By: Aaron Lai
January 15, 2016
On first glance, you might look at me and say, "Aaron would never watch anime". I grew up watching more Arthur and Sesame Street than Pokémon or Digimon. I was also one of the few kids to not watch an episode of Dragon Ball Z until I was twenty years old. Even when all my friends in junior high were watching Naruto and One Piece, I was the odd one out, cheering on the Calgary Flames and watching live hockey. It was not until senior high when my friend introduced me to Case Closed. It did not take much convincing, but once I started watching, I could not stop. Since then, I have watched about six hundred sixty episodes of Case Closed; ranging from the standard half hour segments to the longer two hour shows. I should mention they are still producing more episodes, with over eight hundred and counting. In addition, I have now gone through my fair share of other Japanese animations, all of them being less intense, slice-of-life series. The real point I am trying to say here is that change can happen to anyone. Even though they may not have a history of doing so, it does not always take a lot for people to make a shift. Today, we have a company doing just as such, with G.Skill being the next manufacturer to throw their hat into the PC peripheral ring. At Computex 2015, they announced their lineup of headsets, keyboards, and mice. Today, we have the G.Skill Ripjaws MX780 RGB laser mouse on our table today. Will we leave the desk thinking G.Skill is now a competitor in this area, or should they stick to their already established memory sector? Hopefully this review will clear up these questions and more!
Today's review unit of the G.Skill Ripjaws MX780 RGB arrived via CHL Global Logistics and Canada Post. You might be wondering where CHL is from, and I can report to you this is a Hong Kong-based cargo transportation company. They specialize in all sorts of shipping options, including land, sea, and air freight. As this review unit arrived from Hong Kong, it is a realistic assumption to say they definitely did not exclusively use land options to get from Hong Kong to our APH Networks location here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The brown corrugated cardboard box arrived in good condition, despite the shipping label itself being all torn up. Several layers of tape have been added on to ensure the box contents do not get removed during shipping. Inside, several layers of brown packing paper protected the two products G.Skill sent us. Along with the MX780 RGB, G.Skill has also shipped their Ripjaws KM780 MX, which will be reviewed by Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kwan in the coming weeks. Each product was held in their own plastic bags to prevent any surface damage to the retail container.
As for the retail container, the G.Skill Ripjaws MX780 RGB comes in a good looking package. The gray, black, and red coloring scheme shines on the box, with G.Skill continuing its standard colors. The MX780 is found to the right side of the front panel, with four main features emphasized below. G.Skill's logo is pasted on the left side. An "RGB" logo is also printed on the front to indicate this product does allow a lot of colors, but we will see what this actually means when we closer inspect the mouse later on. The back panel has even more features and specifications about the mouse, while the other sides have other information, such as contents and certifications.
Before we open up the box however, let us take an overview of the specifications, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Specifications
- Series: Gaming Mice
- Sensor Type: Avago Laser Sensor
- Micro Switch: Omron
- DPI: 100-8200
- Polling Rate: 125Hz/250Hz/500Hz/1000Hz
- Mouse Backlighting: 4-Zone RGB
- On-Board Profile: 5
- Programmable Keys: 8
- On-Board Memory: 512kb
- Braided USB Cable: 1.8m
- Mouse Adapter: USB
- Mouse Feet: PTFE Glide Pads
- Weight System: 4.5g Weights (x2)
- Weight (mouse only): 111g
- Weight (w/ weights): 120g
- Dimensions: 130mm x 70mm x 38mm (5.12in x 2.76in x 1.50in)
- Dimensions (w/ large side grips): 130mm x 93mm x 38mm (5.12in x 3.66in x 1.50in)
- Warranty: 2-Year Limited Warranty
Inside the box, you will find several things to take account of. There is the G.Skill Ripjaws MX780 RGB mouse itself, with the braided cable connected to it. Then there are two additional side grips. Two 4.5g circular weights are also found to add some mass to the mouse. Finally, there is a small hex tool, and this is meant to adjust the MX780's palm height. Otherwise, there are a few other things as well, like a quick installation guide, and warranty information. Just so you know, a standard two year warranty is included with the Ripjaws MX780 RGB.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
