker but the same length and width. Two fewer weights in G500 system. Cost savings? Research saying no one fully loads out? The G500 naturally heavier than the G5? Eh, I'll let you decide.

 

 

Instead of the large single button on the G5, we get three on the g500; two large and another nestled between and under with cutouts on the top two allowing easy access to the lower. Plug and play gets you three built in DPI settings on the DPI switch; installing the software gets you more everyday customization and game specific settings and macros recording for the side buttons.

 

 

Loving this thing. Amazon or NewEgg has this for $35 after rebate now or you can cruise eBay or CowBoom and score on the down low for much less if you are patient. I'd still like to get my hands on a Razer Naga and see how those bajillion buttons work but this is pretty much a no-brainer as far as a gaming purchase goes.

 

Next?

 

Mame. Tempest. Assign the spinner to the mouse wheel.

 

Spin.

[boiler]

Nice review, and I'll give another big thumbs up for the G500. Had mine for roughly 5 months now and it rocks!

[VooDooPC]

I bought mine earlier this year and I haven't locked my wheel once since I got it. It's so much better with just the spinny wheel.

 

You know what people in CSS love? If you set the flashlight to your wheel and give it a good flick.

[Demoner]

I bought mine earlier this year and I haven't locked my wheel once since I got it. It's so much better with just the spinny wheel.

 

You know what people in CSS love? If you set the flashlight to your wheel and give it a good flick.

that is shaft's favorite

[samurai nightling]

My MX518 is on the fritz, randomly disconnecting and now changing my sensitivity on its own sometimes. I might have to pick me up one of these.

[bushwack]

My G5 went on the fritz last month, Logitech sent me a G500 as a replacement.

 

I have one issue with it though. When I use the wheel as a button in UT2004 to get in vehicles, I just get right back out. Doesn't happen all the time, maybe 20% of the time. It's also hard to throw a manta on someone when you get right back in it. Been playing Bioshock 2, works great with it.

 

I too like the upgraded wheel, it's like a toy on your mouse. I prefer the ever so slight shape change too.

[bushwack]

My MX518 is on the fritz, randomly disconnecting and now changing my sensitivity on its own sometimes. I might have to pick me up one of these.

That's exactly what my G5 was doing. Strange thing, it works fine on my son's computer.

[lousiest]

My MX518 is on the fritz, randomly disconnecting and now changing my sensitivity on its own sometimes. I might have to pick me up one of these.

That's exactly what my G5 was doing. Strange thing, it works fine on my son's computer.

 

Your computer is on the fritz

[samurai nightling]

Went ahead and bought this off Newegg today. $39.99 after mail in rebate, looking forward to using it!

[samurai nightling]

Had it just a few hours of use and I love it so far.