CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse / Control-RX Mouse Pad Review

1. Introduction2. The CM Storm Control-RX Gaming Mouse Pad3. Packaging & Bundle4. Software & Performance5. Conclusion6. View All Pages

Cooler Master has released some terrific cases, mice, keyboards and headsets under their CM Storm brand in recent years. Today we will be taking a look at their Control-RX Gaming Mouse Pad and the latest addition to their gaming mice line-up, the CM Storm Havoc. The CM Storm Havoc comes equipped with an Avago 9800 sensor capable of 100-8200 DPI, 8 programmable buttons and 128KB onboard memory. Set to retail around £40 it faces stiff competition from the likes of Logitech, Razer and Steelseries. The question is, can the Havoc prove itself against the goliaths of gaming mice?

Cooler Master also provided us with their latest large gaming mouse pad, the CM Storm Control-RX. The Control-RX features a Lycra cloth surface, non-slip Polyurethane base and is said to work with all types of sensors. We'll be using this mouse pad to put the Havoc through its paces in this review.

CM Storm Havoc Specifications:

• Avago 9800 laser sensor with 100-8200 DPI.
• Highest grade Japanese Omron micro switches.
• Up to 5 million button clicks.
• 8 programmable buttons.
• Rubber side grip for stability and fast mouse swipes.
• Build in memory for easy plug and use.
• Smooth super grip rubber coasting.
• 1.8 meter flexible and extremely durable mousecord.
• Up to 4 profiles setting.

CM Storm  Control-RX Specifications:

• Material: Lycra Surface tailored for low DPI, Polyurethane base.
• Thickness: 5mm.
• Size: 440 x 350 x 5mm.

The CM Storm Control-RX Gaming Mouse Pad ships in a bright box with a clear image of the pad and a small cut-out.

The cut-out is a great way for users to check the pad's material before making a purchase.

The Control-RX uses a weave pattern that is made out of Lycra cloth material and is very smooth. A close-up of the mouse mat shows the weave pattern. The edges are rounded to prevent fraying of the mouse pad.

The CM Storm Havoc ships in a black box with a clear image of the mouse, engulfed in flames, on the front.

The back of the box lists several key features of the mouse and follows the same color scheme.

The front of the box is kept closed with Velcro. Opening the flap reveals the Havoc and a diagram of the layout of the mouse. Included in the box are the mouse, a leaflet with warranty information and the manual.

A top view of the mouse shows the CM Storm logo placed at the back of the mouse. Once connected, the logo lights up, as do the scroll wheel and DPI buttons. These buttons can be configured to light up in different colours, while the DPI LEDs on the top left of the mouse only light up white. The scroll wheel has a slightly rougher rubber finish to enhance your grip.

The right side of the mouse has a smooth glossy finish and does not feature any branding or special functions.

The left side of the mouse shows the three thumb buttons. The middle thumb button has a small protrusion, making it easier to correctly place your thumb without having to look at the mouse. The area surrounding the scroll wheel is glossy, creating an attractive contrast with the rubber texture.

The sensor has been placed slightly above the centre of the mouse, which is also where the only branding on the mouse can be found. The feet are made out of three parts, providing full coverage and even pressure distribution during operation.

The cable is entirely braided and is surprisingly smooth, preventing the wire from getting stuck on edges or fraying. A nice little touch is the CM Storm logo on the USB connector.

Cooler Master does not provide an installation disc in the box. Instead, the drivers for each specific mouse can be downloaded from their product pages. The Havoc's drivers can be found here. Installation is a straightforward process and should not pose an issue for any users.

The Main screen displays and lets you edit assigned mouse button functions. Along the bottom of the screen you can quickly switch to one of 4 profiles stored in the Havoc's onboard memory.

Selecting Rapid Fire (Mouse) as an assigned function brings up a small window where you can define whether you want to use the function as a Left Click, Right-Click, etc. The Repeat number indicates the number of times that you want to simulate clicks. As an example, this allows you set up burst fire in FPS titles with a single click.

It is important to keep in mind that a lot of games have a built-in filter to prevent abuse of such a function. Counter-Strike and Battlefield 3 did not allow for the Rapid Fire function to work in combination with pistols, though it did allow burst fire with rifles.

The Advanced screen is more interesting, harbouring the DPI and LED settings.

The default DPI settings are 800, 2400, 5600 and 8200. The last column, marked USB, defines the polling rate which can be set to values between 100Hz and 1000Hz.

The middle section of the screen is used to configure the mouse's lighting with the options to turn all lighting off, a breathing mode which slowly fades the lighting and lights back up and the Rapid Fire Mode. The Rapid Fire mode sets the lighting up in such a way that whenever you click a button it flashes white.

A total of 7 colors are available, though there is no option to configure the lighting per individual component.

The Macro screen is where RPG fans and RTS fans in particular will enjoy spending time. Up to 256 characters, or inputs, can be recorded per macro. Creating a new macro is an easy task. Simply click New, give your macro a name and hit the record button to start recording your input. After you are done setting up the macro you can assign it to a mouse button on the Main screen.

The Profiles screen shows an overview of profiles currently stored in the Havoc's onboard memory and those stored locally. By using the arrows users can move profiles off the mouse and back onto the mouse, depending on the type of profiles they require.

The Library screen provides an overview of all macros that have been created and the option to import or export macros.

The Support screen only refers to the CM Storm Support page and a button to view the currently installed version.

It is worth nothing that, when assigning an image to a profile, the software does not scale the image down. Instead, it converts it to a 42*42 resolution. Something to keep in mind for those who wish to further personalize their profiles.

To test the CM Storm Havoc we left the settings at their default and extensively played several games, as well as using Adobe Photoshop over the course of several days.

The first thing we noticed was the accuracy of the Havoc. The Avago 9800 sensor does a great job of tracking even the slightest movement and, no matter how much we tried, we could not detect any input lag. In combination with the Control-RX Mouse Pad the feet certainly did make moving the Havoc around effortless.

The rubber coating, while smooth, provides a firm grip on the mouse. The more textured rubber on the left side is soft on the thumb but offers enough grip to not let it slide down easily. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the glossy right-hand side of the mouse. After prolonged usage we found the fingers placed on the glossy area to be somewhat sweaty, creating an unpleasant sticky feeling. It was also rather difficult to keep our fingers from sliding off onto the mouse pad, due to its glossy coating.

The lighting on the Havoc is bright but subtle. It won't burn your eyes at night and should blend in nicely with illuminated cases and keyboards. The 7 colors are somewhat limiting, though we would hazard a guess and say Cooler Master has chosen these specific colors as they complement the Havoc nicely. However, we did not completely understand the added benefit of the Rapid Fire lighting mode. As it requires a button to be pressed the effect cannot be seen while your hand is covering the mouse.

The DPI LEDs could have been a bit brighter in our opinion as it was difficult to see which setting was selected based on the mouse alone during daytime. During night time the situation is slightly better, unless you are viewing a lot of white pages or if you're playing a game with a lot of white surroundings. The light from the monitor made it difficult to judge the selected setting as well.

The mouse wheel offers excellent grip and there's no plausible scenario where you might accidentally select the wrong weapon or function in the heat of battle. However, clicking the mouse wheel requires a significant amount of force, especially compared with the other buttons on the Havoc. Whilst we appreciate that Cooler Master has taken into consideration the fact that users might accidentally click the middle mouse button when they want to scroll, it seems they played it a bit too safe for this one.

In our opinion, the placement of the DPI settings buttons could have been better. As they are placed below the middle mouse wheel they require the user to move their finger down, impacting the user's hold on the mouse. Unless you're Edward Scissorhands it is physically impossible to keep your index finger on the left mouse button whilst switching DPI settings.

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.

 

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