CoolerMaster CM310 review: Brilliance on a budget
Pros
- Super-affordable
- Great "mouse feel"
Cons
- Limited RGB functionality
- Not as sharp as high-end sensors
Bottom Line
While the CoolerMaster CM310 isn’t going to win awards for being the cheapest or best gaming mouse out there, it can certainly hold its own as one of the better cheap gaming mice out there.
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Price
$ 59.00 (AUD)
The Pitch
With so many brands operating in the space, it’s easy to spend more money than you need on a gaming mouse. Sure, thrills like comprehensive RGB lighting, 16K sensors and wireless charging are nice. But if you’re after the basics, it’s all icing on the cake. A mouse that’s good for gaming and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
And if you’re looking to have your cake and eat it, the CoolerMaster CM310 is a surprisingly affordable alternative that ticks all the boxes and delivers the goods. It’s not quite the best budget mouse out there, but that’s not to say it isn’t a good budget mouse.
What are the specs of the CoolerMaster CM310?
Dimensions: 127 x 71.5 x 39.5 mm
Weight: 100g
DPI: 10000 DPI
Acceleration: 20g
RGB Software: Custom, 5 preset modes
Polling Rate : 1000 Hz
Cable: 1.8 meters
Price: $59
What’s good about the CoolerMaster CM310?
While the looks on the thing are fairly bog-standard, the reality of using the CoolerMaster CM310 is anything but.
Not to oversell it, but this thing is an absolute delight to use. When paired up with multiplayer shooters like Overwatch and Apex Legends, I found it consistently responsive and easy to rely on. The rubber side-grips are add a nice, tactile feel to the CM310 and while the mouse isn’t exactly overflowing with buttons (like the Razer Naga), it does have more than enough macro buttons for you to make easy use of them if needed.
The final piece of the puzzle here is the price.
The CoolerMaster CM310 is dirt-cheap. If you’re searching online, you can probably pick up one of these for less than $50. That’s less than an expensive lunch and much less than fare like Logitech’s powerhouse Hero G502 gaming mouse. That said, it’ll end up costing slightly more if you opt for retail and it is a slightly-harder sell when compared to HyperX's Pulsefire alternative.
What’s not so good about the CoolerMaster CM310?
On the other hand, the CoolerMaster CM310 is unashamedly bare-bones.
The sensor isn’t as large or advanced as pricier fare from Razer or Logitech. Plus, the build and make here feels pretty cheap (though, to be fair, the CM310 is). Rubber grip aside, the CM310 is mostly made of low-quality plastic - and it never lets you forget that. Reminders are everywhere you look. The quality of the cable isn’t great and I found the DPI toggles on the top of the mouse just a little too finicky for my liking.
The CM310 is also pretty limited when it comes to customizability. You can toggle the lighting on the mouse between five presents using one of the toggles on the device itself. However, there’s no attached software to allow for more nuanced customization (such as Razer’s Chroma system).
Last but not least, you can’t really do much in terms of customizing the extra keys on the CM310. There’s no dedicated software here to make putting together macro keys a straightforward process.
On one hand, this means that using the CM310 is pretty plug and play. On the other, the inability to easily throw together a macro on a moment’s notice might end up being a limitation you’ll have to live with. Or at least, an obstacle you'll need to overcome if your aspirations are more ambitious.
The Bottom Line: Should you buy the CoolerMaster CM310?
The CoolerMaster CM310 is a tick-the-boxes sort of product. It’s not perfect and it doesn’t really set a new high bar for gaming mice - but it isn’t really trying too. The cocktail of ambitions and aspirations here is more humble.
The CoolerMaster CM310 isn’t going to win awards for being the cheapest or best gaming mouse out there, but it can certainly hold its own as one of the better cheap gaming mice out there.
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