Introduction
Starting in 1946 as a trackball for the British Royal Navy, the mouse has come a long way. For many years, the mouse has become everything from an office mouse to the missing piece in your gaming system. As we’ll be focussing on the latter today, I’ll show various options at budgets between 20 and 90 USD.
What To Look For
- Sensor: this heavily impacts accuracy of the mouse itself, as it tracks where and how far the mouse moves. As most very cheap mice will cheap out on this, they will be less accurate and because of that will be harder to work with.
- DPI/CPI: this will show the Dots/Counts per inch. These terms are generally used interchangeably, but the most accurate name for it is CPI. A higher CPI will increase the sensitivity of the mouse, but will also start to smooth out once you go higher up. See this number as a limit, not as an indication of quality.
- Switches: even if more often than not Omron is used, A4tech/LK, Kailh, TTC and Huano also have recently started to take their part of the market. This is mainly worth looking at to see the endurance, but can also change the feel of the click itself.
- Hand orientation: This will show with which hand(s) they can be used. Even though left-handed are uncommon, there are technically 3 options here. For left-handed people like me, I would generally recommend to look for a mouse that fits both hands.
- Size: this sounds like an obvious point, but a mouse is generally made on a specific hand size. You shouldn’t grab something small like a g305 if you don’t have small hands, but also the other way around with such as a g502 and small hands.
- Grip: different mice are made for a different way of holding them. Keep a close eye on how you grip your current mouse and how that would translate to the new one. Some mice are better optimized for certain types of grip.
What To Avoid
- Poor build quality: sometimes things are just too good to be true, which is the case with many cheap mice that offer very high-end sensors. They either have very little QC or are built very cheap. This has become less common with budget mice improving in this regard, but can still be found.
- Office mice: they can be an okay starting point, but will limit you in both latency and accuracy. They use much lower end sensors that often already use smoothing at very low DPI, have a low polling rate or use a wireless connection with much higher latency.
Overview
| Brand/Model | Link |
| Razer Deathadder V2 Mini | Amazon |
| Corsair Katar Pro XT | Amazon |
| Cooler Master MM711 | Amazon |
| Cooler Master MM720 | Amazon |
| HyperX Pulsefire Surge | Amazon |
| Corsair Sabre RGB Pro | Amazon |
| Razer Deathadder V2 | Amazon |
| Asus ROG Gladius II Origin | Amazon |
| Endgame Gear XM1r | Amazon |
| Razer Naga Trinity | Amazon |
Razer Deathadder V2 Mini – 20 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Razer Focus 8K
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-7N (not confirmed)
Hand orientation: right
Recommended grip: palm, claw
CPI: 8.500
Weight: 62 grams
RGB: yes, Chroma
Reasons to buy
Amazing value
Lightweight
RGB light
Reasons to avoid
Not recommended for fingertip
Only made for right-handed
Higher end sensor at ~10 USD more
Corsair Katar Pro XT – 30 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PMW3391
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-K 50m
Hand orientation: both (buttons on left side)
Recommended grip: palm (small hands only), claw, fingertip
CPI: 18.000
Weight: 73 grams
RGB: Yes, iCue
Reasons to buy
Both for left- and right-handed
High-end sensor
RGB light
lightweight
Reasons to avoid
Not oriented for palm grip, making it only usable for small hands
RGB only visible around the scrolling wheel
Cooler Master MM711 – 40 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PMW3389
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-7N 20m (not confirmed)
Hand orientation: both (buttons on left side)
Recommended grip: palm (small hands only), claw, fingertip
CPI: 16.000
Weight: 60 grams
RGB: yes, Masterplus
Reasons to buy
Symmetrical shape, making it usable for both hands
High-end sensor
very lightweight
RGB light
Reasons to avoid
focussed on claw and fingertip, making it harder to use for palm grip users
Honeycomb shell doesn’t fit everyone
Cooler Master MM720 – 40 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PMW3389
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-7N 20m (not confirmed)
Hand orientation: right
Recommended grip: claw, fingertip
CPI: 16.000
Weight: 49 grams
RGB: yes, Masterplus
Reasons to buy
High-end sensor
very lightweight
RGB light
Made for bigger hands
Reasons to avoid
Not oriented towards left-handed
Hard to use as palm grip mouse
For smaller hands, MM711 would be a better fit
HyperX Pulsefire Surge – 40 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PAW3389
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-K 50m
Hand orientation: both (buttons on left side)
Recommended grip: claw, palm
CPI: 16.000
Weight: 100 grams
RGB: yes, nGenuity
Reasons to buy
Shape fits both hands
High-end sensor
RGB light
Reasons to avoid
Heavier compared to MM711/MM720
MM720 would be a better fit for fingertip
Corsair Sabre RGB Pro – 50 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PMW3392
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-K 50m
Hand orientation: both (buttons on left side)
Recommended grip: claw, fingertip, palm
CPI: 18.000
Weight: 74 grams
RGB: Yes, iCue
Reasons to buy
Lightweight
Corsair’s highest end sensor so far
RGB light
8000Hz polling rate
Reasons to avoid
heavier than most honeycomb mice
Razer Deathadder V2 – 50 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Razer Focus+ 20k
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-7N (not confirmed)
Hand orientation: Right
Recommended grip: palm, claw, fingertip
CPI: 20.000
Weight: 82 grams
RGB: yes, Chroma
Reasons to buy
High-end sensor
RGB light
Razer’s highest end sensor so far
Reasons to avoid
Heavier than most honeycomb mice
Only for right hands
Asus ROG Gladius II Origin – 60 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PMW3360
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-K 50m (hotswap)
Hand orientation: right
Recommended grip: palm, fingertip, claw
CPI: 12.000
Weight: 110 grams
RGB: yes, Armory crate
Reasons to buy
Great for big hands
Hotswap sockets for the mouse switches
RGB light
Reasons to avoid
Heavy
Not made for smaller hands
Older sensor
not for left-handed use
Endgame Gear XM1r – 60 USD
Specifications
Sensor: Pixart PAW3370
Switch: Kailh GM 8.0
Hand orientation: both (buttons on left side)
Recommended grip: palm, fingertip, claw
CPI: 19.000
Weight: 70 grams
RGB: No
Reasons to buy
Kailh GM 8.0 are among the best switches on the market right now
High-end sensor
Usable for both left- and right-handed use
fits both small and bigger skates
Reasons to avoid
no RGB
Razer Naga Trinity – 80 USD
Specifications
Sensor: PMW3390 (not confirmed)
Switch: Omron D2FC-F-K 50m
Hand orientation: Right
Recommended grip: Palm
CPI: 16.000
Weight: 120 grams
RGB: Yes, Chroma
Reasons to buy
Swap-able side
RGB lighting
Up to 19 buttons
Great for MMO
Reasons to avoid
Heavy
Only for right-handed
Uses a slightly older sensor compared to Focus+ 20k
Disclaimer: this guide contains Amazon affiliate links, we may receive small commission from purchases made through them, all images are directly from the Amazon listings
