Software

The drivers included allow you to adjust the DPI range between four different settings that are predetermined in the software: 600, 1200, 1800, and 2600. By pressing the two buttons just behind the mouse wheel, you can adjust the DPI on-the-fly, allowing you to pick the best accuracy for run-n-gun or sniping. The polling rate is also adjustable between three options, 125Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. The polling rate is essentially how smooth your mouse movements are, so having a high polling in gaming is critical for success. Think of it this way, the DPI is how accurate the mouse “sees”, while the polling rate is how often it looks. When you combine a high polling rate with a high resolution, you end up with higher accuracy and less jerkiness in your games. Typical mice never achieve higher than a 125Hz polling rate, the default of USB, while many never get as high as that. The Avatar supports as high as 1000Hz, but we didn’t really notice much above 500Hz. Either way, the high polling rate combined with a high DPI lead to a pretty accurate mousing experience.


The software included with the NZXT Avatar is straightforward, easy to use, and includes support for up to five different profiles, each one with its own settings like polling rate, button macros, sensitivity and more. These profiles can be easily changed on the fly by the push of a mouse button. The problem, however, is that the Avatar only supports five active profiles at a time, which is of no help to those gamers who might be knee deep in more than five games. The software does allow you to save profile configurations for use later, which solves this problem for the most part. However, it does not auto detect which game you are playing, so you have to remember to open the proper configuration if it is not already loaded into one of your five active profiles.


The Avatar software also supports an easy to use macro programmer. By clicking on the button of your choice and selecting “Advanced”, you will bring up the Macro Configuration. This screen allows you to program any mouse and keyboard button combination you choose directly to a single button on the Avatar. This can be extremely handy for games that require a combination of button presses to achieve certain actions. The software worked as it said it would for us, although we did have a hard time figuring out when we would need this feature. Despite this, it is still a pretty neat feature to have and would certainly come in handy for some fast paced games or MMOs.