| Razer Copperhead 2000 DPI Laser Mouse
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Drivers and Installation:
Connecting the Razer Copperhead is a simple matter of plugging the USB connector into an open USB port and then loading the drivers from the included disk. I installed the Copperhead and its drivers on three different systems for reasons I will discuss later, and the driver installation was simple and flawless on all three systems. The driver disk auto starts and only requires a few clicks on the OK button to complete the process. As you can see in the pictures below, the driver interface is fairly straight forward and easy to use. Each button has a drop down menu to select what function the button will perform, and you can also assign macros to the buttons if the function you want is not listed in the drop down menu
 
As you can see, you can have up to five different profiles and you can not only set button function, but easily change the polling rate and DPI settings in the driver interface. Being able to set button functions, adjust the polling rate, and DPI setting makes it very easy to adjust the mouse to match your personal preferences, and having five available profiles is great for computers that are frequently used by more than one person.
The driver interface also has two expandable side bars. One for sensitivity settings and one for advanced features settings.
Performance and Use:
With the Copperhead connected and the drivers installed, it was time to get down to business and see just how well this mouse performed. The first thing I did was set the DPI to the maximum setting of 2000DPI and the polling rate to 1000Hz, and then I fired up a game of Counter Strike. At this setting the mouse reacts unbelievably fast. In fact it was much too fast for my liking. After trying to turn around and look at what was behind me, and ending up doing a little more than a 360 degree turn, I quickly lowered the settings. A polling rate of 500Hz and DPI setting of 1600DPI were much more to my liking. After playing with all the different setting combinations I have come to the conclusion if you can not set this mouse up to make you happy, you are too picky and most likely will never be happy with any mouse. There are so many setting combinations some might become a little intimidated with them, but a hard core gamer is going to love all the control the adjustments offer and the spot on tracking this mouse exhibits.
The two main mouse buttons and scroll wheel are just where you expect them to be, and function very well. Unfortunately, I don't feel that can be said about the four side buttons. They are located two on either side of the mouse and right below a ridge that is created by the checker lighting that wraps around the mouse. They also seem too far back on the mouse and for me were almost impossible to find. Now I realize this is highly tied to personal preference and I wanted others opinion on this before I condemned the mouse on the placement of the four side buttons. So after a week of trying to get used to the button placement with no luck, I took the mouse to a neighbor's house and hooked it up on their computer. The man of the house hated the button location even more than I did. The lady of the house loved everything about the mouse including the button location and told me I could not have the mouse back. A few days later the husband showed up at my door while his wife was at work and handed me the mouse and called me a few choice names for getting his wife hooked on it. The next stop for the Copperhead was my kid's computer, and once again within a few hours I was told I was not going to get this mouse back. Both of my kids absolutely love the Copperhead and claim it has improved their gaming talents. All of this leads me to the conclusion that the Copperhead is more comfortable in smaller hands than it is in larger hands, like mine.
With a little practice, my oldest son has found a very good use for the "on the fly" DPI switching feature. When in a game of Counter Strike he keeps the DPI setting very high, making mouse movement very fast and aggressive. However when he is using a sniper rile and looking down the scope of it he lowers the DPI setting with a quick click of the side buttons he has mapped to the on the fly DPI switching, thus making the mouse less sensitive and making it easier for him to make long range pin point shots. I tried his technique and it only got me killed while I was fumbling for the button. He on the other hand has got good enough with this technique that I don't enjoy playing Counter Strike with him as much as I used to.
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