A Guide to Buying the Right Mouse

[STRMfrmXMN]

When looking for the right mouse, all of the various terms can be confusing. Some mice have an "optical" sensor. What does that mean? What do you mean "claw grip?" This thread is to help you out.

 

First, when buying a mouse, consider your budget. Some high-end gaming mice can hit $100+ US dollars and often cost more in places like Europe or far-off countries where shipping is expensive.

 

Second, observe the grip you use when holding a mouse. There's 3 main kinds - Fingertip, Claw and Palm. Often people will use a hybrid of these sorts. Here's what each one looks like using my small hands and Logitech M500. 

 

Here's a Fingertip grip

 

 

 

Here's a Claw grip

 

 

And here's a Palm grip

 

Note that if you hold the mouse in any combination of these then you have a "hybrid" grip. I personally use a hybrid fingertip-claw grip. 

If anybody can demonstrate these using a better camera than mine, please do so and PM them to me. These are not the best of photo samples.

 

Third, the sensors.

We have optical and laser nowadays. Some much, much older mice use the "trackball" design. This design is not commonly sold anymore and will not be included.

Laser vs Optical: Laser and Optical mice work the same way, the difference is one uses a laser light source and the other uses an LED light source. Sometimes the LED light source uses visible light, but modern implementations seem to be leaning towards infared, which isn't visible to the naked eye. There isn't anything technologically possible with one that isn't possible with the other.

While in the future this might not be the case, current laser sensors on the market have speed related variance, often referred to as acceleration or more specifically hardware based acceleration.This is not to be confused with software based acceleration. In hardware based acceleration, the mouse is struggling to track your movement which results in the mouse either reporting more or less counts then it should have. The results of hardware based acceleration is that the mouse can't consistently move the same distance even if you moved the exact same distance at the exact same speed, which means its impossible to build muscle memory for, making it impossible for fast and precise mouse movement in any game. Software based acceleration is often in the drivers for mice and is also available in third party software along with in your windows settings. Software based acceleration takes the reports from your mouse and then makes you move more or less depending on your selected preferences. This is accurate and consistent so software based acceleration is far superior to hardware based acceleration for those wanting speed to effect distance. So even if you like acceleration (i do) you are better off achieving it with a mouse that has no hardware based acceleration and getting acceleration through software.

While high end optical sensors are currently the most desirable for good tracking performance in games, you need to beware of cheap optical sensors which often have low max speeds before they start to malfunction. Fortunately most mouse manufactures advertise the max speed of their mouse. Unless you use a relatively low sensitivity, you should be fine with a max speed of 3 meters per second or 115 inches per second. If you use a pretty low sensitivity, you should probably look for an optical sensor with a max speed of at least 4 meters per second or 155 inches per second.

Laser mice also generally track slightly better on non ideal surfaces.

 

Fourth. Microswitches. OMRON switches are common. Many mice ditch high-end microswitches though. I won't go into detail about the different kinds of microswitches as most people don't care, but here's OMRON's own list of their own switches. Most high-end gaming mice use tactile switches with a short travel distance and satisfying click.

 

Fifth - Mouse DPI/CPI (I will call it DPI, meaning "dots-per-inch"). This is something that newbies to mice often get caught up in. The DPI of your mouse is the "dots per inch" that the sensor can track. The higher the DPI, the faster the mouse moves across the screen when you move it. Most people game on lower DPI - this allows for slower and more accurate tracking in FPS games. Higher DPI is often used for more basic tasks like web browsing. Higher DPI tracking is also very important if you have large monitors or a multi-monitor setup. Where DPI becomes irrelevant is when the computer's operating system comes into play. Most OSs have some way of adjusting the sensitivity of the mouse. Somebody using a 1000 DPI mouse on the most sensitive selection compared to somebody using a 4000 DPI mouse on the average sensitivity may not see any sort of difference. This is why DPI is something that is more of a marketing number to attract customers and less of an important detail in buying a mouse. Do not become fooled by numbers and marketing such as "8000 DPI sensor!" as you more than likely will have no real use for the number beyond bragging to your friends that your mouse can fly across all 3 of your monitors in a millisecond.

 

To learn more about mouse DPI, watch Linus' video here.

 

Sixth - Polling rate

Polling rates affect how smoothly the mouse moves across the screen. The mouse constantly searches for a new signal to move and with a higher polling rate the mouse will respond in smoother motions because motion is being searched for more often. Higher polling rates are technically better but most people won't notice the difference between a 500-1000 Hz refresh rate because the milliseconds between them are negligible (1 ms). I don't recommend buying a more expensive mouse because of higher polling rates although I would recommend finding one that doesn't have a polling rate of 3 Hz or something ridiculously low as this will make movement across the screen uncomfortable.

 

Seventh - Macros

Another important detail that often comes up are extra buttons on the mouse - "macros." Many gaming mice have these. Through software (usually made by the manufacturer of the mouse), you can assign any combination of key presses to one button press. For an MMO gamer, mice such as the Logitech G600 and Razer Naga offer an array of buttons. Common gaming mice like the Logitech G502 have 11 programmable buttons (through Logitech's Gaming software). If you want lots of buttons you may be spending more money on your mouse.

 

Eighth  - Hand size

The last detail is the size of your hands. People with smaller hands - buying a mouse is a dream. No mouse doesn't fit your hands. People with large hands and a palm grip tend to have a harder time finding a mouse that will properly fit their hands.

 

I measure hand size as follows. 

From the edge of the longest finger (middle) to the "1st Bracelet" (used in palm readings) http://www.serenapowers.com/img/palmlines.jpg

 

Small is 7.25 inches long and under. (18.4 cm)

Medium is from about 7.25 inches to 7.5. (18.4-19 cm)

Large is anything longer. (19+cm)

Width is also a factor. I use this guide as a measurement http://i65.servimg.com/u/f65/15/45/02/10/hand-w10.jpg *but keep my fingers closed together.*

 

Small is 3 inches and under (<7.62 cm)

Medium is from 3-3.25 inches. (7.62-8.25 cm)

Large is anything wider. (8.25 cm+)

 

Ninth, all the little random words that pop up in descriptions of using a mouse.

 

Let's list them out:

"Angle Snapping"/"Prediction"/"Correction"

Normally, a mouse has an X and Y-axis that it uses to trace where you're dragging your mouse. Imagine you're bowling. Having an X and Y-axis for bowling makes it very hard to get a strike because you don't have the angles from 90° to 180° to aim exactly where the sweet spot is to hit all of the pins. A mouse has no diagonal angle to go to so it does this thing called "snapping" where the movement of the mouse is altered to follow the path of the XY-axis. Draw a diagonal line in MS Paint and you will usually see how this works.

 

Cursor jitter: As it sounds. A mouse can't seem to move in a straight up and down line so it does this.

 

Variance/Mouse Acceleration: Automatically on in Windows in case you were wondering. This makes the cursor move more than your input to the mouse would suggest. All laser mice have this to a varying degree. Optical mice can have this but it's less common. It is also possible to have negative mouse acceleration which makes it very difficult to move the cursor across the screen without dragging your mouse across your entire desk. This happens when the sensor tracks a lot of movement but can't keep up with the distance covered. Any mouse acceleration can be disabled (in Windows 7 only as far as I know) using CPL Mouse Fix - especially useful if you play games competitively.

 

Lift-off distance: When you lift the mouse of the surface it's on it will eventually stop tracking. A higher LOD means that you can lift the mouse higher and it will still try to track just as it did when on surface, although it never actually does. A low LOD is what you should be crossing your fingers for in a gaming mouse.

 

Z-axis (and issues): Normally there is no "Z-Axis" on a tracking graph on a mouse (straight upwards) - bar the Phillips Twin Eye (there's also the awful implementation used by Razer in the Naga etc. which also has issues). The Twin Eye does this and this can be annoying when you lift the mouse as it will still track very well, but is commonly referred to as an issue and because of this I generally avoid recommending Z-Axis tracking mice for people who game (although I straight up avoid recommending Razer products so this might be a part of it too).

 

DPI (or CPI, I prefer DPI) "Scaling": If you move the mouse slow or not at all the DPI or CPI will automagically be set to a lower number - annoying. Scaling in it's own way.

 

"Smoothing": Mouse Smoothing is the interpolation of raw input data from the mouse in order to prevent jerky movement in low resolution mice. Smoothing makes the cursor run across the screen in a less jerky movement. This can be useful in something like Photoshop but is a hinder to gaming as you want the best precision possible and this is just not a precision help.

 

​Surface Compatibility: The different kinds of surfaces that mice can track on vary based on the sensor. Laser mice are better for non-ideal surfaces like wood or glass (some optical sensors handle these fine though). Optical mice are best suited for a cloth mousepad.

 

Firmware: Firmware is in with all sorts of PC peripherals. These are ROMs applied only to one specific piece of hardware. These ROMs are applied to the mouse or keyboard etc in the factory. They influence how the hardware behaves. Some firmware is good, some is bad. Read reviews about the mouse you're looking at to find out information about the firmware. Usually if you can't find anything then this is a good sign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These details are how I recommend that you approach buying a mouse. If you have any question or comments about all the information, want a mouse recommendation or the like, feel free to leave such things below. If you spotted something I missed or said incorrectly, you can correct me (and find some sort of link with info about it too please).

 

Thanks!

(credit to @atavax and @woll3 for info stuff)

[Guest Philosophy]

So brilliant! I love this.

[Jerakl]

Buy G502. Done.

[STRMfrmXMN]

Buy G502. Done.

I don't like the G502.

Please don't kill me.

[Mao_Zedong]

Buy G502. Done.

Or g602 if you want to be wireless. Or some cheaper mouse like the anker 8200 dpi one.

[Guest Philosophy]

My hands are 9.3 Inches Long 4 Inches wide. They don't make mice me...

[STRMfrmXMN]

My hands are 9.3 Inches Long 4 Inches wide. They don't make mice me...

Holy hell those are big hands

G602/G700 are your best bet. Lol, that's some massive handstuffs.

[vlkn´]

palm grip ftw

[MountainDrew]

Very in-depth and informative 

 

I plan on reading through the entire thing (I don't know much about gaming mice or mice in general).

[Jerakl]

I don't like the G502.

Please don't kill me.

I can not find an image to express my feelings.

[STRMfrmXMN]

I can not find an image to express my feelings.

It's too small IMO. I also don't like the scroll wheel.

My own opinion though.

[EarthboundHero]

I have small hands apparently (7 inches)

[Guest Philosophy]

Holy hell those are big hands

G602/G700 are your best bet. Lol, that's some massive handstuffs.

I thought you said "handcuffs" So I was like well lets see. And I do barely fit...

[STRMfrmXMN]

I have small hands apparently (7 inches)

Are they super wide? That's a factor too.

 

I thought you said "handcuffs" So I was like well lets see. And I do barely fit...

snip

Lolz, but geezus you have huge hands and arm parts.

[Guest Philosophy]

It seems to me I have made up my own grip it is like it is called PalmClaw 

[Jerakl]

It's too small IMO. I also don't like the scroll wheel.

My own opinion though.

[STRMfrmXMN]

[STRMfrmXMN]

It seems to me I have made up my own grip it is like it is called PalmClaw 

Forceful palm on mouse with splayed fingers?

[Guest Philosophy]

Are they super wide? That's a factor too.

 

Lolz, but geezus you have huge hands and arm parts. 

8 inch round wrist, 15 inch round biceps. Do you even lift bro?

[STRMfrmXMN]

8 inch round wrist, 15 inch round biceps. Do you even lift bro?

I do lift a bit but diabetes makes muscle mass a dream.

[EarthboundHero]

Are they super wide? That's a factor too.

 

Lolz, but geezus you have huge hands and arm parts.

About 3.5" Are you diabetic too?

[Guest Philosophy]

Forceful palm on mouse with splayed fingers?

Palm against mouse finger kinda claw like. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

About 3.5" Are you diabetic too?

Yep. My dad's family has a strong history of it and I got unlucky.

[EarthboundHero]

Yep. My dad's family has a strong history of it and I got unlucky.

Type 2 then?

[STRMfrmXMN]

Palm against mouse finger kinda claw like. 

That looks uncomfortable AF

get yourself a nice mouse man!