Reviewed: October 25, 2005
Reviewed by: Jeff Gedgaud

Manufacturer
Razer

Type: Mouse
System: PC

Rating: 10.0

System Requirements

But it's gaming where you will see the real difference. The smooth movement of the cursor and how well the mouse controls the speed of that cursor, or in the case of FPS games, the weapon your pointing at the bad guys, is great. I really had no idea how much better a high precision mouse was, and thankful I got to try one out.

The Razer Copperhead Precision Gaming Mouse features:

• 2000 DPI Laser Engine Powered by Razer Precision™
• 1000 Hz Ultrapolling™ with 1 ms response time as compared with 125Hz/8 ms response time used by other conventional gaming mice
• 32KB Onboard Memory Powered by Razer Synapse™
• 7 independently programmable buttons optimized with Razer’s Hyperesponse™ technology for ultra tactile button feedback and maximum actions-per-minute (APM) gameplay
• Zero-Acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon feet
• 16 bit data path, as compared to 8 bit and 12 bit data paths used by other conventional mice
• High speed motion detection, up to 45ips and 20g / Over 7080 frames per second
• Always-On™ mode pioneered by Razer™ - the laser engine sensor never powers down to provide instantaneous response at all times during gameplay
• Award winning Razer™ drivers featuring On-the-Fly Sensitivity™ DPI adjustment pioneered by Razer
• Size: 5.04" length x 2.5" width x 1.54" height
• GlowPipe™ non-slip side rails
• Ergonomic ambidextrous design
• Ultra large non-slip rubber coated mouse buttons
• Gold plated USB connector for maximum conductivity
• 7 foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord

The glowing sides of the mouse are a nice touch even if they are unnecessary. The glowing wheel and pulsing logo on the top just add to the unique look of the black and, in my case, blue mouse. There are other colors available, Tempest Blue, Chaos Green and Anarchy Red.

Durability - 10

The Copperhead mouse is ergonomic, which means it fits your hand more naturally, and is ambidextrous so whether your left or right handed you will be comfortable using it. The buttons on top are coated and are not too smooth nor too rough. There are smooth feet that are Teflon coated so they slide well on whatever surface you use for your mouse. The sides of the mouse above the four side buttons have a rubber pad to help you hold and move the mouse accurately.

Performance - 10

All of the features sound like a lot of things just for a mouse but a lot of it is actually pretty easy to understand, the laser uses a smaller beam for it's movement. The previous version of a precision mouse from Razer, the Diamondback, had a 1600 Dot Per Inch laser, this one tops out at 2000 DPI. The polling is how many times the mouse updates the position of the cursor and the mouse. I know it's not that simple but that is the basics of polling for those of us who are not into the technology of the features.

The onboard memory is for the various programmable profiles that can be saved on the mouse and not your computer. This means that you can store things like the settings for the speed, polling rate and DPI rate along with the button assignments for the seven buttons used for the 5 profiles. You have to use the drivers for the mouse from Razer, they call the program Synapse, on one computer to program the buttons and other settings.

I tried this on my laptop, programmed two profiles on the mouse with my desktop computer using the drivers downloaded from Razer and then unplugged the mouse and could use it right away with the different profiles already on the mouse. The mouse will have the profiles on them when you unplug it from the first computer and the new computer will just recognize the new mouse and tell the computer what it is. The profiles were saved on the mouse already and I could instantly change from one to the next profile and button settings with a quick press of the button on the bottom of the mouse. It flashes each time for the number of the profile, one flash for profile one and so on.

There are seven mouse buttons, three in the usual places, the two fingers and the wheel click. They also have the four additional ones, two on each side under the lighted rubber sides. It's nice to have more than the usual three buttons on the mouse, but it takes some getting used to, especially the two that are towards the end of the mouse without the cord by your palm.

I played on a couple of games, and boy it was nice to have the button for reloading on the side for my thumb to use, instead of having to move my hand away from the movement keys. In a game like SWAT 4, when the action is quick, moving your hand away from the movement keys to hit another button to reload can waste that precious second and get you shot instead of letting you get behind cover as your reloading.

The other feature that I really like is the award winning On-The-Fly Sensitivity Adjustment, it is really the best feature of the mouse. With the drivers installed on the computer your using the mouse with, you can change the sensitivity for the mouse and cursor while in a program or game, the sensitivity is how far the cursor moves when you move the mouse.

If the gun you are pointing or your character is moving too quickly or too slowly, just hold the button you preprogrammed for On-The-Fly and roll the wheel up or down to change the sensitivity. A small bar will come up in your screen to show what the setting is, and you adjust it up or down to your liking. You don't have to exit the game or program your in at all, but you have to be using the software drivers to use this feature. The Synapse program has to be on the computer your trying to use the ON-The-Fly Sensitivity Adjustment on.

There's not only the updated drivers available for download at the Razer website, but they have added a feature to update the mouse's program called firmware in the future. There is a setup and programming to do this and it sounds easy enough, but they don't have an update available yet, they made this feature for future expansion.

Value - 10

I'm not one to go out and spend so much on a peripheral for my computer, but this is one item that is worthy of the $79.99 price tag. This mouse is not just for gaming though, it is a great mouse for many different things; graphics, precision photo editing, there's no end to the benefits of a really good mouse.

I used the mouse doing some cropping and photo editing and it works very well when you try things like freehand cropping. Just adjust the sensitivity down and you can keep the movement of the cursor smooth and even on the screen. If your a gamer and enjoy the precision of a really good mouse, this is a small price to pay for one.

Overall - 10

The Razer Copperhead is an excellent precision mouse. It's On-The-Fly Sensitivity Adjustment while in a game or any other program for that matter makes it worth the cost. One quick thing about the drivers for the mouse, if your planning on getting this mouse, don't bother using the mouse drivers on the included CD. The updated driver is available from Razer at their website and to install the new ones, you'll only have to delete the old ones.

If your looking for an excellent performance mouse for gaming or even for precision control of your cursor for things like graphics programs, the Razer Copperhead is for you.