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EPTThanks to anyone who can help out.
[Q] lazer vs optical mice, which is better?
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
Thanks to anyone who can help out. | ||
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SladeR
Canada61 Posts
personally, Steel series Xai, Deathadder, intellimouse 3.0, or the 518 are the three mice you should choose between. I'd personally recommend the deathadder, it's just the better mouse overall as razer is really the only company embracing 3g infrared. Probably because consumers do not know better and think that 'laser' is just better overall. | ||
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PolSC2
United States633 Posts
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SladeR
Canada61 Posts
On February 17 2011 22:54 PolSC2 wrote: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10166_7-6419059-1.html Are you serious? it's laser mice that have problems tracking on shiny surfaces. That link is complete garbage as most gaming mice have adjustable DPI, meaning sensitivity is never a problem between the two mice. Many 3g infrared optical mice have 3500+ dpi, maybe the old 10+ year optical technology has these problems, not the more recent 3g infrared. Infrared light means no matter what color the surface tracking is not going to be effected, something which cannot be said about laser mice. | ||
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
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Luiwtf
England217 Posts
I'm not sure of the differences between them tbh, but I use a Razer Diamondback 3g. Very good mouse imo (as are all the other razer mice I've tried). Logitech (who make the mx518 that SladeR reccommended) also make very good mice, altho I'm not a fan of the shape of them, much prefer the razer shapes. Best thing to do is go to a local computer shop and try some out, then when you find one you're comfortable with, order it online (as it's probably cheaper). If you do go and try some out, remember that the sensitivity will probably be adjustable in the drivers (and in windows/in game), so pay more attention to how comfortable you feel with the mouse (the size and weight of it), rather than if the sensitivity is exactly how you want it. I havn't tried any steel series or microsoft mice, so couldn't comment on the others that SladeR reccommended  . | ||
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169419600/categoryId.35208900 but im considering going to an optical, cheaper option. the DA feels too inaccurate, sometimes it hops around a little for me, i may just be imagining it, but im second guessing it a lot. i want something with a lot of control. maybe its just personal preference... | ||
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Sriver
19 Posts
That said, laser generally prefer hard surfaces, while optical work best on cloth. Laser mice(above 3500, generally 5000-6000) have higher DPI than optical(up to 3500). The other thing is that very few laser sensor have perfect tracking. Most of them have positive acceleration(most avago sensors) or z axis tracking problems(most philipps sensors). While some optical appear to be better in that regard(such as Razer Abyssus or Deathadder). Regarding the lift-off distance, this is about the same, but some higher end laser mice have customizable lift off distance, such as the Roccat Kone+. | ||
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
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SladeR
Canada61 Posts
And as a previous user said, between the few mice I recommend find one that best suits your hand and your grip style. With that said the Deathadder favors claw style grips for RTS and low sensitivity palm grips for FPS. The DA is kind of the best of both worlds along with being one of the few mice that employ the 3g infrared sensor which performs the best with both extreme positive and negative acceleration. | ||
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Luiwtf
England217 Posts
As for the tracking problems you have, it could be that you have the actual resolution of the mouse turned down, and that you've turned up the sensitivity too much in either windows/in game? I'm not sure if that would have that effect, but in my mind it seems like that's how it would work. | ||
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
On February 17 2011 23:16 Luiwtf wrote: The DeathAdder is 3G Infrared according to Razer's website? As for the tracking problems you have, it could be that you have the actual resolution of the mouse turned down, and that you've turned up the sensitivity too much in either windows/in game? I'm not sure if that would have that effect, but in my mind it seems like that's how it would work. yeah i might have to fiddle with the settings a little more  | ||
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SladeR
Canada61 Posts
Open your windows "mouse" options in control panel, and go to the "pointer options" tab 1) is the sensitivity set to 6bars/11bars 2) is "enhance pointer precision" disabled These are 2 most common mistakes users make when using gaming mice. The windows sensitivity MUST be set at the default 6bars/11 and pointer precision MUST be disabled to remove mouse acceleration. The sensitivity and DPI should be controlled through your razer drivers. Also update the deathadders firmware and use the latest drivers. These are probably the source of your accuracy problems, as mouse acceleration gives you very inconsistent results. With that said mice like the steel series Xai apparently have an inherent mouse acceleration that cannot be disabled. I have not found any specific tried and true documentation regarding this but your accuracy problems will only get worse using these mice. | ||
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Wartortle
Australia504 Posts
On February 17 2011 23:21 SladeR wrote: First question Open your windows "mouse" options in control panel, and go to the "pointer options" tab 1) is the sensitivity set to 6bars/11bars 2) is "enhance pointer precision" disabled These are 2 most common mistakes users make when using gaming mice. The windows sensitivity MUST be set at the default 6bars/11 and pointer precision MUST be disabled to remove mouse acceleration. The sensitivity and DPI should be controlled through your razer drivers. Also update the deathadders firmware and use the latest drivers. These are probably the source of your accuracy problems, as mouse acceleration gives you very inconsistent results. With that said mice like the steel series Xai apparently have an inherent mouse acceleration that cannot be disabled. I have not found any specific tried and true documentation regarding this but your accuracy problems will only get worse using these mice. awesome advice, thanks for this, ill try and sort it all out, ive never updated the firmware etc so ill do all that and see how i go. thanks again. | ||
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Overpowered
Czech Republic751 Posts
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ChoboCop
United States954 Posts
There is no advantage to having an optical these days except cost. | ||
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ChoboCop
United States954 Posts
On February 17 2011 23:21 SladeR wrote: First question Open your windows "mouse" options in control panel, and go to the "pointer options" tab 1) is the sensitivity set to 6bars/11bars 2) is "enhance pointer precision" disabled These are 2 most common mistakes users make when using gaming mice. The windows sensitivity MUST be set at the default 6bars/11 and pointer precision MUST be disabled to remove mouse acceleration. The sensitivity and DPI should be controlled through your razer drivers. Also update the deathadders firmware and use the latest drivers. These are probably the source of your accuracy problems, as mouse acceleration gives you very inconsistent results. With that said mice like the steel series Xai apparently have an inherent mouse acceleration that cannot be disabled. I have not found any specific tried and true documentation regarding this but your accuracy problems will only get worse using these mice. QFT. This is extremely helpful advice that many people for some reason don't know. | ||
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MaliciousOne
United States46 Posts
In the end, optical vs. laser doesn't matter as much as the individual mouse quality. Yes, laser mice can achieve higher DPI and track on more surfaces, but if you're buying a serious gaming mouse, you should also get a good surface to use with it (it's really irritating to see someone use a gaming mouse on the back of a notebook or dirty table/desk). This should mitigate most/all of the differences between laser and optical. With the plethora of mice out there, you should pick one that has all the features you want, fits your hand ergonomically (which depends on your style of grip and hand size), and has few known issues. My take on some different mice companies/models: Logitech: Hit/Miss ergonomics. Either you love it, or you will never get used to them. Solid but not extravagant feature set, lower DPI than other companies for similar prices (this is not terribly important, but worth considering). I've heard of very few tracking issues from logitech. Razer: Excellent ergonomics (especially the deathadder and imperator), solid but not extravagant feature set, occasional tracking issues that are usually fixed by just making sure your surface is clean and you have the correct surface. Steelseries: Generic but good ergonomics, great if you are used to and want a mouse to just feel like a regular mouse. Great feature set, haven't heard of many tracking issues at all. Rat5/7/9 mice: Dizzying array of cool features and customization options. Hit/Miss ergonomics, as they feel a little flat for people who like to palm their mice. Roccat Kone[+]: Very expensive, not easily available in the US. Cream of the crop for gaming mice. Has any feature you can think of packed into a mouse. | ||
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SladeR
Canada61 Posts
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