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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Shape
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Weight
    6. Comfort Of Use
    7. Palm Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    8. Claw Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    9. Fingertip Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    10. Wireless Versatility
    11. Cable
    12. Mouse Feet
    13. In The Box
  5. Control
    1. Additional Buttons
    2. Click Latency
    3. CPI
    4. Sensor Latency
    5. Sensor Specifications
    6. Mouse Wheel
    7. Noise
  6. Operating System And Software
    1. Compatible Software Option
    2. Mouse Compatibility
  7. Comments

SteelSeries Rival 5 vs SteelSeries Aerox 5

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Rival 5
SteelSeries Aerox 5

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Feb 17, 2023 07:54 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Dec 06, 2022 05:14 PM

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Amazon.com
SteelSeries Rival 5 Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Picture

Variants

  • Rival 5 (Black)
  • Rival 5 (Destiny 2)
  • Aerox 5 (Black)

Our Verdict

SteelSeries Rival 5

SteelSeries Aerox 5

The SteelSeries Rival 5 and the SteelSeries Aerox 5 are very similar, wired, gaming mice, but the Aerox 5 performs slightly better. The outer shell of the Aerox 5 has diamond-shaped cutouts to reduce the weight, and its latency is better. Also, it has higher quality feet. On the other hand, the Rival 5 feels better built, and its cable is better quality and more flexible.

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Destiny 2
Rival 5
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Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our mice test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Office/Multimedia 

6.3
7.1

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Style Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Style Picture

Type 
 

Standard
Standard

Lighting Color  

RGB
RGB

Show text

Shape  

3D Model  

SteelSeries Rival 5 3D Model
SteelSeries Aerox 5 3D Model

Length  

5.1" (129 mm)
5.1" (129 mm)

Height  

1.7" (42 mm)
1.7" (42 mm)

Width  

2.7" (68 mm)
2.7" (68 mm)

Grip Width 
 

62 mm
62 mm

Portability 
 

5.4
5.4

Portability picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Portability picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Portability picture

Volume 
 

22.64 in³ (371 cm³)
22.64 in³ (371 cm³)

Cable/Receiver Storing 
 

No
No

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Build quality picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Build quality picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Build quality picture

Show text

Weight 
 

7.8
8.7

Minimum Weight Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Minimum Weight Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Minimum Weight Picture

Lowest Weight 
 

76.2 g
65.4 g

Default Weight 
 

76.2 g
65.4 g

Weight Distribution 
 

Centered
Centered

Extra Weights 
 

No
No

Show text

Comfort Of Use 
 

8.0
8.0

Right-handed 
 

Yes

Left-Handed Friendly 
 

No
No

Ambidextrous 
 

No
No

Coating 
 

Matte
Matte

Finger Rest 
 

No
No

Show text

Palm Grip: Hand Size Recommendation 
 

Palm Grip Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Palm Grip Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Palm Grip Picture

Small Hand 
 

No
No

Medium Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

X.Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Claw Grip: Hand Size Recommendation 
 

Claw Grip Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Claw Grip Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Claw Grip Picture

Small Hand 
 

No
No

Medium Hand 
 

No
No

Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

X.Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Fingertip Grip: Hand Size Recommendation  
 

Fingertip Grip Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Fingertip Grip Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Fingertip Grip Picture

Small Hand  
 

No
No

Medium Hand 
 

No
No

Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

X.Large Hand  
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Maximum Of Paired Devices 
 

Wired

Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
No Batteries

Use When Charging 
 

No
No

On/Off Activation 
 

None
None

Receiver Extender 
 

No
No

Battery Indicator  

No
No

Show text

Cable 
 

8.5
7.5

Cable Video  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wired

Cable Length 
 

6.6 ft (2.0 m)
6.9 ft (2.1 m)

Cable Type 
 

Paracord-like
Braided

Permanent Kink 
 

Yes
Yes

Port Type: Mouse End 
 

No Port
USB-C

Port Type: PC End 
 

USB
USB

Show text

Mouse Feet 
 

8.0
9.0

Mouse Feet picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Mouse Feet picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Mouse Feet picture

Gliding Experience 
 

Good
Good

Material 
 

PTFE
Virgin Grade PTFE

Extra Included 
 

No
No

Show text

In The Box 
 

In the box picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 In the box picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 In the box picture

Show text

Control

Additional Buttons 
 

8.0
8.2

Buttons Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Buttons Picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Buttons Picture

Buttons Activation 
 

Mechanical

Total Number Of Buttons 
 

9
9

Number Of Side Buttons 
 

5
5

Number Of Programmable Inputs  
 

11
11

Profile Switching Button 
 

Yes
Yes

CPI (DPI) Switching Button 
 

Yes

Gesture Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Click Latency 
 

7.5
7.8

Latency Testing While Gaming  

Latency Data  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Expected Connection 
 

9.8 ms
8.6 ms

Wired 
 

9.8 ms
8.6 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

CPI 
 

8.7
8.9

CPI Video  

CPI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SRAV Close-Up  

SteelSeries Rival 5 SRAV Close-Up
SteelSeries Aerox 5 SRAV Close-Up

SRAV @ 1600 CPI 
 

-0.52%
-0.14%

SRAV @ 800 CPI 
 

-0.42%
-0.38%

SRAV @ 400 CPI 
 

-0.58%
0.08%

SRAV @ Fixed CPI 
 

N/A
N/A

Precision Error Between Speeds 
 

0.38%
0.24%

Precision Error Between CPI 
 

2.51%
2.59%

Worst Tracking Error 
 

-5.44%
7.25%

Minimum CPI 
 

100 CPI
100 CPI

Maximum CPI 
 

18,000 CPI
18,000 CPI

CPI Adjustment Steps 
 

100 CPI
100 CPI

Sensor Latency 
 

8.3

Sensor Latency Demonstration  

Sensor Latency Transition Graph  

See details on graph tool

Sensor Latency CPI Graph  

See details on graph tool

Delay To Start Of Movement 
 

16.2 ms

Delay At Half Movement 
 

5.3 ms

Delay To End Of Movement 
 

7.8 ms

Sensor Specifications 
 

Sensor Technology 
 

Optical (LED)
Optical (LED)

Sensor Model 
 

TrueMove Air
TrueMove Air

Works On Glass 
 

No
No

Minimum Lift Off Distance 
 

1.2 mm
1.2 mm

Maximum Polling Rate 
 

1000 Hz
1000 Hz

Show text

Mouse Wheel 
 

Mouse wheel picture  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Mouse wheel picture
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Mouse wheel picture

Scroll Wheel 
 

Notched Wheel
Notched Wheel

Scroll Wheel Steps 
 

24 Steps
24 Steps

Scroll Wheel Tilt 
 

No
No

Thumb Wheel 
 

No
No

Thumb Wheel Steps 
 

No Thumb Wheel
No Thumb Wheel

Show text

Noise  

Noise Video  

Click Noise 
 

Quiet
Quiet
Operating System And Software

Compatible Software Option 
 

10
10

Software settings screenshot  

SteelSeries Rival 5 Software settings screenshot
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Software settings screenshot

Software Name  

SteelSeries GG
SteelSeries GG

Software Windows Compatibility 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatibility 
 

Yes
Yes

Account Needed 
 

No
No

On-Board Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

CPI (DPI) Adjustment  
 

Yes
Yes

Polling Rate Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

Profile Configuration 
 

Yes
Yes

RGB On/Off 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Mouse Compatibility 
 

10
10

Windows Compatibility  

Fully
Fully

macOS Compatibility  

Fully
Fully

Show text

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Destiny 2
Rival 5
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SteelSeries Rival 5

SteelSeries Aerox 5

Comments

  1. Comparison

SteelSeries Rival 5 vs SteelSeries Aerox 5: Main Discussion

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