Wired vs wireless mice: Which is better and what are some good choices for each type?

[Bleedingyamato]

I'm looking to get my friend a shiny new mouse to go with the computer I'm building for her but idk what to get.

 

I think the first thing I need some insight about is advantages/disadvantages for wired and wireless mice respectively.  

 

Also some suggestions for both wired and wireless mice would be also appreciated.

 

Last thing, my friend has carpal tunnel so I'm only interested in full/standard size mice since I assume those will be easier for her to use rather than a smaller size of mouse.

[Trav_X]

It really depends on the mouse. Wired is USUALLY faster, but wireless mice like the G900 Chaos are actually super low latency and can perform as fast as some wired mice. For wired, I'd suggest a few from the Razer lineup, like the Deathadder or Mamba, but I'd also suggest some Corsair mice like the Scimitar and M65. People also like Logitech a lot for mice, however I've never owned one from them.

 

Wireless obviously has less cable clutter, and on a big mousepad you can just glide around and not worry about cords. Usually wireless are considered slower because it takes longer for the signal to travel wirelessly than over wire, but on some good wireless mice the difference is so small it's not even worth mentioning.

[GDRRiley]

most wireless mouse have bad latency. There are some good ones. I like the Corsair saber RGB and would recommend it but much about mouses is what you like so go out and try some. 

[Guest]

Wireless needs to be charged too. Something that you should always be reminded of

[spenser_l]

I just got the Logitech Pro G mouse and it feels great. I was using a Logitech G303 before and the sensor was amazing compared to the Corsair M65 RGB.

 

Logitech sensors so far have been the best I've used. They also just released the G403 which has a wireless option which apparently feels just as good.

[Bleedingyamato]

I should mention that I'd like to keep this to $50 or less if possible.

 

Is this a good mouse?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-910-001204-Corded-Mouse-M500/dp/B002B3YCQM/ref=sr_1_12?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1475719484&sr=1-12&refinements=p_89%3ALogitech

 

Idk what a good dpi is or really what the difference between amounts makes when using a mouse so I have no idea if this one is good or not.

[gundamMC]

Some good wireless mouse like G900 or G602 are pretty good with unexpected low latency. Wired... Well... They're wired. The wire may cause a bit of discomfort, depending on how you place it, and is not visual-appealing if you don't like wires all over the place. G502 is the one I'm currently using, it has a good sensor and a pretty comfortable design for my hand.

[gundamMC]

3 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

I should mention that I'd like to keep this to $50 or less if possible.

 

Is this a good mouse?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-910-001204-Corded-Mouse-M500/dp/B002B3YCQM/ref=sr_1_12?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1475719484&sr=1-12&refinements=p_89%3ALogitech

 

Idk what a good dpi is or really what the difference between amounts makes when using a mouse so I have no idea if this one is good or not.

A higher dpi basically allows your mouse to move across more pixels when you move it. In other words, more sensitive. Uh... I've never heard about that one, but keep in mind that it's designed for right hand uses.

[Bleedingyamato]

7 minutes ago, gundamMC said:

A higher dpi basically allows your mouse to move across more pixels when you move it. In other words, more sensitive. Uh... I've never heard about that one, but keep in mind that it's designed for right hand uses.

My friend is right handed like most people so that's not a problem.

 

Also from being forced to use a right handed mouse most of my life I use a mouse right handed even though I'm left handed.

[Bleedingyamato]

14 hours ago, spenser_l said:

I just got the Logitech Pro G mouse and it feels great. I was using a Logitech G303 before and the sensor was amazing compared to the Corsair M65 RGB.

 

Logitech sensors so far have been the best I've used. They also just released the G403 which has a wireless option which apparently feels just as good.

I think the 403 might be a little out of my budget considering I just ordered a 6700K for the build for my friend.

 

But it does look nice thank you for the suggestion.

 

Is the 403 full size?

[Bleedingyamato]

14 hours ago, dexxterlab97 said:

Wireless needs to be charged too. Something that you should always be reminded of

Good point.  Wireless can be nice and some of the laptop sized (smaller) Logitech mice I've used have really long battery life.  But I think I prefer wired again because of not ever needing batteries and just in case latency might even possibly affect playing games.

[Bleedingyamato]

14 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

most wireless mouse have bad latency. There are some good ones. I like the Corsair saber RGB and would recommend it but much about mouses is what you like so go out and try some. 

Thank you.  I'll take a look at that.  I might have to get my friend a cheapie mouse for now and then save up to get her something nice later though.  

 

 

[Andster29]

For wireless mice, I would only go the logitech G602 or the G900. Both are designed for gamers. I have a G602 and can't tell the difference. It is very good. The decision is really up to her and what she wants. I think the wireless gives a very nice clean look when you take photos of your full set up. Just personal opinion. 

[Bleedingyamato]

14 hours ago, gundamMC said:

Some good wireless mouse like G900 or G602 are pretty good with unexpected low latency. Wired... Well... They're wired. The wire may cause a bit of discomfort, depending on how you place it, and is not visual-appealing if you don't like wires all over the place. G502 is the one I'm currently using, it has a good sensor and a pretty comfortable design for my hand.

I definitely want to keep that G502 in mind.  It looks sexy. ?  (Please excuse the expression. lol)

 

The G502 looks similar to the mouse that came with my computer when I'd bought it as a prebuilt before upgrading it.  

 

The lights are actually red.  It's comfortable to use but it definitely feels cheaply made.

 

 

[Bleedingyamato]

On October 6, 2016 at 0:46 PM, Andster29 said:

For wireless mice, I would only go the logitech G602 or the G900. Both are designed for gamers. I have a G602 and can't tell the difference. It is very good. The decision is really up to her and what she wants. I think the wireless gives a very nice clean look when you take photos of your full set up. Just personal opinion. 

Yeah wireless is tempting and idk if she'd notice or care about latency but batteries is what keeps me coming back to looking at wired.  

 

Yeah there's a cord but at least it never needs new batteries.  

 

Do either of those mice have a wired version?

Edited October 7, 2016 by Bleedingyamato
Fixed spelling.

[johngo90]

If you're going wireless then go with a Logitech as many have said before. 

 

With a wired mouse the benefit is that you don't have anything to worry about in terms or charging, latency, or lack of options. It's also much more inexpensive to get a good gaming grade wired mouse. 

 

I think one thing to note is her preference on size of mouse. If she likes a smaller and lighter mouse then go for something like a Logitech G303 RGB. Size preference makes a big difference as she will be using that mouse for years to come. 

 

Logitech mice have some of the best sensors in the industry. I've user razer and steelseries primarily before switching to the G303 and I can say that my experience has been extremely positive. 

 

[Bleedingyamato]

1 hour ago, johngo90 said:

If you're going wireless then go with a Logitech as many have said before. 

 

With a wired mouse the benefit is that you don't have anything to worry about in terms or charging, latency, or lack of options. It's also much more inexpensive to get a good gaming grade wired mouse. 

 

I think one thing to note is her preference on size of mouse. If she likes a smaller and lighter mouse then go for something like a Logitech G303 RGB. Size preference makes a big difference as she will be using that mouse for years to come. 

 

Logitech mice have some of the best sensors in the industry. I've user razer and steelseries primarily before switching to the G303 and I can say that my experience has been extremely positive. 

 

I think something slightly smaller than full size might work best now that I think about it and molded for right hand like my mouse in the pictures is.

 

You mean switching to Logitech was positive?  Or Razer and steelseries were positive? 

[Andster29]

17 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Yeah wireless is tempting and idk if she'd notice or care about latency but batteries is what keeps me coming back to looking at wired.  

 

Yeah there's a cord but at least it never needs new batteries.  

 

Do either of those nice have a wired version?

I have had my mouse for 3 years and only gone through 2 sets of batteries. My brother has had his for the same amount of time and always has his on. He has has only used I tike 4 sets of batteries. The G602 is super efficient. I think one of the times I went 4 months with it telling me I had 20% left. 

[Bleedingyamato]

6 hours ago, Andster29 said:

I have had my mouse for 3 years and only gone through 2 sets of batteries. My brother has had his for the same amount of time and always has his on. He has has only used I tike 4 sets of batteries. The G602 is super efficient. I think one of the times I went 4 months with it telling me I had 20% left. 

I'd think they'd have to have crazy long life especially for a gaming mouse.  Can't have it dying during a game.  lol

 

That's good to know but I think most of the mice that my friend seems to have an interest in are wired so chances are I'll end up getting her one of those.  She said she's fine with a wired mouse and the tower will be fairly close to where she'd sit while using it so card length shouldn't be an issue.

 

Do you know how the size of the G602 compares to other mice?

[Timeless88]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but the type of gaming she is going to be doing has a huge impact on what mouse you might want to go for.  In general; FPS games want the best sensor you can get, MMOs want the most buttons you can find, and MOBAs want a good combination of the two with a focus on the left and right mouse click switches.  If she has carpel tunnel, a big consideration for you might be the actuation force needed to press the left and right click mouse buttons as well.

 

Let me first say that wired vs wireless makes no difference at this point, except on cost.  On average, a wireless version of the same wired mouse will be 25-50% more expensive, but the performance will be the same.  A polling rate of 1000hz is what you are looking for in regards to connection speed whether it be wired or wireless.  This is basically the sweet spot to where you won't be able to discern any noticeable input lag.  The only time this starts to degrade performance for a wireless mouse is if you are more than 15 feet away (or something to that effect) from the receiver so there is noticeable lag on the travel time of the signal.  But this should never be the case, so wireless vs wired is ONLY a question of money.

 

Generally you want to stick with an optical sensor over a laser sensor, but both work just as well and are effectively the same technology just using different wavelengths of light.  The main difference is that laser sensors will work better on hard mouse pads while optical ones work better with the soft mouse pads that are more common now-a-days.  Personally I own 2 mice (one optical, one laser) and an old school hard mouse pad from FuncPad.  Both mice work perfectly well and I use them for different games, but the optical mouse feels more sensitive than the laser on my hard mouse pad when both are set to the same DPI.  As for what DPI you might be looking for, this is kind of a moot point as well just like the wireless vs wired argument.  This is because you will have a very difficult time even controlling your cursor at all with the DPI set to anything above 6000.  As a frame of reference, in 1440p display with my mouse set to 2200 DPI i can move the cursor from one side of a dual monitor display to the other and only cover a couple of inches on my mouse pad.  I'd be very surprised if anyone ever used anything beyond like 4000 DPI except in very specialized cases(like image editing or graphical design), so look at those numbers as more of a measure of the quality of the sensor, and not a feature to be desired.  In terms of the left and right click switches, Omron is the best.  Beyond that, you can look at the actuation force needed to press them, as I mentioned earlier.

 

Now that all that is out of the way, I would recommend the Razer Deathadder for your price point and considering I don't know what type of gaming she is doing.  It's one of the best all around mice ever made, despite what Razer haters may have you believe.  The listing I linked below has a bunch of different options that range from $40-$99, but the base "Essential" $40 version is probably all she will ever need with 6400DPI and an optical sensor.  Of course the "Chroma" version is only $10 more right now at $50 and includes full RGB lighting with a 10,000 DPI optical sensor. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Razer-DeathAdder-Essential-Ergonomic-Comfortable/dp/B00AAS888S?th=1

 

It is a rather large mouse, which is what you said you were looking for.  But if you want something slightly smaller and just as good, SteelSeries Rival 100 or SteelSeries Sensei would be my second recommendation(again, considering price and game ambiguity).  Good luck, and happy hunting!

[Andster29]

6 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

I'd think they'd have to have crazy long life especially for a gaming mouse.  Can't have it dying during a game.  lol

 

That's good to know but I think most of the mice that my friend seems to have an interest in are wired so chances are I'll end up getting her one of those.  She said she's fine with a wired mouse and the tower will be fairly close to where she'd sit while using it so card length shouldn't be an issue.

 

Do you know how the size of the G602 compares to other mice?

It is roughly the size of the G502. It is a little long but useable since how it is designed. I think it is a little flat but it is the same feel as a normal mouse that comes bundled with most pre built systems. 

[michalj82]

Maybe this one: https://www.dreammachines.io/products/dm1-pro-s-optical-gaming-mouse-3360-sensor

It got PWM3360 sensor and Omron switches on every button.

[woll3]

Just now, michalj82 said:

Maybe this one: https://www.dreammachines.io/products/dm1-pro-s-optical-gaming-mouse-3360-sensor

It got PWM3360 sensor and Omron switches on every button.

 

But also limits itself with bad FW, MCU, and build quality.

[MilkJugg24]

On 10/5/2016 at 10:29 PM, Bleedingyamato said:

I'm looking to get my friend a shiny new mouse to go with the computer I'm building for her but idk what to get.

 

I think the first thing I need some insight about is advantages/disadvantages for wired and wireless mice respectively.  

 

Also some suggestions for both wired and wireless mice would be also appreciated.

 

Last thing, my friend has carpal tunnel so I'm only interested in full/standard size mice since I assume those will be easier for her to use rather than a smaller size of mouse.

If he/she's just a casual, I got by with the 15 dollar wireless USB microsoft mouse for a few years. 

 

I'm gonna be real and say there's nothing more to gain from an expensive gaming mouse except more comfort and durability.

 

For wired/wireless. Wired is more reliable and saves you on not having to worry about battery, but the latency usually is never an issue. Unless you're a 144Hz cs go player i guess....

 

Pictured below is probably the best price/performance wireless mouse mankind has ever created.