Logitech G5 Laser Mouse: When an update is not worthy of a new name
by Gary Key on July 25, 2007 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
We have always enjoyed Logitech mice and can count on them providing interesting product refreshes every couple of years. Their last major product refresh for the gaming community consisted of the G5 corded and the G7 wireless mice back in the fall of 2005. Both mice have enjoyed a successful lifespan with very good design ergonomics, software support, and desktop performance in the rodent arena. For the better part of the last two years the superb Razer gaming series of mice have been their chief competition. However, for some of us, the real competition to the G5 has not been from companies like Razer but from Logitech's very own MX518.
The G5 Laser Mouse was originally intended to be the replacement for the MX518 in the gaming sector but as it turns out; the MX518 continues to be sold and is doing quite well in the market. With a street price around $35 the MX518 is still a very good bargain for those needing a gaming centric mouse that is also very adept at performing general desktop activities such as Photoshop. One of the reasons we believe the MX518 is still a fan favorite besides the great value and still competitive performance is the fact the general design is very good, well at least for those of us who happen to be right handed.
While the G5 improved upon the MX518 with a vastly improved sensor engine, software adjustable support for USB report rates up to 1000 reports per second, improved dpi selection, and better surface textures, it was the lack of a second thumb button that was really perplexing to us. It was so perplexing that we never really considered an upgrade to the G5 was essential. After all, the ergonomics, features, and performance were close enough that an additional $20 at the time just did not seem to be a wise investment. As we were in the middle of preparing for our upcoming micro-ATX extravaganza (Yes, you'll finally see it in the very near future!) something interesting happened: we needed a mouse for our gaming system buildup and the "new" G5 Laser Mouse looked like it would fit the bill perfectly this time. Actually, we have a mouse from RAZER that is awfully close also, but for the time being our thumbs are happy to have the second button again.
As we looked over the product packaging there was only one item that stood out to us. Logitech's marketing department plastered a "Now with 2 Thumb Buttons" label on the front of the "new" G5 box and apparently called it a day. Of course, we prefer not to use the word "new" when describing this mouse and apparently Logitech agrees with our sentiments. Unless you are able to physically view the two mice side by side then it would be difficult to determine which revision will land at your doorstep as the official description remains the same for both mice. However, we have noticed that most major e-tailors are now providing additional product details and generally there still is a price differential between the two units. This price differential can easily determine which version will be received as the original G5 is selling for around $45 and the revised G5 going for $59. We still recommend making sure which version the vendor will ship to you. In fact, when we originally ordered two of these of mice, both versions arrived although we paid for the 2007 version.
The Logitech G5 Laser Mouse 2007 pictured on the left is meant as the direct replacement for the original G5 pictured on the right. The overall design of the revised G5 is strictly evolutionary in nature with minor changes to graphics design and a return of the second thumb button we were enamored with in the MX500 series. Both mice share the same laser engine specifications with a 2000-dots-per-inch (dpi) optical sensor and the ability to change dpi settings on the fly. Also retained from the original version is the same tunable weight cartridge system and braided USB cord. Let's take a closer look at the features of the revised G5 laser Mouse and see how it performs.
The G5 Laser Mouse was originally intended to be the replacement for the MX518 in the gaming sector but as it turns out; the MX518 continues to be sold and is doing quite well in the market. With a street price around $35 the MX518 is still a very good bargain for those needing a gaming centric mouse that is also very adept at performing general desktop activities such as Photoshop. One of the reasons we believe the MX518 is still a fan favorite besides the great value and still competitive performance is the fact the general design is very good, well at least for those of us who happen to be right handed.
While the G5 improved upon the MX518 with a vastly improved sensor engine, software adjustable support for USB report rates up to 1000 reports per second, improved dpi selection, and better surface textures, it was the lack of a second thumb button that was really perplexing to us. It was so perplexing that we never really considered an upgrade to the G5 was essential. After all, the ergonomics, features, and performance were close enough that an additional $20 at the time just did not seem to be a wise investment. As we were in the middle of preparing for our upcoming micro-ATX extravaganza (Yes, you'll finally see it in the very near future!) something interesting happened: we needed a mouse for our gaming system buildup and the "new" G5 Laser Mouse looked like it would fit the bill perfectly this time. Actually, we have a mouse from RAZER that is awfully close also, but for the time being our thumbs are happy to have the second button again.
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 |
| Click to enlarge | |
As we looked over the product packaging there was only one item that stood out to us. Logitech's marketing department plastered a "Now with 2 Thumb Buttons" label on the front of the "new" G5 box and apparently called it a day. Of course, we prefer not to use the word "new" when describing this mouse and apparently Logitech agrees with our sentiments. Unless you are able to physically view the two mice side by side then it would be difficult to determine which revision will land at your doorstep as the official description remains the same for both mice. However, we have noticed that most major e-tailors are now providing additional product details and generally there still is a price differential between the two units. This price differential can easily determine which version will be received as the original G5 is selling for around $45 and the revised G5 going for $59. We still recommend making sure which version the vendor will ship to you. In fact, when we originally ordered two of these of mice, both versions arrived although we paid for the 2007 version.
 |
 |
| Click to enlarge | |
The Logitech G5 Laser Mouse 2007 pictured on the left is meant as the direct replacement for the original G5 pictured on the right. The overall design of the revised G5 is strictly evolutionary in nature with minor changes to graphics design and a return of the second thumb button we were enamored with in the MX500 series. Both mice share the same laser engine specifications with a 2000-dots-per-inch (dpi) optical sensor and the ability to change dpi settings on the fly. Also retained from the original version is the same tunable weight cartridge system and braided USB cord. Let's take a closer look at the features of the revised G5 laser Mouse and see how it performs.
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GlassHouse69 - Monday, July 30, 2007 - link
LOL ! nice!you rock :)
not many on here have real opinions.
VooDooAddict - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
Never missed the second thumb button on the original G5.You could easily configure the right or left side tap of the scroll wheel to various functions that I would have normally used for the thumb button.
BIOSMonkey - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
I was in the market some months ago for a new mouse that had tilt wheel (which I love for internet back/forward), but worried because some games use the middle mouse button (Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander etc) and I have had problems with mis-clicking on tilt capable mice.I found that the middle wheel button is not too bad on this mouse, but since games like the above make heavy use of this function to move the map around I was still getting too many mis-clicks.
One of the big reasons I bought this mouse is because of the extra buttons that I thought could be remapped to the middle mouse button. I also wanted the remapping to be active for specific applications.
Problem is the setpoint software won't let you remap certain buttons. Unless, you install this:
http://www.mstarmetro.net/~rlowens/uberOptions/">http://www.mstarmetro.net/~rlowens/uberOptions/
which opens up remapping to most (or all?) buttons. I can say that I successfully remapped the first thumb button in COH and SC to act as the middle button with 100% success. I also mapped the thumb buttons to zoom in/out in Photoshop.
Also, I personally hated the sandpaper-like feel that I assume is to keep the mouse from slipping out of your fingers and flying out the window, so I fixed that easily with 600 grit sandpaper. Feels MUCH more comfortable to me now. Personal preference I guess.
Overall an EXCELLENT mouse but there is ONE BAD THING that I have not found a fix for: I cannot get the acceleration option to disable in games. I typically use a Low setting for the desktop (which is spread over two 1600x1200 screens), but want it off in games. An example is Q3 arena...even though I set the driver to disable acceleration it is still there.
Spacecomber - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
Coincidently, I just happened to pick one of these mice up, yesterday. I'd noticed that Circuit City had a pretty good price listed, online. When I went to a local store, they were still showing the original price, but they matched their online price when I asked them about this.As an earlier poster suggested, previous reviews, such as those by buyers at NewEgg, had been critical of how the scrollwheel worked as a third button on the original G5. This was an additional reason why the MX518 seemed to enjoy a better reputation (besides the second thumb button). My understanding is that this is improved with the newer version of the G5. Since you have both mice available, it would be interesting to hear your impressions of how much this has changed and presumably improved. Perhaps, comparing it to the MX518 in this regard, as well.
I've not had a chance to really explore mapping buttons on the mouse to ingame settings, but my quick attempt seemed to indicate the Battlefield 2 didn't pick up on my attempt to assign a specific keystroke to a button. I tried to assign a couple of numbers to the right and left wheel clicks, in order to use these to select a weapon more quickly. If I bring up notepad, I can get 2's and 3's to type out by clicking the wheel from side to side, for example, but the game doesn't seem to see these as commands to bring up weapon 2 or weapon 3. I suspect this has more to do with the game than SetPoint, however.
Justin Case - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
It's interesting that, when they dropped the second thumb button, I (and several other people) wrote to them asking to bring it back. We all received a reply saying "thanks for the suggestion, but we have no plans to do that". Well, guess what?Now, if only they would fix the way the cable attaches to the mouse (that's the main point of failure since the MX500). I suppose that's deliberate, so they "die" after 2/3 years and force people to "upgrade"... unless they happen to have a soldering iron.
Etern205 - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
Forget the G5, the future is here!lol
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/logitech-g9...">http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/...tech-g9-...
Zak - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
It reminds me of something more organic, like some kind of alien web or network of neurons, etc.Zak
chizow - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
Great news for mouse enthusiasts, and Logitech is certainly a great company to buy from. I had a MX700 replaced under warranty a few months ago and it was a completely painless process as they shipped me a new Revolution without needing to return the broken mouse. At the time, I also told the CS tech the G7 would be a much better mouse if they added the 2nd mouse button and he said he'd pass it on to the engineers. Looks like I wasn't the only one begging for a 2nd button on the G-series. Hopefully a G7 refresh is in the works, if/when it does come out I'll be happy to plunk down another $80-$100 for Logitech quality and service.Kalessian - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
There are no "RAZOR" mice. The company is spelled "razer"http://www.razerzone.com/">http://www.razerzone.com/
Kalessian - Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - link
oops, sorry, that's on the conclusion page, 2nd to last sentence.