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Forces(UK) · 21-07-2008, 11:41 AM

Here's my old review of the G9 vs the Lachesis:

I'll cut to the chase and tell you that in my view, between it and the G9, the Lachesis is the overall winner in a side-by-side test ...but there are some things the G9 does better.

Here we go...

As you can see, the Razer jobbie is longer. For me this gives support where it's needed (hang on, are we talking about sports bras or mice?), and it seems to suit my playing style a gazzilion times better. ...Knifing in particular is MUCH easier for me using the Lachesis, and that's after I'd been using the G9 every day for two weeks or so.

The main left and right buttons on the Razer mouse are much more pleasant to use than the Logitech. I find that tooting a little rhythm with the FAV horn, the notes fall exactly where I want them with the Razer, but not with the Logitech. ...In fact, if you blindfolded me and had me try just the buttons on each, I'd guess that the G9 was something from the 80s.

Actually, I'm sure the switches are very high quality in the G9, and I expect they'll last for ages without failing, ...it's just they have a bit more travel than they ought to, and the click is a little spongy ...problems which are not present in the Lachesis.

I read a review of the Lachesis here: Razer Lachesis » Reviews - XSReviews.co.uk - Trusted Hardware Reviews

That guy points out that when clicking the buttons on a SOFT mat, the pointer moves in an unwanted way. He adds that this problem is not present on a hard mat.

I use the metal Razer exact mat and rest (in pic) so I'm fine. I haven't tried the mouse with a soft mat, and I'm not going to, cuz they suck anyway.

I want to say that although the Razer has won me over, the G9 is still a very good mouse, and I did manage to get a best round of 202 while using it, so please don't be put off if you're thinking of buying one.

It has adjustable weight (that the Razer lacks), and side buttons on the G9 have a more positive feel than those on the Razer (opposite story with the main buttons though, which I rate as far more important - hence my going with the Razer).

Also, the G9 has a scroll wheel which can have it's clickiness disabled, and it has on-board LEDs which tell you which dpi setting you are on at a glance. I *really* wish the Lachesis had that visual dpi indicator too.

The strange fact is this: The Lachesis claims to be 4000dpi, whereas the G9 humbly states that it's a 3200dpi mouse. ...In fact though, the zoomed railgun turns SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER with the G9 when both mice are on max dpi, which is why it remains plugged in and ready to grab within hand's reach.

Both mice have on-board memory to store the profiles, so you can move them between computers without having to set them up again (VERY handy!!!).

Really, the best thing is to find a friend with one, and try his (or hers). I have seen too many reviews which say that the Lachesis is not so ergonomic, although I find it MUCH better in that respect than the G9.

I'm a left-handed person who uses the mouse as a right-hander would, so no special considerations there. The G9 comes with an alternative gaming body which can be swapped with the normal one by unclipping it. I found it TERRIBLE for gaming, even though I tried it quite a few times on different days.

So, there you have it: The G9 has a higher max dpi, even though on paper that should not be true, although for most other purposes the Lachesis is the mouse to go for in this gamer's book.

EDIT: I'm at lunch, and I thought I'd use the time to update this post.

This morning I used the wonderful mouserate software (get it free from here tscherwitschke.de->downloads ) to see how my mice were performing in terms of their outputted polling rates.

I had previously installed a patch which unthrottles XP's max polling rate, so in theory it should be able to receive info from any mouse capable of outputting it up to 1000hz.(patch available here: |MG| USB Mouserate Switcher 1.1)

EDIT: TRY COPY AND PASTING THOSE LINKS IF CLICKING THEM TAKES YOU BACK TO THIS FORUM

When I plugged in the G9 and moved it vigorously within the test box in mouserate, sure enough it approached 1000hz most of the time.

Then I plugged in the Lachesis and did the same test...

Weirdly, it NEVER went above 500hz, which seems to be a HARDWARE limit with the Razer mouse!!!

STRANGE...

Considering that Razer's own software makes a song and dance about being able to increase XP max polling rate to 1000hz, this is VERY strange indeed.

I double checked that the 1000hz option was enabled in the Razer software, and it was.

So, this would explain why the railgun turns faster with the 3200dpi G9 compared to the 4000dpi Lachesis: The G9 is sending more turn instructions in the same time period, and so the railgun turns faster. I'm sure that the sensitivity is probably a little better on the 4000dpi mouse, but unless you are making very slow and steady movements, this will be irrelevant.

Also, it may well be possible to turn the gunship more tightly with the G9 for this reason.

I'm getting a little out my depth here, but I imagine that the reduction in railgun turning speed is achieved by the code instructing the game client to ignore every other received instruction (or something like that) when in zoomed mode. Thus, the superior polling from the G9 offers more instuctions, so while the same % are ignored, in absolute terms more get through and the gun turns faster.

This now puts me in an odd position: I prefer the Lachesis for infantry combat, but the G9 for gunships and railguns, so I really *do* have to have both mice connected now, ...not just because I can.

UPDATE
At last! I'm NOT going mad! ...The Lachesis pointer really WAS jumping around randomly sometimes...

To fix this, make SURE you get the latest firmware patch for your mouse if you buy a Lachesis!!! Patch available here: Razer Support ...it lets the mouse talk to the PC at a proper 1000hz polling rate too!

21-07-2008, 11:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
Forces(UK) Forum Guru Join Date: Jul 2008 Age: 33 Gender: Male Posts: 2,204	Here's my old review of the G9 vs the Lachesis: I'll cut to the chase and tell you that in my view, between it and the G9, the Lachesis is the overall winner in a side-by-side test ...but there are some things the G9 does better. Here we go... As you can see, the Razer jobbie is longer. For me this gives support where it's needed (hang on, are we talking about sports bras or mice?), and it seems to suit my playing style a gazzilion times better. ...Knifing in particular is MUCH easier for me using the Lachesis, and that's after I'd been using the G9 every day for two weeks or so. The main left and right buttons on the Razer mouse are much more pleasant to use than the Logitech. I find that tooting a little rhythm with the FAV horn, the notes fall exactly where I want them with the Razer, but not with the Logitech. ...In fact, if you blindfolded me and had me try just the buttons on each, I'd guess that the G9 was something from the 80s. Actually, I'm sure the switches are very high quality in the G9, and I expect they'll last for ages without failing, ...it's just they have a bit more travel than they ought to, and the click is a little spongy ...problems which are not present in the Lachesis. I read a review of the Lachesis here: Razer Lachesis » Reviews - XSReviews.co.uk - Trusted Hardware Reviews That guy points out that when clicking the buttons on a SOFT mat, the pointer moves in an unwanted way. He adds that this problem is not present on a hard mat. I use the metal Razer exact mat and rest (in pic) so I'm fine. I haven't tried the mouse with a soft mat, and I'm not going to, cuz they suck anyway. I want to say that although the Razer has won me over, the G9 is still a very good mouse, and I did manage to get a best round of 202 while using it, so please don't be put off if you're thinking of buying one. It has adjustable weight (that the Razer lacks), and side buttons on the G9 have a more positive feel than those on the Razer (opposite story with the main buttons though, which I rate as far more important - hence my going with the Razer). Also, the G9 has a scroll wheel which can have it's clickiness disabled, and it has on-board LEDs which tell you which dpi setting you are on at a glance. I really wish the Lachesis had that visual dpi indicator too. The strange fact is this: The Lachesis claims to be 4000dpi, whereas the G9 humbly states that it's a 3200dpi mouse. ...In fact though, the zoomed railgun turns SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER with the G9 when both mice are on max dpi, which is why it remains plugged in and ready to grab within hand's reach. Both mice have on-board memory to store the profiles, so you can move them between computers without having to set them up again (VERY handy!!!). Really, the best thing is to find a friend with one, and try his (or hers). I have seen too many reviews which say that the Lachesis is not so ergonomic, although I find it MUCH better in that respect than the G9. I'm a left-handed person who uses the mouse as a right-hander would, so no special considerations there. The G9 comes with an alternative gaming body which can be swapped with the normal one by unclipping it. I found it TERRIBLE for gaming, even though I tried it quite a few times on different days. So, there you have it: The G9 has a higher max dpi, even though on paper that should not be true, although for most other purposes the Lachesis is the mouse to go for in this gamer's book. EDIT: I'm at lunch, and I thought I'd use the time to update this post. This morning I used the wonderful mouserate software (get it free from here tscherwitschke.de->downloads ) to see how my mice were performing in terms of their outputted polling rates. I had previously installed a patch which unthrottles XP's max polling rate, so in theory it should be able to receive info from any mouse capable of outputting it up to 1000hz.(patch available here: \|MG\| USB Mouserate Switcher 1.1) EDIT: TRY COPY AND PASTING THOSE LINKS IF CLICKING THEM TAKES YOU BACK TO THIS FORUM When I plugged in the G9 and moved it vigorously within the test box in mouserate, sure enough it approached 1000hz most of the time. Then I plugged in the Lachesis and did the same test... Weirdly, it NEVER went above 500hz, which seems to be a HARDWARE limit with the Razer mouse!!! STRANGE... Considering that Razer's own software makes a song and dance about being able to increase XP max polling rate to 1000hz, this is VERY strange indeed. I double checked that the 1000hz option was enabled in the Razer software, and it was. So, this would explain why the railgun turns faster with the 3200dpi G9 compared to the 4000dpi Lachesis: The G9 is sending more turn instructions in the same time period, and so the railgun turns faster. I'm sure that the sensitivity is probably a little better on the 4000dpi mouse, but unless you are making very slow and steady movements, this will be irrelevant. Also, it may well be possible to turn the gunship more tightly with the G9 for this reason. I'm getting a little out my depth here, but I imagine that the reduction in railgun turning speed is achieved by the code instructing the game client to ignore every other received instruction (or something like that) when in zoomed mode. Thus, the superior polling from the G9 offers more instuctions, so while the same % are ignored, in absolute terms more get through and the gun turns faster. This now puts me in an odd position: I prefer the Lachesis for infantry combat, but the G9 for gunships and railguns, so I really do have to have both mice connected now, ...not just because I can. UPDATE At last! I'm NOT going mad! ...The Lachesis pointer really WAS jumping around randomly sometimes... To fix this, make SURE you get the latest firmware patch for your mouse if you buy a Lachesis!!! Patch available here: Razer Support ...it lets the mouse talk to the PC at a proper 1000hz polling rate too! __________________ RIP Debi "Albatross", 1990-2009 A kind, fun, warm person. Thanks for cheering me up when I really needed it. So very sad to learn that you're not here now. Last edited by Forces(UK); 21-07-2008 at 11:48 AM..