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Mice can be the secret weapon of gaming, and the Gigabyte Aorus M5 certainly proves its worth. It is not the most expensive gaming mouse on the market, but it is also hardly the cheapest. And that, in combination with its somewhat lean construction, can make some potential buyers hesitate. But make no mistake. When it comes to gaming performance, the Aorus M5 is a strong contender. This is our Gigabyte Aorus M5 Review.
This gaming mouse also touches a ton of features, as it should be given the price and the majority of which are directly aimed at the needs of gamers. That’s everything from highly customizable RGB lighting to on-the-fly DPI switching and adjustable weights, making it highly flexible and a right gaming mouse for lovers of different styles, tastes, and levels of comfort.
Gigabyte Aorus M5 Review: Design
We have mixed thinking about the design of Gigabyte Aorus M5. However, there are several things we like, so that’s where we start.
First of all, this game mouse is ergonomically designed especially for right-handed gamers (sorry, lefties) – decently large at 128mm x 72mm x 43mm, so it’s suitable for big hands, but not stressful for small hands. The body of the mouse is tapered in the middle with rubber pads on both sides for extra comfort and a better grip. There is also a 5-slot weight distribution system so you can adjust the weight and balance to your personal preference and comfort.
The mouse also has a gamer look that’s not subtle, but not at-the-top either, with RGB lighting on both the sides, around the scroll wheel, and on the logo. This RGB lighting is also fully customizable. This means that you can change the color, the movement, the speed of action, and the brightness of each lamp. For an even better gaming experience, you can synchronize these lights with those on your other RGB Fusion devices via the RGB Fusion app.
The buttons are made with Japanese Omron switches that are guaranteed to be clicked 50 million times by Gigabyte, which means that these buttons will last practically a while. The left and right buttons feel particularly robust yet comfortable. They also work decently for both palm and claw playing styles, although more pressure is needed on the rear edges of the buttons to make the mouse click correctly.
Besides, there are two DPI buttons under the wheel, which allow you to switch between four DPI settings in flight as standard. Of course, these buttons and the scroll wheel are fully customizable, so you can personalize their functions using the Gigabytes’ Aorus Engine Software, which should help you get a head start on the game.
Our problem lies in the construction, which feels a little fragile. The plastic palm rest and the lower lid that hides the weight compartment seem to be made of cheaper plastic. Our review unit came with a separate part – the magnet holding the bottom lid came off and had to be glued back on. What’s more, the mouse cable is not braided and feels like it can easily fray after many hours of gaming.
With his price tag of $70, we expected Gigabyte to invest a little more in more solid construction.
Features
What the Aorus M5 lacks in more durable build quality, it makes up for in functions. In addition to the game mouse’s fully customizable RGB lights and buttons, it also offers several other features that can help users gain that game advantage. These include the Weight Distribution System, Surface Life-Off Calibration, and On-the-Fly DPI adjustments – all of which we’ll discuss separately below – as well as macro capabilities.
The Aorus M5’s Weight Distribution System consists of five 2.5-gram weights designed to fit snugly into five internal weight slots. The mouse starts lightly at 118 grams and allows you to add weights, making it highly customizable based on what’s most comfortable for you. This reviewer only added one weight placed in the right slot, and by making it slightly more substantial on the right side, it was much more comfortable for us to use.
To optimize the responsiveness based on your work surface, you can calibrate the lifting distance with the Aorus M5 using the Aorus Engine Software. It’s not a complicated process, nor is it as intimidating as its name suggests. You simply choose your surface or mat type and then use the slider bar to determine the lift tolerance. However, it is worth noting that we didn’t have to use this feature at all. The mouse worked nicely out of the box without calibration.
You can set four DPI adjustments or profiles that you can use while flying with the Aorus M5’s DPI buttons located under the wheel. This game mouse’s maximum resolution setting of 16,000 DPI gives you a lot of flexibility with how sensitive you want the mouse to be and how fast it moves.
Each of these DPI profiles can, therefore, be set from very low to 16,000 DPI, even though there is never any reason to use the highest setting. Using the DPI buttons, you can quickly switch profiles relying on whether you need a slower profile to snip to a 3,200 for fast FPS playback. These DPI profiles and buttons are sure to come in handy, whether you’re an enthusiast or a pro gamer.
Gigabyte Aorus M5 Review: Performance
With a maximum of 16,000 DPI, a polling rate of 1,000Hz, and a decent liftoff distance, we expected the Gigabyte Aorus M5 to deliver excellent performance, and we were not disappointed. This mouse may be under-built, but in terms of performance, it could be worth every penny of that $70 price tag (although it’s still worth noting that there are cheaper mice that are just as impressive).
We’ve tested this gaming mouse against some of the highest AAA games out the re, including Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Call of Duty: WWII, Far Cry 5, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and it performed perfectly. It’s very responsive, and we had no problems with latency. The buttons were precise, although they had quite a bit of travel on them, and the movements were smooth. We even recorded a few macros for Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and the mouse performed them without any problems.
How it will perform after prolonged use of the game, subject to hard presses and pounds, we can’t say with certainty. However, the fact that the left and right buttons boast about 50 million clicks on them makes us hopeful that it can endure much abuse of gaming without sacrificing performance.
Gigabyte Aorus M5 Review: Conclusion
At $70, it’s easy to understand how some gamers might hesitate to peel the dough for a gaming mouse. Considering that there are a lot of gaming mice that can perform just as well at a lower cost, not to mention the fact that the construction of the Aorus M5 is a bit dubious. To be honest, we can’t tell you how long this mouse will last when used for a massive game; it can go in any direction.
However, it’s a fun, and practical design, a comprehensive set of features, customization and personalization possibilities, and excellent performance are more than enough reasons to think about it when you go shopping for it. For more options, check our list of Best Gaming Mouse