Top 10 Best Gaming Mice Reviews 2012 April

A good gaming mouse can dramatically improve your performance in FPS, RTS and other games which require precision and fast reaction. Find the best gaming mouse for your needs in our top ten gaming mice review.

When choosing a computer mouse for gaming, you should ask yourself the following questions:

What grip style are you using: palm, claw, or fingertip? This determines the size and shape of the mouse you should look for: palm grip users prefer bigger mice, while claw grip fingertip grip users like smaller, lighter ones.

What games are you playing mostly? MMORPG fans will probably want to get a mouse with lots of programmable buttons - like Razer Naga - to bind their skills and spells to. On the other hand, the two basic buttons and the scroll wheel are usually enough for RTS gamers.

What's your budget? If you don't have a lot of money to spend, don't despair - cheap gaming mice with an optical sensor often perform just as well as the expensive laser ones, although they aren't capable of as high maximum DPI.

Proceed to the best gaming mouse list below and choose your weapon of destruction!

#1. Razer Deathadder

Best palm grip mouse from Razer w/ 3500dpi sensor.

Razer Deathadder Infrared Gaming Mouse (RZ01-00151400-R3)

Amazon Price: $44.49 (as of 04/18/2012)

Who hasn't heard of DeathAdder? It's definitely one of the most popular top gaming mice on the market. Featuring ergonomic right hand design, 3.5 generation infrared laser sensor, 1000 Hz ultrapolling (1 ms reponse time) and above all, competitive price - you can't go wrong with this precise fragging tool from Razer. Just keep in mind this mouse is pretty large: it's possibly the best mouse for palm grip, might be feasible for claw grip, but not really suitable for true fingertip grip.

#2. Logitech G9X

Highly customizable and comfortable gaming laser mouse.

Logitech G9X Programmable Laser Gaming Mouse with Precision Grips

Amazon Price: $64.99 (as of 04/18/2012)

The G9x is a top gaming mouse from Logitech, packing one of the best laser sensors on the market capable of achieving up to 5700 DPI sensitivity. One of the best thing about this mouse is how customizable it is: you can choose from 2 interchangeable grips (Wide Load and Precision, which makes the G9x a great fingertip grip mouse), weight tuning system, custom color LEDs for extra eye candy and programmable on-board profiles. Like most Logitech mice, it has angle snapping (movement correction) that can be easily turned on and off in your SetPoint software.

Note: G9x, as well as most other laser mice, works the best on a hard plastic (NOT cloth) mouse pad. S&S Solo is a pretty good choice.

#3. SteelSeries Sensei

Pro gaming mouse w/ built-in profiles, LCD screen, classic shape.

SteelSeries Sensei Laser Gaming Mouse (Grey)

Amazon Price: $69.98 (as of 04/18/2012)

Sensei is a new offering from SteelSeries: a top gaming mouse armed with a 5,700 DPI laser sensor, capable of doubling the sensitivity to a staggering 11,400 DPI using interpolation (not that anyone needs that much, save for owners of multi-display setups). The mouse is fully customizable and optimized for gaming with its adjustable lift-off distance, acceleration, prediction, polling rate, and sensitivity. Sensei has a classic mouse shape that should work with most grip styles, especially claw and finger. The only downside of this best gaming mouse from SteelSeries is its steep price.

#4. Logitech G400

A successor to the legendary MX518.

Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400 with High-Precision 3600 DPI Optical Engine (910-002277)

Amazon Price: $38.19 (as of 04/18/2012)

The new Logitech G400 is a true successor to the classic Logitech MX518 gaming mouse. It has an upgraded optical sensor with more DPI, exactly the same shape of MX518 that gamers have come to love, smooth plastic finish (no decals or grapics like on its predecessor), and pretty much the same button layout - two side buttons, scroll wheel, DPI+ and DPI- buttons, and a button for quick tab switch. If you are looking for an MX518 alternative or upgrade, this is the way to go. The price is also quite affordable, and the mouse doesn't have any shiny logos or LEDs for those who dislike that stuff.

Note: this mouse had some jitter issues with Logitech Gaming Software installed, but they are now fixed. If you are using LGS, make sure to update it to the latest version. It's also best to use native CPI settings (3600 or 800) to avoid interpolation.

#5. Saitek Cyborg R.A.T. 9

One of the best wireless gaming mice w/ twin eye laser sensor.

Cyborg R.A.T. 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse for PC and Mac

Amazon Price: $123.67 (as of 04/18/2012)

If you're looking for the best wireless gaming mouse, look no further than R.A.T. 9 from Saitek. Long gone are the days when wireless mice were considered inferior for gaming! R.A.T. 9 has 1ms response time which is on par with the best wired ones. It is a unique mouse due to the solid metal frame, custom weights and 3 interchangeable grips / palm rests, allowing you to fine tune the feel of the mouse to perfection. And if you want to save some money and don't mind the wire, take a look at R.A.T. 7 instead.

#6. Razer Abyssus

Possibly the best fingertip grip mouse: light, small and accurate.

Razer Abyssus High Precision Optical Gaming Mouse

Amazon Price: $29.12 (as of 04/18/2012)

The Abyssus is the best fingertip grip mouse offered by Razer. It's small, light and ambidextrous (symmetrical) which makes it perfect for precise control with your fingers. It is recommended to couple it with a control mouse mat, such as the Razer Goliathus. Keep in mind that this Razer Abyssus mouse does not have any thumb buttons, which probably won't be a problem for RTS or FPS gamers, but might be unacceptable for MMORPG fans who need more buttons to bind their skills.

#7. Mionix Naos 5000

Comfortable right hand design, custom weight system and 5k dpi.

This wired gaming mouse from Mionix has some of the most comfortable ergonomic designs for right-handers I've ever seen. Your hand is just fully supported by the mouse, and you can palm it without problems. It has 5,000 dpi laser sensor (same as used by Logitech G500 and G9x), adjustable colors, programmable buttons and customizable weights. Mionix boasts about compatibility with all kinds of surfaces, so you probably don't have to worry about tracking problems or negative acceleration on this one (although a plastic mouse pad is still recommended).

#8. CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G

Twin doppler laser sensor capable of up to 6 m/s tracking speed.

Most people will be familiar with Cooler Master from their quality computer cases, heatsinks and fans. Gotta hand it to these guys, it turns out they know how to create very good gaming mice with their CM Storm series as well. Its best features include a super accurate laser sensor w/ up to 50g acceleration, grippy texture, OLED screen and octoshade LEDs for quick profile recognition, weight adjustment and a competitive price on top of that. This is a pretty large and heavy mouse, best suited for palm and gamers with large hands. As you can see, it has an ergonomical shape optimized for right hand (sorry, lefties). One more thing worth mentioning is that the laser sensor of CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G can be a bit capricious, and its accuracy depends on your mousepad a lot.

#9. Razer Naga

The only mouse with 17 programmable buttons.

Razer Naga MMOG Laser Gaming Mouse (RZ01-00280100-R3)

Amazon Price: $69.90 (as of 04/18/2012)

Naga is a powerful gaming mouse from Razer made specifically for MMO games. It boasts an accurate laser sensor, anti-slip rubber grips, and a lightweight braided cable. But what makes this mouse really stand out is its 12 thumb button grid. FPS or RTS gamers won't ever need that many functions, but MMORPG fans will love being able to bind any skills and macros to one of the 12 extra buttons, accessed easily with their thumb. Razer also offers custom add-ons for the most popular MMORPG games.

#10. Roccat Kone+

6000dpi laser, 576kB onboard memory and adjustable weights.

Roccat Kone[+] Max Customization Gaming Mouse (ROC-11-801)

Amazon Price: $79.99 (as of 04/18/2012)

Kone+ is the best gaming mouse offered by Roccat at this time. It uses the same laser sensor (Avago ADNS-9500) as Xai and G9x. It has programmable macros, hybrid shell for right-handers, multicolor light system and optional sound feedback when performing on-the-fly DPI adjustments or switching the on-board profiles. This is definitely an excellent mouse, but the price is rather high as well. Some gamers have complained about its surface being uncomfortable to touch, too. This mouse is rather big (13.5 x 7.8 cm, weighing 126 grams) and should suit palm grippers and people with large hands quite well.