Razer DeathAdder 3.5G vs Cougar 450M

This mouse is well-known for its ergonomic shape well-suited for lefties. Its sizable groove on the right side guides the left thumb to a comfortable spot. The left side has a slightly angled surface that gives freedom for the rest of the fingers to position themselves as they please.

The DeathAdder has two thumb buttons that are quite large and easy to press without getting in the way of the grip.

Due to its curves, it feels natural to hold the mouse with a palm grip. It has a defined thumb groove on one side and an open side for your ring and pinky fingers on the other. The general contour of the mouse is curved so it feels like it is specifically molded for you hand. The mouse relies more on its shape rather than textured finishes to maintain your hand’s grip.

Although it’s an older mouse, its Synapse 2.0 software is still updated (as of Spring 2017) and allows you to change DPI, polling rate, create macros and reassign buttons. All of the options are tied to profiles. Keep in mind that certain modifications will not work unless the software is running in the background. The software also has optional stats and heatmaps that track your mouse usage. The software is PC and Mac compatible.

This mouse comes with the Avago S3888 sensor, which is decent, but doesn’t offer perfect performance. Some of its original issues can be fixed with a firmware update. Originally, it has four DPI stages of 450/900/1800/3500. However, its 1800 DPI option is native and is regarded as the most accurate one with the highest perfect control speed. If you use the updated Synapse 2.0 software, these options increase to include every value between 100 and 3500, with steps of 100.

The top of the mouse has a hard rubberized finish, which allow sweat to evaporate easily.

The cable is braided so it doesn’t bend easily.

The DPI button, which is located on top of the mouse, is actually a profile changing button and can be tied to button configuration or lighting options.

This mouse has some basic sensor-related customization.You can modify the polling rate, DPI amount, lift-off distance and even angle snapping. The angle snapping is an on/off choice instead of a slider. Its UIX companion software has an extensive list of customization options, notably long for a budget mouse. It includes lighting options, button rebinding, macros, DPI changing, multiple profiles and several other smaller features that even other non-budget mice don’t have.

The Cougar 450M uses the Avago 3310 sensor and presents no jitter, acceleration or smoothing. The DPI choices ranges from 50 all the way up to 5000 with increments of 50. For this sensor, every DPI step of 50 should work equally well, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of native DPI settings.

Being an ambidextrous mouse, it avoids unconventional shapes and stay true to the classic mouse design. To facilitate control and finger grip, it has a slight incline located at the side and its sides are covered in textured plastic.

The mouse has an ambidextrous design, making it a possible choice for left-handed users. It also has extra buttons on both sides, so they can be used on both use cases.

It’s Avago optical sensor is a solid performer recognized many mouse enthusiasts. You can rely on it to track precise movement without worrying about acceleration or jitter.

Despite the low price point, this mouse still maintains a respectable list of features. It has a good shape, reliable sensor and plenty of customization options. It bridges the gap between low cost and high quality while still being well built.