Table of Contents
Introduction
For a while now, Thermaltake is making a name for itself in the PC gaming scene, starting with the Tt eSports moniker and not too long ago they are pushing forward the Tt Premium name. We recently reviewed the X1 RGB Cherry MX Blue Keyboard and Tt eSports Draconem RGB Cloth Edition Gaming Mouse Pad. To go along with them we are now looking at the Tt eSPORTS Iris Optical RGB Gaming Mouse.
The IRIS Optical RGB Gaming Mouse comes with two-zone 16.8 million of true RGB color and features 9 dynamic lighting effects with unique side aura illumination for enhanced gaming atmosphere.
The use of a PMW-3325 gaming grade optical sensor with up to 5000 DPI provides superior accuracy and precision gaming for when you need it most; and is equipped with durable gaming grade switches with a lifespan of up to 20-million clicks for long-lasting gameplay. With a right-handed ergonomic and lightweight design, the IRIS RGB Optical provides long-lasting comfort during periods of long play with additional features such as profiles, macro, lighting effects, colors and button controls customized via software.
Specifications and Features
| Size | Medium |
| Shape | Right-handed |
| Sensor | Pixart PMW-3325 |
| Buttons | 6 |
| Scroll | Non-tilt |
| Processor | 32-bit ARM |
| Profile | Yes |
| Cable length | 1.8m |
| Switches | Huano |
| Weight | 123g, Mouse only |
| Software | Yes |
| Interface | USB |
| Lighting | RGB |
| Feet | Teflon |
The Iris Optical RGB features the Pixart PMW-3325. It has a maximum of 5000 DPI and a maximum speed of 100 IPS. As for reporting, the Pixart PMW-3325 is able to go as high as 2000Hz.
Packaging and Accessories
The Tt eSPORTS Iris Optical RGB comes packed inside the typical Tt eSPORTS packaging with mostly back background and red accents on the top. The packaging shows the mouse with RGB on. The front can be opened and you can see your new mouse through a transparent plastic cover.
Inside the box, besides the mouse we can find:
- Warranty Policy
- User documentation
Closer look
The Tt eSPORTS Iris Optical RGB is a medium sized gaming mouse with a right-handed design with side buttons only on the left side. There are no unnecessary ledges which could cause discomfort, and the curves are all great for picking up the mouse easily. The mouse has a total of 6 buttons including the scroll wheel – which is more than enough for most tasks. The side profile has a honey comb design for the grips in a glossy finish.
The top shell construct is made out of a 3 piece plastic. The coating is neither glossy nor matte and it is not slippery, which is great for a gaming mouse. The CPI-changer and side buttons both have a glossy finish though.
The cable is pretty long, but not braided, which is a minus on my book. The cable does come wrapped in a Velcro strap though, so at least this one will keep the cable tidy in place. The USB connector is normal, not gold-plated, so nothing special here.
The base is made out of teflon and the mouse glides well on the table. The PMW-3325 sensor is located in the middle.
Software
You can customize the mouse with the Tt eSports Command Center Pro. The software allows you to adjust and customize all your lighting effects, colors, brightness and speed. The software looks very similar to the TT PREMIUM X1 RGB gaming software. Again we have to use a different software for another Thermaltake product, so, up to this point we have 3 products with 3 different software pieces. We have 5 profiles that allow us to set every button as required. We also have a dedicated macro tab which is pretty straight forward, but not as easy to use as the one in TT PREMIUM X1 RGB gaming software. We have a lot of RGB options within the software to assign a color profile and adjust the speed and brightness of the colors, as well as the direction of the lights. In the last tab (Performance) you can set the DPI. In steps of 100 DPI you can choose between 100 and 5000 as you wish and store up to four steps per profile.
Performance
We’ve looked over all the features and now it is time to put the mouse to the test. Testing a mouse is subjective so we will have to try it out in games(Counter-Strike:Global Offensive, Age of Empires and DOTA 2) and we will be using the MouseTester Software Reloaded (version 1.5.3).
DPI ACCURACY:
The accuracy of DPI levels are tested with the CPI measurement tool built within the MouseTester.
POLLING RATE CONSISTENCY:
The Polling Rate of the device is evaluated with the MouseTester V1.5 at the 800 DPI level. This is to check the consistency of the device’s update rate at 1000Hz.
Polling rate is not so consistent. We’ve seen better, to be honest. Lowest recorded is at around ~500Hz, while the highest is above 4000Hz even with the mouse configured to use a 1000Hz rate. This should affect the tracking performance. A firmware update should be able to fix this.
TRACKING PERFORMANCE:
Mouse tracking performance is evaluated with the MouseTester V1.5 with a DPI level of 800 DPI. Our aim is to check out the sensor’s performance; and to look for reporting inconsistencies. That includes inconsistencies from sensor ripple or jitter.
Tracking performance is not the best during our tests. Flicking the Iris Optical RGB back and forth showed inconsistent counts, which is heavily influenced by the erratic polling. The counts actually deviates too much from the line so the performance is just not as smooth as expected.
LIFT OFF DISTANCE, SENSOR RATTLE AND ACCELERATION:
Angle snapping, lift off distance and acceleration are also evaluated. The angle snapping is checked with MS Paint, while lift off distance levels are checked with ~1.2mm optical discs. Acceleration on the other hand is tested with Overwatch at 800 DPI. Sensor rattle is then checked with an electrical tape.
Lift off distance is locked at around ~1.5mm, which is good enough for my requirements. There are no angle snapping (configurable), sensor rattle and acceleration, which is expected from the Pixart PMW-3325.
Conclusion
The Tt eSPORTS Iris Optical RGB is a decent mouse, which comes at a price of 30 Euro. It delivers quite a lot of features for the price tag. We really liked the lights and the ergonomics of the mouse, but some features could have been made better. The glossy parts on the sides of the mouse and on the side buttons are not that great, the buttons seem somewhat fragile, the cable is not braided and the performance is somewhere in the middle. A pretty decent bang for the buck though.
