Review: Razer DeathAdder
At the start of summer, I was saddened by the loss of my computer mouse.
The mouse was a Logitech G5, and it served me well for over 5 years. I used it when I played Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft, and many other games. The mouse had an ergonomic design, on-the-fly DPI changing, and programmable buttons. Unfortunately, when the mouse died, I had no funds to purchase a new mouse, so I had to use a stock HP laser mouse. After using the HP mouse for several months, I realized it was time to purchase a REAL mouse. My criteria: programmable buttons, DPI switching, different user profiles, ergonomic design, and precision control; I need this at a good price too.
At E3 this year, I was lucky enough to meet with Razer, and I got hands on with a lot of their new products. This experience paired with good word-of-mouth marketing, led to the decision to try out Razer—also Andrew had a brand new DeathAdder that was still in the box. However, does the DeathAdder live up to the hype?
First and foremost, let’s talk packaging. The DeathAdder’s packaging is clean and pleasing to look at. The box has a flap that can open so you can see the mouse and say hi. Inside the package, Razer includes some stickers, a certificate of authenticity, and more pamphlets than a Jehovah’s Witness.
Installation was extremely simple; just plug in the mouse, go to the Razer support site, download and install the drivers, then reset your PC. After that, I was able to set up my custom profiles, which includes DPI settings (450,900, 1800, or 3500), polling rate (125Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz), logo and scroll button light, and button programming. In addition to these things, there are options for sensitivity, and you can even get into specifics and change the X and Y axis to different sensitivities. Also, if you set a button to Advanced Functions, you can make the button into a custom macro. As you can tell, this mouse has a great deal of customization, but let’s get down to how the mouse feels and performs.
The mouse has a 2-piece body. The lower half being made up of shiny plastic and it houses the two side buttons and the stock switch for profile switching. The upper half has a matte finish with a non-slip coating, to keep your fingers from sliding off when sweaty from a long marathon of gaming. The mouse has an ergonomic design, and it felt good after hours of gaming—by hours, I mean an all-nighter of Counter-Strike: Source. The main buttons were set up for easy access; however, I did have a problem with the buttons, but I will get to that in my cons section.
The mouse has low latency and is extremely precise. My main profile was set to 1000Hz with a DPI of 1800. Once I found my preferred mouse sensitivity, I noticed that the performance was exceptional. In Counter-Strike: Source my headshot ratio has gone up considerably; also when playing Battlefield Bad Company 2, the sniper sway was negated almost completely by the precision and added control of the DeathAdder and its 3.5G infrared sensor. The mouse performed well in Rift as well, it kept up with the game, and there was no lag whatsoever. The ultraslick material on the mouse feet lives up to Razer’s claims, providing an experience that has no interruptions from sticky mouse feet—something that happened quite frequently with the HP mouse and even with the Logitech G5. Also, the braided mouse cable is near 7 feet long (no snags or worry of unwanted desk interference) and if it is anything like the braided cord on my old G5, it should hold up for years. Now with the pleasantries out of the way, it is time to focus on the shortcomings of the Razer DeathAdder.
The DeathAdder is victim to a few design flaws that may not be deal breakers, but they warrant mention in this review. The ability to change to 3500 DPI, although helpful in certain situations, provided movement that was unnecessary for someone who isn’t anal about quick movement. The shiny plastic underbody is easily coated by dust after sweat is left on the mouse, but that problem is easily remedied with proper mouse care. The stock button setup on the DeathAdder has a major flaw, and that is that it lacks proper buttons for profile switching on the top of the mouse. The only button that can switch profiles is located on the underside of the mouse. The only way to remedy this is by changing the side buttons to that task; however, you have to switch this in every profile, which is extremely annoying. This problem is compounded since the ability to make custom macros isn’t very appealing when the side buttons are the best choices for that function. While the mouse has a decent weight, I am a fan of a slightly heftier mouse, and I wish that the DeathAdder had the ability to insert weights in order to give the mouse the heft that I desire. Lastly, the DeathAdder tracks motion when lifted which can prove annoying when making wider swiping motions.
The Razer DeathAdder is an exceptional mouse, and it is just the tip of the Razer iceberg as it is part of the Essential line—the Expert and Elite lines are its older brothers. The mouse boasts a modest price point of $59.99, which is surprisingly low when you think about the features that this mouse includes. Even though the mouse has some shortcomings, they shouldn’t change anyone’s mind about whether or not to purchase, since most mice in this price range don’t offer all these features. The DeathAdder may not be the most action-packed mouse in Razer’s lineup, but if you don’t have $100+ to spend on a top-tier gaming mouse, then this is a wonderful product. You can purchase the DeathAdder here; however it is currently on back order, so try Amazon—see, my review has some weight. Also, since the HP mouse failed to perform, you will be able to see the punishment that it endures later in the week.
A-
