MSI Clutch GM41 Lightweight review: A wallet-friendly mouse

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Most of the best gaming mice are made by a small handful of dedicated peripheral companies, such as Logitech and SteelSeries. However, you can also find a much larger pool of options from many of the big PC hardware companies, such as MSI.

The company has a new full-size mechanical keyboard, the MSI Vigor GK71 Sonic, and now a wireless gaming mouse to match it. The MSI Clutch GM41 Lightweight comes packed with features like preinstalled PTFE feet, anti-slip grip, and a DPI of 16,000 for just $55.

But like MSI’s new keyboard, the Clutch GM41 Lightweight manages to be a “good enough” mouse that never quite reaches greatness.

Design and comfort

The GM41 Clutch is simplistic with its naming, which is reflected in the overall design of this mouse.

But the name of the game is the weight. The MSI Clutch GM41 Lightweight is a very light mouse with a weight of just 65 grams, which bridges the gap between too light and too heavy for a gaming mouse. You would think that it would be on the smaller size with it being so light, but it isn’t. My hands are a bit above average in size (8.7 inches), and this mouse felt very comfortable, especially since I use a palm grip.

Sorry, fingertip grippers, this mouse was designed for palm and claw grip, according to MSI’s product page.

The GM41 comes equipped with a couple of features usually purchased separately, like the PTFE feet and an anti-slip grip. My own mouse that I use as my daily driver didn’t come with either of these items in the box.

While the PTFE feet are better than stock feet, the anti-slip grip isn’t as good. I mean, it’s certainly an upgrade from straight-up plastic thanks to its diamond pattern, but I would’ve preferred no grip on the side so I could buy my grip or use skateboard grip tape (it works well, by the way– especially Mob grip tape). The diamond pattern continues to the scroll wheel, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of this mouse. The scroll wheel is loud, and it sounds scratchy. To add to it, while it is notched, which I like, the rotations between notches don’t feel smooth at all.

The biggest flaw on the GM41 are the side buttons. The side buttons look and feel like they were ripped from a different mouse because they wobble a ton, feel mushy, and the shiny finish looks out of place since this mouse has a matte finish.

Unlike most mice on the market today, which connect via USB-C, the MSI Clutch GM41 uses a micro USB cable to connect to the charging dock and to the mouse itself. Since this is a wireless mouse, this isn’t the biggest deal in the world, especially when it comes with a charging dock, but it’s worth mentioning.

Sensors and switches

The switches in the GM41 are made by Omron, abd are rated for 60 million clicks. The sound of the switches is a bit deeper than the switches that you’ll find in a Logitech G Pro. The switches feel very high quality, unlike many budget mice switches. I found myself enjoying sound of the switches.

When I started using the GM41, I was experiencing input lag that happened so frequently that I had to plug the mouse in and useit wired. However, I am going to assume that the battery was low because it was smooth sailing after a night of charging. 

The sensor on the Clutch is a Pixart PMW-3389 with an adjustable DPI up to 16,000. The high DPI sets this mouse up to be very competitive in the market as it is very similar in price to the Razer Mamba Wireless, which is $51. Of course, this sensor isn’t supporting up to 25,000 DPI like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, but that mouse is also $130.

MSI says that in just 10 minutes, this mouse can be charged up long enough to last you nine hours. Charging the mouse from zero to 100% will take just 90 minutes. MSI says it will last you up to 80 hours. Even just as a claim, that’s not the longest battery life you’ll find. Logitech promises 250 hours with its G305 Lightspeed Wireless, for example.

I wouldn’t recommend joining a match with a lower battery percentage on this mouse because there was noticeable input lag until I charged it.

Gaming performance

MSI is one of the founding fathers when it comes to PC hardware geared toward gamers, so I needed to see if the Clutch GM41 could game. I decided to prepare myself for Elden Ring by playing Dark Souls II. I’ve never tried playing a souls-style game with a mouse and keyboard before, so I was curious how I’d do. To my surprise, using a mouse didn’t feel foreign — especially with how comfortable is. I was able to snap over to my enemies and parry the attacks thanks to the responsive Omron switches and buttery PTFE feet. Honestly, the feet on this mouse are so good that if you use this mouse for long enough and let the skates break in a bit, it’ll be even better.

I don’t really use the side buttons in-game on any mouse I use, so the cheap buttons weren’t an issue for me, but if you’re someone who does, I would look elsewhere. While the scroll wheel doesn’t sound nice to use, clicking it wasn’t an issue, so if you’re like me and you click the scroll wheel to throw items in first-person-shooters, this will do just fine.

Our take

The MSI Clutch GM41 Lightweight is a good mouse. It comes equipped with everything you need to deploy onto the battlefield, and the price is attractive. But in some areas, this mouse feels cheap, and that’s not what you want.

Are there any alternatives?

Due to the Clutch GM41’s familiar footprint, there are certainly a number of viable alternatives at this price point, like the Razer Mamba Wireless, which is $4 cheaper on Amazon and features the same DPI and a similar shape.

If you want to save as much coin as possible and 16,000 DPI is imprtant to you, the Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless, which has a DPI of 12,000, is just $44.

My final alternative is something much heavier at 106g. The Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed retails for just $35 on Amazon, but comes with wireless connectivity that lasts up to 450 hours and has the same 16,000 DPI.

How long will it last?

The warranty MSI provides for this mouse is a bit frugal: One year. My only concern about this mouse over time are the side buttons. However, they may last longer — only time will tell.

Should you buy it?

For most people, no. I like the MSI Clutch GM41 for its price, but options like the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed remain a better bang for your buck. If you are a brand loyalist and want as much MSI within your setup as possible, on the other hand, this is the mouse for you because you’re still getting a solid mouse without breaking the bank.