Gaming Mouse

With a gaming mouse your going to want lots of buttons, 2-4 is a good number (not counting right and left click). You'll be happy you got those extra buttons for misc actions like melee, and grenading. Speed is everything, having thumb buttons will make life a lot easier without having to bind every thing to keyboard.

Its also gotta be durable, and preferably last the life of the game you play. No matter how many noobs you dominate with it (or how ever many times its thrown at a wall). A mouse designed for an office for example isn't going to see the same amount of aggressive clicking and scrolling as gaming mice. So we need some thing thats built for us.

Lastly we need an optical mouse with good DPI (high DPI is good to a point but just makes your sensitivity really high after about 1200). A good amount of Dots Per Inch (DPI) will make sure the mouse is smoothly following your movement. That doesn't mean you need a G7 with 2000 DPI... 800-1200 is a good range. Some mice will let you choose how much DPI you want to use any ways.

Lets take a deeper look at some of the optical gaming mouse models that meet these requirements...

logitech mx518 Optical Mouse

The mx518 has a few things going for it. It definitely meets your button requirements with 6...

The logitech setpoint drivers that come with this mouse give you plenty of options for you to customize. One of which is a DPI setting, that can be changed on the fly while in game. you can set it any where from 400-1800. The mx518 is an alright gaming mouse, but does have a few short-comings.

The mouse itself is pretty big. depending on how you hold your mouse this could discourage you from liking it. Its also not unheard of for either the right or left click to completely stop working after a month or two.

I personally have owned two of these mice, both broke in under a year. If your a hardcore gamer and log tons of hours its only a matter of time before this mouse will break on you. Logitech gaming mice are just aren't what they used to be back in the mx510 days.

Razor Gaming Mouse

The razor copperhead gaming mouse is another piece of hardware with lots of potential. with 5 buttons you still have plenty of options when it comes to binding keys in game. The mouse is about "average" size so you can comfortably hold it with just about any gaming style. The razor has an amazing amount of options when it comes to drivers, including DPI settings from 400-2000.

The razor optical mouse is solid, but not bullet proof. Its scroll wheel doesn't have much resistance, which could throw you off. The thumb buttons are also hair trigger, and its kinda hard to push one without pushing the other (which could suck if you use it for grenades). the mouse is kind of an odd shape, if you don't like the mx518 chances are this mouse will fit in your hand better. The Razor Copperhead gaming mouse is definitely worth checking out.

Logitech G7

The logitech G7 is filled with plenty features.Since the G7 is wireless it comes with multiple batteries so you shouldn't be left stranded when it goes out.

The logitech G7 shares the same body type with the mx518, the only difference being that it has only one thumb button.

Like the copper head the G7 goes up to 2000 DPI and includes software to customize it how ever you like. The logitech G7 has a few draw backs.

Since its wireless your going to have to change batteries, they last about 2-3 days (I would recommend every 2 days to avoid going dead midgame). The G7 receiver is known for interference, so if your using other wireless toys you may have issues. Besides the pit falls that almost every wireless piece of equipment has the logitech G7 shouldn't be over looked.

Microsoft SideWinder X5

When your searching for a new mouse Microsoft probably isn't the first company that comes to mind. They are trying to change that with the Sidewinder series.

The X5 is a toned down version of the original Sidewinder. So why get the X5 then? Because I said so... Also the extra features are for noobs. I'm not sure when mouse weight become a big deal but its laughably a non issue.

If a player cant hit some one with an MP5 point blank they suck, and it has nothing to do with mouse weight. The overpriced original also has an LCD display. This is just an awesome feature. Ive always wanted an excuse to stare at my mouse while noobs rape me.

But lets start talking about the X5. I may have been critical of its expensive big brother but I do like this mouse. It has 5 mappable buttons. Including two thumb buttons which is a feature I have come to rely on in FPS gaming.

Most people think the software is basic. I honestly don't know what the hell these people are expecting. It makes the damn mouse work. What were you expecting, Disney Land? It has 3 auto DPI settings controlled by buttons on the mouse. you can change the values for each button through the software.

Out of the box these buttons will change your DPI to low, medium and motion sickness. 2000 DPI looks nice on the box, but then again that same box that will be covered in vomit if you actually try to play on it.

The tracking on this mouse is great even on low DPI. It takes some getting used to but the responsiveness earns extra kills in game. Microsoft has a reach a good balance of button pressure too. They have enough resistance so you don't accidentally press one, especially the mouse wheel.

At $35-$45 this mouse is a great deal. If your on a budget and want a quality mouse I recommend the X5. I use it and I'm happy with it.

Mouse Pads

After you pick out a shiny new mouse your going to need some thing to keep it off your desk.

So whats the best gaming mouse pad? Well theres lots of good brands and surface types floating around now, its more about what ever one clicks with you and your style.

Some of the more popular brands are....

Func is mostly known for quality plastic 2 sided pads (one rough side and the other smooth).

Steel series puts out HUGE cloth mouse pads (most people I know cut them to fit it on the desk lol).

Another quality brand is ICEMAT, they put out some nice glass pads. they are thick but durable and easy to keep clean (you can throw these things in a dish washer if you spill some thing on them lol)

Gaming Mouse - Gaming Monitors