A well-known maker of computer cases and CPU coolers, Cooler Master is venturing forth into the gaming mice niche with the release of the Sentinel Advance model under their CM Storm brand. It made a good impression on us right out of the box: the mouse reaches 5,600 DPI of sensitivity and features an OLED display and eight programmable buttons. Combine that with a good graphical user interface for managing profiles and macros and you have an amazing product for a company that just released its first gaming mouse. We were indeed impressed. Let’s begin by describing the mouse.

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Figure 1: Upside view.

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Figure 2: Downside view.

The Sentinel has an ergonomic shape and plenty of space for the thumb to rest. The well-known buttons 4 and 5 which are pleasantly responsive stand above the thumb rest. In the upper part of the mouse the user can find the profile changing button (which usually are located on the underside of regular gaming mice), then comes the scroll wheel and two other buttons, very small, that change the sensitivity levels. And finally the big deal of the whole Sentinel: the OLED display that shows the number value of the current DPI setting plus a small 32 x 32 pixels .bmp black and white graphic that the user can upload. Other mice go for a color scheme to indicate the sensitivity levels that the user must commit to memory. The Sentinel just tells you right upfront. Neat.

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Figure 3: The OLED display.

On the bottom part we have the dual laser sensor, which can go as high as 5,600 dpi, the compartment with five 4.5 grams (0.16 oz) weights, which increase the total weight of the mouse from 139 grams (4.9 oz) to 164 grams (5.8 oz), and two light outputs that transform the mouse into a handheld nightclub. The cloth-wrapped cable has as a gold-plated USB connection.