How to Choose a Gaming Mouse

When gaming, your mouse is one of the most important peripherals of your whole PC gaming setup. Whether you play intensive 3d FPS games like CS:GO, Battlefield, etc or even oldschool 2d games like Runescape and Ultima Online, your mouse is going to be your main input device next to your keyboard. So therefore, you should choose a good mouse that will allow you to play your games at your full potential! There are a few parts to deciding on and comparing gaming mice: you have to grip and feel of it, and then you have the extra buttons and the layout of them. After that we will discuss DPI and then cosmetics.  

Grip and Feel 

A weighted mouse is helpful sometimes if that is what you like. For quicker games like Counterstrike, however, you might prefer a lighter mouse. You will want a standard palm-grip mouse for all games such as FPS, MMOs, and RTS. Look for one that has nice big top buttons without a bunch of plastic in the way.  

Buttons 

Depending on your gaming style, you may want a lot of extra buttons to use for hotkeys and macros. If you do want a lot, there are many gaming mice that have a lot of buttons mapped out on them and are configurable to how to like it. If you do not need a lot of extras, go for a mouse with just a scroll wheel and maybe some forward/back buttons. Some mice have a DPI toggle switch to adjust your DPI (mouse sensitivity) on the fly, and if this is something you need then make sure your mouse has this capability. For example, check out this review of the Etekcity Scroll X1 Gaming Mouse. It features a 3-way DPI toggle switch on top, a scroll wheel, and forward/back buttons. This might be everything you need, and if so, extra buttons will just get in your way and be nothing but a nuisance.

What exactly is DPI? 

 DPI stands for Dots per Inch,  and basically means your mouse sensitivity.  The higher the DPI, the quicker your mouse will move around on the screen in relation to how fast you physically move your mouse.  For example, if your mouse has 2000 DPI, then if you move your mouse on your mousepad 1 inch to the left, it will move the mouse exactly 2000 pixels to the left.

For gaming, DPI can be very crucial to your gameplay.  I recommend getting a mouse that has an on-the-fly toggle switch for DPI so that you can adjust it to your liking in-game.

Cosmetics

Looks aren't everything, but to a lot of people (myself included) they do matter a lot!  You want a mouse that you are going to like to look at.  If you have one that looks like a weird prototype transformer robot, and that isn't your style, you are not going to be happy with the mouse even if it has the best reviews on the net. 

LED colors:  if you have an LED keyboard, or LEDs in your computer or accents around your desk, you definitely will want a mouse that has matching or accenting LED colors!  This will really make your setup or battlestation look complete.  Try to pick a mouse and keyboard that has multiple color options so that you can switch it around for your mood!  :P

That's all for this guide to choosing a gaming mouse.  Stay tuned for more PC guides, tips, and part reviews!