Published in Reviews

CM Sentinel Advance gaming mouse hits our lab

by on17 September 2009

Index



Due to its design, The CM Storm Sentinel is strictly a mouse for right handed people, as it’s somewhat long and curved. Despite looking a bit “plasticky”, this mouse is pretty tough and is made of different materials, including rubber, ASB plastic, mesh bezel and metal. We found it almost a perfect fit, but make sure you check for yourself as mouse-to-hand compatibility is something no-one can guarantee.
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The mouse is 13.5cm (5.3 inches) long, so your entire palm will rest on the mouse. We found this to be pretty comfortable, but if you’re used to smaller mice it might take some time to adjust. The mouse has 8 programmable keys, but the picture taken from the manual (below) says it much better.

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In order to improve the visual link between the owner and his “pet”, CoolerMaster implemented so called Octoshade LED Tech, which uses an eight color spectrum to show which profile we’re currently using. The Sentinel Advance has three LED lamps, one of them on top of the mouse and the other two on the front. We must say that the lights that look seriously mean make the logo “Designed to Search and Destroy” very appropriate.

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CoolerMaster made sure that the Sentinel has at least one ace up its sleeve more than the competition, and it’s the OLED monitor. This little screen shows the current DPI resolution and even allows for uploading logos. You can use any black-and-white picture in BMP format and 32x32 resolution and upload it via CM Storm Tactic’s Color Control tab. You can see the OLED screen on the picture below .

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The left and right buttons are pretty standard and run well. The DPI control keys are placed between the OLED screen and the mouse wheel, and you can use them in combination with the wheel and the two keys on the left. The profile switch key is placed in front of the mouse wheel, and this mouse will store up to 5 profiles. The mouse has its own 64kb of memory, allowing for saving profiles and using your mouse anywhere while still keeping your settings. Furthermore, you can use the internal memory to save macros as well as scripts and configuration files. Advanced Storm Tactic macro support enables the Sentinel’s intelligent firmware to save, repeat and time mouse actions which you might need while gaming or other.

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Unfortunately, we found the two keys on the left to be quite awkwardly placed as the distance between them is virtually non-existent and they require too much pressure to be applied. This side has space reserved for the thumb, but it’s a tad too low for comfortable use of the keys above, and we often found ourselves pushing the wrong one.

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The right side of the mouse is nicely curved for better comfort.

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The Sentinel Advance’s ticker is the twin tactical laser sensor, made out of two lasers of course and hiding on the bottom of the mouse.

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Thanks to laser-beam mixing using the Doppler Effect, CoolerMaster enhanced the precision allowing for comfortable use on many different materials. Furthermore, it enables independent X and Y axis settings.

On the bottom you’ll find a chamber holding the weights. The CM Storm Advance has five standard 4.5g weights, and it’s up to you to distribute them for that perfect feel.

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Last modified on 18 September 2009
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