| CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Gaming Mouse |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices | |
| Written by Hank Tolman | |
| Tuesday, 08 May 2012 | |
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CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Laser Mouse Review
Manufacturer: Cooler Master
Product Name: Sentinel Advance II
Model Number: SGM-6010-KLLW1 Price As Tested: $59.99 MSRP Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Cooler Master. Back in September 2009, CM Storm released the Sentinel Advance Laser Gaming Mouse. It sported a 5600 DPI laser sensor, which was the top-of-the-line at the time. 5600 DPI is still very high for a gaming mouse. Now Cooler Master is releasing the next evolution of this gaming mouse, the CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Laser Gaming Mouse SGM-6010-KLLW1. Sporting an Avago ADNS-9800 laser sensor, the Sentinel Advance II has the capability to scale up to 8200 DPI and all the way down to 200 DPI. In this article, Benchmark Reviews examines the CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Laser Gaming Mouse SGM-6010-KLLW1. As a gamer, I've come to recognize just how important it is to have a good gaming mouse. One of the most important aspects that I have come to rely on is on-the-fly DPI switching. One of my favorite mice of all time is the Microsoft 5-button laser mouse. I really enjoyed the fit of the mouse and the fact that I could comfortably maneuver between the buttons without accidently hitting the wrong one. Even though I had looked at a lot of other mice, I kept reverting back to that mouse. I'd even tried mice with the ability to switch the DPI settings on-the-fly. It actually wasn't until the original CM Storm Sentinel Advance that I finally put away the Microsoft mouse and started using a new one. I'm excited to look at the Sentinel Advance II and see what has changed and improved.
I'm really looking forward to the versatility of DPI range from 200 to 8200. I switch DPI back and forth constantly, so the customizable profiles are great. Right now I have an MMO up on one monitor, Photoshop up on another, and this article up on a third. Each of those tasks requires a different DPI setting for me. I want a relatively high DPI setting for the game, a very low DPI for Photoshop, and somewhere comfortably in-between for other tasks like browsing the internet. So let's get to it. CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Features and Specifications
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Comments
Laser is old, and you don't need that when gaming!
Microsoft's sidewinder gaming line has the Sidewinder x8 mouse that uses blue track.
I love the feel and fit of the microsoft sidewinder x6 I just wish they would fix the r ghost and change to mech ( Azio makes an x6 MECH clone with detachable num pad but they tossed the low profile keys sadly and changed from the hexa sexy stealth design to an immature chunky industrial look.. :-( )
And Blue track would have been a nice companion however tactile fit trumps any consideration as a mouse is your extension into the screen. If any mouse can match the customisation of my R.A.T. 9 I will give it a chance if it is as lag free wireless ( the blue track x8 was lag free as well ). Saitek made an MMO R.A.T. with more buttons but sadly they switched from the cool stealth matt black and added steam punk bronzish accents and did not make a wireless version!
Beside more buttons I wish these new wave of mice would include levels of pressure sensitivity... I prefer drawing with my mouse given that customized fit and the comfort is not lost when using button combinations. Which I lose when trying to manage control with my wacom's pen. If not built into the mouse then maybe pressure sensitivity built into a foot pedal in the same way I use my wah pedal with my guitar?
But then any pressure senitivity would have to support Photoshop, Zbrush, Maya etc...
8000 dpi sounds nice ( particularly for use with nvidia surround and amd eyefinity ).
On the other hand, I find that I have to dial in the right control @ my mouse's max dpi ( 5600 on the R.A.T. the Sidewinder's blue track only went up as high as 4000 dpi? don't know if that was a limitation of bluetrack or if that has improved any ) using the Window's mouse control panels "Speed option". However, I wonder if by doing this I am dialing back that resolution? In theory I imagine that the speed just slows down the mouse at the given resolution still giving me the benefit of the greater resolution's precision. No way of knowing for sure though other than what "feels best".
Otherwise if there is no other way to control the speed at higher resolutions...
I can not imagine that the CM storms 8000 DPI could be useful unless 9000p monitors are dur out any time soon...
Beautiful design
custom weight
lot of work went into the gui
AMAZING price!
I can't imagine switching mice( RATs ) any time soon. Or giving up on wireless now that the tech is virtually lag free.
But at this pricepoint CoolerMaster provides enough competition and has the cred to bring prices down for the rest of us. ( certainly have my eye on their mech boards as well )
And if other manufacturers do not follow suit it is nice to have that alternative! ( even with the ripple warning johnny guru still gave a rare recommend to Coolermasters gold rated silentProGold 1200. Where PSU prices are insane I am happy with their quality over the past 2 years given the cheaper price )
Nice review. One question: I'm currently using a Logitech G9x gaming mouse. One of the cool things about the Logitech software is that it can automatically detect which application is in focus, and apply a profile I've set up for that application. In your example, running a game, Photoshop, and a web browser all at the same time, the Logitech software would detect which app is in front, and change the mouse buttons, DPI, etc. for that application automatically, no buttons to push. Does the software for this mouse do that? Apologies if this was covered in the review and I missed it.
Thanks
As you mentioned, there are not all that many buttons on this mouse. Consider that personally I would not be reprogramming any of the three buttons around the mouse wheel (DPI and Color), so now you're at 5 buttons. That's pretty average. There is no tilt on the wheel. Many of us have gotten used to tilt (or some other means of horizontal scrolling). Also, now that it's appearing on so many other mice, I would also like a sniper button of some kind. Those are some of the things I noticed.
Another thing I would ask about is how it is for a palm grip and a claw grip. I use a claw grip most of the time. 9.6 is an awfully high score. I think there needs to be some type of score chart for features, movement, feel, shape, and anything else you can come up with that would more standardize the scores.
I'm also using a RAT, and it's my favorite mouse right now, but I would only give it maybe a 7 or 8 out of 10 score even when it was new.
Too bad we can't just give a company our own design for a custom mouse and have it built for us.