A4 Tech's X7 XL-750 MK is a small gaming mouse that works for both left- and right-handed users.  Above all, we think it's a great replacement for a bigger, more fully-featured mouse, that's great for using on the road.

It comes in at under £30 at some online retailers, and has all the specs a gamer would expect.  To start with, you can adjust its resolution on the fly to one of six different levels from 400 to 3600 dpi.  You can also programme the six buttons using the Oscar Editor software, and add macros.  A4Tech has chosen a laser sensor, which allows it to handle most surfaces well,  even those with a little reflection like a wooden desktop.

Handling

This is a small mouse that is more at home connected to a laptop than sitting on a desktop, and we found ourselves moving it with our fingertips rather than the palm of our hand, which quickly causes wrist fatigue.  To improve grip, the mouse is covered in a grainy plastic as well as a non-slip rubber patch at the thumb.  Unfortunately, it's not a big success, and we would have rather had a smooth surface.  The addition of a bright orange plastic button, far from discreet, is another unusual choice.

Fully-Featured Software

Once you install the software that's supplied with the mouse, there are a wealth of settings for you to configure.  You can set up two different profiles and move from one to the other using the driver.  The same tool is also used to assign shortcuts and programme macros for the six custom buttons.



Adjusting the Resolution

As we mentioned earlier, there is button reserved for changing the resolution of the sensor on the fly.  There are six different settings from 400 up to 3600 dpi.  On our test system, with two 24'' monitors side-by-side, we wouldn't push it beyond 1600 dpi.  Any further, and the cursor is far too sensitive, meaning you lose precision. 

One interesting feature is that you can adjust the resolution separately for the X and Y axes.  That means, for instance, that you can leave the sensor at 1600 dpi for horizontal movements but 1200 dpi for vertical motion.  This can be a little disconcerting at first, but you soon get used to it, and it's actually quite useful on screens with 16:10 aspect ratios.