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
Software Features
Logitech ships version 3.3a of their SetPoint software suite in the current G5 package. Based upon our early testing in Vista, we just recommend using the CD as a platter and instead download version 4.00 before you use the mouse although the basic mouse functions work fine with the included drivers. Logitech's software installation is painless, but required about 58MBs of disk space, and also searched for other Logitech hardware for updates. The software supports Windows XP, XP-64 Edition, Vista 32 or 64-bit, and MacOS X. The basic mouse functions worked fine in SUSE Linux 10.2 but SetPoint is not compatible with Linux at this time.
The primary purpose of SetPoint is to allow complete control over the mouse's hardware capability. The interface is fairly intuitive and the programs offers a dizzying array of options to control the wheel and various buttons on the mouse. This includes an informative status display for checking the dpi and USB polling rates in the gaming section . While we could spend pages on describing and showing each setting we will simply display the configuration windows and recap any major items of interest we discovered during testing.
Once we loaded the software and rebooted, our first order of business was to understand how memory hungry the SetPoint application and associated software is in Vista Home Premium. The results were surprising when compared to our MX Revolution that consumed around 18MB of memory when active. Our two Logitech programs, Khalmnpr.exe and Setpoint.exe, consumed a total of 8.5MB of memory in idle state and 12MB of memory while active. CPU usage was nominal during all phases of testing although we have heard reports of reduced frame rates in some configurations.
The first option screen allows the user to define the function of the scroll wheel along with each button except for the right and left click buttons. A listing of the more common commands is listed at the right of the screen with additional options available if you choose the "Other" option. Each configurable button on the mouse has its own display screen and option choices. Logitech highlights and provides a picture zoom of the button or wheel you are adjusting. If you want the mouse to follow a different set of commands in a particular program then you simply select the supported program from a drop-down list and reassign the buttons. This feature is probably one of the most widely used and if the program is not available you can manually add it.
The Mouse Movement section allows for pointer adjustments and is quicker to use than the standard Windows mouse option screen.
The Mouse Game Settings section allows for OS or SetPoint control of basic speed, acceleration, and button settings if a game is automatically detected.
The Advanced Game Settings section allows for complete control over Mouse Sensitivity along with USB (refresh rates) reports per second settings. You can configure up to five different dpi sensitivity settings between 400 and 2000 DPI although only three are available for the button assignments. You can also set the horizontal and vertical sensitivities separately. USB reports per second settings are available from 125 up to 1000 in six different rates. The mouse defaults to 500, a number we found was just about perfect from both a performance and compatibility aspect across a wide range of systems. The SetPoint software will setup basic profiles for games that it recognizes. These profiles can then be customized or you can setup individual profiles for games that are not recognized.
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| Click to enlarge | |
Logitech ships version 3.3a of their SetPoint software suite in the current G5 package. Based upon our early testing in Vista, we just recommend using the CD as a platter and instead download version 4.00 before you use the mouse although the basic mouse functions work fine with the included drivers. Logitech's software installation is painless, but required about 58MBs of disk space, and also searched for other Logitech hardware for updates. The software supports Windows XP, XP-64 Edition, Vista 32 or 64-bit, and MacOS X. The basic mouse functions worked fine in SUSE Linux 10.2 but SetPoint is not compatible with Linux at this time.
The primary purpose of SetPoint is to allow complete control over the mouse's hardware capability. The interface is fairly intuitive and the programs offers a dizzying array of options to control the wheel and various buttons on the mouse. This includes an informative status display for checking the dpi and USB polling rates in the gaming section . While we could spend pages on describing and showing each setting we will simply display the configuration windows and recap any major items of interest we discovered during testing.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Once we loaded the software and rebooted, our first order of business was to understand how memory hungry the SetPoint application and associated software is in Vista Home Premium. The results were surprising when compared to our MX Revolution that consumed around 18MB of memory when active. Our two Logitech programs, Khalmnpr.exe and Setpoint.exe, consumed a total of 8.5MB of memory in idle state and 12MB of memory while active. CPU usage was nominal during all phases of testing although we have heard reports of reduced frame rates in some configurations.
 |
 |
| Click to enlarge | |
The first option screen allows the user to define the function of the scroll wheel along with each button except for the right and left click buttons. A listing of the more common commands is listed at the right of the screen with additional options available if you choose the "Other" option. Each configurable button on the mouse has its own display screen and option choices. Logitech highlights and provides a picture zoom of the button or wheel you are adjusting. If you want the mouse to follow a different set of commands in a particular program then you simply select the supported program from a drop-down list and reassign the buttons. This feature is probably one of the most widely used and if the program is not available you can manually add it.
The Mouse Movement section allows for pointer adjustments and is quicker to use than the standard Windows mouse option screen.
The Mouse Game Settings section allows for OS or SetPoint control of basic speed, acceleration, and button settings if a game is automatically detected.
The Advanced Game Settings section allows for complete control over Mouse Sensitivity along with USB (refresh rates) reports per second settings. You can configure up to five different dpi sensitivity settings between 400 and 2000 DPI although only three are available for the button assignments. You can also set the horizontal and vertical sensitivities separately. USB reports per second settings are available from 125 up to 1000 in six different rates. The mouse defaults to 500, a number we found was just about perfect from both a performance and compatibility aspect across a wide range of systems. The SetPoint software will setup basic profiles for games that it recognizes. These profiles can then be customized or you can setup individual profiles for games that are not recognized.
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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.