What makes a good Gaming Mouse?

Sometime in mid-to-late January 2026,

I stopped by my local BEST BUY in DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER and bought this beauty right here:

This is my current mouse I use with my MAVERICK FALCON 7900RT 

Ryzen 9 9950X3D Custom build.

One of the reasons I switched back to RAZER from my previous LOGITECH is not because I like RAZER's products more but rather I wanted to go back to using a Wireless Mouse as I've started to use my DELL RYZEN 7 Laptop connected to my HISENSE TV but the problem with using my other mice is due to their USB Cables and my Cat MISO has taken a liking to biting said cable.

"IT WASN'T ME!!! I SWEAR!!"

I was considering switching to a CORSAIR variant of my LOGITECH HERO because I like the ICUE LINK software but for some reason, I decided to switch back to RAZER.

Now I don't claim to be a designer but If it were up to me to design a mouse for a Company should they hire me, 

Here's what I want in a MOUSE:

CONFORTABILITY.

Like a lot of you people who use computers, 

I've got big hands.

I've used some small mice in the past and they don't fill my hand very well so I want that comfort of holding a mouse that I can rest my palm on.

And what I want is that convex curvature to allow your palm to rest on. 

NAVIGATABILITY

One thing I liked about my previous RAZER DEATHADDER Mouse I've used with the MSI Laptop, my original MAVERICK WARHAWK RTX 5900x build, and the first few months of the FALCON 7900RT's existence is the two buttons on the side which I actually use for navigating pages whenever I'm on WINDOWS EXPLORER or BROWSING the web via GOOGLE CHROME.

Not many Mice come with those side buttons and I definitely like that. 

It's so much better than moving your Mouse to the arrow buttons and it certainly beats having to use ALT-(Arrow Keys) when I'm navigating.

One style of mouse I just can't seem to grasp however are those that use a KEYPAD on the side

I've tried some Demo Units at my BEST BUYs before and while the movement of the mouse is decent, some games I can barely play due to how small and close in proximity these keys are on the mouse.

And they make File/Web Exploration more difficult for me without those navigation buttons.

This ain't the days of the ATARI JAQUAR version of DOOM from ID Software.

LOCKABLE SCROLL WHEEL

One thing I liked in my LOGITECH HERO MOUSE was the ability to unlock the scroll wheel so I can freely scroll through pages without hearing that tactile click on my mouse and if I want to switch back to that, I can just lock the wheel back.

Not many Mice have that ability, not even the Corsair Mice I was browsing have that.

ADDED WEIGHT

What's with this trend of making MICE lightweight? I just can't understand that. I started to notice this when I used my DEATHADDER ELITE mouse and I noticed how lightweight it felt to hold when compared to another LOGITECH I've used which granted it was because of the swappable AA Battery I used in that thing.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of Gaming Mice that are advertised as ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT because to me, it feels weird that way.

And god forbid the cheapo Regular Mice that almost weigh nothing.

SWITCHABLE CONNECTIVITY.

One reason I chose my RAZER BASILISK is due to it's 3-IN-1 feature where it can be used either connected to the computer, wireless via the dongle, or wireless via Bluetooth.

I can choose to use the mouse in any mode thanks to it's little switch on the bottom where it's labelled 2.4GZ, BLUETOOTH, or WIRED.

For my MAVERICK FALCON 7900RT, I just use it's Dongle.

For others like my DELL LAPTOP, I use Bluetooth.

ADJUSTABLE DPI

Regular/Office Mice have no way for you to change the DPI unless you go to system settings on your Windows, Mac, or Linux machine but even then, I find that mentally cumbersome. 

One thing I like about gaming Mice is the ability to change the DPI on the fly.

There are Two Styles of DPI Buttons

The first is DPI UP/DOWN Buttons where the mouse will let you set your DPI either upward or downward to suit your needs on your desk.

The Second is the DPI CYCLE Button where it's just one button but you can cycle through your different DPI settings.

My Basilisk has one of these CYCLE Buttons built into it.

Though my LOGITECH does have both built in

G7 & G8 are the UP/DOWN Buttons while G9 is the Cycle Button

I don't know what my Current DPI for my BASILISK is set to.....

I think it may be.... 1200? Who knows.

Clearly, the late DOUGLAS ENGELBART didn't realize that his invention of the MOUSE would be used in VIDEO GAMES

which required manufacturers to reconfigure the philosophy of how a Mouse should be built. 

But we should all thank ENGERLBART and his friend BILL ENGLISH for the most important tool that we use in computers today.

Why I like Large Computer Speakers 01+Desk Setup Comparisons to my own.

Ever seen those Internet Memes about people being all NOSTALGIC about those ALTEC LANSING speakers from the 90s?

I don't know about you but while the design of these speakers are indeed spot on,

I honestly wouldn't want to listen to Audio from these kinds of speakers anyway due to the size of these speakers as well as the fact that they most likely have little to no base response like I prefer to have.

And GOD FORBID if I ever had a computer that came with this style of speakers like these LABTECs below:

 

Or these CREATIVE LABS SPEAKERS from 1995

And one Redditor mentioned that these CREATIVE SPEAKERS remind him

of his crappy Labtecs.

Sure, they're advertised with a BASE BOOST button but a lot of use call these BASE BOOST a load of Baloney.

That's because if the BASE BOOST were to work as intended, then if you cranked the volume too high, you might run the risk of burning out the Speaker Cones inside of these things.

I'm sure glad my Speakers from my Childhood were often of the more powerful or pro brandings.

How so?

Well, When my family got our first Computer: A COMPAQ PRESARIO 5477,

It came with these 

It's been a while but I've heard from people about how good these JBLs Sound even for their size.

My next computer, A VOBIS HIGHSCREEN SKY, 

We paired that PC with these speakers below

Ignore that plug on the left as that uses a plug that we in 

North America don't use.

Also, Pay not attention to these ENJOY Speakers next to the ZOLTRIXOUNDS.

These weren't your Good-Ole Rolands or JBL Pro Speakers like you want but I remember that these speakers did sound pretty good for your PC Setup.

Back when I had these ZOLTRIXOUNDs, I mostly played edutainment titles because PARENTS but if I was more comprehensible with my speech, I would have preferred to play some UNREAL TOURNAMENT, NEED FOR SPEED, or even HALF LIFE using these speakers.

When my family replaced our VOBIS with an MDG HORIZON PC in 2005,

I had these exact speakers below

Forgive the photo Quality. 

This was taken on my AQUA BLUE NINTENDO 3DS back in 2011.

Although the individual speakers were a bit of a downgrade compared to my ZOLTRIXOUNDs, the Woofer/Control Deck made up for them.

I remember how good these sounded on my family's WINDOWS XP machine and made many a game and YOUTUBE video sound good on these speakers.

When my family replaced our SAMSUNG monitor with a ViewSonic, they decided that I didn't need the speakers due to the ViewSonic having it's own built in so I stuck with that for a bit but like any FLATSCREEN LCD Monitor, the speakers on my VIEWSONIC SUCKED BALLS so we eventually brought the SUPERWOOFER speakers back out of temporary retirement.

For a good while, I moved to laptops and stuck with the speakers built in to them but after 2021, I wanted to get back into using Desktops on my own setups once again so after a SYLVANIA speaker crapped out on me, I went to London Drugs and bought this

This thing was a real toss up as it's meant to be used as a portable speaker but It was decent for it's size.

But on CANADA DAY 2023, I replaced that speaker with these Logitech's.

This was an interesting system.

The Main Speakers were still small but where the real punch came was from the subwoofer which is meant to go underneath your desk.

And it has a punch that puts both my ZOLTRIXOUNDs & SUPER WOOFERS from my childhood to shame.

Currently at the moment, I now use my MACKIE CR3-X Speakers with my Ryzen system.

So I just mentioned the speakers I use but that doesn't really give clues as to why I prefer large Computer Speakers.

Well for starters,

I just have a thing for LOUD VOLUME WITH POWERFUL BASE RESPONSE.

Sure, I'm Autistic but I'm not Sensitive to Audio unless it's annoyingly high pitched to a point I worry I might go deaf.

My NEURODIVERSE ears actually have a craving to hear the loudness of explosions, the rumble of things like motors, car engines, and even the percussion of the soundtrack.

Most of it is because my ears are used to the loud nature of the speakers used in Movie Theaters like the various CINEPLEX & CINEMARK cinemas in the Vancouver area I grew up in.

And with that, I want to recreate that feeling with my own Speakers at the house.

And some people out there don't even like the cheapo Altec Lansing's or whatever cheapo speakers come with pre-builds.

(I'm looking at you IBUYPOWER!!!)

I've seen builds/desk setups from other people.

And from what I can gather, it straddles between whether they have small but capable speakers like those nice little CREATIVE PEBBLES

or

whether they like loud base response like my MACKIES or some Edifiers that some people use.

or 

They have a soundbar

or 

They just decide to forgo Speakers altogether and instead use Headsets.

It depends.

For me, 

I like ROOM FILLING LOUDNESS because it's those MOVIE THEATERS that made me fall in love with LOUDNESS with speakers.

Enclosed below is my Current Setup.

If anyone needs a refresher of what my specs are without going into my WIX Website, here it is:

CPU:

AMD Ryzen 9 9950x3D Granite Ridge 4.3GHZ 16-Core CPU

Cooler:

Corsair iCUE Link Titan RX 240 RGB AIO 

GPU:

16GB GIGABYTE EAGLE Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 

RAM:

32GB Corsair Vengeance 6000MTS Dual Channel DDR5 U-DIMM RGB RAM

Storage: 

512GB Silicon Power Gen 3 SSD for Windows 11 Pro OS

1TB Samsung 980 Gen4 SSD for Data and App purposes

2TB Lexar NM710 Gen4 SSD for my Games

18TB Western Digital EasyStore External HDD for Long-term storage

Power Supply:

Seasonic Focus GX-1000 1000 Watt 80 Plus Gold Fully Modular PSU

Chassis:

Fractal Design Pop Air Mid Tower ATX Case

Monitors:

ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL3A 34" 180hz Curved Ultrawide VA Display

ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ 27" 144hz IPS Display

WACOM ONE Creative Pen Display

Speakers: 

Mackie CR3-X Multimedia Studio Monitor Speakers

Operating System: 

Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

Keyboard: 

EPOMAKER DYNATAB75 Hot swappable Wireless Mechanical Keyboard

(Planning to replace with RK Royal Kludge Keyboard in Near future)

Mouse:

Razer Basilisk V3 Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse

Webcam:

Creative Live! Cam USB 4K Webcam with Backlight Compensation

Game Controllers: 

8Bitdo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller

SD Card Reader: 

Lexar 3-in-1 SD/Micro SD/Compact Flash Card Reader

Headset:

Razer Kraken V3 USB Gaming Headset with Microphone & THX Audio

Printer:

Canon Pixma TS3720 All-in-One Inkjet Printer with Scanner

Capture Device:

Avermedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus

Optical Drive:

LG Super Multi Blue Internal SATA 16X Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter

I hope this post explains it all.

The Commercials for my MDG Horizon Computer

From between 2005 to 2011, 

I had a Genuine MDG HORIZON Computer fitted with an Intel Pentium 4 CPU.

And it ran WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION.

I've already mentioned this in a my 2025 post where I celebrated the 20th Anniversary of this PC.

But what I've been after was the model of this PC because I don't even know if it really was a 2400 as it's model number insinuated.

All I knew that it was a PENTIUM 4 Machine Running Windows XP Home Edition.

On top of that, Since it was 2005, It was one of the first PENTIUM 4 Systems using the LGA 775 Socket so It may have been my first LGA Socketed Machine.

Who knows.

But for now until I reunite with a similar model or ask my Dad if he still has the machine, let's take a look at some Commercials I found on YouTube that advertised the machine.

Some of these commercials are scattered in terms of airdates but they advertise one thing:

A Capable PENTIUM 4 Machine with software bundles, monitor, speaker, and Lexmark Printer Setups that money can buy you......

And you can either choose to pay daily in CENTS, or PAY FULL PRICE

For somehow less than CA$1000.

I believe the first video that I Embedded here was probably my model of MDG Horizon because of the 2005 airdate and I first had an MDG in 2005.

If the CA$ denomination I mentioned is any tip off, 

MDG was(and still is) a Canadian Computer Company.

And these Computers are primarily sold across CANADA where I live in.

Though I did read some posts from disgruntled Canadians talking about MDG's business practices, some which involve PXE Boot Environments, Down Payments, Rebates, incorrect mounting of the motherboards, etc.

Me?

I've had my MDG Horizon PC for 6 years and I never had any problems with it.....

Barring a 2011 Trojan Horse infecting my PC which I admit was more my fault for installing it without realizing it.

One thing I never had with my MDG Horizon PC was the included LCD Monitor.

As seen on this Photo of me back in 2006,

My family opted for that Silver Looking SAMSUNG SYNCMASTER CRT Monitor.

But as I've grown older, I felt like wanting to have a talking to with my parents for not preserving my old KDS Monitor since that was a 21" Behemoth.

I eventually got an LCD Panel later in life but it sure wasn't the one advertised in one of these Commercials as mine was a bog-standard aftermarket ViewSonic with built in Speakers.

I definitely had these exact Super Woofer speakers,

and the exact Lexmark Photo Printer as was advertised on the commercial though.

If things would have been different, I would have instead have had either a Dell Optiplex or HP equivalent.

And I certainly would have preferred an AMD Athlon64 or AMD Phenom instead of the Pentium 4s of the time period.

But hey, My life turned out as is and so is my Computer Setups.

My current System is a decked out AMD RYZEN 9 9950X3D System if you're gonna ask.

Spidey's Bathroom Break-The Original Atari Lynx Commercial from 1989 starring a young TOBEY MAGUIRE

The ATARI LYNX, 

A handheld released in 1989 for the masses.

Or as I like to call it, the bigass original WONDERSWAN.

Because it's form factor would almost predict the BANDAI Wonderswan's release 10 years later in 1999

The Button Layout is different but the design principle is spot-on.

This 16-bit 6502-Based HANDHELD was ATARI's entry to the handheld market in order to get away from the mediocrity of their 7800 & XEGS systems from the 80s and have something to compliment their more successful ST line of computers.

And while it sold decently, well.... you know the whole story.

But ATARI has had it shares of Interesting ADs.

Such as this ATTACK AD against NINTENDO, before SEGA made attacking NINTENDO cool.

Heh Heh!!!

LYNX EATS BOY'S LUNCH!

CLASSIC!

But this blogpost is all about Commercials that aired on Television!!!

The most famous commercial for the Lynx aired in 1990 starring a then 13 or 14 year old TOBEY MAGUIRE.

Wanna see what SPIDEY was up to back in 1990? As usual, here's the embedded YouTube video of said Commercial:

Pretty interesting to see SPIDERMAN himself in his youth sneaking out of class to play on his ATARI LYNX....

Hope he's got some good and fresh DURACELL BATTERIES because the LYNX loved to eat those batteries up.

I can imagine J. JONAH JAMESON, Spidey's boss at the DAILY BUGGLE refusing to believe that SPIDEY advertised ATARI's Handheld.

Instead, Laughing in disbelief.

The LYNX would eventually be replaced with an improved model later down the line

While Bulkier than the original, this guy was more forgiving to them AA Batteries.

And on a Hilarious Tangent,

I've read how annoyed ATARI was about having to order several COMMMODORE AMIGA's in order to develop the games for the LYNX due to the required hardware to develop for as well as the original designers having more experience with the AMIGA due to their former association with GOOD OLD CHICKEN LIPS FROM PENNSYLVANIA.

But Considering what was to happen with both Companies....

Who am I to judge the circumstances....

My mixed views on the DDR5 RAM Price Crisis(As of March 2026 as I'm writing this)

Around the end of November 2025,

Many a systems builder was in for a shock when browsing for DDR5 RAM Kits.

What was originally in between $120-$300 worth of a single 32GB DUAL CHANNEL DDR5 kit now was suddenly at between $500-$800 for a single DUAL CHANNEL DDR5 kit.

Pictured above is my exact stick of 

CORSAIR VENGEANCE 32GB DUAL CHANNEL CL36 DDR5 U-DIMM RAM

And as you go up a tier to 64GB or even 96GB and a higher CL Rating, 

The prices are even higher, often going for about more than $1000.

Don't have an image of Rich Schmucks.

Like I'd want to photograph them due to their distaste of Paparazzi.

So instead, I'm using this scene of King John & his Jester Sir Hiss.

So what the hell happened?

You know what:

No. It's not the T-1000. But close enough.

It's them A.I DATACENTERS.

That's what.

The DATACENTERS requested an RMS TITANIC-TON of RAM Orders in order to finish the construction of their A.I DATACENTERS and get their Servers ready immediately after the opening of said DATACENTERS.

All while dealing with land owners or politicians who think the DATACENTERS opening is not advisable due to both the market and the insane amount of electricity required for powering those centers.

Yes. I used this image of the sinking of the Titanic

as a measure of how much them datacenters order....

Some might ask:

"WHY DO DATACENTERS NEED ALL THAT RAM? IT'S NOT LIKE THEY NEED RGB?"

I've looked into this and from what I've learned, the DATACENTERS aren't even actually ordering the actual kits as is.

What they're actually ordering are the SILICON WAFERS that make up the RAM KITS in the first place.

So in essence, what them A.I Datacenters are ordering are the SILICON WAFERS that make up the chips dividing the memory banks of the modules.

I mean, would a datacenter who's often got a serious business attitude ever want to use modules that have RGB built into them?

NO! They wouldn't as RGB would cheapen the image of a datacenter being all about SERIOUS BUSINESS.

The so-called HIGH BANDWIDTH MEMORY, HBM for short, is really just a row of chips as the above image has you believe.

And even if them DATACENTERS were to use traditional modules, they'd go for modules that often have a BARE PCB on them, and are of the LOWER PROFILE variety because SERVER RACKS.

But anyway, this threw everybody off and left us enthusiast frothing over SAMSUNG & SK HYNIX decisions to toss us Common Folk off the wayside in favor of these DATACENTERS due to the amount of profit they generate.

And I only mentioned SAMSUNG & SK HYNIX because MICRON, the makers of CRUCIAL RAM, decided to end their CRUCIAL line of products because MONEY

While despite SAMSUNG & SK HYNIX's reason for preferring the DATACENTERS over us average schmucks, they would never abandon the Consumer Market. 

Just that the orders for Consumer RAM is less than what it seems which explains the higher prices you now have to pay at places like 

BEST BUY, MICROCENTER, or even CANADA COMPUTERS.

So why am I writing this?

Well, I was about to go off on a rant about the pointlessness of them A.I Companies jacking up all the ram for themselves(I'm still angry at them datacenters) and for the fact that to drive the point on how pointless building them datacenters is due to restrictions on electricity usage set against them as set by politicians....

But then I saw this post on FACEBOOK sometime in January 20 2026 where someone compared the high DDR5 Ram prices to how much money it cost for people to buy RAM in the 90s.

For those who were around in the 90s, This comparison is a bit weird.

I mean, back in the 90s, RAM was measured in MEGABYTES but I also remembered reading about how expensive it was to max out your 486 & early Pentium rigs at the time.

The price lowered a bit during the early Intel Pentium III/AMD Athlon era with people being able to afford a single stick of 128MB of PC100 ram for their gaming rigs back in the day but this is crazy.

I was born in 1997 but I didn't know about Megabytes or Gigabytes because how was toddler Me gonna understand all of that back in 1997-1999?

I'm 28 at the moment so I understand all of that now.

And it's not DATACENTERS that are to blame for the RAM Price crisis.

Natural Phenomena plays a part in the crisis too as these RAM Kits are manufactured in Asian Countries like TAIWAN & SOUTH KOREA.

And I also realize that maxing out all your slots on Consumer DDR5 boards is pointless as I'm still wary about using all four slots in my B650 AORUS Board....

Not because I'm worried but because during my research, It's established that DDR5 has problems with using all four slots so it's highly recommended to use only two slots which are A2 & B2.

Even the very American MICRON TECHNOLOGIES has outsourced to TAIWAN due to how cheap it is to manufacture over there instead of domestically.

Natural Phenomena that can affect manufacturing can range from typhoons, tornadoes, wind storms....

what role do they all play?

Knocking out the power to the manufacturing, that's what.

And Silicon Chips require a very clean room to keep things safe from the elements because that's a general rule when it comes to manufacturing electronics.