Note: I wrote this up about a year ago while traveling with the intention of posting it when I returned to civilization, but forgot to do it. Twice. Old information and I don't have the mouse with me to answer any follow up questions, but it might still be useful especially since TR staff recently sang the X5's praises. On the plus side, I plan on doing a few more of these for other peripherals I have lying around that don't get a lot of attention.
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OVERVIEW
The Torq X3 is the low-end offering in EVGA's Torq gaming mouse series. It offers most of the same basic features as the more expensive X5 and X10, but less in the way of visual customization and fancy materials. I was recently visiting some relatives for an extended period of time and had forgotten to bring a good mouse with me; the spare Logitech M310 they had didn't like the surface where I'd set up my computer, so I went to Fry's and got one of these to tide me over.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Packaging is pretty basic as these things go, being that it's a relatively low-end mouse not meant for the fancy endcap display. All the stuff you need to know is clearly labeled on the box, and superfluous crap is kept to a minimum. My one complaint is that they could have made it easier to feel the shape of the mouse before buying it. It includes a spare set of nonstick pads, which is a nice touch. No software is included; you'll have to go to EVGA's website to download it.
FEATURES
EVGA packed a lot of features into this little $40 rodent. It's got the same onboard profile storage and configuration software as the flagship X10 and only one less button. As noted, they cut costs by using cheaper construction materials so the shell is all molded plastic. This works great for the sides, which are very comfortable, but the top surface is glossy and slick making it difficult to grip the mouse. It might be better if roughened up with very fine grit sandpaper, but I did not try this. The visual design is more professional than most products in this price range, which is one of the reasons I went with it. Neon gamer bling is limited to a small EVGA logo, which can easily be turned off, and an LED of indeterminate function by the scroll wheel.
PERFORMANCE
The 4000 DPI optical sensor does a fine job, and should be plenty for all but the most hardcore gamers. As expected of an optical mouse, it doesn't handle glossy surfaces well but was fine on everything else I tried. The configuration software offers a very good combination of raw DPI and processed cursor sensitivity. I'm not an intense gamer, being more of an RPG guy, but I took it for a spin in some of the stuff I had available--Terraria, UT2004, SupCom FA--and it did what it was supposed to do. The aforementioned slickness did cause a few issues with extended play sessions. Claw-style users likely won't notice very much since the side grips are quite firm, but palm-grippers are in for some trouble. Kind of a shame, as the overall shape is otherwise very comfortable. Keystroke button programming is very handy, especially in newer games that follow the MOBA pattern of lots of quick-fire abilities with questionable ingame keybinding options.
CONCLUSION
The Torq X3 is a solid wired optical mouse, but the slippery surfaces left me longing for the good stuff. I don't have any other mice in this price bracket handy to compare it to, but I did get a Logitech G3 many years ago and the two trade blows pretty evenly: the Torq has far better configuration options and onboard smarts, but the G3 was a more comfortable mouse.
