Reviewed: January 12, 2005
Reviewed by: Mat Houghton

Manufacturer
Razer

Type: Mouse
System: PC

Rating: 9.0

System Requirements

  • Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
  • USB Port 1.1/2.0

    MSRP: $59.99

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    If you, much like myself, have been laboring under the auspices of a less than high-quality mouse then I suggest you move into the modern age. I thought, you know, that all mice were created equal. Yeah some have more buttons, no wires, or what have you, but essentially they were all the same. Not so gentle reader.

    Razer has made quite a tasty little package with their Diamondback Precision Gaming Mouse, starting with a comfortable design – grooves for your fingers on the buttons, a back that fits the curve of your palm perfectly, and for those lefties of you out there it is ambidextrous so you can use it too. Add on to that 1600 dpi, a 16-bit data pipe, and motion detection of up to 40 inches per second and you have power as well as comfort.

    Diamondback Precision Gaming Mouse features:

    • Optical engine powered by kärna precision
    • 1600 dpi, twice that of conventional high performance sensors
    • High speed motion detection, up to 40ips and 15g
    • Frame rate over 6400 frames per second (5.8 megapixels per second)
    • 16 bit data path, as compared to 8 bit and 12 bit data paths used by other conventional mice
    • Always On Mode – the optical sensor never powers down - provides instantaneous response at all times during gameplay
    • Buttons – 7 physical buttons optimized for gaming response and independently programmable
    • Ultra large non-slip mouse buttons, tactile response design
    • Non-slip side rails and new ergonomic ambidextrous design
    • Zero acoustic Teflon feet for smooth motion over any surface
    • Gold plated USB connector for maximum conductivity
    • Size: 5.04" length x 2.5" width x 1.54" height
    • 7 foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord
    • Award winning Razer drivers featuring On-the-Fly sensitivity adjustment
    Those of you who are less tech savvy may appreciate a simple example. I have my mouse sensitivity set at about the half way mark, with my old mouse I’d be moving all over the mouse pad and sometimes have to pick it up to reposition. Now I can cover the perimeter of my 17” screen within about a 1” box of movement.

    Razer has also included some proprietary software drivers that allow you to tweak the sensitivity on-the-fly and when combined with the 1600dpi optical sensor you literally have the second best and most responsive mouse on the planet next to Logitech's MX1000, and they had to use a "laser" to edge out this mouse.

    Razer doesn’t stop there however. In addition to power, comfort, and control, they also give you style on top of the substance. The Diamondback comes in two colors, a translucent red or the iridescent green that shifts colors depending on the light. The wheel and sides also glow red when the computer is on so you can be the envy of all the Rudolphs in your gaming crew. While the Diamondback does run at the high end of the price range ($59.99) it’s precision, comfort and style make it well worth the expenditure if you’re looking for a high quality mouse.

    The Razer eXactMat is something a little more frivolous however. Having a mouse pad that I could kill someone with is gratifying, but not really useful. The eXactMat is a big piece of metal that has two textured sides, one for “speed” and one for “control”. This is all well and good, but they provided no appreciable difference to me during use, at least with the Diamondback.

    Razer eXactMat features:

    • The Razer eXactMat - Razer's first mousing surface!
    • Two-sided, longer-lasting Anodized Aluminum mousing surfaces
    • "SPEED" for high-sensitivity users
    • "CONTROL" side for low-sensitivity and professional design users
    • Over-sized and uniquely-shaped, 10.4" x 13" x 0.1" (265 x 330 mm x 2.5 mm)
    • Jet-black with Razer green logo
    • Non-slip, anti-reflective, abrasion resistant hard coat
    I will say that it is decidedly more comfortable than I first thought it would be, being a big chunk of aluminum. The problems with it are that it’s expensive, clocking in at $34.99, and it doesn’t really provide that much in the way of usefulness as opposed to a pad I can get for $5.

    Also the thing is half again as big as other mouse pads and with a mouse like the Diamondback or most likely any other high precision mouse most of that space is wasted. The eXactMat does look good despite the silly l33t spelling, but this is a product geared toward that demographic.

    If you’re looking to build a very high end gaming system and don’t really care about the money then definitely pick up the Diamondback Precision Gaming Mouse and if you have the desk space and some spare cash you can complete the package with the eXactMat and be the envy of all your peers.