Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Armory and Aura Sync have no program window that can be captured by my screen capture tool or OBS! (At least on my system - Windows 7 with Aero deactivated, but an older versions of Armory that should still be compatible.) So I couldn't even screen-record how totally unintuitive and confuse the color setting works.
The reference picture on the left is a photo, and I had to customize the white balance to make the colors authentic. (It was also difficult to demonstrate the violet hue on the mouse light, that's why I held my hand against it to show the reflection.)
Aura can not do white with the sliders, but there you can manually enter values if you know them.
The values seem to change differently than in Armory, too.
Generally ASUS and Asrock coloe hue setting has some serious offset where e.g. you have to set red to get pink or violet to get blue or orange to get yellow. I noticed that back then with ASRRGBLRED that came with my mainboard.
More interesting bits:
- The Armory updater tool was installed in C:\Users\Public\Documents\ !!!
- The lighting tool installation took ages, briefly popped up a command prompt window every minute or so, and demanded internet connection. (My firewall blocks such if I want to.)
- Armory and Aura don't quit when closing and apparently have no option to set that behavior.
- The mouse has a high-pitched (but faint) buzzing whenever sitting on a surface and/or having lighting on. It is just faint enough to not be noticed in typical use distance.
My CM Storm Alcor doesn't have this. (But it also seems to have a redlight-assisted visible light sensor, not an infrared one. An Avago 3090 instead of a PixArt PAW3325.)
- Processes running when you install the RGB tool stuff:
atkexComSvc.exe (ASUS Com Service)
LightingService.exe
Mutually Exclusive AURA Agent.exe
ROG Armoury.exe
MacroAgent.exe
...Possible more
UPDATE: ASUS software is a damn plague!!!
Despite having told Armoury not to run at OS start and not to auto-update, the following processes were running again, via Task Scheduler:
ROG Armoury
Armoury Live Update (The same that I disabled as a service!)
liveupdatesynccheck
ledcontrolservice3
macroagent
P508PowerAgent
This has compelled me to now outright disable all tasks and services and stay away from that stuff whenever I can.
- Standard mouse settings before customizing in Armory:
Color cycle lighting
Polling rate 500/1000 Mhz (I read in reviews that it gets a bit inaccurate at 1000.)
max. 3200/7000 dpi (400, 800, 1600, 3200)
angle snapping activated
...Am I glad that the mouse saves all settings in hardware!
- the mouse sides are slightly textured plastic which to me always feels like it is caked in dirt, especially since the upside is smooth. Dunno, maybe I get used to it over time, but I generally don't like design inhomogenity.
- Also a dissonance: The side buttons sound significantly differnt and louder than left and right buttons which sound like the typical mouse dip switches, and the mouse wheel button sounds totally different (muffled/dampened, and quite distinct, too.). Mouse wheel click feel is good and precise, though. But the wheel is quite a distance back, so if you want to rest your hand comfortably, your first finger link would be what rests on the mouse wheel, not the fingertips. Dunno, maybe this is actually better ergonomically.
- Scrolling up can make the mouse wheel rattle like in a cheap Microsoft standard Intellimouse.
- Interesting: Putting my Alcor on a white piece of paper (which turns out to be quite a smooth surface if it is that type of paper) causes it to jitter, probably because it is too much light reflected. I am not sure whether something is dirty, but I blew into the reflector assembly to clean it of dust and it still happened. - The M3 does not do that.
- Generally I am content with the new mouse and its usability, though, and hope it will continue to be built for a long time, otherwise I might have to buy some spares. (I got it for 13.50€, so that was a relief. The Alcor isn't made anymore.)
I just don't know whether ASUS offers replacement glide pads and why they don't bother to put some of those cheap spares in the box. The M3 has larger pads, which might cause a little more friction, but probably slow wear down. The Alcor is really annoying with its relatively fast pad wear and no proper replacements offered.
- I also examined the ergonomy of various mice at a local store and it is shocking how many things can feel off about the various ones.
If you think you can just get a cheap office mouse with no special features for 7€ and it will be alright, think again. You have to test them. Buttons can be extremely mushy or something else off to an unacceptable degree.
P.S.: Armoury has a measuring tool with which I could determine that I can do 9 clicks per second. (But not while grabbing the mouse regularly. Only finger-straight-down.)
Armory and Aura Sync have no program window that can be captured by my screen capture tool or OBS! (At least on my system - Windows 7 with Aero deactivated, but an older versions of Armory that should still be compatible.) So I couldn't even screen-record how totally unintuitive and confuse the color setting works.
The reference picture on the left is a photo, and I had to customize the white balance to make the colors authentic. (It was also difficult to demonstrate the violet hue on the mouse light, that's why I held my hand against it to show the reflection.)
Aura can not do white with the sliders, but there you can manually enter values if you know them.
The values seem to change differently than in Armory, too.
Generally ASUS and Asrock coloe hue setting has some serious offset where e.g. you have to set red to get pink or violet to get blue or orange to get yellow. I noticed that back then with ASRRGBLRED that came with my mainboard.
More interesting bits:
- The Armory updater tool was installed in C:\Users\Public\Documents\ !!!
- The lighting tool installation took ages, briefly popped up a command prompt window every minute or so, and demanded internet connection. (My firewall blocks such if I want to.)
- Armory and Aura don't quit when closing and apparently have no option to set that behavior.
- The mouse has a high-pitched (but faint) buzzing whenever sitting on a surface and/or having lighting on. It is just faint enough to not be noticed in typical use distance.
My CM Storm Alcor doesn't have this. (But it also seems to have a redlight-assisted visible light sensor, not an infrared one. An Avago 3090 instead of a PixArt PAW3325.)
- Processes running when you install the RGB tool stuff:
atkexComSvc.exe (ASUS Com Service)
LightingService.exe
Mutually Exclusive AURA Agent.exe
ROG Armoury.exe
MacroAgent.exe
...Possible more
UPDATE: ASUS software is a damn plague!!!
Despite having told Armoury not to run at OS start and not to auto-update, the following processes were running again, via Task Scheduler:
ROG Armoury
Armoury Live Update (The same that I disabled as a service!)
liveupdatesynccheck
ledcontrolservice3
macroagent
P508PowerAgent
This has compelled me to now outright disable all tasks and services and stay away from that stuff whenever I can.
- Standard mouse settings before customizing in Armory:
Color cycle lighting
Polling rate 500/1000 Mhz (I read in reviews that it gets a bit inaccurate at 1000.)
max. 3200/7000 dpi (400, 800, 1600, 3200)
angle snapping activated
...Am I glad that the mouse saves all settings in hardware!
- the mouse sides are slightly textured plastic which to me always feels like it is caked in dirt, especially since the upside is smooth. Dunno, maybe I get used to it over time, but I generally don't like design inhomogenity.
- Also a dissonance: The side buttons sound significantly differnt and louder than left and right buttons which sound like the typical mouse dip switches, and the mouse wheel button sounds totally different (muffled/dampened, and quite distinct, too.). Mouse wheel click feel is good and precise, though. But the wheel is quite a distance back, so if you want to rest your hand comfortably, your first finger link would be what rests on the mouse wheel, not the fingertips. Dunno, maybe this is actually better ergonomically.
- Scrolling up can make the mouse wheel rattle like in a cheap Microsoft standard Intellimouse.
- Interesting: Putting my Alcor on a white piece of paper (which turns out to be quite a smooth surface if it is that type of paper) causes it to jitter, probably because it is too much light reflected. I am not sure whether something is dirty, but I blew into the reflector assembly to clean it of dust and it still happened. - The M3 does not do that.
- Generally I am content with the new mouse and its usability, though, and hope it will continue to be built for a long time, otherwise I might have to buy some spares. (I got it for 13.50€, so that was a relief. The Alcor isn't made anymore.)
I just don't know whether ASUS offers replacement glide pads and why they don't bother to put some of those cheap spares in the box. The M3 has larger pads, which might cause a little more friction, but probably slow wear down. The Alcor is really annoying with its relatively fast pad wear and no proper replacements offered.
- I also examined the ergonomy of various mice at a local store and it is shocking how many things can feel off about the various ones.
If you think you can just get a cheap office mouse with no special features for 7€ and it will be alright, think again. You have to test them. Buttons can be extremely mushy or something else off to an unacceptable degree.
P.S.: Armoury has a measuring tool with which I could determine that I can do 9 clicks per second. (But not while grabbing the mouse regularly. Only finger-straight-down.)
