Maximum PC

Hey guys,

It's been a long time since I've upgraded my gaming mouse, as my Razer Deathadder has been a charm for the last five years, and has enabled me to probably get millions of kills across the games I've played. However, it has recently started to not pick up clicks etc, things that are expected of a mouse of its age. So, I'm in the search for a new mouse. I mostly play FPS games, with Team Fortress 2 being the game I play the most (I play Sniper competitively for a UGC team). I have considered getting the newer "3G" Deathadder, as I am so used to the Deathadder I use now, but also want to consider the wide ranges of newer mice on the market, such as the Logitechs, R.A.Ts, Corsairs, Razers, and other brands.

Preferred price range is $50-$75.
I prefer wired over wireless.

Thanks for any and all responses!

This is just me, but the problem is that I don't care much for mice. If they do their job and last, the mice is good in my opinion. Even though I have a bad habit of going through them.

But if you'd like to know, my current mouse of choice is an HP Laser Gaming Mouse. It's essentially an ambidextrous 7 button version of the old Logitech G5. Thumbs are a little mushy, but I don't play FPS games online. It was $30 when I found it, but I don't think they're in the market any more since I couldn't find anything about it. I think my Logitech MX510 would be up there, but the finish on the guy started to peel within a year of use and it got gross holding it. And I actually am starting to get turned off by Logitech mice, aside from their mobile ones, their "high performance" models tend to lose their finish and get gross.

I don't want you to take this the wrong way but for FPS games, especially when played competitively the mouse makes a HUGE difference, and your advice is kind of bad. There are sites that have entire sub-forums devoted to mice (testing, opinions, unboxing, mods). It's a lot more than just get any mouse.

As for what mouse to get there are a few top contenders right now: the new Deathadder, the Logitech g400 (many people believe this to be the best I have one), Zowie AM/AM-GS (an interesting choice, it has stiffer buttons so some people don't like it, but it also has the lowest lift off distance). And all of these are still optical/infrared because the current laser technology in mice is terrible and you shouldn't get them for FPS games.

I have a 400 somewhere, am using a g500 now and even though its a laser (thats a snide remark), it works as good as the 400 did. its a matter of opinion, how does it feel in your hand, how do you hold it, and so forth. it also makes a difference what mouse pad you use. I use a old cyber snipa myself.

No it really isn't a matter of opinion. There are measurements that determine it's consistency and it tracking speed. An example: http://www.overclock.net/t/1182539/zowie-am-review there is also a g400 review but it is a review of the old stock, the new ones don't have prediction: http://www.overclock.net/t/1054231/my-l ... 400-review He plays competitively these are all factors that matter, but like I said I would probably either get a Deathadder 3g or a G400, lasers are less consistent and they use a dual laser setup which takes the two lasers and then uses each one at half speed to get the full DPI, and the problem is all the current controllers for doing this suck but they still do it because they have to have 5700DPI mice which are entirely pointless and hurt you more than help you. They do have a new controller/laser out that supposedly fixes this but no one is making a mouse based on it yet so the only real choice for competitive play is an optical/infrared.

First sound cards and headsets now mice. I'm starting to think your budget for peripheral devices is as much as the computer itself.

If OP doesn't care about competitive play, then why should the opinions of these people matter? And in fact, this is a dangerous thing to start saying "competitive people prefer this!". Fatal1ty has his name branded on hardware that doesn't really make sense for gaming. Like the Creative X-Fi, which is the last sound card you'd recommend.

So let's get back to the basics: OP stated what he cares about. Let's go find something that finds that fits that criteria.

Sorry for not making this clear, but I do play competitive in TF2. I edited the original post to make it more clear. I am considering the G400 and G500, and from reading from various sites and forums, it's sounding like I'll go with the G400.

He did say he played competitively and Headphones area a peripheral they are a sound system just like fancy speakers. And I have personal experience with both the g400 and g500 and the 400 is the clear winner. It was also pretty clear that he is a competitive player since he mentioned a league he played in. Also for mouse pad I really like the Steel Series Qck+ it's a cloth pad and it's fairly large.

And I have like $750 in peripherals in front of me right now, not counting my other pairs of headphones. So like $1000ish. My PC cost more than that though.

I would say that as far as mouse are concerned it would be better to stop by a place that might let you put your hands on one. I personally like the G500 myself and I think that all paws, hands, are different so YMMV.

really, I really don't believe he has tested them all himself, I also don't believe all the BS test results, since they all favor the one that they want you to buy. Oh, a review is someones opinion, just not your own. only one word sticks out from "your sites devoted to" and that is opinions, most of them are from 13 year olds that think they know it all. what is unboxing, how to take it out of the packaging it comes in? your investment, shit I have more than half that just in keyboards.

Actually it's more than just those sites, it's also the top players that tell you to get optical mice since that is what they use. You can not believe the test results if you want, but they are pretty fucking spot on with my personal experience of laser vs. optical especially since I have used the g500 and the g400 and the 400 is noticeably better. I think that only me and csspwner are the only ones in this thread that actually play competitively. If everyone you are playing against is using a better mouse, then you are putting yourself at a disadvantage.

and the next thing you will try to tell me is that all the pros use the same gear, I doubt it, since they express their opinion when they either pay for their own equipment, or use equipment supplied by a sponser or someone they endorse.

there is a good reason that there are 50 different mice, keyboards, etc., because everyone is different and want something that works for them, if you are not the best player, the best mouse will not change anything.

how about all the people that play with game controllers, they think a controller is better than a keyboard and mouse.

You obviously don't know what you are talking about. Have you played competitively?

no, I have been gaming for over 30 years though, does that count, if I remember correctly Empire was my first or maybe going into that dam cave. I do not have the reflexes necessary anymore, as I am approaching 70, playing with kids on line is the least of my desires. the cheaters turned me off to on line gaming many years ago, as I have never considered it to be necessary for me. I used to be pretty good though, and I still buy good gear.

Ok well there is a difference between what competitive players need in a mouse and what your average gamer needs. The only analogy that I can think of is that it is the difference between what the kind of car you need in NASCAR vs. Formula 1 vs. drag racing, it isn't always as obvious of a difference as that but if you are good enough/play a lot there is definitely a difference and it becomes apparent. And it isn't that they don't work, or that they are completely terrible (some are but they generally get weeded out naturally) they just give you a slight disadvantage that play on the competitive level will magnify, especially as a sniper where consistency is extremely important I wouldn't recommend a g400 to someone that plays MMOs but for FPS games, especially source games, it is one of if not the best mouse to get, and it's only $40ish.

And the other appeal of the competitive scene is that they design anti-cheat clients that record your play and take screenshots and scan for .dll injections and .exe's running. So there is a lot less cheating.

I suggest the Steelseries Sinsei. I am fixing to buy one myself.

Danthrax,

do the G500 and G400 have the same body? I am thinking about switching to the 400 pretty just based on your posts lol.

yes, they have the same body the 500 just has more buttons.

I would only recommend it if you are playing competitively, you may or may not notice it if you just play casually (or in FPS games that require less precision than source games). But I also recommend ordering from somewhere that you can return it if you don't like it. I also find that mouse pads make a difference but it's more so in the feel of the mouse and the friction. For me I prefer cloth pads like the Steel Series QcK+ or the razer cloth pads (although those have stupid logos on them that have issues with some mice and they cost more).