There are a number of options available for users looking to buy a gaming mouse in the budget segment. A number of brands have been offering some really affordable gaming mice with an array of features to attract budget gamers. While options are plenty, good options are scarce. Amidst all this, Astrum launched the MG300 gaming mice for gamers who are on a tight budget. How does it perform against its competitors? Let’s find out.
The Astrum MG300 Gaming mouse is available at a price of 775 and can be bought from Amazon India.
Astrum MG300 Gaming Mouse
Detailed Review
Design & Comfort
The Astrum gaming mice has a shape somewhat similar to the G402, Logitech’s offering the mid-range segment. The top portion of the mice is comparatively flatter, and so people with larger hands might face issues as the overall size is pretty small. The mouse is ideally made for people with palm grips, since the top portion of the mouse is pretty flat giving a larger surface area for holding the mice. Compared to the G402, it is a lot flatter and people with claw grips might face issues, so it is definitely not for them. On the either side of the mouse we have portruding finger rests, which ensure the mouse has better and more comfortable grip. The rests on either side make sure users are able to use the mice for long hours without tiring their fingers.
The mouse has a total of three macro keys which can be customized via the utility software. We’ll get back to that part in a bit. Two of the macro keys are placed at the side of the mouse, and while they have a plasticy touch to them, they do the job pretty well. Finally, the third and last macro key is placed just beside the left mouse button, a position where I think it’s pretty uncomfortable to use but given that a lot of premium gaming mouse have macro keys at the same position it seems like some users do use it. At the middle of the mouse we have the dpi keys and the mouse scroll wheel. The overall look of the mouse is pretty premium for the price-range. The buttons do feel a bit plasticy, but given the fact that the mouse is priced just below 1k and the buttons are still better than its competitors in the price range, this is nothing to worry about.
The left and right click buttons have a rubberized grip which add to better grip while holding the mouse. The mouse is RGB illuminated. We have the matrix styled effect on the left and right click buttons, and a series of arrow heads on either side of the mouse, both of which reveal the RGB LEDs inside the mouse. At the bottom half of the mice we have the Astrum branding, which is RGB illuminated as well. Overall, the RGB illumination is pretty good and adds to the aesthetics of the mice. Apart from the cheap macro and DPI buttons, the Astrum MG300 gaming mice fares pretty well in the design section. Comfort wise, people with medium hands and a palm grip will find it pretty comfortable to use. The flat shape does make it pretty uncomfortable for claw grips though.
Performance & Features
The Astrum Gaming Mouse has an optical sensor, to no surprise, with a Sensor report rate of 3000 times per second sensor speed of 28 + IPS. Speaking of the sensor, it does perform its job pretty well. For day-to-day usage we faced almost no issues, which is not at all surprising. The mouse’s real test lies in its gaming performance. The mouse’s sensor isn’t good when it comes to gaming, as we did face frequent issues while gaming, but given its price and compared to the other mouse at the price segment it is really good. The issues we faced while gaming ranged from the mouse not precisely sensing quick flicks, to rare button click issues in fast paced games. In single-player games and games that don’t require quick mouse movements, the MG300 performs really well and users will face no issues. But for games like CS:GO, this may not be the right buy. Having used the Dragonwar ELE-G9, the most popular mouse in the price segment, I can safely assure that the mouse is better than the ELE-G9. The sensor is more accurate and the buttons are more efficient as compared to the ELE-G9.
The mouse offers five DPI options ranging from 1200 to 3200 dpi. Users can customise the DPI via the DPI button. The DPI button can store upto four values, and it can be set via the utility software which in turn can be downloaded from Astrum’s website. Speaking of the software, it isn’t the best out there, but does what it intends to pretty well. Users can store upto five configurations in the mouse, a feature which is rarely seen in mouse at this price segment. Apart from setting the DPI options, users can also change the RGB Led’s effects. Users can choose between static, fast breathing, slow breathing, and off light effects. Finally, the utility software can also be used to assign and re-assign the various buttons in the mouse. One of the most interesting features of the utility software is the ability to control the fire speed of the LMB button. This has pretty limited use but is still a pretty worthy addition. Overall, the software is pretty well designed and did exceed our expectations in its performance. Given that most gaming mouse in the price segment don’t even have a software in place to begin with, the utility software of the mouse works wonders.
Verdict
The budget segment in peripherals is one of the most crowded segments. There are a lot of options, but most of them are made of cheap quality stuff. The Astrum gaming mouse is undoubtedly the best of the lot. Although, the mouse does face a number of issues which mars budget gaming mouse, overall its a pretty solid performer.