There are so many different computer mice on the market, it is very hard to know what features will improve your work productivity. Having the best mouse for your setup can greatly improve the amount of work you can get done during the day. Below is a list of the most important features in a work mouse from most important to least important.
- Connection technology
- DPI and Sensitivity
- Mouse polling rate
- Scroll wheel types
- Additional buttons
- Mouse software
Connection Technology
There are three primary ways that a computer mouse connects with a computer. Those are wired, wireless bluetooth, and wireless 2.4 GHz. There are other mouse connection options out there, but anything other than these three should be avoided due to incompatibility with modern computer parts.
Wired-USB
The wired-USB connects directly to your machine through a USB-A port. These mice get their power from the computer, so there are no rechargeable or replaceable batteries. The cable can sometimes limit movement and can be an eyesore for your desk setup.
Bluetooth Connectivity
Bluetooth mice are wireless and do not require a chord from your computer to your mouse. If you get a bluetooth mouse, your computer will need to have bluetooth as well so you can pair it to your computer. Connecting and pairing a bluetooth mouse can be somewhat tedious. Given the bluetooth technology, sometimes computers can have a hard time auto-pairing to the mouse after it has been set up.
2.4GHz
The 2.4GHz connection type is wireless and sends the mouse output over a wifi-like connection. This connection type is reliable, power-efficient, and stays connected to your machine because it uses a wireless USB dongle. Most quality mice use this technology because it does everything well without having to worry about running a USB cord to your computer.
DPI and Sensitivty
The DPI, Dots Per Inch, is the level of detail the sensor on a mouse can measure from your movements. Mouse sensitivity is how much your mouse moves when you move your mouse. If a mouse has an extremely high DPI, then you would have to lower the mouse sensitivity in order to match how much the mouse moves for a mouse with less DPI. Mouse sensitivity is set up on your computer. Having a mouse with a high DPI makes your clicks more accurate. If you struggle with clicking where you intend, look for a mouse with a higher DPI. A good benchmark for a mouse is a DPI of at least 3,000 DPI.
Mouse Polling Rate
Mouse polling rate is how often the mouse communicates your mouse movement back to the computer. Both bluetooth and USB have typically have a poll rate of 125Hz or 8ms. 2.4GHz mice are the fastest, and typically have a poll rate of 1,000Hz or 1ms. The faster polling rate will make using the mouse more accurate for you.
Scroll wheel types
The scroll wheel on a mouse allow for quick and efficient scrolling. Not all wheels are created equal. Some mice offer electromagnetic scrolling, or commonly referred to as free-flow scrolling. When someone quickly spins a free-flow scroll wheel, the wheel changes the scroll friction, which allows the mouse to spin for a very long, and fast, for a very long time. This is an extremely useful feature for users who navigate large spreadsheets, or browse big websites.
In addition to the main scroll wheel found on most mice, some mice have a horizontal scroll wheel. This scroll wheel is spun by the thumb and can make working with video editing applications and spreadsheets so much easier. If you are in the video editing space, a horizontal scroll wheel will really improve your workflow.
Additional Buttons
You should use a mouse that has at least a left click, right click, scroll wheel, and back and forward navigation buttons on the side. For most users, this is all they need. Some mice have additional buttons, like a DPI changing button, which is located behind the scroll wheel. A DPI button is typically used by PC gamers, but if the mouse has the option, the button can be remapped to a different purpose using the software that comes with the mouse.
Mouse Software
Higher-end mice can pair with mouse software from the manufacturer to allow for powerful and precise customizations. The best mouse software allows you to map almost any computer input into your mouse. This means you could set up an extra button on your mouse to toggle your microphone mute/unmute when you are on a Zoom call or copy-paste values in Excel.
Summary
You will want a mouse connects to your computer through a 2.4GHz dongle because they have great reliability and don’t require any cords. The mouse you choose should have a bare minimum of 3,000 DPI so it can be accurate, and the polling rate should be at least 125Hz to also increase your accuracy. If your workflow involves lots of vertical scrolling, and mouse with free-flow scrolling is a huge help. Additional buttons and mouse software can be combined to perform application-specific shortcuts to greatly improve your productivity.
My Recommendations
The two mice I believe are the best for productivity are the Logitech MX Master 3, or the Logitech G305.
Top Pick: Logitech MX Master 3
I use this mouse for my work flow. The MX3 can connect to your computer through a 2.4Hz dongle, or up to three different devices through bluetooth. The mouse has a DPI of 4,000, but has a lower polling rate of 90Hz. The scroll wheels is where this mouse shines. The vertical scroll has a free-flow scroll that allows for scrolling through thousands of rows with one flick of the finger, and also has a horizontal wheel.
The software for this mouse can do application-specific actions, and boasts a unique helpful feature called gestures. Gestures allow for a user to combine a mouse button with a up, right, down, or left movement to a particular action. The way I use gestures is, with only the DPI button above the scroll wheel, I can place any computer window on the top, right, bottom, or left section of my screen. This is absolutely incredible for keeping my workflow organized. You can even use this mouse’s FLOW technology to move your curser from one computer to another computer once you have it set up.
The Logitech Master S3 is a rock solid mouse that great for any professional, and perfect for video editors, data analyst, and anyone that does a lot of scrolling.
- Connection technology
- DPI and Sensitivity
- Mouse polling rate
- Scroll wheel types
- Additional buttons
- Mouse software
Second Pick: Logitech G305
This mouse lacks some of the features that the Logitech Master S3 has, but comes in at about half the price, and is industry-leading in how accurate its clicks are. The Logitech G305 connects through a 2.4Hz wireless dongle and boasts an Incredible 12,000 DPI. That is three times more DPI than the Logitech Master S3, and you can really notice how accurate it is. The scroll wheel is solid, but doesn’t have fre-flow scrolling. You only have the basic buttons, but with the robust software, you can get it to do just about anything. Gestures are not supported.
This personally is my favorite because its accuracy is incredible and it is so light. Both of these mice are amazing choices you cannot go wrong with.
