RGB: RGB mouse pads are pretty, but they're powered via USB. This doesn't necessarily need to plug into your PC, unless you want to customize the pad's RGB with software (or have it coordinate with your other peripherals). Also, not all RGB is created equal. The number of RGB zones (not the same as the number of LEDs) will determine how complex the light show can get. If speed is your top priority, a soft, cloth mouse pad is not for you — and even a hybrid mouse pad will slow you down. You need a hard, smooth, low-friction surface made of plastic, ceramic, aluminum, or glass, like our favorite hard surface mouse pad, the Razer Atlas. Size: Mouse pads start small but come in a few sizes — the largest ones will take up your entire desk. Do you need a gigantic mouse pad? If you play games that require extreme precision and control — such as first-person shooters — you might want to consider a larger pad; precision is generally attained with a lower DPI, and a lower DPI means bigger hand/arm movements. You definitely don't want to run out of room when you're lining up a headshot.

Our main issue with the Atlas was its size — at 17.72 x 15.75 x 0.19 inches (450 x 400 x 5mm), and made of rigid glass, it’s a little too large to easily fit on the average desk, as it can’t be placed on uneven surfaces, nor are you supposed to put heavy, rough, sharp, hot, cold, etc. objects on top of it. Even just a little smaller would make this mouse pad an easier fit for the more deskspace-challenged. Since then I've preferred to go padless on a XXL wooden table I built and painted myself at the time, whose surface I actually expected having to repaint periodically, but it's held up just fine so far. And in terms of thermal conductivity and touch comfort wood is very hard to beat. Construction is solid across the board here, with a textured cloth surface that gives you plenty of grip without feeling uncomfortable on your wrists and arms. The silicone shielding around the RGB-lit edge also means this mouse pad’s corners aren’t likely to fray anytime soon. Plus, the textured rubber on the mouse pad’s underside means it won’t slip around with your sweeping arm movements while you’re gaming. The Mousepad 3.0 is made of tempered glass, but is “incredibly durable,” according to the company (which also told me to go ahead and drop it on the floor from varying heights). I happen to live in a factory-converted-loft with polished concrete floors, however, so I decided against haphazardly tossing it onto my floor... just in case it happened to break. I did consider taking it outside and dropping it on the street, but that didn’t seem very environmentally-friendly (even if I do live in downtown Los Angeles where the streets are full of broken glass anyway).

A glass mouse pad is not the stupidest thing you could spend $100 on.

I remember some of the earliest mice in Sun SPARCstations, which in 1989 already used an optical sensor but required a metal pad with optical markings etched into it to work. While the precision and speed was much better than the mechanical mice of the day (much less effort cleaning them, too), I quite remember being constantly irked by the metal's higher level of thermal conductivity: the right palm of my hand always felt a bit cold and that might have permanently biased me against anything pad underneath my mice. Stanto said:Welcome to 2001. icemat was a fantastic mouse mat which everyone went crazy for, compared to everglide and metal mouse mats, they're great. Also see: the simple guide on How to Clean Your Mouse Pad. Gaming Mouse Pad FAQ How often should you replace your gaming mouse pad? If you’re looking for a glass mouse pad, Skypad’s Mousepad 3.0 is an excellent option. You already know I’m inexplicably in love with the Razer Atlas, and the Mousepad 3.0 is, frankly, very, very similar in feel and performance. My two main concerns with the Atlas were its size, because it felt just a little too large to be easily incorporated in most desk setups, and its durability — mostly because Razer warns against using soap or harsh cleaning agents to clean the Atlas’s surface, likely to prevent removal of the oleophobic coating.

Ultimately, getting any of these mouse pads is better than not having one at all, but think hard about the types of PC games you want to play before you make your final decision. If you're looking for RGB, the Razer Firefly V2 has it in spades. This ultra-colorful mouse pad has a whopping 19 customizable zones and its bright LEDs visibly outshine the competitors (despite the relatively thin lighting strips). Below we've broken down the various surface types most gaming mouse pads feature as well as some of the materials they’re usually made of. Shopping for the best gaming mouse pad might seem as simple as finding one that looks good to you and will fit in with your gaming setup, but there’s more to these mouse pads than you would think. Skypad’s regular Mousepad 3.0 is a much more manageable size. It’s quite a bit smaller than the Atlas, and is what most people would probably consider a “standard” or medium-sized mouse pad. Because it’s glass, it doesn’t feel quite as small as a similarly-sized cloth mouse pad, since smaller swipes go further. It’s also not quite as smooth as the Atlas, so I did find myself moving my mouse over a larger area than I did with the Atlas (but still smaller than with a non-glass mouse pad). What I’m trying to say is that if you’re used to larger mouse pads, you’ll probably still have an adjustment period if you move down — the Mousepad 3.0’s glass surface doesn’t completely negate the size.If you use your mouse pad for gaming on the regular, you might need to replace it more often due to tearing, fraying, or fading. However, generally, you should be able to squeeze a good 3 to 5 years out of your mouse pad. The RGB is a little less robust than we’d like. There are only two zones, and while you can select from a wide variety of patterns and colors, there's no integration with Discord and the list of games with special integration for HyperX’s RGB software is pretty sparse. Still, the mouse pad's RGB touch sensor is a nice bonus, allowing you to easily cycle through 3 RGB presets without needing to dive into software. Depending on the mouse pad’s material and cleaning recommendations, you may want to clean or wash it before deciding to replace it in case this resolves any issues you might be experiencing. Are Mouse Pads Good for Gaming? But I do notice that my gaming kids all seem to use pads on their wooden tables, so I guess in a professionally competitive environment you need to trade comfort for precision and speed.