MSI Clutch GM40 gaming mouse review / Overclockers.ua

A year ago, MSI’s line of gaming peripherals was just nice accessories that could be added to its laptops, motherboards or video cards. Now, this direction has become completely independent and filled with worthy specimens that can interest a sophisticated player. One of them is the Clutch GM40 mouse, which, on the one hand, is a budget solution, but on the other hand, it has everything that a gaming manipulator requires.

Specifications

Delivery and equipment

The packaging of the mouse is a small “brick”, decorated in red and black colors. On the front side there is an image of the product from above. And on the sides and back, in textual and graphical form, all the main advantages and even some technical characteristics of the device are painted.

Although there are no dampers inside the box, there is a transparent plastic cover that reliably protects the mouse from dust during transportation.

The package contains nothing but a short instruction manual.

Appearance and design

The shape of the mouse body is symmetrical and even slightly rough. The sidewalls are made almost vertical, with minimal inclinations. The back is rounded, the top panel has an ergonomic contour in profile, but is set quite high. The top panel is made of non-slip, but rather easily soiled plastic and can be black, white or red, depending on the product model. Beneath the two main keys are Omron switches rated for 50 million keystrokes. These buttons work clearly, without play and with good tactile feedback. The activation force is average, as is the volume of the click. The glossy insert behind the scroll wheel has a matte resolution button. It is pressed with medium effort, but with a very loud click.

The left sidewall is made of textured glossy plastic in the place of emphasis under the fingers. The usual matte plastic runs along the perimeter. At first, such a decision causes skepticism, and I want the already familiar rubber inserts. But, in fact, in this version, the mouse body sits in both dry and wet hands like a glove, so all claims are removed. Except for the issue with the rate of surface contamination. Two side glossy keys, grope easily. They require above average force to press and respond with loud clicks when activated. On the one hand, they require getting used to, but on the other hand, random triggering is excluded.

The signal cord enters the mouse body exactly in the middle, high enough to never touch the surface, it has good protection against bending. The scroll wheel is rubberized with a clear and hard encoder. It is certainly noisy during fast scrolling, but all fixation positions are perfectly felt both tactilely and aurally. The button under the scroll wheel is firmer than average and has a loud overtone.

The braided cable is soft, does not support a given shape, straightening out under its own weight. The length of the cord is two meters. There is no ferrite ring, but there is a Velcro that makes it easy to roll up the extra length of the wire.

The right side of the mouse fully corresponds in form and content to the left side. There are two more buttons that duplicate the functions of the left keys, and a textured glossy insert.

The stern of the mouse is slightly raised. It has an illuminated MSI gaming series logo in the form of a dragon on the top.

The shape of the mouse is universal and symmetrical. Equally well suited for all basic types of grip, both right and left handed.

On the base there are three large Teflon feet in front and behind at the corners. All legs have hooks to facilitate their dismantling Exactly in the center, there is an optical sensor eye with invisible illumination – Pixart PMW3310. Above the left leg there is a three-position switch slider that is responsible for turning on and off the side keys on the left and right.

The mouse has three zones of single-color red illumination, but only one of them is immediately noticeable, namely the logo. It works exclusively in blinking mode. Slow blinking indicates “advanced” sensor operation, and fast blinking indicates normal. The difference between the modes, in fact, is only in the allowable ranges for switching resolutions. Two more strips of LEDs are located on the sides, under the main key panels, and glow when the switch is activated. If you do not look closely, this effect is not noticeable at all.

Functionality

MSI Clutch GM40 has no software, and all its settings are made by hardware, by pressing the keys. So the switch on the base of the mouse has three positions – “L”, “lock” and “R”. In the “L” position, two side keys on the left are active, performing the functions of the “forward” and “backward” commands. The buttons on the right are disabled. When the switch is in the “lock” position, the left and right keys are disabled. This mode, for some reason, is called “office”, although in fact the side buttons are just needed when working with browsers and file managers, but are often useless in gaming applications. In the “R” position, the side buttons on the right are active, while the keys on the left are disabled.

The resolution is cyclically switched using the corresponding key. In the case of using a regular profile, levels of 1000/1800/2800 and 3600 cpi are available. If you enable the “advanced” profile, then 800/1600/3200 and 5000 cpi levels become available.

The advanced profile is activated if you hold down the front side buttons on the left and right at the same time for 6-7 seconds. Normal mode is switched back in the same way.

Ergonomics and testing

The MSI Clutch GM40 mouse was tested on the Razer Goliathus WoT Edition. The ergonomics of the mouse is far from ideal, but on average it is not bad, and does not cause discomfort. The weight and balance along the axes are chosen normally, the mouse is not heavy and not too light, when it leaves the surface, it maintains a horizontal orientation, not tending to fall in any direction. The top panel is non-slip and feels good in the hand, but it tends to get dirty quickly, as do the sides. Glossy inserts on the sides provide good grip. The legs have an average level of slip and low inertia. Thus, the body of the mouse as a whole is thought out and built well, and allows you to accurately control the movement of the cursor. The main buttons and scroll wheel work great. Additional keys are hard to press and quite loud, but it is possible that this is exactly what the manufacturer intended. The backlight in the mouse is made, most likely, as a tribute to fashion, especially for the diodes under the main keys. Confused in it is the inability to set the mode to constantly glow or turn off, since permanent blinking gets boring over time.

The Pixart PMW 3310 optical sensor found in this mouse is a mid-range sensor by today’s gaming standards, but it still holds its own. It is extremely difficult to tear it off at speeds up to 3.5 m/s, it does not have parasitic moments in its work, it is unpretentious to surfaces. The only uncharacteristic moment in this version of the sensor is a slightly increased level of trajectory smoothing, but by and large this is not critical. The user will also be pleased with the very low separation height, due to which the cursor practically does not move when the mouse is suddenly moved.

Results

MSI Clutch GM40 is an excellent gaming mouse in the budget price segment, which is suitable for all genres of games. It is solidly built, has a good sensor, high-quality main buttons, a responsive scroll wheel, large legs and a soft cable.

The disputable points include the complete absence of software, which results in the impossibility of using all the side buttons at the same time. And the need to be content with only fixed levels of resolution, without the ability to customize your individual sensor sensitivity option.

Otherwise, the Clutch GM40 is a great device that will appeal not only to fans of the MSI brand, but also to anyone who needs a practical gamepad at a low price. In the event that such a thing will be attached as a gift or promotional item to other products from MSI, you can take it without hesitation.