The DeathAdder really shines when playing games ¬– with extremely short response times over a gold-plated full-speed USB connection. In addition, as mentioned above, the on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment gives you speed or a steady hand whenever you need it. You may never go back to an 800 dpi mouse. Of course, the DeathAdder works just as well on Windows XP or Vista on BootCamp — after all, probably no serious Mac gamer can resist the temptation to install Windows for those games that are not yet ported.

Razer Gaming Mats

I used the DeathAdder with the Razer Destructor Professional Gaming Mat. This fine mouse pad has a Razer Fractal textured surface with a gunmetal coating, specifically made for better tracking and movement for any mouse. Measuring 350mm(L) x 280mm (W) x 2.3mm(H), the rubber-bottomed pad gives even the most sweeping gestures plenty of room, yet never moves on your desk. The Destructor even ships in its own aluminum protective case. At $39, the Destructor may be an expense only worthwhile for the serious gamer.


Razer Destructor Professional Gaming Mat
A more reasonably priced option, the Razer Goliathus Control Edition, gives you a mouse pad with a textured weave in a choice of three sizes. This $19.99 pad, available in Oversized: 444mm X 355mm X 4.3mm, Standard: 355mm X 254mm X 4mm, or Space-efficient: 270mm x 215mm x 4mm also has a rubber bottom and pixel-precise targeting and tracking. Ilene Hoffman, Reviews Editor, used this pad and found it provided precise movement when editing photos, but she had to adjust the tracking to a slower setting. She found gaming much easier than with an ordinary mouse pad because of the smooth, fast mouse movement.


Razer Goliathus Control Edition Closeup

Minor Issues

There are a few minor issues with the DeathAdder driver, which should be easy to fix with a software update. For example, the default setting does not take into account that on newer Macs, the F-keys no longer map to the Dashboard or Expose. Also, the Razer driver seemed to change the scroll-speed on my MacBook Pro’s scroll pad.

Apart from these minor issues, the worst thing that can be said about the DeathAdder is that it does not have an ambidextrous design (for right- and left-handers), nor seven buttons instead of five, like its bigger sibling the Copperhead.

Great Gift

Naturally, I recommend the DeathAdder for any Mac gamer, but it is also is a great work mouse, especially for graphics professionals. The precision of its movements and ergonomic design make it a joy to do fine detail work or play for hours. It is also a worthy holiday gift that should last for years.

Edited by Ilene Hoffman, Reviews Editor