MSI Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo Review 4

MSI Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo Review

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Value and Conclusion

  • The MSI Clutch GM11 can be bought as part of the MSI Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo available for $79.99.
  • Fantastic build quality
  • Good sensor
  • Good buttons
  • 2-zone RGB lighting
  • Versatile shape
  • Smoothing on the sensor
  • RGB lighting is rather dim, with limited customization options
  • Very stiff cable
The MSI Clutch GM11 is a rather small, ambidextrous gaming mouse with side buttons on the left side only that comes as part of the Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo. It features a standard, non-extravagant shape that can be very versatile. I'd mainly recommend it to claw grippers, but it can be used differently, according to the user's preferences and size of hands. The mouse has a semi-matte upper coating and grainy plastic side grips that don't collect fingerprints easily and generally provide enough grip for a nice and stable user experience.

The GM11 is well put together—I found nothing I could nitpick on in terms of build quality. It's really solid and well designed, which is a huge plus at its price point. Moving on to the weight, at a mass of 90 grams with a bit of cable, its weight is fair for its size. It doesn't feature any built-in weights, either.

Buttons are pretty good on this product, which is a pleasant surprise for sure. The main buttons are clicky, snappy, and tactile, but the Omron D2FC-F-7N switches are only rated for 10 million clicks. The scroll wheel is light, but not too loose and of moderate tactility. The middle click isn't tiring to use excessively, or too easy to press either, so no accidental clicks should occur, and the side and CPI buttons are basically perfect.

As for the sensor, the GM11 features a PixArt PMW3325 optical sensor, which isn't high-end, but generally pretty good. Its maximum tracking speed is roughly 3.5 m/s according to my measurements, which is enough for most gamers—those who play on a very low sensitivity might want to pass on this mouse, though. The sensor is quite raw and responsive generally, but the GM11 features approximately 2–3 ms of input lag caused by sensor smoothing. This means there's less jitter on the higher CPI steps, at the cost of reduced responsiveness. The smoothing should really be removed—at least on the lower CPI steps as it is an entirely useless feature there.

Mouse feet are pretty good; they are smooth and even, and of medium friction. There are a total of three, and replacements are not provided in the box. Because the mouse is part of a bundle, I don't consider this a negative. However, what I do consider a negative is the cable: it's really stiff and generates a lot of drag resistance, so it definitely needs some sort of affixing with a bungee or otherwise.

As for the software, I couldn't get it to work with the mouse because it kept asking for a firmware update. There are a number of lighting modes on the GM11 gaming mouse, with smooth transitions and generally good-looking effects, but the overall brightness leaves a lot to be desired.

All in all, the GM11 is a solid budget option for those who do not seek eSports-level performance, although I'm sure it could be used for competitive gaming with some sacrifices. If the sensor wouldn't have any smoothing on the reasonable CPI steps, it could definitely be a great device, and I hope MSI can fix this with a working firmware update.
Budget
  • The MSI Vigor GK30 can be bought as part of the MSI Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo available for $79.99.
  • Generally good build quality
  • Well-made anti-slip feet
  • Lots of RGB involved
  • Very reasonable pricing
  • Typing experience can be worse for those used to mechanical keyboards
  • Loud and wobbly stabilized keys
  • Keycaps will show signs of wear and tear sooner rather than later
The MSI Vigor GK30 is a full-sized 104-key keyboard with a US layout for my sample. It uses rubber-dome membrane actuation, but there's a plastic slider mechanism below each keycap that make it look mechanical. Typing-wise, it's not very much like an actual mechanical board, of course, but the plastic sliders help a bit with the overall key-feel. For someone who comes from true mechanical keyboards, this is definitely a setback, but if you only used cheap office boards before, it's surely a step up.

The keycaps are made out of rather thin ABS plastic with laser-engraved prints, so they will wear out eventually. The stabilizers on the larger keys are definitely not the worst I have ever seen, but they make for noisy keys and don't help with their wobbliness, either. The non-slip feet, on the other hand, are very good; they make the GK30 stand its ground in even tough situations.

According to my testing with Aqua's test, the GK30 supports 6-key rollover by default, which is more than enough for pretty much any game, and the 6-key rollover doesn't include the modifier keys, either.

Of course, the RGB backlighting is definitely the main thing about this keyboard, and I have to admit that part is really impressive. The keys themselves don't light up that well because there's no individual illumination, but the whole board looks crazy good overall. The lighting effects are smooth, the colors are amazing, and it can be really bright at the maximum brightness setting.

The Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo represents its price category well. It definitely will not cause trembling earthquakes to move through the gaming peripherals market, but is of good value for the price in my opinion. If you're not one for high-end products, but still love something good-looking on your tabletop, it might be a great choice—even more so if it happens to go on sale.
Budget
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Aug 24th, 2024 19:27 EDT change timezone

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