Best Gaming Mouse ($20-$60)

[DigDog]

well if you really must know, the best mice are considered to be :

1. the Zowie FK1 and its associated family

2. the Deathadder Elite

3. whatever the latest Logitech is. Right now, the G907 i believe. G903.

The above is according to the E-Sports community, where it matters: CSGO, Overwatch, Quake. (i.e. people who earn their living exclusively from videogames)


Both the FK1 and DA have absolutely flawless sensors, and perfect build quality. (please do not start taking about bad razer build quality, i do not want to spend half an hour explaining how wrong you are).

Now, this "flawless" is determined with testes that are more and more nearing what conceptually would be a synthetic test: in real life, you cannot tell.

Logitech mice are great pieces of hardware, and while their software has been known to .. misbehave, for many users it will work fine. Logitech tends to take technological innovation quite a lot further than Razer, only because Logitech are associated with a more conservative image do people assume razer are "more futuristic".

The Zowie was just up n' designed to be flawless from the ground up - no compromise. It is also driverless.

The Deathadder has an amazing implementation of the sensor, and was the first to be called perfect, but is held back by the shape and weight.

Logitech are expensive AF and frankly i wouldn't install SetPoint if my balls were on fire and setpoint came with a bucket of water, but again, your mileage may vary.

 

[AdamK47]

Logitech gaming mice don't use SetPoint. They use Logitech Gaming Software. You don't even need to have Logitech Gaming Software running after you've configured the mouse. The settings get stored in internal memory. The software can be uninstalled afterwards if you wanted to.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I'm actually looking for a decent wireless mouse, not necessarily for gaming, but for general purpose use with my laptop. Gaming would just be a bonus. I was initially considering the g903 specifically for gaming but man it's pricey. So I'm just looking for something that will work for gaming, but also be great for things like Lightroom. Anyone have recommendations for a wireless solution? I typically play bf1 and some minecraft with my daughter.

 

[DigDog]

i have it from people who know what they are talking about that the 703 and 903 are amazing and *nearly* on par with the best corded mice.

 

[Crono]

I just got a Nixeus Revel (very similar to SteelSeries Sensei or Dream Machines DM1 Pro) and I really like the size, feel, and weight of the mouse. There were some older reviews with QA problems reported, but most reviews are positive and it's worth it for $35.

 

[MrSquished]

In the last 10 days I've gamed with the G502, the G403, the Steelseries Rival 600 and the Corsair M65 RGB Pro. I have the Corsair Glaive coming tomorrow to try and that's the last mouse I am auditioning.

I'd say the G403 is my favorite mouse as far as feel and performance for gaming. Rival 600 and G502 are tied for 2nd.

Really performance is the same on all the mice, they all use a version of the same sensor. The M65 pro was my favorite for Windows use but for gaming the forward button is too hard to reach without changing your grip more than should be necessary.

 

[bfun_x1]

I just returned my Rival 600. It lost tracking several times and the middle lights wouldn't hold their settings if the software was open. I also found the peak of the arch uncomfortable. I'd like to try a Zowie EC1-B but people say they have coil whine. I'll probably try the G403 next.

 

[snoopy7548]

I just returned my Rival 600. It lost tracking several times and the middle lights wouldn't hold their settings if the software was open. I also found the peak of the arch uncomfortable. I'd like to try a Zowie EC1-B but people say they have coil whine. I'll probably try the G403 next.

Coil whine in a mouse? Now I've heard everything...

But really, I just put my Logitech MX518 to my ear and there's a barely-audible whine too. Man, I never expected that from such a low-power device, but those cheap Chinese inductors/designs will probably do that. Color me surprised.

 

[MrSquished]

I just returned my Rival 600. It lost tracking several times and the middle lights wouldn't hold their settings if the software was open. I also found the peak of the arch uncomfortable. I'd like to try a Zowie EC1-B but people say they have coil whine. I'll probably try the G403 next.

are you running your rival directly through a usb port on your pc or through a switch or non-powered hub?

if by arch you mean the hump near the back of the mouse, the G403's arch is more pronounced (which is why I like it) than the rival 600's. My local best buy didn't have the rival 600 on display but it did have the G403 so maybe check it out if you haven't already

 

[DigDog]

not trying to be a smartass here, just giving you useful information for the future. Just because two mice use the same sensor, does not mean they perform the same. the keyword is "implementation", and the end result can vary noticeably.
The 3310 sensor is a well known sensor that has been giving excellent results for a long time, so two mice using it are likely to have near-identical results.
As for performance, it's not easy to see the limits of the mouse unless you use it at very high levels - we're talking "faster than the eye can perceive".
The Zowie FK 2014 had a minute delay in the mouse click, and people were complaining that when flicking a sniper shot, the action would happen later in the movement arc. This isn't something your eye can see, but you will feel the effect.

However, the reality is that sensor implementation has gotten so good, that the shape of the mouse matters far more than the sensor. Because of the way our tendons work, the grip on the mouse means whether or not you will tense when shooting. Tension is bad, because the stimuli confuse your brain and make it harder to move your hand the same way you did in practice. These aren't the only stimuli to confuse you, but it's something that affects your aim very much.
Learning not to tense up during action is a fundamental skill in shooters. And getting a mouse which suits your grip is often more important than the sensor.

 

[bfun_x1]

Coil whine in a mouse? Now I've heard everything...
.

I know. I thought it sounded ridiculous but there are too many reports of it to be random. People who upgraded from the A for the better sensor are going back to the A.

 

[bfun_x1]

are you running your rival directly through a usb port on your pc or through a switch or non-powered hub?

if by arch you mean the hump near the back of the mouse, the G403's arch is more pronounced (which is why I like it) than the rival 600's. My local best buy didn't have the rival 600 on display but it did have the G403 so maybe check it out if you haven't already

I had it connected to the front case ports. All the buttons would work but movement would stop. Lifting it of the pad seemed to make it work again. I wonder if it had anything to do with the new lift sensor. Anyway, I felt like $80 was too much for a mouse with issues. The mouse felt great for the first day but then the bump started to hurt. It probably had to do with my grip style and hand size. Fingertip/very large. The bump rested in a soft spot between my knuckles. Never had a mouse shape bother me before but I'm worried the G403 could be the same.

 

[MrSquished]

I had it connected to the front case ports. All the buttons would work but movement would stop. Lifting it of the pad seemed to make it work again. I wonder if it had anything to do with the new lift sensor. Anyway, I felt like $80 was too much for a mouse with issues. The mouse felt great for the first day but then the bump started to hurt. It probably had to do with my grip style and hand size. Fingertip/very large. The bump rested in a soft spot between my knuckles. Never had a mouse shape bother me before but I'm worried the G403 could be the same.

It's tough to find a perfect mouse because it's one design catering to millions of unique sized hands and grips.

i have with me 5 of the high end gaming mice out there and none of them is perfect but the G403 probably comes the closest with the rival 600 next in line, except it too froze up on me - I'm talking comfort and ease of using all the buttons (buttons include left & right, middle mouse click and back/forward). But it's all very subjective. I'm going to keep all the mice for another week then return 2 of them. My G502 is a couple years old so obviously not returning that. Definitely keeping the G403 and then either the Rival 600 or the Corsair Glaive. The Corsair M65 Pro is going back for sure due to it's forward button requiring too much thumb distance to actuate.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I messed around with the g703 I got last night and so far I like it. I didn't have time to mess around with profiles or really get into button assignments but played a bit of overwatch and bf1 and the mouse was very responsive for wireless. The mouse had a good feel to it and was very comfortable for my grip. I let it charge 100% overnight and I'll mess around with it for awhile to see what kind of life I get on a charge. I paid $82 I believe at the egg and it's a tad much I think, but overall, so far I'm pleased with it.

 

[bfun_x1]

It's tough to find a perfect mouse because it's one design catering to millions of unique sized hands and grips.

i have with me 5 of the high end gaming mice out there and none of them is perfect but the G403 probably comes the closest with the rival 600 next in line, except it too froze up on me - I'm talking comfort and ease of using all the buttons (buttons include left & right, middle mouse click and back/forward). But it's all very subjective. I'm going to keep all the mice for another week then return 2 of them. My G502 is a couple years old so obviously not returning that. Definitely keeping the G403 and then either the Rival 600 or the Corsair Glaive. The Corsair M65 Pro is going back for sure due to it's forward button requiring too much thumb distance to actuate.

I was intersted in the Glaive but it seemed a little heavy and a lot of reviews have mentioned early button failures. I was also interested in the Finalmouse Ultralight but it's out of stock. I'll probably end up with the G403 or the EC1-A.

I messed around with the g703 I got last night and so far I like it. I didn't have time to mess around with profiles or really get into button assignments but played a bit of overwatch and bf1 and the mouse was very responsive for wireless. The mouse had a good feel to it and was very comfortable for my grip. I let it charge 100% overnight and I'll mess around with it for awhile to see what kind of life I get on a charge. I paid $82 I believe at the egg and it's a tad much I think, but overall, so far I'm pleased with it.

Isn't the G703 supposed to support wireless charging with a special mouse pad?

 

[DigDog]

Isn't the G703 supposed to support wireless charging with a special mouse pad?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...cription=powerplay&ignorear=0&N=-1&isNodeId=1

according to Newegg, it's $83 for the G703, and $219 for the mousemat itself.
I think the prices are a bit off, since i saw in a video the powerplay mousemat at $140 and the mouse itself at $110, but anyway you would be looking at around $250 for everything. This is a ridiculous amount of money for a mouse, and also, it doesnt take into consideration some VERY important practical aspects of gaming, which are:

1. is the mousemat good.
you will spend much time trying different mousemats, and finding one which really works for you is not easy. I myself have tried the QCK+, both Goliathus speed and control, razer Sphex, Corsair .. something, the Overclockers.uk megamat, and i'm now using the very cheap ($12) Silent Monsters XXL which i find to be absolutely superb.
2. how long will the mousemat last for.
i'm not talking about the weave itself, but rather how long can one mousemat last before it's completely crud-encrusted. i buy a new mousemat approximately every 6 months, there's just no way around it, even if you are a very clean eprson a mousemat won't last more than a year.
3. if you are concerned with the weight of the batteries, just go wired.

there's a lot to be discussed here, i don't want to be a luddite, and while some people want a mouse to be as light as possible, i'm ok with heavier mice - they have *some* advantage is smaller movements, if your game has smaller movements in it, like CS or TF2, or any game which has a "sniper" in it. You probably don't need the same in Quake or Unreal.
The fact of mice cords being able to move the mouse is really only an issue if you have bad mice habits and do not hold the mouse correctly. I do this, sometimes, but it's always situations where i'm not actively shooting at something. And also consider that wireless gaming mice aren't made to be used "from the comfort of your sofa" but just like wired mice, except the do not have the encumberance of the cord.

Hey, sure, give me a 1ms response wireless mouse under 100g with ultralight rechargable batteries with 50h of life that cost $20, but that's not something which realistically will happen within the year.

 

[MrSquished]

I was intersted in the Glaive but it seemed a little heavy and a lot of reviews have mentioned early button failures. I was also interested in the Finalmouse Ultralight but it's out of stock. I'll probably end up with the G403 or the EC1-A.

I got a little ahead of myself and excited because the Glaive was the newest mouse in my possession. It's definitely inferior - the side buttons feel off and now having used the Rival 600 and G403 a lot, which weigh over 20 grams less, it makes a difference. I increased the liftoff sensitivity on the Rival hoping that solves the freezing issue as it's my favorite mouse otherwise. The G403 is in a virtual tie. I think you'll be happy with it. I played a lot of BF1 TDM with the mice the last two days to figure this out lol

 

[nerp]

Logitech G203 Prodigy or g502 proteus spectrum.

 

[MrSquished]

I had it connected to the front case ports. All the buttons would work but movement would stop. Lifting it of the pad seemed to make it work again. I wonder if it had anything to do with the new lift sensor. Anyway, I felt like $80 was too much for a mouse with issues. The mouse felt great for the first day but then the bump started to hurt. It probably had to do with my grip style and hand size. Fingertip/very large. The bump rested in a soft spot between my knuckles. Never had a mouse shape bother me before but I'm worried the G403 could be the same.

Did you get the G403 yet? Curious as to your impressions on it after coming from the Rival 600.

I haven't experienced any issues with the Rival 600 since increasing my liftoff height and I've been doing a lot of intense gaming plus regular browsing for the last few days. Smooth as butter.

The Glaive and M65 Pro both got shipped back to Amazon. My old G502 is stuck in a drawer somewhere. The Rival 600 is in my palm all the time whilst the G403 is at my desk if I feel like trying it out more, although that may get returned as well if the Rival 600 continues to perform with no issues.

Lesson learned, 20 grams of weight is a lot for a mouse when you pick it up a lot during gaming. I'll never go back to a mouse that weighs over the 90 or so grams I'm using now.

 

[bfun_x1]

Did you get the G403 yet? Curious as to your impressions on it after coming from the Rival 600.

I haven't experienced any issues with the Rival 600 since increasing my liftoff height and I've been doing a lot of intense gaming plus regular browsing for the last few days. Smooth as butter.

The Glaive and M65 Pro both got shipped back to Amazon. My old G502 is stuck in a drawer somewhere. The Rival 600 is in my palm all the time whilst the G403 is at my desk if I feel like trying it out more, although that may get returned as well if the Rival 600 continues to perform with no issues.

Lesson learned, 20 grams of weight is a lot for a mouse when you pick it up a lot during gaming. I'll never go back to a mouse that weighs over the 90 or so grams I'm using now.

I've been out of town so I haven't ordered anything yet. I'll get something next week. I also recently realized that I prefer light mice. It seems like I keep getting heavy mice so it will be nice to get back to something light. It's unfortunate that the lift sensor might be causing issues on the Rival 600 since many think it was completely unnecessary and only added more weight. I felt like I couldn't trust it after 3 freezes.

 

[Hans Gruber]

I have the G502, G402 and G602. All are good and listed in order of preference. The 602 is wireless, great battery life.

 

[Arshad Hussain]

Logitech Hyperion Fury G402 I am using it and it is fit in your budget.

 

[repoman0]

I bought a wired G403 because of this thread. It's a surprisingly huge upgrade from my G400s. Classier looking too -- I hate the trend of ridiculous gaming mice with silly sharp angles and crazy designs everywhere. Luckily that appears to be dying somewhat.

 

[DigDog]

i'm gonna take a second of everyone's attention and say that once you have a mouse that doesn't suck, it's very important that you get yourself a good mousemat, preferably a LARGE one.

I currently use the Silent Monsters XXL which i buy from amazon, it's cheap, and absolutely excellent. It now also comes with swaggy new designs buy i have not tested the design one, but the regular plain black one is really top tier. i have used steelseries qck, goliathus speed and control, razer sphenx, Ocuk Megamat, and corsair whateveritscalled, and this one is the best. Considering it's like, $15, and it's 900x400 (f* huge) i am recommending this to everyone.

 

[Shamrock]

I have the Steelseries 4HD hard mat. I prefer the hard mats. It's close to copy paper size, at 9.75 x 11 in.