I just got my Creative Platinum X-Fi and Logitech MX1000 Laser Mouse (Reviews)

[Theodore Kurita]

I just got my Creative Platinum X-Fi ($200.00) and Logitech MX1000 Laser Mouse ($49.99) that I ordered last week. Here are reviews of both devices thus far.

The creative Platinum X-Fi is the best Audio Card I have ever used. The 24 bit crystalizer turned out not to be hype afterall. It does change all of your 16 bit audio files into 24 bit audio files if you wish to do so. All you ahve to due is crank up the 24 bit crystalizer effect. It'll process the soudn throught X-Fi Processor. The end result is nothing short of amazing.

Installation was very easy. Just put the front panels into a drive bay, plug the soundcard into a PCI slot, then connect the two with a specialized IDE cable (which has a snug fit, so don't be freaked out if it doesn't seem to want to be put on at first). Oh, and don't forget to connect a Floppy drive power connector on the front panel before the case is closed. The only complaint I have about the whole installation was the driver installation.

The driver installation was fairly easy, but the wait to install the drivers is very painful. It takes about 45 minutes - 1 Hour to install the damned drivers. The drivers are pretty nice, and the layout is fairly simple. However, the amount of time it takes to install is appalling.

The Front Panel of the Creative Platinum X-Fi works really well for what it does. I am able to hook up Midi Instruments, Plug in a stereo for audio capture, and plug in my Headset with Microphones. It makes like much easier because of that. Also, the funky remote included with it...

Well, the funky remote is pretty well, just that, funky. It is great for a Mediacenter or Media PC setup where you have a TV to hook up stuff to. I am also somewhat peeved that I can only control Creative based products with it at the moment, although hacked drivers that allow for control of other media programs will eventually be released.

The Audio Performance is insane on this card. When I say insane, I mean insane. For Gaming, whenever I turn on the Gaming mode, I notice that my general CPU load (vs. my old Audigy) is much much lower that it was (10% with the Audigy vs 1 - 6% with the X-Fi). With that, I can run the highest of high audio quality, and not sacrifice any performance in any of the games I play.

When it comes to audio recording on this card. it isn't too bad, in fact, it's about as good as some of the lower end professional cards. But the overall recording quality could be much better. This is a general weak point for the card. The only advantage this card has over other cards recording wise is the large amount of onboard ram for ASIO and SoundFont banks.

To sum it up, here is a pro-con list and a final out of 10 rating.

Pros: Very Intuitive Interface, Easy to do tweaks (Gaming, Entertainment, and Audio Recording Modes), Very VERY good sound quality for playback, 24 Bit Crystalizer wasn't hype, Relatively Cheap for new hardware

Cons: Remote Control should work with other devices, Sound Recording Quality could be much better, Too many things to tweak (Keep It Simple Stupid)

My rating: 9.5 out of 10

A MUST BUY


_______________________________
Logitech MX 1000 Laser Review

This mouse review should be short, because this mouse kicks ass. This is by far the best cordless mouse I have ever used.

The fact that the mouse is rechargeable is a very big pro. I don't have to go out every other week to get new batteries for it. It has an off switch at the bottom, which means you can actually turn it off when it is not being used.

A big pro for this mouse is that it has an indicator at the side that shows how much battery is left, so you know when to get out of a game and charge the mouse.

If you are familiar with Logitech Mice, using the mouse should be a snap. It has the same feel as other Logitech Mice have had in the past. The only problem I have with the Logitech Mouse feel however is that it is not designed for left handed people (sorry).

The high DPI on this mouse does help with pwning people in games. I find it much easier to control the mouse correctly to assure that I get a headshot with any rifles (AWP, Scout, you name it I was able to get headshots with it) in Counterstrike Source whenever possible.

However, I highly recommend that if you are going to get this mouse, please consider also getting a decent mouse pad that is designed for gaming. They are pretty cheap, and act as good surfaces. This mouse however does work well on all surfaces, it works best on a hard Teflon like gaming pad.

To sum this all up, A Pro/Con List, and a rating out of 10:


Pros: Drivers Easy to Install, Easy to use mouse, It is a relatively simple mouse and follows KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) by not having button overload, easy to customize buttons in software, The Fact that it can be recharged

Con: Internal battery can't be replaced which means when it's dead, it's gonna stay dead, however the mouse should last even the most extreme of gamers several years.

Overall Rating: 9.8/10

The best mouse I've ever used, get one when the new Logitech's come out. This mosue will be cheaper (as in $25.00 - $30.00) if you want to save a little bit of $$$$.

[Soapy Sam]

Why would a mouse need batteries at all?

I don't use a mouse. I have a coypu. It's 6 x 5 x 14 inches, mahogany and brass, weighs 113 pounds and runs off a flywheel which I run up to speed by putting it in the spin dryer overnight. It has inbuilt GPS so it always knows exactly where it is and a flag on top so I know where it is.
It cost 14/6d from Woolworths in 1970.

I also have a sound system It's 24 years old, and I suspect may have vacuum tubes. Sounds just dandy though.

I tried playing music on my PC once, but it appears to have no slot for 78s. I hate these standards wars.

[geni]

Originally posted by Soapy Sam
I tried playing music on my PC once, but it appears to have no slot for 78s. I hate these standards wars.

It is posible to rig up a record player too your computer (although good luck in finding a record player that can still handle 78s).

[bignickel]

Theo, please revisit this review 6 months from now.

To wit: the Logitech mice have a bad habit of having the buttons go bad after continual FPS games.

I've gone thru Logitech replacing my mouse twice. It's one of the latest on the market too.

If you suspect that your Logitech mouse button might be dying, just bring up MS Paint, choose a differant color for both mouse buttons, and test each button by holding hit down while moving it around the screen. If you see gaps in the lines you're drawing, the mouse button is dying.

[Kenny 10 Bellys]

I bought one of the newest MX-Laser mice from Logitech too, and I have to say it's the best mouse I've had. Charges itself, lasts for days even if you forget to charge it and it feels really comfy. As for accuracy, it's by far the best wireless one I've used, and perhaps the best of all the mice I've owned, wired or not. Highly recommended.

[Soapy Sam]

So what does the laser actually do ? Zap Galaxians?

[Pause for brief rant]
"Added functionality", mantra of marketeers, is the technological equivalent of intelligent design; nonsense for the sake of nonsense. The tendency to build more and more features into gadgetry makes them harder to use, adds little of worth and increases my feelings of general incompetence. I had my last car five years and still couldn't work the radio when I sold it.

Do mice NEED to be gyro-stabilised, cordless or laser equipped? Why not stick a GPS unit in it so it always knows where it is? (Or has this already happened?)

My mouse (also Logitech) is ~ 7 years old and has BOTH kinds of button (Country AND Western). It works fine and needs no expensive batteries or recharges. And if it DID need recharged, it has a CABLE that could be adapted for that purpose!
. Now call me a Luddite,{LUDDITE!-ed}, but if GOD had wanted mice to have lasers, it would be in the BIBLE!
[/Rant]

[Theodore Kurita]

Originally posted by Soapy Sam
So what does the laser actually do ? Zap Galaxians?

[Pause for brief rant]
"Added functionality", mantra of marketeers, is the technological equivalent of intelligent design; nonsense for the sake of nonsense. The tendency to build more and more features into gadgetry makes them harder to use, adds little of worth and increases my feelings of general incompetence. I had my last car five years and still couldn't work the radio when I sold it.

Do mice NEED to be gyro-stabilised, cordless or laser equipped? Why not stick a GPS unit in it so it always knows where it is? (Or has this already happened?)

My mouse (also Logitech) is ~ 7 years old and has BOTH kinds of button (Country AND Western). It works fine and needs no expensive batteries or recharges. And if it DID need recharged, it has a CABLE that could be adapted for that purpose!
. Now call me a Luddite,{LUDDITE!-ed}, but if GOD had wanted mice to have lasers, it would be in the BIBLE!
[/Rant]

Well, the thing about the Laser Mice vs LED mice is that they can read off of any surface easily.

THe Laser works almost like a camera of sorts.

This review at Toms Hardware goes into how and why this mouse works better than LED mice:

http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/20040924/logitech-02.html

[bignickel]

Originally posted by Kenny 10 Bellys
I bought one of the newest MX-Laser mice from Logitech too, and I have to say it's the best mouse I've had. Charges itself, lasts for days even if you forget to charge it and it feels really comfy. As for accuracy, it's by far the best wireless one I've used, and perhaps the best of all the mice I've owned, wired or not. Highly recommended.

Like I said: you can't give a review of this mouse until a few months of using it. Because if while holdin the left button down while FPSing, you find that your gun only fires half the time , then you'll start cursing out 'the best mouse'.

At that point, call up Logitech, and they'll ship you a new one for free.

[Kenny 10 Bellys]

Never had a bit of bother and I've had it about 3 months now.

I got the first generation Logitech cordless (when they still had that archaic ball in them) and while it didn't appear to be a quantum leap at the time, the moment I had to use a different mouse with a wire on it you got annoyed and yearned for wireless freedom. I still miss that mouse, you couldn't get them again.

When that packed in a year or two later I invested in the then current generation of optical wireless Logitech mice. It was smaller, had more buttons and didn't need cleaning! It sucked. It was innaccurate, had intermittent connection problems and ate it's own weight in AAA batteries every day. I was glad when it died a few months back.

The new MX-1000 cures all that. It's big and comfy, never needs batteries, recharges and last for ages, and although it has more buttons and gadgets than you'll ever use it is simple and easy to use every day. The laser makes one difference, you dont see any bright red light out of the bottom and it works on a wider variety of surfaces. I hope it lasts as long as the last 2 old mice did.

[Mongrel]

I too use a MX1000 after many years of disliking cordless for a variety of reasons. The things that inclined me to change my mind where;

1) Rechargeable battery pack - lighter than standard AAs, I always hated the 'heaviness' of previous cordless mice

2) Base station - both the reciever and charger in one, doesn't look too bad either

3) I've always liked Logitech. I've never had one that didn't feel comfortable, as for the dodgy buttons that bignickel mentions - never seen it through mechanical failure, screwed them up after spilling sugary tea on the mouse, but never mechanical.

4)I like all the buttons - playing a Massive Multiplayer RPG I can bind a ton of stuff to them which is very handy. Also I have a Click! plus at work - the extra buttons are set up for utilities like Copy, Paste and a few CTRL combos

5) Soapy - Whilst there is a small geeky "shiny toy" syndrome attatched to them the laser and cordless features are damned handy, albeit mainly for gamers :D The cord can add an odd "inetia" when moving the mouse as it drags across your desk or snags. As for the laser it gives a higher resolution, Dans Data (http://dansdata.com/diamondback.htm) includes a good reason why this is a good thingin his review of a pure gaming mouse.

[LordoftheLeftHand]

Originally posted by Theodore Kurita

....The high DPI on this mouse does help with pwning people in games. I find it much easier to control the mouse correctly to assure that I get a headshot with any rifles (AWP, Scout, you name it I was able to get headshots with it) in Counterstrike Source whenever possible....

I get headshots almost non-stop, and it had nothing to do with my mouse... Or skill for that matter... LOL!

LLH

[geni]

Originally posted by Soapy Sam
Do mice NEED to be gyro-stabilised, cordless or laser equipped?

yes damit


Why not stick a GPS unit in it so it always knows where it is? (Or has this already happened?)

[/B]


Good idea. perhaps some heaters to make sure it is warm enough.

[bignickel]

Ok, this SECOND Logitech MX510 replacement is now starting to go. Left mouse button: if you press too hard, it won't register a click. Which is pretty easy to do while you're intensely fighting in a FPS.

Time to send another email to Logitech. A cursory look thru Yahoo shows that a bunch of people noticed the same thing about this mouse and intense FPSing.

[Bob Klase]

It is posible to rig up a record player too your computer (although good luck in finding a record player that can still handle 78s).

Yes it's possible. A couple years ago I converted several dozen old LPs to CD. If the record player is only a turntable then you'll need a pre-amp. You can find find them for as little $30. Before I got the pre-amp I just ran the sound from the turntable thru a cassette deck that had a pre-amp built in.

Assuming that you want to capture/record the sound and not just listen to it, you'll also need a program that can do that. For the first few albums I used Roxio's Easy CD's sound center (at that time it was version 3 or 4- don't know if the newer versions have the same capabilities). For most of them I used Goldwave.