Testing
Test Rig
Processor |
Intel Core 2 Duo Q9450 @ 3.2GHZ
|
---|---|
Motherboard |
Asus P5QL Pro
|
RAM |
Super Talent 6400 4GB @ 1200MHZ
|
Graphics Card |
Sapphire 5770 1GB
|
HDD |
Mach Xtreme 100GB SSD
|
OS |
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
|
Methodology
Mice and other peripherals fall into an interesting category for testing as your opinion on them tends to be very personal, as the mouse or keyboard has to be right for you beyond having the specifications to do what you want with it. Therefore these reviews can be highly subjective so as always, please make sure to test a mouse for yourself before you buy it.
However with that said, our testing methods involve using the mouse over prolonged gaming and general usage periods to test it’s gaming ability, functionality and comfort.
The games used for testing were:
- Mount and Blade Warband
- Dawn of War II Chaos Rising
Results
General Usage
Since I am a claw handed gamer, I do like to grip the base of a mouse and control it with my fingers. This is in contrast with the other type of grip which is palm based and more wrist controlled. Now this mouse is aimed at both, but due to its thumb groove you do have to place that controlling digit in the specified location; which took me a little while to get used to. However, once I did, I found the Imperator incredibly easy to use. It’s high DPI means you’re barely moving across the mat, you can lower your windows pointer speed for greater accuracy and it moves around very smoothly.
Mount and Blade Warband
Warband is a great test for mice as it utilises first person shooter type (though in third person) ranged fighting with a targeting reticule, and hand to hand swinging. These both require two different things. The archery needs a steady, smooth operation in the mouse with high levels of accuracy; which I’m pleased to say the Imperator handled with no problems. There was however a slight learning curve as I got used to the way it felt compared to my usual mouse, the Roccat Kova.
For the hand to hand combat you can really benefit from high sensitivity as it requires repetitive, quick movements with a measure of accuracy. Again the Imperator stands up to the challenge.
Dawn of War II Chaos Rising
This is a game that requires high accuracy levels, but definately benefits from high sensitivity to help you move around the map; unsurprisingly at this point the Imperator did very well indeed. I also utilised the macros to produce units and to setup my original build order.
Comfort
Considering I’m more used to an abidextrous mouse and I prefer more solid rubber grips to the shiny plastic found on the Imperator, I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. The plastic frame was surprisingly smooth and comfy to have resting in your palm and marks a change from Razer’s usual rubber body.
Cost
The Razer Imperator is a high end gaming mouse, so let’s not pretend that it’s going to come cheap. At £52 it’s quite typical of this type of mouse, but it may be a bit much for some. Really though, I can’t recommend this type of mouse enough; gaming mice make a big difference to your game.
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