Just over the past couple of years, gaming mice have come a long way. More and more flexible cables, lower weight, better feet, 8000 Hz polling, low-latency wireless—the list of improvements is long. The Thermaltake ARGENT M5 RGB, on the other hand, seems like it's still stuck in 2016. Though not a bad mouse per se, it fails to leave an impression in today's ever more competitive market.

Let's talk about the good stuff first. PixArt's trusty old PMW3389 performs as well as ever, leaving little to be desired aside from better polling stability. CPI deviation in particular is a strong point, which is simply nonexistent on the ARGENT M5 RGB. The buttons are another strength of the ARGENT M5 RGB. Whereas the main buttons may actually be too sensitive for some, the scroll wheel in particular is nothing short of amazing. The aluminium wheel feels premium and provides excellent grip, while the high-quality encoder from ALPS makes for great tactility. The ARGENT M5 RGB is a symmetrical mouse, which means it has side buttons on both sides. While the buttons themselves are genuinely good, they protrude quite a bit on each side, which may be bothersome depending on hand size and grip style. I have no complaints about the mouse feet, and the RGB lighting is quite impressive indeed, with a rich selection of RGB lighting effects to choose from in the software. Speaking of which, the software isn't bad actually, though it does have its fair share of bugs.

The biggest issue with the ARGENT M5 RGB is the cable. It's one of those ultra-stiff printer-level cables that thankfully have mostly gone out of fashion over the last few years. For whatever reason, the cable is detachable, which serves little to no purpose on a wired mouse, but at least it is easy to replace with something more flexible. Still, those cables usually go for $15, bringing the total cost for the ARGENT M5 RGB up even more. Furthermore, at 98 g, the ARGENT M5 RGB isn't exactly lightweight. The addition of a second set of side buttons, the aluminium scroll wheel, and a generally hefty build all add up. Though I'm reluctant to call a 98 g mouse "heavy," it's not particularly light, either, especially when compared to what the competition is able to muster these days. The same goes for the click latency: Though not terribly high, it's not particularly low, either, which again looks somewhat bad compared to other mice of its class. Thermaltake informed me that an upcoming firmware update will lower click latency. Lastly, I found the shape rather weird, too. It's oddly wide in the middle yet narrow towards the front and back, and the recesses around where the front and back half meet may irritate some.

All in all, the verdict is pretty simple. Left-handers looking for a decent wired option don't have too many options, and the ARGENT M5 RGB is one. At $69.99, the SteelSeries Sensei Ten isn't exactly a bargain, and has great performance, but a stiff cable. The Razer Viper 8K goes for $79.99 and comes with flawless 8000 Hz polling, low weight, and a somewhat stiff cable as well. Finally, the Sharkoon Light² S at $24.99 is the budget option with decent performance, a good cable and general build, but major CPI deviation. In short, compared to the available symmetrical options, the ARGENT M5 RGB isn't all that bad, but as a regular option for right-handers, there are much better alternatives, which is why the Thermaltake ARGENT M5 RGB misses an award.