Gadgetory

this video is brought to you by NCI XCOM great technology selection and service gaming mice can be extremely expensive with some flagship mice ranging up to nearly $60 but can you get a good gaming mouse on the cheap we set off to find out welcome to the hardware Canucks roundup of gaming mice under $25 this is the first of a couple of mice roundups we're going to be doing starting with the 25 and lower price point and then moving upwards the winner of each price range will move up to compete in the next tier with individual winners for each price range and finally we'll crown an overall winner now we have to say that selecting any type of peripheral boils down to personal choice rather than one being better than another for example someone who holds their mouse in a palm grip could absolutely hate mice that target claw grippers and vice versa in the best case scenario you'll be able to get out to a store and try a few options before making a decision with that being said this roundup will focus on a combination of simple repeatable tests that replicate gaming situations and my subjective opinion on each Mouse let's get started with the competitors as we're covering nine mice today we have the Cougar 200m gigabyte m60 900 Thermaltake Talon blue a 0 X 0 1 & GM 4200 there's also Logitech G 100's ghamdi SD meter Zalman m4 100 R and the ROS will jet because there are so many mice to examine it'll take some time so here are the time codes on screen for each placing to assess these will be covering four main categories price design building comfort features and customization and finally sensor performance so we'll start with Rosewall jet available for $20 on Newegg the jet has a primarily plastic build with a soft touch finish on top which feels okay and textured plastic on the sides the builds nothing exceptional it doesn't feel great and the materials are cheaper than most of the other mice in this roundup the mouse has some sensor rattle its really loud but if you shake the mouse it is noticeable which is a shame one of the advantages the mouse does have is an eighth weight system for customization which is really great to see given the price point although even with all the weights installed it still feels pretty light while the jet doesn't have online switches the primary left and right clicks feel pretty good with fairly responsive clicks the mouse wheel is pretty unexceptional with decent scroll steps but overall smoothness isn't very good and the middle click is just a little too tough to actuate for my preference you also have the two side browser buttons and on top is the DPI toggle these can't be permanently remapped since there's no accommodating software but they can still be modified in game provided button remapping is supported you can toggle between 1600 and 2000 dpi but there isn't anything lower which can be a deal-breaker for FPS gamers I personally play at 400 dpi in game so not being able to customize this is frustrating on the bottom is our optical sensor and we have a couple of tests for it first up is the straight line test to do this we open up Photoshop and draw a straight line to test if their mouse has prediction naturally I can't draw a perfect line so if the mouse isn't altering it we should see Wiggles in this line looking at the jet we see it does have some prediction creating a pretty straight line this isn't necessarily bad but we have to keep it in mind it also doesn't have any acceleration as far as I can tell something that's great to see the last test is how the mouse handles fast movements especially flicks in game for this I launch top csgo and it a quick 180 turn ideally it should track smoothly the entire way but the jet started very quickly losing the tracking and not completing the turn this is a big issue if you're an FPS gamer as I found myself frustrated we're not being able to turn quickly for the record this stuttering plays many of the mice at the lower end of the market so the jet isn't unique in this respect next up is the Zalman m41 0 R which is actually the cheapest of the mice at only 13 dollars the materials used here are actually quite good the soft touch finish feels comforting and the build is amazingly decent quite the step up from the Rosewall with no sensor at all the omron switches feel pretty good and the scroll wheel is decent but the middle click still requires too much force the shape of the mouse is also quite weird and I can't say I like it it's too flat and it doesn't support your hand very well with this weird Ridge at the back being not particularly comfortable the side buttons also bit too small and their click profile isn't very satisfying once again there's no software which means you can tree bind them permanently and the m-40 one are only has dpi selections of 1000 1500 2000 2500 indicated by the LED color these options are par for the course with the included of Argo a 50/50 Center but they aren't really optimal for FPS gamers sensor performance isn't great either it does alright in straight line tests with some prediction but once again it falls apart in quick movements just like the jet jittery performance when performing flicks is once again a deal-breaker for FPS gamers overall the a 50/50 sensor isn't really optimal for gaming and it's another mark off the m-40 1r the gamma desde meter is up now priced at $15 the build of the Demeter is actually stepped down from the Zalman having a soft plastic finish with some slight texture on the side it has a very heavy emphasis on plastic and this results in pretty average build quality with noticeable sensor rattle similar to the Roseville jet the media is ambidextrous with a single button on each side of the mouse both the primary mouse buttons and the scroll wheel are what I would call average they're not bad but unexceptional either in many ways this is pretty much expected for this price range but it would it be nice to see something different where the committee's does step up is in the software with a large amount of customization you've got both DPI adjustment polling rates and key assignment so you can reassign both the primary and secondary buttons this is awesome you can store three profiles on the mouse and toggle between them and there's also mouse use stats the software is pretty versatile and great to see taking a look at the center and first up is the straight line test there isn't too much prediction and you can choose to have acceleration enabled or disabled which is cool however like the rest of the mice so far flicking issues plagued this sensor with fast movement that drops out and struggles which is a shame because otherwise Mouse would have been one of the best in the price range on that note we come to the next in our list the gigabyte m60 900 which is priced at $25 so it's on the high end of this price range but it's a bit of an interesting Mouse if it wasn't marketed as a gaming peripheral I would think this was a Productivity focused Mouse build quality is good it's fairly heavy on plastic but it feels solid with absolutely no sensor at all the design of the mouse though is quite unique where the focus on economics it's a fairly large Mouse with large curves to fit naturally to the hand I actually found it quite comfortable and nice to use for long periods of time the m60 900 has a four-way scroll wheel something which isn't on any of the other mice the wheels feel is better than expected with smooth but controlled scrolling meanwhile the left and right buttons are average but they're actuate feel as satisfying and controlled as some of the other mice the m6 900 also has some basic accommodating software and while it looks a bit outdated it provides a wide range of functions you can do a basic button remapping and control DPI with profile assignments there's nothing crazy unique here but it covers all the necessary bases now with the sensor it doesn't show too much prediction but the big issue for gaming with this mouse is the acceleration right on gigabites website they advertise 30g of added acceleration acceleration means that you can't predict exactly where your cursor will go and for a gaming mouse this alone should put you off however it does hold up in the high speed movement test and overall accuracy isn't too bad so if you're looking for a productivity mouse that does a bit of gaming and don't mind some acceleration this might be a good choice but otherwise you might want to look at other options and the next option at number 5 on our list is the Cougar 200m it's available for seventeen dollars and is notably built better than the previous offerings the soft touch finish is extremely durable and it's probably one of my favorite out of all of these mice the shape is well-thought-out and will fit a large number of hand sizes even the switch actuation was on point with the left-right and side buttons providing just the right amount of feedback the scroll wheel is also really nice it's perfectly placed and scrolling is satisfying and smooth and the actuation force for the middle click is just right it's a really impressive build for under $20 and the only thing letting it down is some moderate sensor at all the main reason that this isn't higher on the list is because of the sensor firstly the minimum dpi is only 800 with 1600 and 2000 increments available as well the lowest setting is better than some of the other mice in this roundup but there isn't any custom DPI or software based key remapping which is a shame onto sensor performance and the 200m also has a lot of sensor prediction as shown here but luckily no acceleration unfortunately it also has issues with Flex and can't handle faster movements which is super unfortunate and unwanted in a gaming mouse the design of the 200m is good but it's let down by the sensor and the story is similar for the fourth on our list the a 0 GM 2400 priced at $16 this shares a lot of similarities with the Cougar 200m it's built well with a very nice soft touch finish and solid material choices and it features outstanding build quality at the price it's also very comfortable fitting my hand well with some of the best comfort of any of these mice it does exhibit some sensor rattle but it's not too bad I'm not sure about the blue and black core choice but otherwise it's fine moving on to the buttons themselves the scroll wheel takes too much force to actuate for me but otherwise it's fairly decent and the primary mouse buttons use on one switches and provide very good feedback the sensor only has limited DPI's once again with 800 to 1200 1600 and 2400 dpi the GM 2400 does fine on straight line tests and it doesn't have any acceleration once again though the issue arises with flicking with higher acceleration scenarios having the same issue as other mice dropping out and not working at higher speeds this really is the same story as the 200m as it has a nice body and a very comfortable design but the sensor just isn't quite up to par taking in the spot at number 3 on this list is the $20 Logitech G 100 s in many ways it's the opposite to the last two mice placing a good sensor and simple design first the build is pretty unexceptional it's primarily plastic and honestly most of the other mice have a more premium build although there is very little sensor at all it's not bad for comfort it's a little small for my hands but the curve feels natural and there isn't anything that sticks out uncomfortably in many ways this is a very neutral design that's meant to appeal to as broad a market as possible the primary clicks are alright but it's not using Omron switches which results in a slightly less pronounced feedback and my unit even has a bit of squeak on the right clip the mousewheel feels okay but it's also a bit cheap you don't have any side buttons something which I think should have been there as even on a gaming mouse it's nice to have those buttons for things like microphone push-to-talk the build and feature set seems pretty unimpressive so why is this in third place in short the sensor firstly you get dpi adjustment as well as some key remapping with Logitech's intuitive software allowing more customization than the other mice the G 100's does well in the range of tests with good results on the straight line test no acceleration and most importantly no issues with flicking or high-speed movements unlike almost all of them ice below it you can accurately flick away with the G 100's and this consistent sensor performance alone scores at third place if you're looking for build features and a better all-around Mouse this might not be for you but its simplicity and core features gets it third place the runner-up spot goes to the a zero X zero one coming in at $25 and while it's right at our maximum price point prices tend to fluctuate it's still the most expensive Mouse here though the ex-01 has similar design cues as the G 100's and also the more expensive SteelSeries sensei with a rounded design there's an aluminium style plastic finish on the top and text rubber on the sides both of which contribute to a high-end look and feel which seems to work well you can still feel some of the cheaper plastics used but overall the build is pretty satisfactory for the price and most importantly you don't get any sensor rattle in this mouse actually using the ex-01 is interesting since it features both positive and negative points the primary clicks are pretty good but I don't have the same level of actuation as some of the other mice for me they're just slightly true hard to press making them not quite feel as responsive scrolling is pretty good with good scroll steps although middle clicking is just a touch too tough again the side buttons are well placed and clicky but there isn't any software once again and they can't be remapped natively like other mice this lack of software means you're stuck with the profiles and this is one of the biggest downsides of this mouse as 1250 dpi is the minimum with 2,000 2,750 and 3500 options available if there was a 400 dpi option this would have made this Mouse much more compelling FPS gamers but it is workable nonetheless sensor performance is also very good it does find in the straight line test and no acceleration is present and very importantly for FPS gamers flicking is completely fluid you can easily move this mouse quickly and through my use I didn't find any tracking issues with this sensor if you're a fan of this mouth design and can live with the higher dpi then this will probably be the best mouse on the list figure and it's deserving of second place and finally taking the winning spot is the Thermaltake talon blue coming in at 20 dollars its prices in the middle of the pack but it offers quite a lot of value for that money you can check out the full review here but let's take a look at the build and design first the soft touch finish is well done although a little prone to fingerprints and all the materials feel quite well chosen it's a little bite but overall feels well built and pretty solid the shape is comfortable although the edges are a little bit hard for me and I prefer the more rounded and curved design of the Cougar 200m and a 0gm 2,400 in terms of those all-important buttons scrolling is smooth the middle click is a little tough but still acceptable meanwhile the side browser buttons are nearly perfect and the primary on run switches are very good with excellent responsiveness you can even remove the sides to reveal a different material although with those removed I found the edges a little too sharp and a bit uncomfortable so I kept them on the build quality seems to be very good well above its price point so father doesn't seem to be any major flaws so what about the features and the sensor the talon blue once again doesn't have any software and relies on profiles luckily it has a better dpi range than anything else here with a minimum of 500 DPI as well as 750 1500 2500 and 3000 dpi while specific software based customization is the best this is about as good as you'll get for on-board profiles you can tree bind any buttons on the mouse but that's not a deal-breaker then we'll take lists the sensor loud and proud on their website as the talon uses in a Vargo 30-50 center which is Spector very well for the price tracking has been great prediction seems fine and there isn't any acceleration it has a max speed of 3.4 meters a second at 500 DPI meaning flicking comes naturally we've know lots of tracking even at much higher speeds this Center seems to hold up really well and there's not much to complain about at all the Thermaltake Talon is the most complete package here with great comfort design build and a great sensor it seems to do everything well with very few flaws though it would be nice to have a software package so let's sum all of this info up is it possible to get a decent gaming mouse for less than half the price of today's marketed alternatives absolutely some of the mice in this roundup blew my expectations out of the water others just don't make sense to purchase when there are better options available the main thing you need to know is that any Mouse in the sub $25 price bracket will sacrifice somewhere be it build quality features sensor selection and customizability or a combination of all of these aspects don't expect miracles by tempering expectations there are certainly some standouts in this round up the a0e x01 may have a different design but it's sensor comfort features and build quality make it a great choice although keep in mind that minimum dpi is 1250 meanwhile honorable mentions also go to the gigabyte m60 900 for a unique design and the Logitech G 100 s for being a simple refined addition that has access to an excellent software suite but the winner without a doubt the thermal take Talyn for about 20 bucks it offers great build quality comfortable design good customization and very importantly a superb sensor it's an all-round package without any major flaws I'm taking it with me to the next round to compete against mice in the $25 to $50 category so that concludes this roundup make sure to leave a like and let us know what you think of the roundup results in the comments below I'm Aiden with Hardware Canucks make sure to subscribe for the next round up and we'll see you in the next one