Of all the components found in a modern gaming rig, none is more personal then the peripherals used to interact with that computer. For avid FPS players, that means the keyboard and mouse. They are the things allow players to control their game with precision, feel comfortable for long sessions and allows them to focus on winning. This is why gamers are remarkably picky about what they use for input devices.

Many will eschew the latest and greatest, sticking with what works. I’m no exception, as I’ve been using the same Logitech G15 keyboard (gen 1 of course) and Logitech MX1000 mouse since 2004. I just haven’t been able to find something to replace what I think is the perfect combo. Cooler Master is looking to change my mind, and the minds of gamers everywhere.

They’ve spawned a gaming focused subsidiary called CM STORM, and their Sentinel Advance gaming mouse is looking to make some waves with new features and interesting design.

That’s A Lot of Features You Got There

CM STORM is specifically targeting professional gamers and up and comers with this new mouse. The Sentinel Advance is touted as having an improved dual laser design, enhanced with Doppler Effect processing, that tracks in real-time instead of using software prediction like other “gaming” mice.

Now I know what a Doppler Effect is, and I’m curious how this applies to a computer mouse. For now let’s take a look at the list of specs provided in the product brief.

• 5600 DPI Storm Tactical™ Twin-laser Sensor
• 64KB Sentinel-X™ Memory
• OLED DPI Management System
• OLED Team Logo Personalization
• 8 Programmable Buttons
• Rapid Fire Tactical™ Mode
• 1000Hz Polling / 1ms Response Time
• Max Speed of 235 Inches Per Second
• Max Acceleration 50G
• 1mm Lift-off Distance
• Right-hand Ergonomic Design
• Gold-plated USB Connector
• 5 x 4.5g Adjustable Weight System
• Full-Speed USB

They do definitely go into a lot of detail. Shockingly there’s still more to be listed, and if numbers and specifications are your thing you can read on at the product home page.

I’m not really interested in specifications so much as I am interested in actual functionality. The dual laser sensor sounds intriguing, but we want to make sure the mouse is more accurate because of it. In extension to that, we want to know if 5600 dpi is a little too high of a rating.

The OLED screen, onboard processor, and adjustable LEDs also sound like an interesting way to personalize your device. However we want to make sure it’s actually fairly easy to do so. We’ll of course look into all this, but first let’s take a look at the mouse itself.