How to Choose a Mouse – Ultimate Guide

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Updated: 08/20/2022

 

The computer mouse is one of the essential accessories of a computer system. The history of the mouse is a fascinating one. It started as a simple piece of mechanical technology, and now you can find various kinds of mice available for specific tasks.

In this post, I’ll help you how to select a mouse for your specific needs and give you helpful tips on how to make sure you find the right one for you.

Choosing Between a Wired and a Wireless Mouse – Mouse Buying Guide

There was a time when wired mice were considered faster than wireless mice, but this gap is almost filled with modern improved wireless technology. Now the present-day wireless gaming mice are as good as wired mice in terms of performance.

But still, many gamers prefer wired mice over wireless mice due to some inherent caveats of connectivity. Which makes some users believe wired mice are the best mouse for gaming.

The most obvious difference between wired and wireless mouse is wireless mouse gives you the freedom to move freely, while with wired mice, your movement is restricted to the length of the mouse cord.

Another notable difference is price wired mice are cheaper than wireless mice.

What type of mouse connection to select? 

There are two ways you can connect a mouse with a computing device.

• You can use a wired or wireless connection to connect a mouse with the computer.
• A wireless mouse can be connected in two ways: you can use wireless 2.4GHz technology or use a Bluetooth wireless technology.

Wired Mouse

You can use a cabled mouse with one end attached to a mouse and the other connected to your computer, laptop, or any other mouse-compatible device for instance gaming consoles.

Wireless Mouse 2.4 GHz

If you are a gamer or need a mouse for work where precision is required, go for a 2.4 GHz wireless connection mouse. It provides a stable connection with up to 1000Hz polling rate and reasonable wireless range, which is required for pinpoint accuracy and constantly sync with the connected device.

Bluetooth Mouse

Bluetooth mice are good for regular office work or casual use. It is also good for travel because it consumes less power than 2.4 GHz wireless mice. So Bluetooth connections consume less power and provide more uptime.

How to choose a mouse for work?

A standard regular muse could be an apt choice for regular office work. If your daily work requires you to browse and scroll files, a simple mouse with three buttons and a durable scroll wheel is a good option.

These mice are not so pricey even if you go for an ergonomic shape mouse for under fifty dollars or even less. You can find a reasonable mouse.

How to choose a mouse for professional work?

If you are a professional graphic designer, create digital art, 3D modeling, or create building structures in computer software. You need precise accuracy in your work, I would recommend you to go for laser mice because these mice are more sensitive and can pick up minute detail and allow you to point accurately.

You can also choose a trackball mouse if you need more accuracy and better ergnomics. You can choose between thumb and finger trackball mouse.

How to choose a mouse for travel?

If you are a frequent traveler or your work requires you to move from one place to another place a lot. Probably the wireless mouse can be the best choice because you don’t have to deal with wire clutter.

There are several mice available that are travel-friendly. For example, you can buy a flat mouse that can fit into your laptop bag, or you can get a foldable mouse that can adjust in a small space in your luggage or backpack.

More, I would recommend a Bluetooth mouse as you can pair it with your laptop without any dongle. So there would one less thing to take care of while traveling.

Another benefit of a Bluetooth mouse is that it can be connected to any Bluetooth-enabled device.

Choosing a mouse for RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome, finger and wrist pain?

It’s a known fact that overuse of mice can cause serious medical issues relating to hand or shoulder pain. For that, ergonomic mice were designed to keep your hand relaxed, in a natural position and provide relief to your wrist.

When you’re using a standard mouse, you place your hand on the mouse in a way that causes your forearm bones to twist, which slowly starts to cause wrist pain and leads to carpal tunnel syndrome.

That’s why it’s important to use a ergonomic or vertical mouse. When you use an ergonomic mouse, your hand is always in the best posture and helps to prevent computer mouse syndrome.

5 Things to consider when buying a gaming mouse – Ultimate Guide

You can use a regular mouse for games, but a gaming mouse could enhance your playing experience because a gaming mouse is purpose build for gamers. There are several differences between a gaming mouse and a regular mouse. Following are some features of gaming mice that need your attention when you buy a gaming mouse.

1. Optical or Laser Mouse

If you want a gaming mouse, my final verdict is to go for the optical mice because laser mice are not meant for gaming at all.

The simple reason is that laser sensor mouse sensitivity is designed to pick up minute details. When you make sudden quick moves, laser mice lose track, and you find the cursor jumping from one point to another and losing track, which is unacceptable for gamers.

2. Select the Shape of the Mouse

The shape of the mouse can play an important role and can impact your gameplay outcome. There are two shapes. First is symmetrical shape mice, and the other is ergonomic shape mice (it’s like flat standard mice with some ergonomics to support handgrip for right or left hand on the mouse).

The difference between these two mice is that a symmetrical (also known as an ambidextrous) mouse can be used with both hands.

And an ergonomic mouse shape is specifically designed for the right or left hand. You can not use these mice with both hands.

Ergonomic mice have contoured shapes that can support your fingers. For example, these mice have curves/grooves to support your fingers or thumb for better mouse grip.

When it comes to choosing between ergonomic and ambidextrous mice. I recommend gamers who use palm grip to go with an ergonomic mouse. The reason is that you put your whole hand on the mouse; the ergonomic mice are designed in a way to give you a much better grip over the mouse.

For gamers who prefer claw grip or fingertip grip, an ambidextrous mouse would be a better choice. Because you use your fingers mainly to operate, a shaped mouse for a particular hand and with finger placing support would not fit well in hands for the claw type of grip.

3. Selecting  a Mouse for Your Hand Size.

The computer mice are available in three sizes: small, medium, and large.

Choosing the right mouse for your hand is easy. You just need to measure your hand length from the tip of the middle finger to the joint of the wrist. Also, measure the width of your hand from the middle of your wrist.

Using below chart you can find out you hand size in relation to mouse size.

Small Computer Mouse: Length under 6.7 inches and width 2.9 – 3.3 inches

Medium Computer Mouse: Length 2.9 – 3.3 inches and width 3.3 – 3.9 inches

Large Computer Mouse: Length over 7.9 inches and width 3.9 – 4.3 inches

Note: The above measurement is not for children and people who have extra-large hands.

4. Selecting Sensor for the Mouse

The sensor controls/regulates the DPI (dots per inch), polling rate, acceleration, tracking speed (IPS), and lift-off distance of the mouse. All these factors directly impact how well the mouse can do.

A mouse with a good sensor will always help in your work especially if your work requires precision.

It’s always beneficial to have a gaming mouse with the maximum freedom to adjust the parameters mentioned above, this allows you to find the best combination of configurable parameters according to your needs.

5. Selecting Mouse Feet

Mouse skates are also important. A mouse that can glide smoothly and easily is much better than a mouse that resists when you move it. If your mouse doesn’t glide smoothly, it won’t be easy to work or play games. You will get tired soon.

Most gaming mouse nowadays comes with virgin-grade skates made of PTFE material, which causes less friction and gives you a smooth gliding experience.

So make sure that your mouse has PTFE feet, also known as Teflon skates.

Selecting mouse for FPS games

If you are fond of games that fall in first-person shooter games, a lightweight mouse would be the best gaming mouse for you. Because these types of games require you to make tons of sharp, abrupt movements with ease due to their lightweight.

A gaming mouse with standard buttons can be a good choice. However, several mice are available that feature a special shooter button that you can trigger with your thumb instead of your finger button.

For shooting games, gamers always prefer lighter mice with some extra buttons that can be configured as they want. If your mouse is heavy, not only does your hand get tired quickly but also, in the long run, you could develop problems like carpal tunnel syndrome or trigger finger issues.

So always choose a lighter mouse for FPS games.

Selecting Mouse for MMO/MOBA games

MMO game players usually need more buttons than any other game. Because these games have a variety of moves that an avatar in the game can perform and plenty of weapons and gadgets that require quick shuffling in the game.

A mouse with lots of buttons and each button mappable to do a specific task would be a good choice.

There is no specific number of buttons the MMO mouse should have. But as a rule of thumb is that buttons should be programmable to assign specific tasks to them.

Another thing that needs to be considered is the placement of buttons on the mouse. Suppose the mouse buttons are aligned close to each other, and you have beefy fingers. In that case, it will be difficult to press them, or you can end up pressing the wrong or two buttons simultaneously.

To avoid this situation, try to find a mouse whose buttons are not close to each other.

5 Personal Preferences When Choosing a Mouse

1. Grip Style for Mouse

Most of us know three grip styles claw grip, fingertip, and palm grip. Each grip has its own benefits.

But after researching on it, we find out that it’s purely a matter of personal preferences, ease, and comfort for what grip style you use.

Every person is different from others and has different strengths and capabilities.

Some gamers may have strong fingers and can control the mouse better with fingers others may have good control over wrist movements so a palm grip would be good for them.

So it’s up to you what mouse grip style you choose. I suggest trying all styles to find the best mouse grip you feel is best for you.

Sometimes it takes time to come to a decision, so spend some time trying each style before you finalize.

2. Selecting Lights for Mouse

Honestly, RGB mouse does not make any difference in work efficiency or gameplay practically. If your mouse runs on battery these lights will drain them fast.

But still, mice with fancy lighting are popular among gamers. The reason for popularity and demand is that RGB mice can increase the excitement from 10% to 15% in the game.

3. Silent Click Mouse

Mouse users who don’t like mouse click sound can opt for a mouse with low click sound or no sound at all. Sometimes, you don’t want to annoy people with repeated mouse click noise around you. In that case, a soundless click mouse is a good option.

4. Cable for Wired Mouse

If you have been using the wired gaming mouse, I am sure you must have come across a situation where your mouse cable is stuck or has caused drag while working or playing games.

A mouse with plastic wires is also difficult to handle when tangled or rolled.

A simple solution is to get a wired mouse with braided wire or replace the wire with braided wire.

But the problem with braided wires is that they are a bit heavy though they are softer than plastic wires, but the wire weight ocould cause drag.

The solution to avoid drag is to get a mouse bungee so that you can use the wired mouse freely without any problem.

5. Weight of Mouse

What should be the ideal weight for the mouse is a subjective and objective question?

In short, this decision is entirely based on your preference and use of mouse. Every person is different from other in several ways. All have different physical strength and capabilities.

If we see things from an objective point of view, we can choose the mouse that can help us obtain the desired result with ease.

For example, some games require sharp, quick movements. If you choose a heavy mouse for such games, you will not compete well because it would be difficult to maneuver the mouse with a heavy mouse.

While in some games, you do not make sudden precise movements. These games can be played well with a relatively heavier mouse because with heavier mice you can control mouse movements better.

Similarly, if you are using the mouse for everyday work, a lighter mouse is best for you. And if you are a professional graphic designer, a heavier mouse would be good for you for better control over the cursor.

And if we talk about subjectively, many users prefer a mouse that feels good in their hand regardless of its weight.

But the questions is that what is heavy or light for you? How to choose between a lightweight mouse and a heavy mouse?

6. Mouse Switches

In any mouse, the main two micro switches left and right, are very important in a mouse because they are the most used buttons on the mouse. Different switches have features like the force required to press the switch, the feel you get by pressing, and how much sound they make when pressed.
You can choose a mouse that is noise, with medium level noise or mild or no noise. It’s up to you what you prefer.

All the modern mice allow you to control mouse functions like restricting the mouse to just a single click or changing the debounce rate, which is required for games that require high clicks per second.

There are different CPS techniques that you can use, like drag clicking, butterfly clicking, or jitter clicking.
You will find mechanical switches in most mice available on the market.

FAQs

 How long does a mouse last?

On average, a good quality build mouse can last for 3 to 4 years. It also depends on how you use it and take care of your mouse.

Mostly, it has been observed that many gaming mice have a shorter life. Because in gaming, the gamer sometimes gets emotional and reacts intensely, they put a lot of pressure on the mouse in the flow of emotion during the gaming session.

As a result of success or defeat in the game, the immediate reaction of your emotions is mostly exerted on the mouse. That is one of the reasons gaming mice have a short span of life, approximately one or two years on average.

Why use a heavy mouse?

Many gamers use heavy mice because it gives more control over the movement.

The heavy mouse is also a good choice for graphic designers who require minute movements in their work.

What is the ideal weight for a mouse?

Any mouse under 100 grams and above 75 grams can be considered the ideal weight for a mouse in general.

Also, there are mice available in the market with adjustable weight options. You can increase or decrease the mouse weight as per your needs.

Are heavy mice bad for FPS?

First, this decision should be based on personal choice if you are comfortable with the heavier mouse, go with it.

In general, the majority of FPS gamers prefer lightweight mice. The reason behind not choosing the heavy mouse is that FPS games involve quick and sudden movements and require accurate pointing for aiming. These types of moves could be difficult to make with heavier mice.

Heavier mice could also lead to medical problems like wrist or shoulder pain. This can be avoided by using special ergonomic mice that can help prevent such medical conditions.

What’s the best shape for a mouse for hand health?

An ergonomic mouse is always good for the hand and makes your work easy. When using a mouse, you want to make sure it’s comfortable, which most people don’t think about.

Most people just want to buy a new mouse, but that doesn’t always help. You need to be sure it’s comfortable for you.

The vertical mouse is a good choice if you work long hours or play games for long sessions. A vertical mouse keeps your hand in a neutral, relaxed position and avoid developing problems relating to RSI.

What is the difference between a gaming mouse and a regular mouse?

Gaming mice are purpose-built mice optimized for the best gaming experience and performance.

They are loaded with special sensors with adjustable DPI, higher polling rate, better buttons quality, and are more expensive than the regular mice. You can program their buttons; gaming mice have more buttons than a standard mouse.

Decent mice with less or limited customization options is a good option for day-to-day office work.

How much should a gaming mouse cost?

A reasonable gaming mouse could cost under $50, but there are some expensive mice and have a price tag from $500 to $1000 and above.

These super expensive mice either are built for specific tasks or have high-quality parts installed such as optical mice sensors, special buttons, or functions.

What is the best brand for gaming mice?

There are many brands in the market that are bringing different innovations in the technology used in the mouse and improving the performance and overall gaming experience.

Below is the list of some leading mouse brands.

• RAZER
• GLORIOUS
• ASUS
• Logitech
• CORSAIR
• STEELSERIES
• ROCCAT