Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
The testing of mousepads is subjective in nature. To the best of my knowledge, there is no commercially available benchmark software for this task. Therefore, I used the APH Networks standard mousepad testing procedurem which included both the trace test and game test. Specifically, the trace test was performed by using Microsoft Paint, and the game test was based on Counter-Strike 1.6. The mouse I used for the tests was my daily mouse, the GAMDIAS Zeus P1. During the tests, the Gigabyte AORUS AMP500 was compared against the classic SteelSeries SX. The comparison was not meant to determine which mousepad is better, as these two products were totally different in terms of design and material used. The comparison was done with the purpose of forming an impression towards this product qualitatively, and the impression should truly reflect the actual performance of the test subject. Specifically, the test was based on the following four aspects:
Glide - For quick and effortless mouse movements across the mousing surface.
Control - For precise and accurate cursor/crosshair handling.
Grip - The mousepad's ability to stay in the same position on the desk without undesirably relocating itself.
Noise - Will this mousepad generate noise when the mouse is being used?
Thanks to the AORUS AMP500's optimized texture surface, this mousepad struck an excellent balance between glide and control during the tests in my opinion. Although the AMP500 is essentially a soft surface mousepad, its texture made it feel semi-hard to reduce unnecessary drag. At the same time, the control was precise, since the resistance was consistent. I was happy with the results of the Paint test, since I could draw some clean lines with sharp corners using AMP500 without any issues. For the Counter-Strike 1.6 tests, I was satisfied with fast cursor moving speed and precise aiming without tracking inconsistencies. Overall, I felt this product was closer to a hard surface mousepad than a conventional cloth-based soft surface one. However, compared to a real hard surface mousepad such as the SteelSeries SX, the AORUS AMP500 was more comfortable.
For the grip performance evaluation, I went ahead cleaning my table before putting the AORUS AMP500 on it. I found it was nearly impossible to move the mousepad by intentionally rubbing my wrist on the textured surface. The hybrid silicone base did a really good job making sure the mousepad was not moving to anywhere during intense use. As for the noise performance, the AORUS AMP500 was noticeably quieter than the SteelSeries SX. However, based on my impression, the AORUS AMP500 was noisier than the most of the conventional cloth-based mousepads I have used. I believe this is because the textured surface is harder than most cloth-based mousepads, therefore noise absorption was not as good.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
