Thursday 10 May 2012

Logitech G400 Review

Logitech's MX500. first released in 2003, and its successors, the MX510 and MX518 have a special place in gaming history, belonging to a group of legendary gaming mice that, despite newer models and technology being released, just never seem to go away. Ask any group of PC gamers for their recommendations and the MX500 line will always be amongst the first mentioned.

Optical Gaming Mouse G400The Logitech G400 is the continuation of the line, with the MX5 prefix dropped and re-positioned in with the other 'G' (for Gamer) peripherals. Gone is the signature dented metal facade that made the MX518 so distinctive, replaced instead with a plain dark grey finish, very similar to the original MX500. However, the medium-sized, ergonomic shape with deep thumb groove remains the same, as do the high, rubberized side grips and two oval shaped side buttons - although we did notice, the buttons felt a bit firmer on the G400. The notched scroll wheel is the only negative, remaining shallow and slightly loose, like on its predecessors. Weight-wise, both the MX518 and G400 weigh about 106g without cables, however the G400 has a thinner cable, weighing 133g with it, whereas the MX518 weighs 146g, making the G400 cable roughly 25% lighter.

Internally, the optical sensor has been upgraded from 1800DPI to 3600DPI. The buttons above and below the scroll wheel adjust the DPI with settings of 400, 800, 1800 and now 3600. The polling rate has also been improved, increasing from 125Hz to 1000Hz, which should eliminate any problems with interface lag.

In hand, the G400 feels very similar to the MX518, differing only in its new matte surface, which feels smoother and less sticker than the glossy MX518. It's still one of the most comfortable mice available, with just the right amount of ergonomic curve. One big complaint of the MX518 was its inability to disable Prediction/Angle Snapping. As a result, tracking was sometimes less perfect. The original batch of G400s shipped with the same problem, however, newer models (PID:LZ13333 and above), have thankfully removed Prediction entirely.

Overall, Logitech have done a great job with the G400, making improvements without changing what made the MX500 lineup work so well. The removal of Prediction on the newer models was a much-needed fix, and has resulted in the best version of one of the longest-lived gaming mice around.


Maximum DPI: 3,600
Number of Buttons: 8
Sensor: Optical
On-board Memory: N/A
Price: S$49

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