| Thermaltake Black Gaming Mouse |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices | |
| Written by Colin Armstrong | |
| Sunday, 20 March 2011 | |
Thermaltake Black Gaming Mouse Review
Manufacturer: Thermaltake, Inc Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Thermaltake. Thermaltake is best known for the variety of cases they've released, aimed at budget-conscious buyers as well as high-end hardware enthusiasts. In contrast to this, they have recently decided to expand their grip on the market by releasing a new line of gaming peripherals, dubbed Thermaltake eSports. This lineup includes a handful of gaming devices such as mice, keyboards and headsets. Thermaltake consistently pumps out quality cases, but are they able to do the same with gaming peripherals? Within this review Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the Thermaltake eSports Black laser gaming mouse (model MO-BLK002DT) and sees how this new competitor fares against the many well-established gaming peripherals manufacturers available. The Black mouse is Thermaltake's entry-level eSports peripheral. It's essentially Thermaltake's answer to a budget, high-DPI gaming-grade mouse. As a gamer myself, I know how important it is to align that perfect headshot, so a good mouse is always a necessity.
The Thermaltake Black Mouse will be tested in numerous games under a wide range of situations in order to put the mouse through as diverse testing as possible. Will it reign champion of budget professional gaming mouse, or should Thermaltake stick to making cases? Keep reading to find out! Thermaltake eSports Features
Black Specifications
Closer Look: Thermaltake Black MouseThe Thermaltake Black gaming mouse comes in a package which highlights the key features of this device: the adjustable weights, on-the-fly DPI changing, and an excess of LED lights.
The Black looks like any standard gaming mouse: thumb buttons on the sides, DPI-adjustment buttons near the scroll wheel, and LED lights all around. The mouse is coated in a generic rubber exterior, which provides a good balance between grip and smoothness. On the left side of the device, a rubber grip is found below the thumb buttons to prevent your thumb from slipping in the midst of a game.
On the back of the mouse, four LED lights indicate your current DPI stepping. Further down we see Thermaltake's "Tt" logo, lit up with even more glowing LED goodness.
The glossy-black plastic surrounding the scroll wheel is where the DPI-adjustment buttons reside. Four DPI steps are able to be set within the included software; these buttons simply let you switch between them.
The 4000DPI laser sensor can be found on the bottom of the mouse, above the six removable weights. These weights, just like in any other gaming mouse, allow you to adjust the weight of the mouse to your liking depending on the genre of games you play.
At the front of the mouse, the left and right mouse buttons are indented for added comfort.
Thermaltake Black Software FeaturesThe design of a mouse can be amazing, but if paired with a terrible software, it can render the mouse essentially useless. Customizing macros, DPI settings, and sensitivity are just a handful of settings which must be set within a mouse's software. Looking past the fact that the appearance of nearly every mouse software seems to be created based off the idea of armor and weapons (see below), Thermaltake has done a decent job at providing a simplistic yet feature-filled software - included with everything you'd expect for a gaming mouse and nothing more. 
Taking a look at the Light Option window, the two LED lights are able to be switched on or off.
 Within the Macro Key setup window, macros can be recorded, edited and saved. Delays can also be used in order to create a macro that doesn't execute the keys too quickly.
Lastly, we have the settings window. General performance settings such as the polling rate can be changed here. The DPI is able to be adjusted on both the X and Y axes, which is great; prefer a slow horizontal DPI when zoomed in with a sniper rifle? No problem.
Testing & ResultsTesting MethodologyI tested the Thermaltake Black mouse in a wide variety of genres of games in order to test the accuracy, sensitivity, and general design of the mouse across many different scenarios. I also experimented with macros as well as other unique features, such as individual X and Y DPI adjustment. Test System
ResultsAs an avid gamer, I know how important the precision of a mouse is mid-game. The Black mouse held up just as good as similarly priced mice, however I did notice a difference when compared to higher-end mice in terms of design. The mouse in general feels a bit bulky which definitely takes some getting used to. This is especially a problem to gamers with small hands: it feels like the right side is jutting out a bit too much, preventing your hand from resting comfortably on the device. Also, another design flaw is the thumb buttons - they feel relatively cheap. I would have liked to seen them made out of a better quality plastic. At the default DPI (400!) the mouse is far too slow. I experimented with the settings and found around 1100 DPI to be sufficient both in and out of game. In FPS games such as Counter-Strike: Source, where precision plays a key role, I found the mouse did generally as well as any other mouse, minus the uncomfortable grip. I prefer a heavy mouse so I left every weight in, which provided sufficient weight. Removing the weights didn't decrease it by that much, as each weight is only 4.5g. The macro configuration in the software worked relatively well. I was able to get macros working for things such as building supply depots in Starcraft 2 as well as quick-switching in Counter-Strike. Also, it should be noted that 64kb of onboard memory is always a good thing - your macros and settings will always stay on the mouse. Thermaltake eSports Final ThoughtsThe phrase "you get what you pay for" is very true in this case. The Thermaltake Black mouse is a decent mouse considering the price; but if you're a hardcore gamer willing to shell out nearly $50 for a mouse, you might as well spend a little bit more and get something reasonably better. However, if you're strapped for cash, the Black will do just fine. Essentially the only features which make this mouse a gaming mouse is the high DPI, four programmable buttons, design, and removable weights; that's it. I like the simplicity of the mouse, as it doesn't feel stuffed with unnecessary features, but I would have like to seen a bit better build quality as well as maybe a few more programmable buttons. But I guess Thermaltake was aiming to create a budget entry-level gaming mouse, and they've done that successfully. Adding more features would consequently increase the price, which would defeat Thermaltakes goal. Really the only gripes I had with this mouse was the uncomfortable design (specifically the jutting edge on the right side), as well as the cheap thumb buttons. If you have larger hands, this may be overlooked easily, however for the majority it might pose a problem. Other than this, the Thermaltake Black is a solid gaming mouse at a great price.
Thermaltake Black ConclusionThe high DPI, gaming-grade laser sensory in this mouse causes the performance to be great. Coated in an all black exterior coupled with many glowing LED lights, the appearance of this mouse is also very sleek. The construction of this mouse is decent; the rubber grip feels fine, however a jutting edge on the right side prevents your hand from ever resting comfortably on it. The included software is packed with features you'd expect any gaming mouse to contain: DPI adjustment, button assignment, and a macro editor. At $44.99, this mouse has great value; you won't find many gaming mice with the same features at the same price. This mouse was meant to be a budget gaming mouse which brings decent performance and features at a low price, and Thermaltake has accomplished that successfully. If you're a casual gamer looking for a budget gaming mouse, this mouse is a great buy; however if you're a hardcore gamer and need the utmost quality and performance, you might want to look elsewhere. Pros:
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Comments
Z-Axis Tracking ftL.
Also thanks for the review, Would look forward for more gaming mouse/keyboard review.