like other computer parts there's a huge spread in terms of how much you can
spend on a mouse basic models can be had for under 10 bucks but you can also
splurge and spend more on a mouse than you would on a Michelin star meal so
what features do these fancy mice have that more basic models don't to answer
that we need to start with the sensor on the bottom of your mouse nicer mice
almost always use a high CPI Optical
sensor but what does that mean well mice work by taking pictures of the surface
beneath them many times per second then comparing those images to determine when
and where they're moving higher CPI or
counts per inch mean your mouse can see
at higher resolutions CPI is often used interchangeably with DPI or dots per
inch to describe sensitivity but CPI is
the more accurate term so in the old days high sensitivity was
considered important for users of high resolution displays since it allows the
cursor or your Crosshair to travel farther across the screen with a small
amount of movement but most modern mice are sensitive enough that any further
development is more to provide better accuracy for fine movements some mice
include the ability to switch sensitivity on the Fly depending on what
you're doing including turning it down to improve accuracy while sniping in
games a related but separate specification is polling rate given in
hertz this is how many times per second a mouse will report its position to your
PC basic mice tend to have polling rates
of around 125 or 250 Herz but nicer mice
can offer polling rates of 500 Herz 1,000 Herz or even higher giving an
increased sense of responsiveness and control I can feel I can see everything
users of high refresh rate monitors will get the most benefit from a mouse with a
higher polling rate but beyond 1,000 HZ you probably won't notice the improved
latency unless you're a robot not every
premium sensor is built for the highest sensitivity though while laser mice
haven't been fashionable for quite some time as they had a reputation for
undesired acceleration compared to their infrared Brethren they do still pop up
from time to time Logitech in particular uses a component they call a darkfield
laser that allows their Mouse to see clear glass as dark with imperfections
and particles showing up bright coming back to acceleration though certain
sensors have inherent acceleration meaning the cursor moves a greater
distance on the screen if you move the mouse more quickly on your desk for
General desktop use this can be convenient and intuitive in fact Windows
has its own acceleration enabled by default but for competitive Gamers any
inconsistency in movement can be the difference between Victory and defeat
the good news is that you don't need to spend a fortune anymore to get a mouse
without inherent acceleration but you won't get that from a Bargain
Basement unit either now there is another kind of acceleration that you
want lots of and we'll tell you all about it right after we thank the
sponsor of this video I fix it back to school season is coming up and while you
might be tempted to buy a new laptop why not breathe new life into your old one
with iFixit iFixit is offering 15% off
their Manta Mahi make minow and mor bit
sets for you to start your repairing journey and they're also offering 15% %
off Mac laptop parts check out iFix it using the link in the description and
save some money this back to school season the other kind of acceleration
described in G's has to do with how quickly you can change the mouse's speed
and direction without the sensor losing track of where it is again for General
desktop use it doesn't matter much but if you hope to land any flick shots
especially at low sensitivity you'll want a mouse that can keep up a related
characteristic is IPS or in per second
this is used to describe the maximum speed a mouse can move before the sensor
loses tracking generally anything above about 20g and 200 IPS is considered good
enough and can be had for about 30 bucks so why do some mice cost
$300 well the most accurate low latency
mouse in the world won't do you much good if it's not enjoyable to use so now
we've got to consider features for example there are lots of Cheaper mice
out there that are Wireless but not all Wireless mice are created equal one big
thing to look for is what kind of wireless connection the mouse uses
Bluetooth mice don't require a dongle which can be convenient but dongle mice
which typically use some other often proprietary protocol in the 2.4 GHz band
tend to give you a connection that's a little more reliable as well as lower
latency for gamers it's a pretty big deal I'm also partial to myice that
feature a built in spot to hold the dongle when you're not using it as
they're notoriously easy to lose and it's also very satisfying on the subject
of gaming there's a gaming oriented Mouse category that's actually very
useful for non- gamers I'm talking about MMO or MOBA mice these tend to have lots
of buttons on the side that allow Gamers to bind keys or programmable macros to
every button for titles like World of Warcraft or League of Legends where
having a dozen or more functions at your fingertips can be a huge competitive
advant AG but even if you don't play games at all they can be very useful for
productivity for example if you often run macros in office suites or editing
programs in fact you could make the argument that MMO mice are a better fit
for the office than your gaming rig since the use of macros is frowned upon
in many popular titles even if you don't need a ton of buttons some premium mice
can be customized in other ways to improve their functionality or help them
last longer this can mean everything from replacing the switches under the
buttons If if you don't like how the default ones feel to changing out the
side grips to suit your grip style to replacing parts of the chassis with
lighter weight shells this last thing has also become a popular option as mice
with a lattice style top shell are lighter making quick movements easier
speaking of doing things quickly even the simple scroll wheel can be a selling
point for some mice some feature a horizontal scroll wheel often on the
side of the mouse which can be very useful if you often find yourself
working with large spreadsheets or you might want a mouse with an unlockable
infinite scroll wheel that allows you to rapidly navigate very large documents or
repeat a key action with unhuman speed in your favorite game and there are many
other quality of life considerations USBC as opposed to micro USB connectors
can be more convenient and durable as can wireless charging and a built-in
rechargeable battery so you're not having to swap out ablea batteries all
the time a mouse's software and firmware can be another big difference maker and
I'm not just talking about fancy RGB effects many manufacturers offer the
ability to tune and even improve a mouse's performance through software for
example some models allow characteristics like liftoff distance to
be configured and saved to onboard memory so it doesn't need to be reset
every time you delete the software and occasionally manufacturers will find new
ways to improve tracking performance that they make available to previous
buyers of their products a final key differentiator is material
and this is where things can be very costly better Plastics or rubber grips
shouldn't cost you too much but if you want a mouse made of something more
exotic like magnesium alloy you can
expect to pay a pretty penny of course if you think that's silly you're right
because no one can tell you what's important to you we went through a lot
of considerations in this video but it's unlikely all of them will apply to you
so spend your money wisely and if you don't need need tons of bells and
whistles you don't have to spend a fortune to get a well-built mouse that
will last you a long time I just steer clear of the off-brand ones at the
hardware store checkout counter thanks for watching this video and if you'd
like to learn more about the history of mice before they had more options than a
new car go watch this video next