It's been a while since we've first laid eyes on the CM Storm Sentinel, and we must admit that we've been pretty skeptical at first. The initial photos suggested a “plasticky” cheap mouse which can’t quite compete, but we were proven wrong at Computex, as you can see here.

We’ve now received the CM Storm Sentinel Advance gaming mouse and decided to give it a detailed spin and see whether this mouse has what it takes to take on the competition. Of course, CoolerMaster is quite keen on making it on the gaming peripheral market, so let’s see whether the CM Storm Sentinel Advance is the right tool for the job.


Packaging

The CM Storm Sentinel Advance comes in a sleek box with a plastic window, which lets you see the mouse. The box is colored in black with red accents, and features various info with the emphasis on the Sentinel's Twin Tactical laser sensor with 5600DPI, LED octoshade lighting and the OLED monitor. The back of the box features technical characteristics, nothing out of the usual.



Within the box you’ll find the mouse, the StormGuard and installation disc. Of course, this mouse is Plug‘n Play and you won’t have trouble using it without the drivers, but if you want to milk this device for all it’s worth, then you’ll have to use CM Storm Tactic AP software. Note that you can run this software from the installation disk, or just install it onto your computer.

The user manual is entirely in digital format and is created after you install the drivers. Below you’ll find the picture we took after starting driver installation.



If you’re interested in the manual without having to install the program, you can visit the Sentinel Advance web portal and find out whatever you’re interested in, down to the details. We must say that this is one of the best portals we’ve seen made for any piece of hardware, and it’s well worth visiting it. We’ll discuss the CM Storm Tactic AP software later.

The StormGuard is a nice touch, and although we’ve never attended a LAN party where someone stole a mouse, we’re confident these things can happen and little caution never hurt no-one. The USB cable is standard – 18cm long, but it’s coated in some kind of fabric so it can take a lot of beating without getting damaged. The USB connector is as you can see gold plated.

 


The Specs