Wired mouse A4Tech XL-740K: reviews and photos

Not always gamers mice looked like little robots that are capable of much in games. Previously, gaming devices had a modest appearance and uncharted parameters. The company A4Tech has long been working with manipulators, in particular over the X7 series, which has taken root on the tables of many players.

Manufacturer

A4Tech has been on the market since 1987. During this time the company managed to conquer all its devices. In addition to mice, it produces web cameras, keyboards, speakers, headset and much more. But it was the mice that became the first product of the manufacturer. For the CIS countries, the Chinese company became known in 1990. So, by 2012, Russia became the main fan of the brand, after China.

Although now the company has a lot of competitors in the face of Razer and Steel Series, it still does not leave the leading position in sales of game hardware.

Series

At the time when the mouse A4Tech XL-740K appeared on sale, many players knew about the X7 series. Even to this day, gamers prefer this particular family of gaming devices. In 2008, the controllers looked more modest, they did not have such a pretentious appearance and not such a wide range of parameters. Now even the models of 2014-15 can conquer any novice player.

In general, the family mice marked the emergence of a whole generation of game manipulators. And although few people remember about the A4Tech x7 XL-740K, the model still remains for many the most successful and best option for the games of that time.

Selection

To choose a gamer mouse, you should understand how important it is for some of its parameters to be specific to you. Some believe that a high dpi will make the game better and raise the skill. If to understand, figures in 6000 dpi - only a marketing course which in practice will increase cost of a mouse.

For the game pad, the response time and the responsive sensor are important. Otherwise, if you have a high-resolution monitor, it will be enough and 2000 dpi, if the display is 1366 x 780, then you can take the manipulator and with an average resolution of 500-600 dpi.

Packaging

But let's move directly to the obsolete mouse A4Tech x7 XL-740K. It was shipped in a modest package. And if now the producers try to attract the buyer's attention with different materials of boxes, bright printing and a combination of colors, in 2008 everyone thought less about it.

This model was delivered in a simple box of gray and green colors. In front there was a logo of the series with a postscript "Choice of Champions". A model of a particular controller was indicated nearby. In the middle there was a letter "X", in which were seen shots from game shooters. In the left corner of the box there is a set of icons from games that describe the main advantages of the mouse, and on the right are the numerical parameters.

Behind the information about the characteristics was expanded. The manufacturer has posted the image of the model itself, numbered all the buttons on the case and described their functionality.

The top cover was folding and looked like a door. Behind her hid in a plastic window mouse A4Tech XL-740K. The "door" indicated the software features of the proprietary software that was on the disk. There were screenshots of the program Oscar mouse editor and information about setting up the device. In general, the whole box looked like one big analog of the instruction.

Equipment

Manipulators rarely differ qualitative and generous bundle. This model was no exception. Inside there is a user manual, a software CD, spare legs and the mouse itself. By the way, the software was not initially translated into Russian, although it was the residents of Russia who became the main buyers of devices from the company.

Design

A4Tech XL-740K Black Red, perhaps, stands out for its appearance. Design became the hallmark of the model. Thanks to him you can see how much the company wanted to approach the 2008 trends. At that time, the asymmetrical body was a curiosity, it was found only on game manipulators. He first appeared in this series.

Often this model was compared with the previous X7 718-F. They differed from each other radically. The button for changing the resolution became transparent. When you change the indicator dpi, it changes its color. The sensor became a laser, not an optical one. Thus, it became possible to use the controller on different surfaces. If there was no rug at hand, it was easy to work with a manipulator on a table, an oilcloth and even a cloth. The only thing is that during the game the accuracy fell somewhat.

It was also important to replace the cover of the case. If previously there was often a glossy surface, then the A4Tech XL-740K got a matte surface using soft-touch technology. Conditionally, the front part can be divided into two. The place under the palm is covered with red-black polygraphy on which the logo of the X7 family flaunts.

PKM and paintwork materials are also coated with the same material. Between them is the wheel, under which the button is for adjusting the resolution. Under the thumb there is a rubber insert. It has a ribbed covering and does not collect dirt.

On the bottom there is a place where there are seven weights. Their total weight is 20 grams, but thanks to them you can adjust the weight of the mouse and balance the dimensions. The cord has become much thicker. Someone will consider this a drawback, others will like the reliability of the wire. After all, how often it happens that it is torn and there are no options to replace or repair the cable.

Features

Overview A4Tech XL-740K can lead the reader to the thought that we have another mouse. In fact, then the development of products from Razer, a competing firm, was gaining frenzied speed. Specialists from A4Tech noticed that the popularity of new competitive devices is caused by their defiant design and they decided to try to release something similar.

Therefore, the new model was a kind of prototype. This can be seen from the asymmetric form of the manipulator for right-handers. Even then it became clear that the symmetrical shape is not as comfortable for players as an uneven body. There was a rubberized insert under the thumb so that it did not slip and stayed well near the auxiliary buttons.

Equally popular was the triple shot - the X-Fire button provided convenience in shooters. There was a drum, the weight of which could be adjusted with six change weights, for a balanced size. The sensitivity of the mouse, adjusted by the button on the case, could vary from 600 to 3600 dpi. But as we remember, even for the coolest monitors, 2000 dpi was enough. For the accuracy of the movement of the cursor and its smooth work answered the frequency of polling the port from 125 to 1000 Hz. Now the last figure is not surprising. Since almost all mice have such an indicator, and at the moment it is the maximum. At that time, it was a curiosity and was considered a good advantage.

The response of the buttons can also be adjusted and set the value from 3 to 30 ms. Now the minimum response rate of 3 ms is a bad result for the gaming mouse. More often choose manipulators with a response of 1 ms. But the A4Tech XL-740K had something to boast about in 2008.

As usual, there was a built-in memory of 16 kilobytes. It saved all the customized settings. There were modes that allowed you to change the profile during the game.

Figures

The rest of the parameters were on the package. Here you can find out that the number of frames per second is 7080. Image processing in the mouse 6.4 Mp / s. The maximum acceleration was 45 inches per second. The cable did not reach the length of 2 meters. The manufacturer indicated the number of clicks of 8 million, for which the mouse will work correctly. Although this indicator is rather arbitrary. Longevity of the legs also depended on the indicator of 250 thousand meters, although again it could depend on other factors.

Software

For the A4Tech XL-740K driver was not needed. Simply connect the controller to the PC - and everything worked right away. But there was a disk with drivers for the software. Firm software was installed simply. The interface was understandable even for those who did not know English. Those who had problems with foreign, could find on the official website an updated version of the program with the support of the Russian language.

When the software was installed on the PC, an icon appeared in the tray. If you click there, a list of possible functions was opened. The user was able to adjust the laser frequency, adjust the response of the buttons, etc.

All other parameters could be adjusted in the program itself. It is very simple, it does not have a large number of sections or tabs. There is an option to install one of 14 macro templates. It is also possible to manually set all the parameters and save the preset. Convenient if you have two favorite games. But under each you need different buttons, so you set two profiles and change them by clicking one of the Scroll Lock buttons .

Adjustment

It is clear that setting up macros can facilitate the work of not only gamers, but also ordinary people who use the PC for their own purposes. So, in order not to slash several similar tasks, you can set all the steps to one button. It's just as convenient to do this in the game. To not look for weapons in the store, just click on one button - and it's in your hands. So, with the advent of this mouse, players began to forget about "configs" and "binds".

To properly configure the A4Tech XL-740K, go to the "Macro Manager". In front of us is a multifunctional window. Here we can adjust everything with the keyboard combinations we enter, use the virtual keyboard or adjust the value in the panel.

There is no specific recipe for a happy game. It will be much easier to independently understand the setting and individually set the necessary parameters. Although it is possible to search on the Internet for ready-made presets and try to use them.

Reviews

Mouse USB A4Tech XL-740K in 2008 and the truth won many players. They gladly bought a manipulator, set up themselves and went to destroy virtual players. Ideal this model can not be called, because it's still not as gaming as the ones that are released now. But even at the same time for beginners the players fit perfectly.

Not all approached a thick wire, which sometimes prevented during the game. There were complaints about the size. Although now mice with a smaller size and not to meet. At the same time, the manipulator seemed large and bulky.