I got my first wireless gaming mouse in 2009, it was the Logitech G7. Back then, the USB receiver stick was as large as a thumb drive and the max polling rate was 500Hz. It was awesome at the time, but still couldn’t compare to my wired Razer Deathadder. Today, wireless technology has become the standard for practically all our computer peripherals and mobile devices. When it comes to gaming mice, they promise 1000Hz polling rates with no drops, rock-solid wireless connection with no lag, and sensors with 1:1 tracking.
But what’re the differences between the various wireless mice? Is one better than the other? Should I worry about sensors? RGB?!?!
In this joint review and comparison, I hope to answer the first 3 questions. Lol.
I’ll be going over 6 mice, each with different shapes, weights, and in different price brackets, from the 2 best brands (IMO) pushing wireless gaming technology: Razer and Logitech.
I'm the kind of guy that likes to buy new tech, test them out, and return them if they don't work out for me. I've owned all of these mice since they first launched and they've been VERY reliable in my daily use. The Viper Ultimate and Basilisk X are new to my stable, but have quickly become my go-to since they arrived at my doorstep. In other words, I wouldn't talk about stuff that I didn't believe in.
With that said, let’s begin.
Specs
My hand size:
19.05cm (L) x 11.43cm (W).
Build
Each mouse is made mainly of plastic with some magnets to hold their covers. Here's some pictures of each mouse.
Atheris
Basilisk X Hyperspeed
Viper Ultimate
G305
G703
G Pro Wireless
All of the mice have a removable cover to store their USB receiver except for the G703.
During my shake test, all of the mice had some noise emitting from either the mouse wheel or the buttons, except for the G305. That thing was rock solid no matter how much I shook it!
All buttons were crispy and stable between the mice. They were easy to actuate without excessive pressure. I did notice that the Viper Ultimate, G Pro, and G703 did need a little more pressure to push down the mouse wheel.
Mouse wheel size is good. It’s easy to scroll as needed, but the Basilisk and Viper need a little more effort due to slightly more tension. You also need to lift your finger a little more on the G Pro and the Basilisk since the wheel is a bit larger, the rest are pretty low profile.
The left and right click of each mouse have an ever-so-slightly rough texture to them. The side buttons of the Viper and G Pro have a matte plastic texture while the other mice have a smooth plastic texture.
The G305 and G Pro are the only ones without rubberized sides. The Basilisk and Viper have a bumpy rubber texture while the Atheris and G703 have a smooth rubber texture, with the former having grooves as well.
The Basilisk also has a "thumb rest" built it. It's something I never knew I liked until I tried it.
All of the mice feel solid and very well built.
Software and Lighting
To configure these mice, you need to install G Hub from Logitech or Synapse from Razer. Both offer RGB customization and performance setup (DPI, polling rate, button assignment).
Logitech
Razer
I’m honestly not a big fan of either of these and I prefer to disable them once my mouse has been configured since they all have on-board memory to save settings.
Speaking of on-board memory, the profiles saved in Synapse DO NOT save the RGB/Chroma colors you configure, it’s pretty lame. Without Synapse, the colors will cycle through the mice. To fix that issue, I just turned off the lights since the profiles will save brightness levels. Logitech doesn't have this issue at all.
Performance
My setup:
Monitor – LG34UC89G-B (144hz)
Grip style – Claw
Mousepad – Glorious Gaming XL
DPI/Polling – 400DPI, 1000Hz Polling Rate, Windows 6/11 mouse settings
Game settings – 18-inch swipe (left to right) for 270-degree turn
Shape preference – None
All of these mice were EXCELLENT performers. During multiple games of Modern Warfare, I swapped between each mouse to see how each felt against one another. I also put the USB receiver at the edge of my mouse pad, facing the mouse. Logitech specified this in the manual for “optimal performance”.
Here are my observations for grip, mouse glide, sensor tracking, and responsiveness:
Grip
The G305 and G Pro have plastic side grips while the rest utilize rubber. The G703 has a flat rubber texture while the Viper Ultimate and Basilisk X have a bumpy rubber texture. The Atheris is very similar to the G703 but with grooves. In my hands, I could grip them all just fine but I had to try a little harder to comfortably grip the G Pro. Even thought the G305 lacks the rubber grips, the shape let me comfortably hold the mouse with my thumb and pinky. Lifting the mouse really showed how slippery the G Pro can be. Logitech should have used the grips on the G703 with the G Pro even if it raises the weight a little. The Basilisk's thumb rest also makes it easier grip since my thumb is touching more surface.
High to low grip:
G703 > Atheris > Viper Ultimate > Basilisk X > G305 > G Pro Wireless
Mouse glide
Swiping was VERY SMOOTH with all of them, but the G305 noticeably had more friction than the rest. The Atheris is kind-of cheating though because I replaced the feet with 100% PTFE. The old feet would have put it 2nd to last in regards to smootheness.
Speaking of PTFE, the Viper comes stock with them and are SUPER SMOOTH, especially since the edges are more rounded than the other feet.
Really, all of them are VERY SIMILAR, the G305 just isn't as smooth.
High to low mouse glide:
Viper Ultimate > Atheris > G703 > G Pro Wireless > Basilisk X > G305
Sensor Tracking
After a brief period to adjust to the new weight, shape, and grip of each mouse, I found that each sensor had the same tracking performance. I’d switch to a new mouse mid-game and almost immediately pick-up where I left off. Between the various scopes per gun in the game, I could accurately track my targets with no issues. Even millimeter movements were tracked with no signs of angle snapping or smoothing. I think we’ve gotten to a point where sensor tracking is basically “perfect” and the main differences are DPI and power efficiency.
Sensor performance = Even
Responsiveness
This is where it gets a bit interesting. Even though all mice had a consistent polling rate of 1000Hz, I felt that the Viper was a bit more responsive during my testing. Also, the Atheris was noticeably laggier than the other mice. To test this as best as I could, I used HumanBenchmark.com to test my reaction time.
To try and get the most accurate results possible, I did the following:
Made sure I was alert (morning to afternoon, no evening testing)
Warmed up with each mouse
Kept running sets (5 tries per set) until I got consistent results. Needed 3 sets within +/- 2ms, averaging the 3 sets together.
Tested over 2 days to see if I was getting lucky on a particular day.
These are my results:
As you can see, the Viper was the most responsive in my testing, followed very closely by the other mice. The Atheris is the odd one out, being 20ms+ slower than the others. I believe it’s a combination of the switch used and also the wireless technology that got me consistently lower results than the others.
I feel that the Viper Ultimate responds faster because of the optical switches used vs the mechanical switches in the other mice. I don’t think there’s a real performance difference between “Hyperspeed” and “Lightspeed” wireless tech. That leaves the switches as the only tangible difference. I also don’t think most people will feel the difference between the mice, but in my case, I could feel the slight difference in responsiveness.
Most to least responsive:
Viper Ultimate > G Pro Wireless = G703 = G305 = Basilisk > Atheris
*For those that care about Bluetooth performance, the Basilisk X has a polling rate of 88Hz while the Atheris caps out at 250Hz. For general use, the Basilisk X is fine, but the Atheris feels better when gaming by a large amount.
Battery Life
Nothing to worry about. The G Pro, G703, Viper Ultimate all have rechargeable batteries and can be plugged into the included charging cable so you can charge and play. The G Pro and G703 are also Powerplay compatible (with Logitech Powerplay mouse mats) so you never have to worry about charging. I charge my mice weekly and never saw a low battery warning light.
The Atheris, G305, and Basilisk all use AA batteries. In my experience, I replace batteries every 3 months or so, depending on usage. You’ll get a blinking red light to warn you before it actually dies.
My improvements
The only “improvements” I made were in the weight reduction department. I prefer lighter mice so I did a couple things to reduce weight as much as I can.
By simply removing covers and using AAA lithium batteries with AA battery adapters, weight can be reduced to make these mice lighter without compromising usability.
There are other mods out there, like 3d printed covers for the G305. Just search the reddit to find these mods.
Pros and Cons
Conclusion:
I think this review and comparison shows that there’s very little difference between these mice when it comes to their sensors and wireless technologies. Minus the Atheris (which uses 2-year-old wireless tech), the other mice show no signs of lag or polling issues, and no tracking issues with the different sensors. IMO, the deciding factors when choosing a mouse are price, weight, shape, and grip.
So, figure out your budget, go buy all the mice in that price point, test them with your setup, and return the ones you don’t like. Don’t worry too much about the sensor or the wireless tech (if Logitech and Razer), just get the one that FEELS GOOD when you play. In the case of RGB, get the one with the most colors…
Hope this helps, have fun!
-The Everyday Enthusiast
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Disclaimer - I purchased all of these mice with my own money.