AOC GM500 Gaming Mouse Review

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Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Need a new gaming mouse but not looking to spend an arm and a leg? The new AOC GM500 might just be the one you’re looking for! AOC is best known for their gaming monitors, but lately they’ve been dipping their toes in the gaming peripherals market as well.

We liked their “Tournament Grade” AGM700 mouse, but what about their more affordable options? AOC agreed to send us their new (and much more affordable) GM500 for a fair and unbiased review so that we can let you know whether or not it deserves a spot on our list of the 15 best gaming mice!

Design

The GM500’s design seems to be modeled after the popular Logitech G203 wired gaming mouse. It’s slim, with all-matte black plastic housing and a black braided cable. There is a scroll wheel and a DPI switch button on top of the mouse, as well as two programmable buttons on either side. The buttons on the left are conveniently placed to click with your thumb, though it’s easy to forget the ones on the right are even there.

The mouse also comes with RGB strips in the scroll wheel, in the AOC logo, and in a line skirting the palm wrest. These can be controlled via the company’s custom software.

Software Customization and RGB

The AOC G-Tools app adds a few decent features most mice in this price range don’t have. You can re-assign buttons and lefties can change the switch orientation with the click of a button. You can adjust Dpi settings, polling rate, double click, Windows pointer speed, and scrolling speed to really fine tune your mouse’s performance.

This software is also where you will be able to adjust your RGB. There are five lighting effects to choose from: static, breathing, blink, flashing and DPI. There is also a synchronization option to match your lighting with all of your other AOC gear. All of these changes can be assigned to one of five profiles, making it easy to switch between custom settings.

High Ground Gaming has noted in the past that the G-Tools software looks and feels outdated compared to newer software from companies like Corsair, Razer, and Logitech. This is still true. It doesn’t have quite as many lighting or control options, and the design just looks old. It does work exceedingly well, however, with no noticeable bugs. It’s also worth noting that having any sort control software at this price point is a win.

Gaming Performance

The mouse’s firmware is compatible with Nvidia Reflex. In theory, that means it should be able to achieve lower latency, and a higher degree of synchronicity with your graphics card. The difference is somewhat underwhelming in practice, however.

I used the GM500 to play some Doom and Horizon: Zero Dawn. The mouse performed well, particularly for one in this price bracket. It felt a little touchy until I dialed in the DPI settings, but I eventually got it to a place where it felt smooth and natural. Having a DPI shift button is always a bonus for accurate shooting. It’s hard to tell if its compatibility with Nvidia Reflex made any difference, though. It certainly wasn’t noticeable if it did.

Is it Worth Your Money?

The AOCGM500 is considerably cheaper than other name brand budget mice like the Logitech G203 or the Razer Viper Mini. It’s closest competitor is probably the Redragon M602, which features a more ergonomic design and weight adjustment, but doesn’t have as much acceleration or the benefits of Nvidia Reflex.

For these reasons, the GM500 seems like a solid budget option for anyone looking to get their hands on a sub-$20 gaming mouse.