Gigabyte GM-M6880 Computer Gaming Mouse Review
Earlier this week we had a look at the Zowie Hammer Gaming Headset which it’s fair to say is nearer the top of the price range than the bottom, but now we’ve got some more gaming gear and this focuses more on those with a more restrictive budget… like myself!
Having used my previous generic optical mouse to death (due to a combination of the mouse stopping working occasionally and the feet being worn off) I decided it was probably time to get a new one, and seeing as I am pretty tight with my money in these recession filled days it seemed sensible to look more at the budget offerings of computer gaming mice …
Obviously I have used both laser and gaming mice in the past, but I have never actually owned one or used it for a prolonged period of time, and as an avid gamer I thought it was time I moved into the future and started trawling through the internet for some cheap laser gaming mice; and after a weeks’ worth of deliberating I settled on the Gigabyte GM-M6880 computer gaming mouse and here is my review.
Coming in at £9.99 it definitely looks the part: it has the typical ‘gaming’ design and comes in a ‘metal black’ colour that gives a nice shine to it, but unfortunately the same material that gives it this shine is also particularly good at becoming sticky quickly which is a nightmare to try and sort out mid-game and is generally quite annoying.
The rest of the mouse is solidly built and the two rubber pads (which also aid grip/sweat absorption!) on either side add to the already surprisingly comfortable design and although it felt weird having never used a mouse this shaped for a long period of time, but I soon got used to it!
As far as buttons go you have your standard left, right and scroll, two more ‘back and forward’ buttons situated just above the thumb and an adjustable DPI button all of which are pretty much ideally weighted and work seamlessly. I will come to the DPI button later, but firstly a quick word on the ‘back and forward buttons’.
Very useful inside games and browsers (and unfortunately redundant everywhere else) I find these buttons to be fine, but then I have small hands and I can see people with bigger hands having problems with them as you could easily spend your life clicking them accidentally – but as far as I’m concerned it is a minor qualm and doesn’t affect me at all!
The adjustable DPI button is an interesting one, and something that I haven’t seen much of on other computer gaming mice especially within the price range that I was looking at. This allows you to, at the touch of a button, to change the sensitivity from an already impressive 800 DPI to 1600 which although has zero applications in ‘normal’ usage on a computer, comes into its own when you start gaming.
As with the Hammer headset I started testing the mouse on Counter-Strike Source and after I had gotten used to the different mouse (which as you can imagine takes a while) I found that I used it a lot more than I anticipated – walking around normally with the sensitivity relatively low, but switching it immediately up to the full 1600 DPI when I needed to snipe (for example). Obviously this is pointless if you don’t plan to play many games, but then why would you buy a gaming mouse if you didn’t?
Finally we come onto how nice it is to actually use, and personally I love it! The feet are surprisingly smooth and the 100g weight seems perfect for both the subtle twitches for last second scope rectification and the fast turnarounds when you hear footsteps behind you – especially when used with a gaming mousemat such as the Zowie GTF which we will be looking at shortly!
Also for someone who has never used a laser mouse for a long period of time I found that the difference in quality was surprisingly big – not in general usage, but in gaming where those little movements really matter and I found that the little extra accuracy really helped my performance!
Now I know that the quality of mice is very subjective, and what is good for one person may be horrible for another, and I also know that this isn’t the best mouse out there. However for the mere £9.99 that it cost I am very impressed with what it is capable of, and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
You may find your hands are too big, and I have heard people muttering that the cable is too short and the DPI button is too easily pressed (although I have suffered from neither of these) but in pretty much every aspect the Gigabyte GM-M6880 computer gaming mouse is more than capable, and it’s a big thumbs up from me!
Related Pages:
- ZOWIE G-TF Gaming Mouse Mat Review
- Apple ‘Magic Mouse’ Re-Invents The Mouse?
- New SteelSeries Gaming Mice and Surfaces Preview
- World of Warcraft Mouse Review
- SteelSeries Professional Gaming Team Mouse Pads Announced
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Comments: 108
7:55 pm 1st October, 2009
I bought a Blue-Trak and never looked back. Even the 4-way wheel is nice. Sorry if I sound like my namesake here, but the new Microsoft Explorer mice are unspeakably excellent.
I’m not a gamer, but I do a fair bit of photo manipulation and touch-up, so much of what I do could be described as “granular”, and these mice really are up to the job.
I agree with you about the quality of mice being subjective though. And the “full size” Microsoft Blue-Trak Explorer is about £60. Hmm..