Are you a gamer on a budget? We have 4 gaming mouse pads all in the same price bracket from Nova Gaming, QPAD and Steelseries. We find out how they compare.
Are you a gamer on a budget? We have 4 gaming mouse pads all in the same price bracket from Nova Gaming, QPAD and Steelseries. We find out how they compare.
Gamers know that you can’t become highly skilled without the assistance of quality products, of course natural talent and reaction skills are a key factor of being a good gamer and some might say that it doesn’t matter what hardware you have but this is not true. Smooth gameplay with the addition of a high end GPU enhances the whole experience and allows the gamer to enjoy their game and improve. Likewise gaming peripherals have been proven to aid gamers on their road to victory.Sure, having a great gaming mouse is a must if you want to be at the top of your game but so does having a gaming pad. Gaming pad’s work hand in hand with the mouse you use, they offer glide and a clean, smooth operation.
To help you decide which pad is the best we have 4 pads up for review today.
Nova Gaming Killer 2
QPAD CT
SteelSeries QcK Heavy
Turn the page to see what we found out!
Nova Master
“NOVA has been designing and manufacturing high-quality cutting-edge mouse pads for 15 years, dedicated to the professional all around the world. These products are sold under NOVA’s trademark or through our commercial offices based in North America and Asia.
For the low-sens gamers and all the lovers of wide surfaces, NOVA created the MASTER . This high-end product was designed, using the unique NOVA technology of bi-material surfaces. The MASTER offers a matchless glide. Also, thanks to its original design and well-made shape, the MASTER guarantees an ideal comfort for your arm.”
Technical Information (Taken from esportnova.com)
| Size | 380 x 237mm |
| Thickness | 6mm |
| Wide surface | It’s the largest NOVA mouse pad. It mostly aims the “low-sens” gamers and will allow you to have large moves without going out of the mouse pad. |
| 0 Mouse lag | Optical or Laser, your mouse will suffer NO loss of control on any NOVA mouse pad at 8000 Dpi. This is one of our biggest commitment. |
| Design | Trendy and high-tech, the Nova Master will satisfy any gamers with its awesome look. The mousepad is available with a grey or blue external material. The printed visual cannot be spoiled as it is added in between the mouse pad materials. |
| Comfortable and robust | The front border is bevelled (45°) to make sure there is no pain or tiredness while playing. That ensures a perfect comfort in any position. Non-slip base sticks to any desk surface thanks to micro-cellular foam layer. |
The Master comes in similar packaging as the Killer 2. The packaging is colourful and informative. You can clearly see all the design without removing it from the plastic casing. On the reverse there is information regarding the technical specification of the mouse pad. The design on the mouse pad fits in the style of a gamer and is very futuristic. The finish is very professional and the surface is comfortable to use. Like other Nova pads, the foam layer on the underside of the pad is a valued addtion as this keeps the mat completely still when its placed on the desk, it is literally impossible to move without peeling the pad back.
The tracking on this mouse pad is superb and whether you are your mouse in windows or whilst gaming, it provides fantastic tracking. Overall a great pad and worth the money it retails at.
Nova Killer 2
The Killer 2 is the successor of the ‘Killer’ mouse pad, released by Nova Gaming. The Killer 2 has a new design available in a selection of colours with a new shape and more attitude.
Technical Information (Taken from esportnova.com)
| Size | 337x307mm |
| Thickness | 3mm |
| Bi-Material | That new pad keeps the NOVA unique material. The best ever made for the mouse gliding and the signal accuracy. The inner material is now available in two colors, Black or White. The outer material (centring frame) is now available in three colors, Red, Black or Silver, determined upon the product chosen. |
| 8000 DPI | 0 Latency: This is one of NOVA’s main commitments. 0 mouse delay, 0 loss of signal. Our 8000 DPI materials guarantee a perfect response of the mouse signal, Laser or Optical. |
| Centering Frame | Built of smoother by touch material bordered by a fillet, helps the intuitive mouse re-centering still keeping concentration on the game. |
| Underside | Non-skid base perfectly adheres to any desk surface thanks to micro-cellular foam layer. |
On first impressions the Killer 2 looks great. There are various details on the reverse of the packaging.
The pad itself has an attractive design that fits a gamer. The pad is only 3mm thick and is very light. The underneath of the pad has a foam layer which sticks extremely well to any surface. When placed on a desk it is impossible to move, the mat is held solid in place. This is a very useful feature, the last thing you want when playing a game is for the pad to move around.
Our overall experience with the Killer 2 was very pleasing. The Killer 2 has been very well designed and is a premium gaming surface.
QPAD CT
“QPAD built its success on a grassroots commitment to the gaming community. Like you, we thrive in the madness of competition and embrace the free spirit of gaming. Our sponsorship of the Q Tour, communities, cups, tournaments, teams and LAN parties reflects this commitment. The knowledge we?ve gained has fed into our development of high quality products that have a great performance and given many a winning edge.”
We have the QPAD CT up for review:
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Technical Information
| Size | (Large) 405x285x4mm |
| Thickness | 4mm |
| Surface | Hybratek™ Coated soft top |
The CT comes in a plastic tube, with technical breakdown of dimensions and materials used along with awards the pad has achieved.
The CT is a very attractive mat. Out of all the pads in this review bundle It’s the one that stands out for It’s sleek design. It’s very eyecatching and would definately look great next to any gaming machine.
The underside of the CT pad is made of foam which sits on the desk. This sits quite well but can move slightly, this is the only disadvantage we found with this pad. The Logitech MX-518 we used on this pad worked very well on the surface. The glide and overall movement was completely unhindered and very precise especially when QPAD Glidz were fitted to the mouse. The following was taken from the QPAD website:
“All Q|Glidz™ mouse feet give you smoother glide, fantastic gaming feel and improved control and precision. Q|Glidz™ also protects your mouse and mouse pad. Just paste them to your mouse for less traction and more control.”
We found the Glidz did improve performance, this enhanced the gaming experience – however slight. This is a favoured addition to the QPAD package, so well done to QPAD for including them with this pad.
Steelseries QCK Heavy
“SteelSeries is all about gaming. Our mission is to create performance enhancing gaming gear, created for and by leading professional gamers. We continuously strive to better ourselves, and work with leading professional gamers from 3 different continents to create our products. ”
“The SteelSeries QcK-line of mouse pads are made of high quality cloth material, providing a precise and consistent glide. All mouse pads feature a specially designed non-slip rubber base which prevents the pads from sliding, no matter what surface the mouse pad is placed on.”
| Size | (XXL) 450x400x6mm |
| Thickness | 6mm |
| Materials | Cloth with rubber base |
The QcK Heavy is the daddy of all mouse pads. If you need a pad that will give you total movement coverage then the QcK Heavy is just the pad for you, It’s worth noting the actual dimensions especially if you are looking to purchase one of these pads because it will take most of your desk space up.
The QcK comes in a plastic tube. You can clearly see the pad within the packaging. On the back of the pack are a list of gaming teams which have been sponsored by Steelseries.
Design wise the pad is quite plain and has no colour or artwork. Although we would of liked to see some sort of design work on the pad as this adds life to the surface, this pad will co-ordinate with almost any peripheral. Just as the QPAD CT we found this pad seated well on the desk but had very slight movement compared to other pads in this bundle review.
Of all the pads in this review, the QcK is by far the most comfortable and pleasant to use. With the size and comfort being superior to any of the other pads, this makes for the ideal pad for gamers who spend hours playing games, especially the low sensitivity type. The thickness of the pad is another bonus, it irons out any bumps on the desk and allows for a smooth surface.
Performance wise the QcK was pleasing, it offers excellent glide movement and as already mentioned the sheer size of the pad allows you to move your mouse in places you wouldnt usually! Perfect for the low sense gamer that needs a clean, smooth surface to enjoy for hours.
Testing and Conclusion
To test the Nova Master, Killer 2, QPAD CT, and Steelseries QcK Heavy we made the point of testing the pad on a variety of genres to see how the pads performed in different gaming conditions. The games used to test the gaming pads were – Unreal Tournament 3, Call of Duty 4, Crysis and Assasin’s Creed. We tested on 3 FPS games and 1 3rd person action adventure. There are a vast difference in gaming speeds and interactions in these games so this gave us plenty of gaming experience with the all 4 pads being tested.
The mouse used in this test was the Logitech MX-518 gaming mouse (1800DPI). Across all the games tested the mouse responded very well when sat on the all the pads.
Nova Master – The mouse glided smoothly, there wasn’t a moment that it fell off the edge and the whole experience very pleasing.
Nova Killer 2 – Overal experience was fantastic. Very spacious and precise although not as comfortable as the other pads.
QPAD CT – The CT felt great, the large space was very useful and the response from the MX-518 was very pleasant.
Steelseries QcK – Almost faultless, moved slightly whilst gaming. Huge surface coverage and very comfortable. Glide is excellent. Very precise.
Conclusion
To conclude, all pads we reviewed have been excellent quality. Choosing the winner is quite difficult because all of the pads have been produced to a very high standard and it would be down to personal preference at the end of the day. I personally prefer plastic pads, and I like the designs from Nova Gaming. If I was in the market for buying one of these I would defiantely opt for the Killer 2 pad.
The QPAD CT is by far the most eye catching of all the designs features in this review and definately my favourite visually because of the colours and effects used.
The most comfortable pad in this review had to be the Steelseries QcK Heavy. During the tests we used the pads for hours on end and the QcK was comfortable from start to finish, no rough edges or wrist/hand ache.
All pads will give you excellent precision and should improve your gaming experience. Every gamer should be equipped with one of the pads included in this review. We were very impressed by all the pads provided and we would like to give a big thankyou to Nova Gaming, QPAD and Steelseries for supplying us with the gaming surfaces included in this review.
