Sensor: V50

Out of the three tested mice in this review, the V50 operates with the best sensor, which is a PixArt PMW3320. Nowadays, I would consider it a rather outdated entry-level model, but a good implementation will still have it provide decent results. It's pretty raw and responsive and doesn't feature any significant smoothing or acceleration.

Specifications state this sensor to have nominal acceleration and maximum tracking speeds of 20 G and 80 IPS (2 m/s). In reality, it can do a bit more, which I have covered in the Perfect Control Speed section. As far as I know, the software lets you change the resolution from 100–7,000 CPI, in steps of 50 CPI. However, I could not get the software to work—more on this in the Software section. I was stuck with the default values. These are 800, 1,500, 3,000, 4,500, and 7,000 CPI. Bear in mind that the PMW3320's high limit is 3,500, so anything above that is interpolation. Also, it's best to stay on either 500 or 1,000 CPI with this sensor as it performs best at those values. The polling rate can be set to 125, 250, 500, and 1000 Hz, but it runs on 500 Hz by default, which made that the only step I could test. The lift-off distance is rather high, hitting just above 2 DVDs in height on a black cloth mouse pad.

Perfect Control Speed

While the nominal PCS is only 2 m/s, this sensor is actually capable of a bit more, especially on the low CPI steps. I measured about 2.3 m/s before it malfunctioned (which has this sensor spin out, resulting in a "cursor drop-down" that has you stare at your legs in-game). The PCS seems to correlate with the set resolution, so while it's 2.3 m/s on 800 CPI, it's only about 0.45 m/s on 7,000 CPI.

Speed Related Accuracy Variance

This test shows the sensor's accuracy at different speeds. You can see me doing a fast swipe to the right before I slowly slide the mouse back to its original position. There is pretty much no acceleration or deceleration.

Polling Rate

The polling rate is nice and stable and doesn't suffer from any periodic drops or strange outliers. Once again, there are four polling-rate options in the software, which I couldn't get to work on my configurations.

Sensor: V18

The V18 uses a PixArt PAW3519 tracking module, which I haven't heard of until now, and by its specifications, it's pretty much an office-grade optical sensor. It has a low nominal perfect control speed and a very high lift-off distance. You can set its resolution to 400, 800, 1,600, 2,400, 3,200, and 4,200 CPI. The only available polling rate is 500 Hz.

Perfect Control Speed

Perfect control speed (or PCS for short) is very low on this sensor; it starts to malfunction at about 1.2 m/s, which is way lower than the vast majority of gaming mice nowadays. If you swipe it too fast, which isn't that fast, the sensor will spin out and you'll most likely be aiming at your legs in-game—at least it doesn't seem to correlate with the set resolution.

Speed Related Accuracy Variance

I was unable to perform a proper SRAV test because the PCS of this sensor is too low; it would malfunction in the test.

Polling Rate

The polling rate is generally nice and stable and doesn't suffer from any periodic drops or strange outliers.

Sensor: BD-01

As for the BD-01, it has an Avago ADNS-9800, which was considered the flagship of VCSEL-based sensors back in the days. Nowadays, it's a rarely used tracking unit since the newer optical sensors are considerably better in every way. Its traits are those of your usual laser sensor, which means it has a medium-high perfect control speed and low lift-off distance, but some noticeable acceleration and smoothing.

Specifications state nominal acceleration and maximum tracking speeds to be 30 G and 150 IPS (3.81 m/s). Its resolution can at most be set to 8,200 CPI, in increments of 200 CPI. As for the polling rates, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 Hz are available.

Perfect Control Speed

Perfect control speed (or PCS for short) is not the highest on this sensor, although it should definitely be enough for the target group. Depending on the resolution, It stops tracking at about 4 m/s, which is usually a very fast swipe on a large mouse pad. Upon reaching 4 m/s, the sensor spins out, and like the previous two mice, the BD-01 will also make you look at your feet in-game. The PCS correlates with the set CPI, which means the 8,200 CPI option will hit its limit earlier.

Speed Related Accuracy Variance

This test shows the sensor's accuracy at different speeds. You can see me doing a fast swipe to the right before I slowly slide the mouse to its starting location. VCSEL sensors usually have easily detectable acceleration, which can be seen here as the cursor not hitting its original position after a swipe.

Polling Rate

All polling-rate options are nice and stable and don't suffer from any periodic drops or strange outliers.