Pro-Gamer Mouse Review (Mouse wars)

Gaming Mice Reviews Showdown

Today i will be reviewing several mice all of which will have had thorough and intense testing by in game use and accuracy judgement in photoshop software, but its always a difficult process to do a review as personal preference will always interfere with technical specs as grip and dpi will suit some users but not others.
As a pro gamer and avid photoshop user I have experimented with these mice for many months. I have achieved a balance between my best settings of dpi and sensitivity and the needs of the applications. To help with achieving your perfect settings we all need to understand a few basic terms. The difference between dpi and sensitivity can be understood like this. DPI (DOTS PER INCH)= think of school, remember the math graph paper with the grids? imagine two sheets, one with twice the amount of grids than the other. Where each line meets is a dot per inch. So one sheet has lots more dots than the other. This is high DPI, many more dots in the same area mean alot more accuracy, but if the sensitivity is too high the mouse will skip over some dots and will not be accurate. So a balance has to be achieved. This is your personal preference, and it changes between games (JUST TO MAKE IT MORE FUN )
So on to the review.

Mouse lineup
Logitech G5 2007 edition
Razer Lachesis
Logitech G9
Razer Mamba
Logitech G9x

In this review all mice are considered at the top of their games and where chosen for this reason, all could be considered excellent mice but do have some differences, they may suit some users but not others.
I will only be able to cover some features of each mouse and/or cannot be described to its full extent due to the amount of hardware that has been tested and space limit of the review.

Test Rig Specifications
Processor Q6600 3.8ghz
GFX Nvidia GTX 280
Ram 4GB G.skill 1066
Mouse pad Razer Goliathus, Razer Mantis

Games and software
Call of Duty 4
Crysis wars
Company of Heroes
Dawn of War 2
PhotoShop[/b]


Logitech G5 2007 edition

Mouse Specifications
2000 DPI
2 left side buttons
scroll wheel with center left and right click
DPI changer
Blue tiger Grip theme

The G5 was originally made in 2005 with a revision in 2007 and is one of the best.
It has 2000 DPI with two side thumb buttons which can be assigned to basically any key via the setpoint software (depending on the game), a easy to use smooth scroll/middle button with excellent access to on the fly dpi adjustment.
The g5 with its evened out profile has extreme comfort and grip. It is one of the best i have seen. Unlike most mice, time to get use to it is minimal, before you start noticing your comfort. The g5 has a unique feel to it and is much easier to learn than other mice out today.
A majority of gamers use this mouse and has been rated by the gaming public as the best gaming mouse (As voted on xtremesystems)


http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=211149

I tested This mouse with all listed games and apps and found its well built design and structure worked well with pretty much anything I could throw at it, its 2000 dpi and grip design is just unbeatable and quite different.

Cod4. With its needed fast response and high accuracy worked really well right up to the quick spins and tiny gaps that would be needed at times.
Crysis. A game which is known for its low sensitivity worked also good all the way through, its comfort and stressful battles made long gaming more relaxing and fun.
RTS. For those times when you want to just relax and get right into the strategy games i don't think you can get much better than the g5 for this.
Photoshop. Also worked great in photoshop with as said great grip and comfort just gave more ease when doing things like this for a extended long period.

Goods and bads
The G5 worked flawlessly under all scenario's given to it, its overall use is great and would have to be one of the most well built product to date.
I did come feel that the surface grip was a little to uncomfortable for me all though others do like it, people have used custom surface grips to remove this problem or to have a sexy look added to it.

Overall rating 8.7/10


Razer Lachesis

Mouse Specifications
4000 DPI
2 side buttons left and right
easy/smooth blue lit scroll wheel
DPI changer
Soft rubber grip
Macro system


Razer is known for its great looks,high quality and new mouse technology and being the one true contender against the Logitech giant.
The Lachesis with its very high 4000 dpi and 3g lasereye is the most accurate mouse i have come across.
Its grip is quite long and slim and has a soft rubber feel to it, two buttons on each side(TOTAL 4) of the mouse and glowing scroll wheel.
Not only for the right handed, lefties rejoice it is the only high end ambidextrous mouse available.

Cod4 With its extremely high accuracy this mouse's aiming control worked very well, hitting almost any place you wanted it with and so much smoothness like it was gliding on butter.
Crysis Preformed as cod4 did giving high accuracy and ease with every movement you did
RTS Performance in RTS games was on par, dropping troops with pin point accuracy without a glitch to be seen.

Photoshop The lachesis truly shined with clean and smooth movements, I have not felt anything so accurate like it before, everything was spot on, fine adjustments to image curves and pixel accuracy was just amazing.

Goods and bads
During the lachesis testing i found its physical design did not suit very well under gaming conditions, it did not give enough freedom of movement or grip and had a multiple amount of problems with software/design flaws. What i was surprised with was its performance under photoshop, its accuracy was astounding and made it as if you had the pencil right there making those fine sketches you normally couldn't do.

Overall rating 7/10


Logitech G9

The G9 with its slick look and endless amount of features would have to be peoples choice for the coolest mouse.
Mouse Specifications
3200 DPI
Two side buttons
Changeable grips
Dpi changer
Click to click and ball baring scroll
Center left and right scroll button
Macro system

Its equip with interchangeable grips and up to 10 macro capable buttons, also included in its design is its unique microgear scroll system. It has its click to click scroll as most mice have but when switched to its freedom spin (button located at the bottom) you are able to scroll with more precision whether its for in game tasks or really long text files and webpages.

Here in cod4 everything worked flawlessly and was very comfortable (once gotten used to).
As Australia and NZ's top Crysis player I have found the G9 to be the best suited for these conditions, the slow sensitivity required seems to work best with this mouse and the unbeatable macro software and configuration gives you an even higher edge over the opposition.
Absolutely comfortable and relaxing in all RTS moments much like being in a lazy boy chair while driving.
What was fascinating here was its awkward shape taking effect as the design was made to best fit the persons hand and create an optimal grip and accuracy for all situations.


Goods and bads
When describing a mouse to people its best to describe what its best for, what i can say from being a crysis player that this mouse felt like it was designed especially for it and would highly recommend anyone intending to or who are already playing crysis (professionally) to grab this mouse. What does put some users off is the time it takes to get a hold or used to the mouse, for alot it takes more than usual as its shape is not considered the easiest.
Overall great mouse.

Overall rating 8.5/10


Razer Mamba

I have yet to get this mouse due to its release is only just been out but to give you an idea on what i expect from it i will give you a run through on its spec's and intend on updating this once received.
Mouse Specifications
5600 DPI
Two side buttons
DPI changer
Wireless/wired game grade technology
Blue lit scroll wheel
Docking station

It has 5600 dpi and would be the highest dpi mouse out to date, its shape comes from the famous deathadder known to have the most comfortable grip around for gaming mice.
It also features razers very first attempt at gaming grade wireless technology giving staggering high performance response with wireless conditions, now already alot of people have got their hands on the mouse and have said that they previously didn't recommend wireless mice for gaming but now with its new design said they could now for once do that.
It can also run in wired mode making it run at its full potential for those wanting to get the best out of it.
For more info on it go here http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-mamba

Logitech G9x

The G9x bigger brother to the g9 is very similar in almost every way visually but has some under the hood changes.
Mouse Specifications
5000 DPI
Two side buttons
Changeable grips
Dpi changer
Click to click and ball baring scroll
Center left and right scroll button
Macro system

With its new technology also comes a new silver interchangeable grip and adjusted hardware
More DPI helps alot in this game as high sensitivity creates less accurate movement as more pixels are required to be read.
Crysis When saying that the g9 is the mouse for crysis this just makes it even better for it, no telling how much better you can get for this game .
RTS The G9x worked as well as its previous version with great performance in all tasks and relaxed gaming.
Photoshop With its increased DPI this did show a dramatic change from 3200 up to 5000 and made Photoshop even more easier than it already was, great feel and comfort very nice all the way round.

Goods and bads
What most people will be confused about is the real difference between the G9 and new G9x, my conclusion is would you rather race with a ford mustang or a morris minor.
I would recommend this to people who would like to get the most performance out of a mouse and is not worried about the extra cash needed.
Out of all its greatness it does suffer from a slightly over sensitive right click button but Great mouse overall hard to beat.
Overall rating 9/10

Conclusion

As i come to the conclusion i feel that every mouse has its own advantage in one way over another and they all have their own specialty's.
The g5 being as stated the most preferred gaming mouse by xtremesystem members and in my opinion the best design shape/grip. For anyone looking for a mouse that works straight out of the box and has very minimal if at all any problems, then the g5 is for you.
As for the Lechesis i would not put this up for gaming as its shape/design just does not work well at all for the conditions of gaming not to mention the problems that it has with software and design flaws, what Razer did do right was made it the most accurate mouse i have ever found and would suggest this to anyone who uses or needs a accurate mouse with Photoshop.
G9/G9x These mice were well built and i would highly recommend a new gamer to start off with this mouse as it would make it a lot easier to learn with than someone who has already learned with something else will.
If you are a crysis or a to be crysis player i would suggest this mouse over any other, its without a doubt the best suited for this game and provides the absolute best performance you can get.
As for the choice between the g9 and g9x theres a huge price difference and a major performance difference in certain games (mostly high sensitivity)
If you on a budget and dnt need all the DPI then get the g9 But if you want the absolute best and are willing to pay the price then get the g9x

The Mamba I expect even though i have not got it yet that this mouse will do as it says and could be the greatest mouse made today but it has yet to be in my hands so watch this spot as its arrival is not far away and could change the channel between the g9x and itself.

Thanks and happy gaming

Review has been updated with better word correction and grammar Please comment on it i know its long but it can be a good read if you get into it

Please feel free to comment and or suggest improvements in areas i have made mistakes on etc etc

Here is the original review where i specifically wrote for and layout is better

http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=1056

The G9x doesn't have much difference other than the DPI aye?

the extra dpi is only useful if u are a sniper, for the run and gun style gameplay, its not anymore useful then the original mouse

You just about saved me from payin and extra 90 bucks for it lolz...

still might consider it since its the updated version or whatever....

not worth the extra money in my opinion mate, i have played crysis with a microsoft mouse and i find that the dpi makes next to no difference in crysis at all, with my current G9, i have used 600/800/3200 dpi and u only notice a different when sniping, its not going to make any difference to ur playing style mate

haha you dnt know what you are talking about dpi is needed for high sensitivity games like cod4 as when you up the desktop sens or mouse sens it starts to skip pixels to get the reaction of a speed increase but in fact its just skipping pixels, that where dpi comes in so it reads more of those skipped pixels. Basically you get more accuracy over high sensitivity but higher dpi will not matter when using low sens as you are not skipping as much pixels catch my flow thats the basic 101 for what dpi is used for.

So no jar head your fine with just g9 for crysis only, if you play say high sens cod4 or anything that uses really high sensitivity with still good accuracy then higher dpi is needed

Alrighty then

Then I'll consider getting the G9 instead. Its about time l replaced my smashed up Microsoft mouse

Good choice mate you cant go wrong with g9 in crysis

i actually do know what i am talking about, and u just re explained everything i had already told him, except u made a massive post about it, i already told him he only needs the G9 for crysis, so why go and explain and give a big speil only to say the exact same thing, just trying to prove u have some sort of superior knowledge.

haha cause i can and i did harden up cunt

jesus christ you two, do i have to use the lock button?

Please haha

nah we are just fucking around, sif take that $#$# seriously

I was

jks jks

The g9x turns me on EXXDEE