Cooler Master Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse Review

Almost exactly one year ago, Techgage’s overlord, Rob, reviewed Cooler Master’s Storm Sentinel Advance II gaming mouse. It didn’t quite win Rob over completely, though. Too many niggling issues deprived it the honor of earning our Editor’s Choice award.

Could it be that Cooler Master, through its Storm gaming brand, took notice?

After a rather short year on the market, CM Storm has thought it necessary to kill the Sentinel Advance, designating it EOL (End of Life). Taking its place in CM Storm’s laser sensor-equipped gaming mouse lineup is the new Havoc.

The Havoc slots in just beneath the top-of-the-line Inferno. But don’t let its lower price and market position fool you into thinking this is a budget model. Its specs and features list suggest that there is a lot more than meets the eye going on here.

• Eight programmable buttons
• Avago 9800 laser sensor capable of 100-8200 DPI
• Japanese Omron micro-switches (rated for up to 5 million clicks) for each button
• 128kb onboard memory for storing up to four user profiles
• Rubber side grip (thumb side)
• Smooth yet grippy rubberized coating
• Fully customizable lighting coloration effects

Now that we’ve had a look at the Havoc’s features list, let’s go for a more detailed visual tour of the mouse.

This angle shows off many of the Havoc’s salient features. You can clearly see the mouse’s matte black rubber coating, the two main buttons (left- and right-click), the scroll wheel (which also features a down-click action), the DPI adjustment buttons behind the scroll wheel, the three left-side thumb buttons, and the rubber grips on the left flank. On the left edge of the left-click button are four notches that house the LEDs which indicate the mouse’s current DPI setting. You can also see part of the braided cable on the front of the mouse.

What might not be so obvious is the fact that the Havoc is not an ambidextrous mouse. It is strictly a right-handed design.

Here you can see the three thumb buttons and the rubber grips more closely.

The right side of the Havoc features the only visible surface not endowed with the black rubber coating. Instead, the right flank has a fairly glossy black finish. The contrast with the rest of the Havoc’s flat black coloration is striking, to say the least.

Here is a look at the bottom of the mouse. The emitter for the Avago 9800 laser sensor sits just north of dead center. You can also see the Havoc’s Teflon feet and a whole bunch of branding and certifications in this view.

Here you can see the braided cable and the typical CM Storm gold-plated USB connector.

Now that we’ve had a good look at the Havoc, let’s turn our attention to its software package.