New Mouse and Mousepad Recommendations?

[Smartazz]

Hi all, I've had a Logitech G5 for around 6 years and it's served me well. Is it worth upgrading to the Logitech G500 or something similar? I don't mind spending the money if there would be a noticeable difference in gaming and web development work.

Secondly, does anybody have any recommendations for a good hard surface mouse pad? Thanks in advance.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I just bought the G 400. From what I've heard the G500 is not so good.

 

[BrightCandle]

Open paint and draw yourself one of

. I tend to also add vertical and diagonal lines as they often show snapping and jitter well.

What are you looking for?
- Any little pixel jitters on a regular basis.
- Any flat spots, especially on the spirals near the top or bottom (snapping).
- Any overly straight lines on the horizontal or vertical (straight line prediction).

- Also its worth doing a fast movement test to the edge of the mat and back at the highest speed you would move, you should end up in the same place (acceleration issues test).

The G5 is still a reasonable laser mouse, and depending on how well your mouse does on these tests compared to the G400 will tell you if a change is worth it. But for your next upgrade when it comes around I would recommend you go back to optical and find a mouse that has a flawless sensor.

The G400 is the one to get right now, the G500 has a number of flaws with its sensor algorithm.

 

[Spades45]

g400 is the new mx518 (ultra super awesome)
i still like my old g5 special edition with the 2 thumb buttons too though

 

[el-Capitan]

I have the G400. Best one I've ever owned.

Q: Do you guys use the software to it? Use profiles for different games? I don't but curious if worth fiddling around with it.

 

[Eureka]

Noticeable difference? Doubtful. I've owned a MX510, two G5s, and a G700. When directly switching over, there are some subtle differences but nothing to take note of. The biggest thing that affects it is shape.

The mouse I used during my best gaming performance? Cheap $10 two button scroll mouse. I found that weight and size is far more important than shape or sensors... these big mice are made heavier and have thus have more inertia. Less inertia = more control.

I believe Ratpadz is a hard gaming surface. I like my Goliathus but that's a soft pad.

 

[BDawg]

I love my Steel Series Sensei and 9HD mousepad. It's a a mastic pair that fits my hand well and gives a great gaming surface. However, the SS software sucks.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I'm going to recommend that you go in to a B&M store with a good return policy to test mice. Give each one a good ten minutes, ask if you can open up Paint to draw the images Brightcandle brought up, test how comfortable it is mousing around the internet. You should feel totally comfortable with how the mouse feels during basic usage, preferably while as close to your actual usage scenario (sitting position, chair height, etc) as possible.

Grab the mice you find most comfortable (you may like more than 1!) and put it through the paces at home--gaming, development, whatever you want. Return whatever mice don't feel comfortable or don't "gel" with your hand after the first few days.

Of course, you can go through the second half of this advice with internet retailers, but it is somewhat more difficult because you'll have to gamble a bit on some of the few you buy fitting your hand well (and you have to deal with return shipping, etc).

 

[nOOky]

I have the G400. Best one I've ever owned.

Q: Do you guys use the software to it? Use profiles for different games? I don't but curious if worth fiddling around with it.

I have the same mouse, it replaced my MX-518 recently. I use the Logitech software to assign keystrokes to a couple of the buttons (like sensitivity down is now Z) for a couple of different games. You can always try it and then uninstall it f you don't like what it does.
Myself, I never change the dpi unless I'm aiming down the sight, and even then it's a minor change.

 

[Smartazz]

Open paint and draw yourself one of

. I tend to also add vertical and diagonal lines as they often show snapping and jitter well.

What are you looking for?
- Any little pixel jitters on a regular basis.
- Any flat spots, especially on the spirals near the top or bottom (snapping).
- Any overly straight lines on the horizontal or vertical (straight line prediction).

- Also its worth doing a fast movement test to the edge of the mat and back at the highest speed you would move, you should end up in the same place (acceleration issues test).

The G5 is still a reasonable laser mouse, and depending on how well your mouse does on these tests compared to the G400 will tell you if a change is worth it. But for your next upgrade when it comes around I would recommend you go back to optical and find a mouse that has a flawless sensor.

The G400 is the one to get right now, the G500 has a number of flaws with its sensor algorithm.

I got a Logitech G400. It passes this test way better than my old G5. So far, so good. Sensitivity is a little different, so I'm still trying to tune it.