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Cooler Master is not in an enviable position, going up against some of gaming's biggest names. In professional gaming an excellent mouse can make all the difference. Luckily for Cooler Master they have created a great product in the CM Storm Havoc. However, there are areas where we feel it is imperative they need to improve on for future iterations of their line-up.
While some would argue that being able to switch between different DPI levels on the fly is a gimmick, it is an incredibly useful feature when handled properly. If you are playing the Recon class in Battlefield 3 on a map such as Wake Island the ability to switch from fast aiming to slow, determined aiming can mean the difference between a kill and giving away your position. We would have liked to see Cooler Master follow in Logitech's steps with their excellent placement of the PDI settings buttons on the G500.
The overall construction of the mouse is excellent. Cooler Master has obviously spent plenty of time designing the product, but we cannot escape the fact that a glossy finish on the right side is a poor choice for both ventilation and grip. Extending the pleasant rubber coating to the right side of the mouse would have resulted in a slightly higher score for the Havoc.
On the software side of things we feel that Cooler Master provides users with plenty of customization options, but it does feel a little cluttered. The configuration screen size cannot be adjusted which makes everything look cramped. We hope Cooler Master will space out the available options more in future releases to provide a cleaner look that matches the mouse.
We used the CM Storm Control-RX Gaming Mouse Pad for our tests and found it to be an excellent mouse pad. The Lycra cloth surface is soft and smooth and is near impossible to move without lifting up a corner. If you are in the market to replace a mouse pad that is sliding all over your desk we have no hesitations recommending the CM Storm Control-RX Gaming Mouse Pad. It is currently available in the US for $29.99, or roughly £20 inc vat when it hits the UK.
The CM Storm Havoc is set to be available in Europe from this month. At the time of writing it is available for $62.10 from Amazon in the US. Unless the price is converted 1:1, we can expect the CM Storm Havoc to retail around £45-£50 inc vat.
Pros:
- Excellent build quality.
- Customizable lighting.
- The rubber coating provides excellent grip.
- Excellent tracking capabilities.
- Does not break the bank for high-end features.
Cons:
- Placement of DPI settings buttons could have been better.
- DPI LEDs are difficult to see in bright conditions.
- Choice of glossy finish on the right-hand side does not benefit grip.
Kitguru says: a great mouse, but there is some room for improvement. Within the price range it is definitely worth consideration.
