Razer Diamondback Earth Green

List Price: $49.99 Discount Price: $32.00

Features:

• 1800dpi 3G Infrared Sensor - enables movement speeds at 2.25 times faster when compared to a standard 800dpi optical sensor. Before the enemy sees you, he's been fragged
• Seven programmable Hyperesponse buttons - program button functions while Razer's Hyperesponse technology reduces latency for optimum gameplay
• On-The-Fly Sensitivity adjustment - switch sensitivity settings right in the midst of a fierce battle
• Always-On mode
• Ultra-large non-slip buttons

Customer Reviews:

Logitech G5: Battlefield 2142 Edition VS Razer Diamondback 3G [Posted on 2008-02-14]
Logitech G5 Laser Gaming Mouse: Battlefield 2142 Edition VS Razer Diamondback 3G

I own these 2 mice, they are currently both plugged into my pc and share a single mouse pad. I can use whichever one I want at will and their drivers do not conflict which is good. Now I can write an objective and unbiased review of them to help users decide.

First I would like to identify an error in the specifications. According to Amazon this G5 has USB Report Rate: 500 reports/second; The G5 software actually goes up to 1000 reports/second which is the same as the 3G. I cannot remember what the G5 packaging had with regard to the usb polling rate so maybe somebody could verify that for me. Since this is a contrasting review I will only point out differences

G5 Pros:
1.) 2000 dpi.
2.) DPI meter built into mouse so you always know what dpi you are using.
3.) Adjustable weights, although the G5 is already heavier than the 3G.
4.) Cord is shrouded with nylon which makes it truly non-tangle and non-stick.
5.) Side button easily reachable which is good for combat.

G5 Cons:
1.) Only 1 side button.
2.) Scroll wheel tilts if you do not press it exactly straight down, this is kind of a nuisance because many times when you press the middle mouse button it also pushes it to the right for right tilt action. Not a problem if you normally press your scroll button with your middle finger but I use my index finger so I had to get accustomed to pressing it straight down. After a while you get adapted to pressing the button correctly so this is not a major con however it is worth mentioning.
3.) Software takes up plenty more memory than the 3G software.


3G Pros:
1.) Ambidextrous.
2.) It lights up nicely. (I don't care about this but some people do).
3.) Better scroll wheel action because it does not have tilt wheel functions. This is more of a trade off because I prefer the tilt wheel even though it takes some getting used to.
4.) 2 side buttons (2 buttons on each side).
5.) Software uses less memory. Also it spans multiple processes so a resident module automatically loads or unloads the user interface (system tray icon). In a way this is more efficient because it frees up some memory if the mouse is not plugged in.

3G Cons:
1.) Nobody knows what a 3G infra-red sensor really is, so this could be just a marketing ploy to make you think it is superior somehow.
2.) Razer claims the cord is non-tangle but it is regular plastic cord that comes with any cheap mouse so I don't know why they claimed that as a feature of their mouse.
3.) 2 side buttons are joined which is stupid because you have to think about it too much to figure out which button you want to press. Worthless if your survival depends on it you might press the wrong side button. The new blue G5 with 2 side buttons is better because you can subconsciously feel the 2 separate buttons and use the correct one without thinking.
4.) New self praised 3G technology came out later than the G5 and it does not even match the DPI, instead you only get 1800 DPI.
5.) You have to press a button and scroll the wheel to adjust the sensitivity and it does not have a display on the mouse so you have to rely on a meter that shows up in the right side bottom of the screen. This may not even display correctly while you are playing a game. Worst part is that it goes from 1 to 10 so you have to do maths to figure out the exact DPI. How hard was it to display the actual DPI figure instead of putting 1 to 10 which means nothing without you having to calculate the actual DPI.
6.) Razer exaggerates on features like the lights on the sides of the mouse which is really too dim to help you identify the side buttons.
7.) Razer makes useless features like Gold-plated USB connector which does absolutely nothing to enhance performance but commands extra cost for no logical reason. Gold plated contacts are better for increased conductivity but why would you need that on the entire USB connector that has such a large surface area. Gold plated contacts are only beneficial in situations where you have small connectors like the pins on ram modules etc. Razer is playing you for your money with such wasteful features.

Diamondback 3G gets 1 star from me because I posted a similar review on Razer's website but they removed it because they don't want people to know the truth about their products. I'd bet they just enclose the same mice in a different bodies and give them a different names just to rip you off. I suspect that purely based on the similar specs on most of their products, I am not just saying that without a logical reason.

Update (16-March-2008): One more con for the Diamondback 3G.
The 3G has some driver problems where I can't get the side button to act as "Numpad 7" keypress. No matter how much I set the 3G software to do what I want it refuses to do it. I will tell you the reason I need this, I am a dota player and you need the side button to hotkey fun items like dagon etc. Imagine my surprise when I got pwnt stupidly pressing the side button expecting my dagon to save my life but instead it did not work. Ofcourse it works with a 1 sec delay in other programs like notepad but tough luck trying to use the side button as a Numpad key in a game. I do not have this problem with my G5. The other guy below wrote a reply to my review, since he has a 3G as well maybe he could share his views on this new con. He did mention that he thinks my review is biased but I assure you I paid more money for the Diamondback 3G than for my G5 because the 3G was claimed to be "the best" until I used it. Please don't accuse me of being biased until you own a G5 and 3G to compare them as I have. If I were rich I would buy you a G5 just to show you what a real gaming mouse is like :).

Response to the previous review [Posted on 2008-03-14]
This is more of a response to a review as well as my own. This isn't to start any arguements but I sensed a lot of bias from the review as well as some misinformation (such as the sensor's quality and DPI in realation to perfect control)

3G Cons:
1.) Nobody knows what a 3G infra-red sensor really is, so this could be just a marketing ploy to make you think it is superior somehow.

The 3G infra-red sensor is Razer's 3rd generation optical(non laser) sensor. Esreality did a mousescore chart that measures the sensors rate of perfect control and malfunction and found that the sensor is THE BEST gaming mouse on the market at the moment. google their deathadder review for more indepth explanation

2.) Razer claims the cord is non-tangle but it is regular plastic cord that comes with any cheap mouse so I don't know why they claimed that as a feature of their mouse.

I won't comment on this because it does resemble my old dell mouse cord, but this cord never tangled for me and never really posed a problem, if you find the cord gets in your way too much or make a mess you can purchase something to weigh it down like a mouse bungee or razer's cable management product(the name escapes me at the moment) its extra money but its good for every other mouse you may get in the future or you can use tape or something to weigh the cable down.

3.) 2 side buttons are joined which is stupid because you have to think about it too much to figure out which button you want to press. Worthless if your survival depends on it you might press the wrong side button. The new blue G5 with 2 side buttons is better because you can subconsciously feel the 2 separate buttons and use the correct one without thinking.

I agree, this is the biggest flaw with the diamondback design..

4.) New self praised 3G technology came out later tha the G5 and it does not even match the DPI, instead you only get 1800 DPI.

G5 uses a laser technology that altho gives better dpi, they will lose perfect control faster then a optical sensor, the 3G sensor has been proven to have a much higher point of perfect control which is the most important aspect especially since the 1800dpi is already overkill on most resolutions

the rest of his points are really his own personal preference regarding the lights(aestheic value) reading the sensitivity chart(the 1-10 thing is easier for me to determine the sensitivity) and the gold plated usb is incorperated by many top brand gaming mice such as SteelSeries' Ikari



the major problems with this mouse is
- I've heard the mouse feet may wear out pretty fast.. this mouse is still new for me so i can't comment on that - my 2 year old diamondback's feet has visible wear on the feet but still glide perfectly on the mat. Razer used to give free mousefeet replacements but I think they stopped, new Mousefeet can be purchased from everglide I believe.

- The placement and the way the side buttons are made, I can't count the times i've accidently clicked these buttons on my old diamondback.. the way my hand rest on the mouse is uncomfortable too

- The drivers could be more advanced, they seem like the old diamondback's drivers with the 3g's picture pasted on it.. the drivers also offer no way to change the polling rate so the DB is stuck at 125hz.. although perfect control won't be affected by it, you will have an 8ms response time instead of the 1ms from a 1000hz polling rate. I've personally never noticed the difference, having used both the 125hz plasma Diamondback and the 1000hz Copperhead.

ultimately I'll give it 4 stars because this is the second revision of this mouse body and they've done it right with the copperhead's sidebutton placement and the Deathadder's 1000hz polling rate. Shame they couldn't incorperate this into the new Diamondback

Sorry for the grammar, I've misplaced my glasses and its early =/

Excellent Gaming Mouse ... [Posted on 2008-05-22]
I have been using the Razer Diamondback for over two years now for FPS gaming, and this mouse is built to take the punishment. The micro switches are extremely durable and can take the heavy-handed button mashing. This updated model is no exception, and now it's 1800 dpi! I highly recommend this mouse, and at this price, you can't beat it.

Razer Diamondback 3G Earth Green - Enough bang for the buck? [Posted on 2008-09-21]
I bought this mouse because my cousin had the original diamondback, which was awesome. This mouse is very ergonomic for palm grip and claw grip gamers, and is ambidextrous, so any gamer could use it.
The sensitivity is really good. You can adjust the sensitivity anywhere in about 2 seconds, from "move the mouse a millimeter, turn you gun a meter and a half" to "I like using my computer without ever having to pick up my mouse" all the way to a ridiculously insensitive setting.
After I bought this mouse, I got my first non-commander first place finish on BF2. It really does help.

My only problem with this mouse is the driver that comes with the mouse doesn't work on my computer, the driver support is useless, so I cannot set up the customizer to be use the side buttons.

Other than that, great mouse.
-Drummond

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