Okay, I figured I might as well post this here since it's kinda related to buying PC builds, and should hopefully be useful information for anyone who is.
Basically, this is a guide to what computer mouse you should buy.
So, my beloved Deathadder 2013 finally decided to break on me right before New Year (the left click switch broke) so I did a whole bunch of research on different mice's sensors and other properties to find out what new mouse to buy. The mouse I ended up going with was the Logitech G502 Proteus Core, since it has all the features I want and one of the best sensors on the market. It was a hard choice between it and the Mionix Naos 7000, but I went for the G502 since it was available in a nearby store.
I like to be very competitive when playing games, and making sure to reduce any kind of bottlenecks as much as possible that would give me a disadvantage against other players, so choosing a good mouse is obviously very important to me. During my search for the strongest contenders, I also found a whole bunch of new mice that I hadn't seen or noticed before, so I thought it'd be great to tell anyone who's interested in buying a new mouse about them and their strengths/weaknesses in this thread so that everyone has a reference when choosing a mouse for their new builds in the future.
One of the most important features of a mouse is obviously the sensor it uses, since that's what determines how accurate and consistent you're going to be with it. Basically, what you want to look for is a mouse with a "perfect"/"flawless" sensor (which I explained in a post in
another thread). There are plenty of these, and there are lists you can find online of a bunch of different popular mice with "perfect" sensors (
This is the one I used. It's pretty advanced, but if you want to get more in-depth it's a very good read). What I found was basically that there are 4 different optical sensors that people generally consider to be the best. These are the Pixart PMW
3366 (Logitech G502), the Avago ANDS/Pixart PMW
3310, the Avago ANDS
s3988 (Deathadder 2013) and the Avago ANDS
3090. (Pixart is just Avago's new name.) But one very important thing to note is that even when mice use the same sensor, that does not mean they have identical tracking characteristics. It depends on the specific manufacturer's implementation. Liftoff distance may vary, for example.
So, here are some examples of mice with these sensors that I personally found the most interesting and would recommend to most people:
1. Logitech G502 (PMW 3366)
Pros: Arguably the best sensor, lots of programmable buttons, scroll wheel with a toggleable free-spin mode, adjustable weight, tilting scroll wheel, good software, good for palm/claw-grip users, rubber sides.
Cons: Slightly heavier than most mice, even without any of the included weights. (This is actually pretty important, most professional gamers want as light a mouse as possible for quick movements. I personally don't find it too heavy (which is the reason why I bought it after trying it out at the store), but it is noticeably heavier than my old Deathadder.)
2. Razer Deathadder 2013/Chroma (ANDS s3988)
Pros: Legendary gaming mouse, simple shape - very comfortable for right-handed palm/claw-grip users, rubber sides, fairly lightweight, good software (though some people really dislike Synapse since it's basically required to use the mouse properly).
Neutral: Big
Cons: Build quality of the side buttons is questionable, few buttons, scroll wheel is hard to press.
3. Mionix Naos 7000 (ANDS 3310)
Pros: Very ergonomic for right-handed palm-grip users, fairly lightweight, good software.
Cons: The 3310 sensor is apparently a bit picky with surfaces but as long as you have at least a decent cloth mat you'll be fine.
4. Mionix Avior 7000 (ANDS 3310)
Pros: Ambidextrous, good for claw/fingertip-grip users, fairly lightweight, good software.
Cons: The 3310 sensor is apparently a bit picky with surfaces but as long as you have at least a decent cloth mat you'll be fine.
5. Corsair M45 (PMW 3310)
Pros: Unique shape, adjustable weight, lightweight without the included weights, good software.
Cons: Some people complain about the scroll wheel, the 3310 sensor is apparently a bit picky with surfaces but as long as you have at least a decent cloth mat you'll be fine.
6. Steelseries Rival (ANDS 3310)
Pros: Simple comfortable shape (kinda similar to the Deathadder), rubber sides, good software
Cons: Few buttons, Even slightly heavier than the G502.
This is by no means a complete list of good mice, but they are definitely some of the best, and it should serve well as a guideline for anyone who needs to pick a mouse for their new build. The most important general tip I can give is just to never buy a mouse with a laser sensor (it should be "optical").
While I'm at it, here are some other useful guidelines for using your mouse optimally:
1. High maximum DPI numbers is just a marketing trick, you should always put your DPI pretty low (400-1800 is usually recommended for most sensors) to avoid interpolation or other issues, unless you have a very specific usage scenario where you need a high DPI.
2. Getting used to turning off mouse acceleration will likely greatly benefit you in the long run, since it helps with consistency and muscle memory. To do this, uncheck the "Enhance pointer precision" option in your Windows mouse settings and any other acceleration option anywhere else (like in your mouse software). Also, enable "Raw input" in-game.
3. Your pointer speed should always be set to 6/11 (default, in the middle) in your Windows mouse settings since there are some really stupid problems with going lower/higher that make your mouse skip frames and stuff. If you want a higher/lower sensitivity, you should compensate with the DPI setting in your mouse software instead, or the in-game sensitivity slider.
I hope this will be useful to some people.
