Okay Geek Farm
Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400 review
Jason Tsay
The Logitech MX518 is one of the most critically acclaimed gaming mice in all of history. Recently, Logitech decided to step it up a notch and refine it a bit. What’s different about the G400 in comparison to its predecessor? Four main things - it has a much more powerful optical sensor, faster report rate, a ligher cable, and a new color. Is the G400 a worth successor?
Features
- 3600 dpi optical sensor
- 1 millisecond report rate
- 8 programmable buttons
- Polytetrafluoroethylene feet
Our Impressions
The G400 comes in a typical Logitech gaming mouse box with “the new MX518” proudly printed in the corner. Inside, you get the mouse and a stack of manuals. Nice and simple.
The G400 looks exactly like the MX518 with the exception of the new paint job. The design is very modest and muted - no showy LED’s or patterns. Just a nice gray and black color combo. It is worth noting that Logitech opted for an actual logo module rather than just printing it on. The scroll wheel is not terrible but is also not the greatest we’ve used. It’s definitely fine to use but we wish it were a tad wider and had firmer clicks (ratchet). Above and below the scroll wheel, you’ll find buttons to adjust the DPI setting to configurable presets. A third below the others lets you revert back to the default DPI. We actually found the DPI down button to be too close to the scroll wheel. We never accidentally hit the button but often felt it while scrolling. The side buttons are not the best in terms of position and size but they depress quite easily so you should be able to switch weapons or webpages with little difficulty. On the bottom, you’ll find 2 large feet at the top and bottom as well as a smaller strip right under the thumb area. The placement of the third glide pad is actually rather clever as your thumb provides a good amount of input as to how the mouse moves and this way you’ll be able to gesture more smoothly. The cable is supposed to be thinner and 25% lighter so that it won’t drag around as much while gaming.
The build quality is rather amazing on the G400. This mouse will definitely last hardcore gamers a very long time. Logitech claims it’s rated at 10 million clicks and has feet that can travel 250 km. We have no reason not to believe them
At first, when we picked up the G400, we didn’t think it would be too comfortable. The center bulges in an arc and it really didn’t seem too ergonomic aside from the molded in sides. But after spending some time with it, we’ll swear that it’s one of the best palm mice out there. Beware that people with small hands won’t find it so friendly though.
The 3600 dpi optical sensor is great for gaming. Up from the 1800 on the MX518, it’s bound to provide faster and more accurate tracking. Speaking of speed, report rate has been increased to 1000 reports per second from 125. What this means is that the mouse is constantly communicating with the computer to reduce lag.
Logitech’s gaming software is actually rather cool. It’s much more visually pleasing than the standard SetPoint software and lets you customize all of your Logitech gaming peripherals at once. It’s main utilities are to configure the buttons and adjust tracking/sensitivity. It’s quite easy to use and will always run in the background if you need it.
Overall
As fans of the MX518, we have to say we were not disappointed with the G400. The great build quality lives on in the same body and some new features make it a more refined mouse. We’re not big fans of the arc shape of the buttons but if you’re used to a palm style of using the mouse, there shouldn’t be any problem. The new sensor is twice as powerful, making the G400 worthy of the title “the new MX518.”
Pro’s
- powerful sensor
- solid build quality
- good click feel
Con’s
- scroll wheel is not great
Where to buy
Logitech / Amazon — MSRP: $49.99
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This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the G400 by Logitech.
