Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
After plugging the mouse in and setting up the software, I ran it through our series of standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in the Windows environment as well as gaming. Some graphics work and testing were done with Adobe Photoshop. Games used in this test primarily include Aimlabs, Overwatch, and League of Legends. This spans different genres and allows us to get a feel as to how the mouse responds in different situations. All testing was completed on a XTracGear Carbonic XXL. Please note these are subjective tests, but we will attempt to make them as objective as possible with our cross-reference testing methods.
Compared to the usual mice I have been driving daily, the Cooler Master MM712, the be quiet! Dark Perk Sym felt familiar in some ways. For one, both have an ambidextrous shape, which may or may not be preferred by some. As well, due to the curvature, the MM712 and the Dark Perk Sym feel like it is made for similarly sized hands. Its low height and center hump meant it did not always fit right into my palm. As such, there were times where I held the mouse in a claw grip and sometimes in a fingertip grip. Regardless of which position, I appreciated the smooth but easy to grip surface for comfort. Those with larger hands will lean towards a fingertip grip, while those with small to medium hands may swap between this and a claw grip, depending on your preference.
Weight-wise, the be quiet! Dark Perk Sym is light at 55g. This is a preference thing, but I prefer light mice. I also found the structure to be very sturdy, and I enjoyed the clean appearance with no top holes for debris to fall into. For sensitivity, I never went above 1600DPI in my daily use, even if I can configure it up to 32000DPI. As for inputs, I was impressed by the Omron optical switches under the primary buttons. Audible and tactile feedback was muted in a proper way to reduce the sharp clicks while still feeling satisfying to press.
When I tested battery life, I only charged it once when I first got the be quiet! Dark Perk Sym and have been using it daily for a month without needing to recharge. While this is not continuous use, this proves users can use this freely without worrying about battery life. I also tested this with the default polling rate of 1000Hz, and I expect the battery to drain faster if you increase the reporting frequency. The be quiet! Dark Perk Sym is quite aggressive in its power savings measures, as the mouse has two levels of sleep that can be configured. I set "soft sleep" to occur after one minute and "deep sleep" after five. One thing I did notice was that it took a few seconds longer for the Dark Perk Sym to wake from sleep. Even so, I was extremely impressed with its longevity.
Considering the target market, I tested the be quiet! Dark Perk Sym in gaming situations. While I do not claim to be the best gamer, I found playing with the Dark Perk Sym was very satisfying. Tracking was consistent, smooth, and predictable. In games like Overwatch and Aimlabs, it was easy to flick shoot, and the mouse performed as expected. The light body ensured the mouse did not hold me back. Furthermore, clutching onto the rubber-like body was a delight. I could not force any errors through erratic movement and the mouse never spun out. In MOBAs like League of Legends, tracking and click performance again held up well, as everything felt consistent. Those who play MMORPGs may want more buttons on the mouse, but the Dark Perk Sym again made up for it with its solid tracking and comfort.
When looking at more technical issues, the PAW3950 was flawless. Photoshop tests with free-hand lassoing revealed even minute details and movements were picked up without problem. Moving in straight lines showed zero signs of prediction or angle snapping at all sensitivity settings. You can enable this in its settings, but by default this is disabled. Its response time felt consistent throughout my use and input lag was not perceivable in either operation mode. Lift off distance was also configurable between three settings. There was no slam clicking, even at the lowest click response time. There was only a slight amount of jitter at extremely high sensitivity, although I was not sure if it was just my hand moving or the mouse itself. Overall, the be quiet! Dark Perk Sym performed well in these technical tests.
For its performance, the be quiet! Dark Perk Sym was truly excellent. The wireless operation for the optical mouse was comfortable, and its light shell was complemented well with an easy to grip surface. Tracking performance with the PixArt PAW3950 was great in gaming and technical tests. There was no notable input latency and tracking response was consistent. Its shape is ambidextrous and should fit into either left- or right-handed users, but I would recommend trying it out before buying.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
