get the fk

CL edition--much better scroll wheel.

The other Zowie models are just as good, just different grips.

All the zowie mice (except mico, it has it's own set of issues) have pixel walk, wonky DPI steps (that lie BTW, they're not accurate to what they say, and not consistently so from mouse to mouse, I assume this is because of tiny imperfections in the non-standard lens), and debilitatingly low LOD.

That said, still solid mice.

Zowie FK doesn't have a CL version, just the 2014 version, which has an IR sensor, and a 24 step scrollwheel.

its worth trying the AM, i like it much more than the FK due to the shape and grip, but that's personal preference

i thought you meant the animal

I read this as 'Moose hunting', and clicked immediately. Fucking Canada, eh?

A few questions:

I haven't noticed any pixel walking. Do you have a source confirming Zowie mice suffer from this?
Which step is the "non-wonky" dpi step?
What's wrong with low LOD?
What mouse has superior tracking?

Thanks!

I got an fk recently (replacing my 2 year old AM). It has an issue. I'm not sure if its "pixel walking" or what but a lot of times the cursor just moves and jitters in a small area even if my hand isnt on the mouse. Is that what pixel walking is?

1. pixel walk is just rumors on OCN afaik. doesnt feel bad to me. would be interesting if he had a good source.
2. he just means wonky dpi steps as in 450/1150/2300dpi. so I guess 450 would be the non wonky step. normal steps being 450/900/1800 or 400/800/1600/3200
3. for me sometimes when flicking the mouse just loses tracking, feels like its because the lens/low LOD. (the mouse gets slightly tilted when flicking quick and stops tracking. thats what it means by too low lod, the mouse loses tracking when youre aiming not purposely lifting it)
4. I dunno.

to add to this the zowie also doesn't have the smoothest polling rate.
but I mean every mouse out there falls down in some areas..

Thanks for the reply.

Any thoughts on the Corsair m40, btw?

i dont think sensor matters as much as shape

no ur shit is broken, broken sensor something in the lens etc.
pixel walk is like when you move the mouse really slow it wont work/you have to move it much farther than you should have to before the cursor moves. its low speed accuracy

its hella ugly. it has weights. most likely garbage. braided cable and shitty LOD for starters

Zowie mice suffer from a bit of an issue regarding the sensor and it's use of non-native DPI steps. For the Avago 3090 sensor, native DPI steps as previously mentioned are 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 (although Avago has done some SROM updates, it might be 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 4000 now, but that's a little irrelevant). To achieve non-native DPI steps (450 / 1150 / 2300), the mouse sensor has to be interpolated, meaning additional calculations must be made to achieve these DPIs. With these extra processes, there is the addition of a minute amount of latency (while I can't pull an exact measurement off the top of my head, just imagine playing with 1-2 extra ping, in the same vein of monitor response time). Note that this is quite minimal, and the majority of owners on threads discussing this state that even with such an effect present, no difference can be noticed in control of general movement. I believe the 2300 DPI step is the best at reducing this latency, but unfortunately the higher DPI comes with notable jitter, as with most mice, so most users stick with the lower steps.

So! Overall, Zowie make extremely solid mice. The sensor issue is quite minimal, the only reason to avoid would be if you are extremely picky about sensor performance, but even then I'd say go ahead and try one of their mice for yourselves anyways, again this latency is hardly/not noticeable for the large majority (and you're still getting a flawless sensor). Hopefully this explanation helps, apologies for the wall of text.

g400 for life

This. I had an EC2 Evo and the 450dpi step was particularly bad. If you're going to buy a Zowie use it at 2300 and lower your game sens.

Hm, w

Thanks, very interesting stuff.

I've never heard that interpolation adds latency--you're saying it's about the difference between 500hz and 1000hz, which does concern me a bit. The lowest dpi step has
indeed been reported to have noticeable input latency.

Why wouldn't Zowie use native dpi steps?

Also, would only 2300 dpi really cause jitter? That's pretty low. I'd try the middle step, but I'm already using a pretty high in-game sensitivity (3.33 at 2300 dpi) and I don't want to start skipping pixels. Of course, I'd like minimal latency, too.

Despite all this, I do prefer the Zowie's tracking to the SteelSeries Rival (3011 sensor) and Deathadder 2013, as the smoothing on those is noticable--and according to the linked thread the g400 is just as bad, in that respect.

I'd really like to know if there's a mouse with superior tracking before I get too invested in the EC2. Do you have any particular recommendations? Any insights into the Kone Pure Optical?

From most reports I've seen, jitter is only really noticeable at the 2300 step; here are some Paint tests (courtesy of takasta in his FK review), it can be hard to discern with just images and ultimately it's if the jitter is an issue for you or not. http://www.overclock.net/t/1369780/lightbox/post/19486394/id/1342727/user/282230

I've never much looked into why Zowie utilizes these DPI steps in particular, mainly just looking at the mice themselves to see if I'm interested. Sorry I can't answer that.

Yep, the smoothing on the Rival and DA 2013 is noticeable. The g400 has a flawless sensor, it's the updated g400s (with the new and "improved" Delta Zero firmware) which adds the 4000 DPI step and, simultaneously, some smoothing to the mouse.

For recommendations, anything with a flawless sensor, including Zowie. If you're looking to avoid that latency, any mouse using the standard DPI step setup should work. I currently use the Roccat Savu myself, in preference of the Kone Pure Optical since I have to be a little picky on shape due to fingertip gripping. G400, Savu, Kone Pure Optical, Kana V2 are what I'd recommend; all of them have some varying minor issues which may be a big deal for you, I'd say look into these, if you don't like them than the EC2 is good, Zowie does make quality mice and the sensor issue is so minimal I wouldn't make too many sacrifices just for that.

I had the Savu but it didn't work out--I think the grip was too small or something and the LOD was huge (didn't know about the tape trick back then). The thread in the OP says it can malfunction at faster speeds, too.

I'll give the Kone Pure Optical a go next! Thanks very much for the insight.

someone explain to me what mouse smoothing is, it doesn't sound good

Sorry to pick your brain so much, but one more big question:

Would you go with 2300 DPI (with jitter) or 1150 DPI (with increased latency)?

Thanks so much.

stabby,

I spectate you when I die. Your mouse is the least of your worries, my friend.

:-)

Honestly though, the Zowie mice are well-known for having inaccurate DPI designations. the 2300 step will really be 2450 on one mouse and 2330 on the next, etc. Each individual mouse is typically very repeatable, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I did use the AM as well as the AM-GS, which are both essentially identical. The AM's primary button (the right button, you silly righties!) wore out within 3 months. I then opened the AM-GS and top side button on the right side wore out within 4 months. I had Zowie RMA both mice and sold the replacements when this happened. The FK looks more comfortable, but I'd still be leery of the buttons.

In my preference, I'd rather go with a tiny bit more latency than deal with wonky mouse movement, since again that bit of latency doesn't make a large difference at all. So 1150 over 2300, but again, that's all your preference.

Smaka's right, the variable DPI is seen with Zowies, though as he said it is consistent per mouse, so it would only be an issue if you were only looking for a very specific DPI / replicating your exact same sensitivity.

Alright then, thanks for all your helpfulness :)

How would I figure out this exact DPI on my FK then, if it's not what the step claims to do? I wondered why my sens felt different from my death adder, thought it was a tf2 config problem, guess maybe it wasn't? It's nothing major but my sens that I've used for forever has felt wonky for the time I've been playing on the FK, this might explain it...

How do you think I should go about replicating my old sens from the deathadder? I've been using 1150 dpi on the FK and I previously used 1800 on my death adder, used this website to calculate how my tf2 sens should change, but obviously if the dpi i used is wrong then I should be using a different tf2 sens.

Measure your inches/360 and tweak your sensitivity till it matches up!

To figure out the DPI your particular mouse is running at, the most common tool is the Enotus test, but it is known for giving some inaccurate results, so it isn't a definitive measure, more so to give you a general idea about your mouse and its sensor.

With that said, you can try getting your same sensitivity calculating with the DPI you measure with Enotus. Your best bet though is to get an old-fashioned ruler and measure out the length of your 360*s until you get the in/360 you're looking for as Stabby suggested.