Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
After installing the software and configuring the mouse to my preference, we put the Sound BlasterX Siege M04 through our series of standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in Microsoft Windows environments, as well as gaming with first person shooting games, such as 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 Sound BlasterX Siege M04. I would like to say I did not want to switch back to my original mouse after I adapted to the Sound BlasterX Siege M04. There are two major reasons. First, wireless mice are typically heavier than the wired ones due to the extra weight for batteries. I really enjoyed the feel of the Sound BlasterX Siege M04. It is not light, but 143g works well in my books. Second, it was easy to find a comfortable way of holding the mouse. Creative made the mouse really big; my whole palm could comfortably sit on the back of the mouse. I have a normal sized hand, and I believe a person with a big hand can also enjoy this product. The rubber textured grips on both sides provided enough friction to enable me to precisely control the mouse. I would like to point out that, comparing with the Cooler Master Xornet II I reviewed before, the rubber textured grip is actually better than a real rubber grip. At least I personally prefer to have a rubber textured grip applied on hard plastic. This is because the real rubber sometimes feels too sticky and soft, and it is not easy to clean.
The Sound BlasterX Siege M04 was designed as a high performance 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 quick response time for a lag-free experience. The switches also provided crisp and responsive clicks. It has a maximum 12,000 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 at a 12,000 DPI setting. For gaming, I normally use 1,000 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 Sound BlasterX Siege M04 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 Sound BlasterX Siege M04, haha.
In terms of productivity work like office work and graphic designs, the Sound BlasterX Siege M04 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 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, regrading both gaming and productivity work performance, there were no obvious shortcomings for me to point out on the Sound BlasterX Siege M04 after weeks of using it. The Sound BlasterX Siege M04 was very well balanced. You can use it to win a game, finish a lot of work, and also to amaze your friends at a LAN party.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
