Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
After installing the software and configuring everything to my preference, we put the Cooler Master MasterMouse MM520 through our series of standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in the Microsoft Windows environment, as well as gaming within first person shooting game such as the Counter-Strike 1.6. Graphics work was done in addition to regular office usage with Microsoft Visio. The majority of the tests were done on a normal tracking surface. Please note these are subjective tests, but we will attempt to make it as objective as possible with our cross-reference testing methods.
In order to review this mouse, I switched my daily driver, a Logitech M510, which is a wireless palm grip mouse, to the MasterMouse MM520. I really liked the way the MasterMouse MM520 felt. The major reason was due to the excellent ergonomic design of this device. It was easy to find a comfortable way holding the mouse, even for the first time using it. The ring finger could comfortably sit on the dedicated finger rest. It is worth noting the finger rest was long enough to provide support for the whole length of the ring finger. The rubber grip on the right side provided enough friction to enable me to precisely control the mouse. I would like to have a rubber grip on the left side as well for better handling though. The wide-body design allowed all of my five fingers to naturally hold the mouse instead of forcing my fingers to be compatible with the shape its shell. In other words, the product was designed to fit my hand, not my hand to fit the design of the product. In addition, as a mouse designed mainly for a claw grip, the MM520 is not that short. The mouse also provides palm rest functionality, although it may not be the case if you have an extra-large hand.
On Cooler Master’s website, the MasterMouse MM520 is ascribed as the successor to the Spawn gaming mouse. The designer definitely had a clear goal for this mouse -- to help its owner beat rivals in-game. This product worked perfectly for first person shooter games like Counter-Strike 1.6. From my tests, it had precise tracking and a quick response time for a lag-free experience. The switches also provided crisp and responsive clicks. It has a maximum 12000 DPI sensitivity, which is beyond the sensitivity of most sane users. Likewise, it was totally beyond my capability to use the full DPI setting in games like Counter-Strike 1.6, since I found that my gun would simply move too fast for me to follow. For gaming, I normally use 1000 DPI, while for other tasks like browsing the Internet, I use 800 DPI. I could easily adjust the DPI either directly on the mouse or through the GUI. The sensor provided just what I needed to perform precise turns in FPS games. The only thing that was not perfect for the MasterMouse MM520 was weight adjustment, since this mouse does not support it. If you are picky and do not like its stock weight, then you will be out of luck. I am lucky because I like the weight of the MasterMouse MM520, haha.
In terms of the productivity work, like office work and graphic designs, the MasterMouse MM520 was equally as capable. The ergonomic design made it really comfortable to hold for hours of hard work. All the buttons were properly located such that it was hard to accidentally press any one of them. If you have different preferences when performing different tasks, you can also easily switch between your predefined four sets of DPI settings on-the-fly. Regarding the cursor precision, I found the mouse was pretty smooth when the sensitivity was below 5000 DPI. Beyond that, little jitters start to appear in testing. Frankly speaking, its sensor offered satisfying performance in terms of precision, since most of the time, our DPI setting was below 5000, therefore the experience was promising. Generally speaking, in terms of both gaming and productivity work, there were no obvious shortcomings for me to point out on the Cooler Master MasterMouse MM520 after weeks of using it. The MM520 was very well balanced, and personally speaking, I have no reserve in using it as my daily working mouse.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
