As I got my laptop I also needed a mouse, for the first few weeks I just detached my computer’s mouse and plugged it into my laptop, works great but the switching is annoying.

So I decided to buy a mouse identical to the one I had (the Razer Deathadder), there are a few changes to the new model, higher DPI (3500 or something instead of 1800) and a new cord but nothing of significance for me.

So I ordered the mouse from the Razer website and a few days later I received a mail the package was sent, that afternoon they delivered it.

However when they came to deliver it somehow the packages got switched as this package said it contained a wireless controller for a PS3, so I declined the package.

After this I contacted Razer and after giving them all the info they needed they sent a new mouse which arrived today. So another good job by Razer.

~Xeross

So tonight was a bit hectic, I was trying to figure out how to prevent the side buttons of the mouse performing the previous/next button actions in my browser. The first thought was to update my drivers/firmware but the firmware update failed and my Razer DeathAdder died.

After searching a lot on google (I enabled keyboard mouse controls) I found out you are able to restore the functioning of the product through the following steps.

1. Unplug the Razer product
2. Shutdown your PC
3. Plug the product into another USB port
4. Reboot your PC
5. Drivers should be automatically reinstalled again
6. If not manually install them, they can be found in the folder the drivers software is installed in
7. Perform the firmware update again if you want

~Xeross

Razer is one of the best companies for gaming mice, together with logitech. The reason I purchased a Razer mouse instead of a Logitech one is because Logitech mice are known to emit a Very high pitched sound.

Content of the Box

After I got home I opened the box, it’s made of quality cardboard and the box is sealed by a circular patch of sticky tape like stuff. After cutting through this and opening you have the mouse in plastic.

And on the backside of this plastic thing there’s a cardboard thing attached, containing the manual and some other things.

This cardboard thing can be opened and it contains a few things: the manual, a certificate of authenticity and the driver CD.

After this I opened the plastic thing and took my brand new mouse out.

Installation

So after unpacking everything I plugged in the mouse and started the driver installation. Clicked next a few times, set the installation directory and let it run. The first 2 times I ran it it tended to disappear and didn’t finish installing. The third time however if popped up properly instead of minimizing without coming back. It seemed it was asking to install Raptr (More on that in a separate paragraph) so I installed it and just let the installation run.

After that I had to reboot, and once everything booted up again I could check out the driver menu. I have to say it looks pretty cool, and the features are also pretty neat. Ofcourse the first thing I did was set the polling speed to 1000hz (1ms), and after this I had to reboot again.

So after rebooting again I started up the configuration again and set my side buttons to increase DPI and decrease DPI, after that I decided to start up Call of Duty 2.

Performance & Comfort

So time to try this baby out in a game. After launching COD2 and joining a server I immediately noticed that it’s a lot more precise then my old mouse (a Logitech EX110) and that it’s a lot easier to rapidly move it. My scores on COD2 were substantially better compared to when I played with the EX110.

It has some special foot thingies so that it glides a lot easier, and it also does compared to my old EX110. the mouse also fits perfectly to my hand, it’s comfortable and it has an anti-slip layer on the top that makes sure you’ll never loose grip.

Durability

The mouse is build from high quality plastic and it has a solid feel to it. Even the mouse buttons feel like they’re high quality and will last a lifetime. The only thing that might wear out is the anti-slip coating, but time will tell.

Conclusion

The Razer Deathadder is a great mouse and that for a good price, at the time of writing this article it costs 60$ on the Razer website and I paid 50 euros for it in a store in Breda. It’s comfortable, precise and fast, and feels very durable. So I’m very positive about it and till now I love it, if I encounter any problems with it I’ll write about it but I doubt it. So I say if you’re looking for a good gaming mouse go for the Razer Deathadder.

Update (14-Aug-2010)

After almost a year of use the anti-slip finish still doesn’t show any wear, and the mouse is still performing as good as a year ago, I liked it so much I even bought a second one.