The MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE is a wired gaming mouse with a right-handed shape, textured plastic side grips, two side buttons on the left, and a thumb rest. It also includes a set of weights you can add to the mouse to adjust its weight distribution. Performance-wise, you can adjust the CPI by increments of 100 within a somewhat wide range, and it has a low lift-off distance, though some users prefer it lower. Unfortunately, you can't set any configurable profiles within the customization software, and there's only one configurable CPI setting. Also, the GM20 ELITE has high click latency, and if you play fast-paced or reaction-based games, you may prefer a more responsive option.
Our Verdict
The MSI GM20 ELITE is decent for office and multimedia work. It feels very well-built and has a right-handed shape with a thumb rest suitable for any grip type and all but small-sized hands. You can also reprogram all of the buttons using the customization software. Unfortunately, it's a wired-only model without any wireless connection options, and the scroll wheel lacks both L/R tilt inputs and a free-scrolling mode.
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Feels very well-built.
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Comfortable, right-handed shape with a thumb rest.
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Wired-only.
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Scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt inputs and doesn't have a free-scrolling mode.
The MSI GM20 ELITE is a good FPS gaming mouse, but it has high click latency and may not feel responsive enough for all gamers. That said, it feels very well-built and has a comfortable, right-handed shape suitable for all grip types and all medium and larger hand sizes. You can adjust the CPI by increments of 100 within an adequately large range. It also has a low lift-off distance, though not as low as some gaming mice. Unfortunately, there's no way to set custom profiles within the software, and you can only configure a single alternate CPI setting. Also, its rubber cable isn't very flexible, and the mouse feet only provide a decent gliding experience.
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Feels very well-built.
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Comfortable, right-handed shape with a thumb rest.
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All buttons are programmable.
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High click latency for a gaming mouse.
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Rubber cable isn't very flexible and retains kinks from packaging and storage.
The MSI GM20 ELITE is satisfactory for MMO gaming, but it doesn't have nearly as many side buttons as a dedicated MMO gaming mouse. That said, you can program all of the buttons it does have using the customization software. It feels very well-built and has a comfortable right-handed shape, suitable for all grip types and all except for small hand sizes. Performance-wise, you can adjust the CPI by increments of 100 within a somewhat wide range. It also has a low lift-off distance, though not as low as some mice. Unfortunately, it has a high click latency for a gaming mouse.
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Feels very well-built.
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Comfortable, right-handed shape with a thumb rest.
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High click latency for a gaming mouse.
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Not nearly as many side buttons as a dedicated MMO gaming mouse.
The MSI GM20 ELITE is decent for ultra-light gaming, but it's significantly heavier than a dedicated ultra-lightweight gaming mouse, and it has high click latency. Nevertheless, it feels well-built and has a comfortable right-handed shape suitable for medium and larger hand sizes using any grip type. You can adjust the CPI by increments of 100 within an adequate range, and the minimum lift-off distance is low, though not as low as on some mice. Unfortunately, its mouse feet are only decent, and it has a fairly standard rubber cable that isn't very flexible and retains kinks from packing and storage.
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Feels very well-built.
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Comfortable, right-handed shape with a thumb rest.
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High click latency for a gaming mouse.
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Heavy.
The MSI GM20 ELITE is inadequate for travel as it's bulky and likely won't fit in most laptop cases. It's also a wired-only model without any wireless connection options, making it cumbersome in tight spaces like buses, trains, or planes. That said, it feels very well-built and has a comfortable, right-handed shape suitable for all grip types and all except for small hand-sizes. It also has onboard memory, so you can save your custom settings and use them on computers without installing the software.
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Feels very well-built.
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Comfortable, right-handed shape with a thumb rest.
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Wired-only.
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Bulky; may not fit in most laptop cases.
- 7.3 Office/Multimedia
- 7.5 Video Games (FPS)
- 7.1 Video Games (MMO)
- 7.1 Ultra-Light Gaming
- 5.2 Travel
- Updated Sep 13, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Sep 07, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jul 05, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jun 23, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated May 08, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE we tested is black, and there are no other color variants available. You can see the label for our CLUTCH GM20 ELITE unit here.
Compared To Other Mice
The MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE is a good, budget gaming mouse. Compared to other gaming mice, it has a large and fairly wide body, and it's very well-suited for all grip types. However, its size makes it unsuitable for small hands. It also has very good build quality for a mouse at its price point, and it has a thumb rest, which is a feature that's more common on MMO gaming mice or more premium, full-featured mice. Unfortunately, while it has good all-around sensor performance, it has high click latency compared to most gaming options. Also, its cable and mouse feet are only decent. That said, the GM20 ELITE may make a good choice if you prefer a larger, heavier mouse and aren't too interested in extra features or a high level of customizability.
For other recommendations, see our picks for the best gaming mouse, the best wired mouse, and the best cheap gaming mouse.
The GLORIOUS Model O is an excellent ultra-lightweight gaming mouse, while the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE is a good FPS gaming mouse. The GLORIOUS is significantly lighter and has a much more flexible cable. It also has mouse feet that glide more smoothly, a higher maximum CPI, a lower minimum lift-off distance, and lower click latency. Additionally, you can program more than one custom profile within the software, while the MSI only lets you customize a single profile. On the other hand, the MSI has a thumb rest and additional weights you can add to change the weight distribution. It also has a lower minimum CPI.
THE MSI CLUTCH GM41 LIGHTWEIGHT WIRELESS is an impressive ultra-lightweight wireless gaming mouse with an ambidextrous shape, while the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE is a good wired gaming mouse with a right-handed shape. The GM41 is much lighter and has mouse feet that glide more smoothly. It also has a much wider CPI range, a lower lift-off distance, and lower click latency. You can also set multiple profiles using the software, while you can only set one custom profile with the GM20. On the other hand, the GM20 feels sturdier and has a thumb rest. It also has a more flexible cable and a dedicated CPI button behind the scroll wheel.
The Razer Viper Mini is a better wired gaming mouse than the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE. The Razer is significantly lighter and has a more flexible cable. It also has mouse feet that glide more smoothly, a higher maximum CPI, and much lower click latency. You can also set a HyperShift button using the customization software to enable a secondary layer of controls. On the other hand, the MSI has a thumb rest and a somewhat more consistent sensor. It also includes a set of weights you can add to adjust the weight distribution.
The Corsair M65 RGB Elite is a better wired gaming mouse than the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE. The Corsair feels sturdier and has mouse feet that glide more smoothly. It has two additional programmable buttons, including one extra side button on the left. It also has a wider CPI range, a much more precisely adjustable CPI, and significantly lower click latency. Its software is compatible with both Windows and macOS, while the software for the MSI is only compatible with Windows. On the other hand, the MSI includes a set of added weights.
The GLORIOUS Model D is an excellent ultra-lightweight gaming mouse, while the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE is a good FPS gaming mouse. The GLORIOUS is much lighter and has a more flexible cable. It also has mouse feet that glide much more smoothly, a higher CPI range, and significantly lower click latency. On the other hand, the MSI feels sturdier and has a thumb rest. It also has a lower minimum CPI and a set of weights you can add to adjust the weight distribution.
The Razer DeathAdder V2 Mini is a slightly better wired gaming mouse than the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE. The Razer is much lighter and has a more flexible cable. It also has mouse feet that glide more smoothly, a higher maximum CPI, and significantly lower click latency. You can also set a HyperShift button to enable a secondary layer of controls. On the other hand, the MSI feels sturdier and has a thumb rest. It also has a much more consistent sensor and includes a set of added weights.
The Razer DeathAdder V2 is a better wired gaming mouse than the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE. The Razer is lighter and has a more flexible cable. It also has mouse feet that glide more smoothly, a much wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a lower click latency, and a much lower click latency. You can also set a HyperShift button which enables a second layer of commands, and you can set multiple profiles using the customization software. At the same time, the MSI only has one configurable profile. On the other hand, the MSI has a thumb rest and additional weights to adjust the weight distribution.
Test Results
This mouse includes a set of 1 x 5g and 2x 3g weights that you can add to the inside of the palm area of the mouse to adjust the overall weight and weight distribution.
The polling rate options for the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. The sensor on our unit is somewhat inaccurate and undershoots the set CPI by -7.96% during slow movements and -12.32% during fast movements.
You can reprogram all of the buttons on the MSI CLUTCH GM20 ELITE, but the scroll up/down inputs aren't programmable. Also, you can only set one alternate CPI setting in the software and use the CPI button behind the scroll wheel to switch to it by default. However, you can assign CPI+ or CPI- buttons using the software to manually adjust the set CPI by increments of 100 on the fly.
The MSI Dragon Center is easy to use, but it doesn't offer any configurable profiles, and there's only one configurable CPI setting.
Note: We had to run the software as an administrator to get it to run, which is unusual, but didn't affect our tests.