Thinking about a Razer....

[Applejuice]

I'm sure there are quite a few Razer mouse owners here, and I'm just wondering how you think they compare to your "average" mouse. I don't like the feel of logitech, so those are out of the question, and Microsoft mice just don't seem accurate enough for the sensitivity I use in games (usually around 15 in Quake3 and such). Would you guys recommend the optical Razer or the ball ones?

[NickTheNut]

from my understanding the ball version's are FAR more sensitive than the optical. Or, i mean the original ones. But those also had a ton of problems with XP from my understanding. As in, they wouldn't even work.

That's all I know though.

[MISMCSA]

You could get the old 1 and 2 thousand versions to work in XP. The ball versions were great...only downside is they needed an occasional cleaning with a q-tip and alcohol. If I were still into lan/competitive gaming...I would pull my 2000 out.

[aug1516]

The ball style Razer mouse is the best mouse I have ever used for gaming. I have used the older 1000 and 2000 series along with the brand new 2100 model. The latest 2100 is like the old 2000 model with most of the problems fixed. The problem with the Razer mice is the way they feel. They are often too big for peoples tastes so if you can try one out first that would be best.

[blindrocket]

I agree. The Razer Boomslang 2000 I once owned (I cut the cord accidentally. :() was the best mouse I had EVER owned, next to my current Logitech MX510.

[figgie]

I have the 2000 and the 2100

both are sweet mice. Yes even for being ball mice. I STILL use the 2100 as i am a high sense player and no optical even at max speed had enough sensetivity for my taste :)

The viper is nice but not enough buttons. I need the thumb button for my alt fire in ut2k4

[Ron1jed]

i'll sell ya mine!

[CKMorpheus]

Wow i didn't even know they still made these. I think I might be intrested in buying one, but I don't like the idea of it being a balled mouse. How easy is it to clean out the dirt and dust from the mouse?

[colin]

I love my razer, I'm using a 1000 right now, but I used a 2000 for four years before I broke it. I've been using XP for most of that time, without any problems.
As far as cleaning goes, I clean it almost weekly, but I just open it up and lightly scratch the dirt off of the rollers. It takes all of 30 seconds.
I reccommend razer ball mice without any reservations, something I can't say about any other computer part I own.

[bvincent]

I have the new mouse by them, the razer viper (optical) along with the new mousepad - the exactmat. Love them both, absolutely the best mouse and pad I've ever used, and I've probably used them all at one point.

[dderidex]

I have the 'Boomer 2100' (their current brand) by BFG (http://www.bfgtech.com/sniper.html). You can buy this one at Best Buy online.

Anyway, I *LOVE IT*. Maybe I just have big hands, I dunno, but I've never understood the "it's so big" complaint about them. In my mind, they fit my hand perfectly. I suppose if you tried to put the heel of your hand at their back and reach your fingers all the way to the tip of it, you might have problems, but you really aren't supposed to do that anyway. Fingers rest in the center of the buttons, not their end. So positioned, the mouse is the perfect size.

The cool thing about it - mentioned this in the other thread - is that the side buttons are actually usable on this one. I could never stand the Logitech mice, because you have to *let go* of the mouse to hit buttons 4 and 5. Madness!

With the Boomslang, the side of the mouse bulges out where you grip it (by the pivot of your thumb and pinky, if you follow), so the tip of your thumb and pinky rest right over the side buttons. Pressing them is as easy as rolling your grip on the mouse forward to the tip of your finger. Basically, they are easy to hit, not too easy that you accidentally hit them, and you don't even loosen your grip on the mouse at any time when using them. DEFINATELY an improvement over the Logitech and MS mice.

Now, two other points (maybe 'downsides') to this mouse:
1) Cost

a) You NEED a good mouse pad. People who use their desk with their opticals make me shudder at this point. Forget cloth - forget even the Ratpadz! You need a GOOD, SMOOTH, mousepad. I'd recommend the Icemat or the Steelpad. My personal preference goes to the 2nd Edition Black Icemat (https://www.icemat.com/images/products/Icemat_2nd_IME4_web.jpg), which I bought here (http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/pad-35.html). Make sure you use the Teflon PadSurfers that come with this!

b) Mouse Bungee (http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/pad-04.html). This is also needed if you've used wireless mouses before and like that freedom of movement. Once you get the length right, it really, REALLY DOES make a 'wired' mouse feel 'wireless'. You just don't get the tangle of cable, or feel the pull of moving cable across a desk, etc. The mouse moves 'cleaner', smoother, feels lighter (well, obviously feels lighter than a cordless mouse, anyway - no batteries!)

c) Finally, the mouse itself (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1064607527979&skuId=6095879&productCategoryId=pcmcat23200050023&type=product)

Now, see the obvious problem, here? $35 for the mouse pad? $12 for a bungee? $50 for a mouse? NEARLY $100 FOR YOUR MOUSE!! I wish I could say it wasn't worth it, or the decision was somehow ambiguous. I can't, it IS WORTH IT. It is your entire interface with the computer - gaming, working, whatever. At the time, I downgraded from a 9800 Pro to a 9600 XT to make the purchase, and still noticed an improvement in game play. It really is more important than the graphics card, which you only use when gaming - the mouse you use for EVERYTHING. You just have to try it, that's all their is to it. Can't be described how much better it is.

2) As noted, cleaning. The Icemat is pretty easy - it's textured glass. Quick hit of Windex, and it's fine. Mouse is more troublesome, but it becomes routine. Pretty much pop the ball out and dust it off at the start of any day. Once a week or so, get the rubbing alcohol out and clean the rollers and ball. That's all it takes - and, please, I've seen SO many people say "I don't do this, and it works fine", then a few threads later complain that the Boomslang 'isn't that great' or 'isn't worth the money' - well, no sh!t Sherlock, it's a piece of hardware you actually have to MAINTAIN. If you let it get gummed up, no, it WON'T peform as well as an optical mouse, and YES, it will start sucking. You really, really have to regularly clean it.
===
Two points as downsides, but, IMHO, overall, it's worth it. There is NOTHING more precise on the market. Plus, once you turn off the idiot 'mouse acceleration' that Logitech and MS use to attempt to compensate for the lack of precision in their mice, you'll never go back (you just don't need it here, the mouse IS precise enough to move exactly across the screen with a minor flick of the wrist instead of skipping pixels like 'acceleration' does).

[Applejuice]

Thanks for the comments guy!

[coffee33]

I'm sure there are quite a few Razer mouse owners here, and I'm just wondering how you think they compare to your "average" mouse. I don't like the feel of logitech, so those are out of the question, and Microsoft mice just don't seem accurate enough for the sensitivity I use in games (usually around 15 in Quake3 and such). Would you guys recommend the optical Razer or the ball ones?
I got one and the thing is just sitting in my closet, "TOTAL JUNK".

[Jäger]

your sensitivity is 15!?!?!?!?!? :eek:

[jkr266]

thats what i was thinking. mine is usually around 3 for most games. idont think i could hit a wall with a rocket launcher from 2 feet away at that sensitiviy.

[dderidex]

That's because of the retarded 'mouse acceleration' feature, though. What happens is, for MS and Logitech mice, since they don't have the precision to read enough pixels on the mouse pad to have the pointer cross the screen with a minor flick of the wrist, they extrapolate. If you move rapidly, they basically just start skipping pixels to move the pointer faster.

This same effect happens in games, which is why, with an MS or Logitech mouse, 'high precision' only serves to make the mouse very innacurate.

With a Razer mouse, the mouse actually HAS that precision - no pixel skipping needed. It reads 2100dpi - your screen could be 2100 pixels wide, and the Razer could move the pointer from one end to the other in 1" on the mouse pad with NO pixel skipping or extrapolation.

Compare that to the Logitech MX510 with a whopping 800 DPI! To get across the same amount of screen real estate, you'd have to move the mouse THREE INCHES. Obviously, that's unacceptable, so they simply start skipping pixels - for every 1 pixel the mouse moves at maximum acceleration, it makes the pointer on the screen move by 4 or 5 (it takes a moment - .5" or so at 1:1 - to accelerate up to that speed). That's why high precision feels inaccurate in games on those mice - because it IS inaccurate.

[Applejuice]

your sensitivity is 15!?!?!?!?!? :eek:


It takes practice....lots of practice...

I usually hit a 60-70 percent rocket as opposed to a 45ish when I used low sensitivity.

[Applejuice]

That's because of the retarded 'mouse acceleration' feature, though.


Very true...I always play with mouse acceleration off.