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SteelSeries Rival 100 Mouse Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Reviewed May 25, 2021 at 10:10 am
SteelSeries Rival 100 Picture
7.1
Office/Multimedia
7.8
Video Games (FPS)
7.6
Video Games (MMO)
7.7
Ultra-Light Gaming
5.1
Travel

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is a very good budget gaming mouse. It feels sturdy and has a symmetrical design, though it only has side buttons on the left. Our unit has a glossy plastic body, but some variants have a rubberized surface. It's ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes, well-suited for a fingertip grip for all but small hands, and suitable for a palm grip for small and medium-sized hands. It also has good click latency, a good lift-off distance, and a good CPI range, though not quite as good as those on most recent gaming mice. Unfortunately, you can only adjust the CPI by steps of 250, and the cable isn't very flexible.

Our Verdict

7.1 Office/Multimedia

The SteelSeries Rival 100 gaming mouse is decent for office use. It feels well-built and has a great number of programmable buttons. It's best suited for a claw or fingertip grip for nearly all hand sizes, but only smaller hands using a palm grip. Unfortunately, it's a wired-only mouse, and the scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • All buttons are programmable.
Cons
  • Wired-only.
  • Scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
7.8 Video Games (FPS)

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is very good for FPS gaming. It feels sturdy and is ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes. It's also well-suited for a fingertip grip for all but small hands and suitable for a palm grip for small or medium hands. It has a good click latency, lift-off distance, and CPI range; however, they're not quite as good as most recent gaming mice. Unfortunately, it also has a stiff rubber cable. and you can only adjust the CPI by increments of 250.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • Good click latency.
  • All buttons are programmable.
Cons
  • Borderline heavy.
  • Fairly stiff cable.
7.6 Video Games (MMO)

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is good for MMO gaming, but it doesn't have nearly as many side buttons as dedicated MMO mice and has a fairly stiff cable. That said, it feels well-built, and all buttons are programmable. It's well-suited to almost all hand sizes using a claw or fingertip grip, but it's only suitable for smaller hands using a palm grip. Unfortunately, while it has a good click latency, lift-off distance, and CPI range, they're not as good as most newer gaming mice, and you can only adjust the CPI by steps of 250.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • Good click latency.
  • All buttons are programmable.
Cons
  • Not as many buttons as dedicated MMO mice.
  • Fairly stiff cable.
7.7 Ultra-Light Gaming

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is good for ultra-light gaming, but it's heavier than dedicated ultra-light mice, and its cable isn't very flexible. That said, it feels sturdy and is ideal for a claw grip regardless of hand size. It's also well-suited for a fingertip grip for all but small hands and suitable for a palm grip for small and medium-sized hands. While it has a good click latency and lift-off distance, they're not quite as good as the majority of more recent gaming mice.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • Good click latency.
  • Good mouse feet that glide well on mousepads.
Cons
  • Borderline heavy.
  • Fairly stiff cable.
5.1 Travel

The SteelSeries Rival 100 gaming mouse is inadequate for travel use. It's rather bulky and may not fit in most laptop cases. It's also a wired mouse, which can make it cumbersome in tight spaces like trains or planes. That said, it feels well-built and is fully compatible with Windows and macOS.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
Cons
  • Wired-only.
  • May not fit into most laptop cases.
  • 7.1 Office/Multimedia
  • 7.8 Video Games (FPS)
  • 7.6 Video Games (MMO)
  • 7.7 Ultra-Light Gaming
  • 5.1 Travel
  1. Updated May 25, 2021: Review published.
  2. Updated May 11, 2021: Early access published.
  3. Updated May 03, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Apr 28, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  5. Updated Apr 20, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The SteelSeries Rival 100 gaming mouse is a predecessor to the SteelSeries Rival 110. The unit we tested is the Gaia Green, but it's also available in Black, White, Forged Red, Proton Yellow, Sakura Purple, and Alchemy Gold. You can see the label for our unit here.

Compared To Other Mice

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is a budget gaming mouse based on the original SteelSeries Rival. It's marketed towards everyday gamers rather than esports professionals and offers one of SteelSeries' most popular shapes at a more accessible price point. It's replaced by the SteelSeries Rival 310, which adopts a more ergonomic, right-handed shape, an updated sensor, and new coatings for the plastic body.

For more options, check out our recommendations for the best mouse, the best wired mouse, and the best gaming mouse.

SteelSeries Rival 3

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is a much earlier predecessor of the SteelSeries Rival 3, and they share nearly identical shapes. Both mice are ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes. They're also well-suited for a fingertip grip for all but small hands and suitable for a palm grip for small and medium-sized hands. However, the newer Rival 3 feels better-build, and it has a lighter weight, better mouse feet, a lower click latency, a wider CPI range, and a CPI that's more precisely adjustable.

SteelSeries Rival 310

The SteelSeries Rival 100 is a predecessor of the SteelSeries Rival 310. The Rival 100 has an ambidextrous shape, while the Rival 310 has an ergonomic right-handed shape. Performance-wise, the Rival 310 also has a much wider CPI range, a CPI that's more precisely adjustable, and a better click latency. It also has onboard memory. The Rival 310 is more suitable for a palm or claw grip for most hand sizes, whereas the Rival 100 is best suited for a claw or a fingertip grip for almost all hand sizes.

Razer DeathAdder V2

The Razer DeathAdder V2 is a significantly better gaming mouse than the SteelSeries Rival 100. It has a right-handed shape, and it's lighter, has a more flexible cable, and better mouse feet. It also has a much wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPi, a lower lift-off distance, and much lower click latency. Unfortunately, its software is only compatible with Windows. Comparatively, the SteelSeries has an ambidextrous shape and software compatible with Windows and macOS. The Razer is well-suited to all grip types and nearly all hand sizes, while the SteelSeries is best-suited for claw or fingertip grip and a palm grip for smaller hands.

Razer Viper Mini

The Razer Viper Mini is a significantly better wired gaming mouse than the SteelSeries Rival 100. It feels sturdier, has a more flexible cable, better mouse feet, and it's much lighter. It also has a wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, and better click latency. Unfortunately, its software is only compatible with Windows, while the SteelSeries has companion software that's compatible with Windows and macOS. The Razer is ideal for a fingertip grip for all hand sizes, while the SteelSeries is best-suited for claw or fingertip grip for most hand sizes. Both mice are suitable for palm grip for smaller hands.

Logitech G203 Prodigy

The Logitech G203 Prodigy and the SteelSeries Rival 100 are both wired gaming mice, but the Logitech has better performance. It has a much better click latency, a lower lift-off distance, a wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, and onboard memory. It also feels sturdier and is lighter. Both mice are ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes, well-suited for a fingertip grip for all but small hands, and suitable for a palm grip for small and medium-sized hands.

GLORIOUS Model D

The GLORIOUS Model D is a significantly better wired gaming mouse than the SteelSeries Rival 100. It has a right-handed design and is much lighter, has a much more flexible cable, better mouse feet, a higher maximum CPI, a more precisely adjustable CPI, and lower click latency. Unfortunately, its software is only compatible with Windows. Comparatively, the SteelSeries feels sturdier, but its software is compatible with Windows and macOS. The GLORIOUS is almost universally well-suited to all grip styles and hand sizes, while the SteelSeries is best-suited for a claw or palm grip for most hand sizes.

Logitech G Pro Wireless

The Logitech G Pro Wireless is a significantly better gaming mouse than the SteelSeries Rival 100. While the SteelSeries is wired only, the Logitech connects wired or wirelessly with its USB receiver. it also has two extra side buttons, it's significantly lighter, and it has a much wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a lower lift-off distance, and a much better click latency. The Logitech is almost universally usable by all hand sizes using any grip type, while the SteelSeries is best suited for claw and fingertip grip, though it's suitable for a palm grip for smaller hands.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Type
Standard
Lighting Color RGB
Design
Shape
Length 4.7" (120 mm)
Height 1.5" (39 mm)
Width 2.6" (67 mm)
Grip Width
64 mm
5.7
Design
Portability
Volume
19.16 in³ (314 cm³)
Cable/Receiver Storing
No
Design
Weight
Maximum Weight With Wire
122 g
Maximum Weight Without Wire
94 g
Minimum Weight Without Wire
94 g
Weight Distribution
Centered
Extra Weights
No
8.0
Design
Build Quality
8.0
Design
Comfort Of Use
Right-handed
No
Left-handed
No
Ambidextrous
Yes
Coating
Glossy
Finger Rest
No

If you're interested in a SteelSeries mouse with the same ambidextrous shape but with side buttons on both the left and right sides, check out the SteelSeries Sensei RAW.

Design
Palm Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
Small Hand
Yes
Medium Hand
Yes
Large Hand
No
X.Large Hand
No
Design
Claw Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
Small Hand
Yes
Medium Hand
Yes
Large Hand
Yes
X.Large Hand
Yes
Design
Fingertip Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
Small Hand
No
Medium Hand
Yes
Large Hand
Yes
X.Large Hand
Yes
0
Design
Wireless Versatility
Bluetooth
No
Receiver
No
Battery Type
No Batteries
Use When Charging
No
On/Off Activation
None
Receiver Extender
No
Battery Indicator No
7.0
Design
Cable
Connectivity Wired
Cable Length 5.9 ft (1.8 m)
Cable Type
Rubber
Permanent Kink
Yes
Port Type: Mouse End
No Port
Port Type: PC End
USB
7.5
Design
Mouse Feet
Gliding Experience
Good
Material
PTFE
Extra Included
No
Design
In The Box

  • SteelSeries Rival 100 gaming mouse
  • Manual

Control
Control
Sensor Specifications
Sensor Technology
Optical (LED)
Sensor Model
SDNS 3059-SS
Works On Glass
No
Minimum CPI (DPI)
250 CPI
Maximum CPI (DPI)
4,000 CPI
CPI (DPI) Adjustment Steps
250 CPI
CPI (DPI) Variation
-6%
Minimum Lift Off Distance
2.4 mm
Maximum Polling Rate
1000 Hz

The polling rate settings on the SteelSeries Rival 100 gaming mouse are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz.

7.4
Control
Buttons
Buttons Activation
Mechanical
Total Number Of Buttons
6
Number Of Side Buttons
2
Number Of Programmable Inputs
8
Profile Switching Button
Yes
CPI (DPI) Switching Button
Yes
Gesture Support
No

For a similar mouse that has both a CPI up and CPI down button behind the scroll wheel, instead of a single button for cycling CPI profiles, check out the ASUS TUF Gaming M3.

Control
Mouse Wheel
Scroll Wheel
Notched Wheel
Scroll Wheel Steps
24 Steps
Scroll Wheel Tilt
No
Thumb Wheel
No
Thumb Wheel Steps
No Thumb Wheel
Control
Noise
Click Noise
Quiet
7.6
Control
Click Latency
Click Latency: Receiver
N/A
Click Latency: Bluetooth
N/A
Click Latency: Wired
17 ms
Operating System And Software
8.5
Operating System And Software
Compatible Software Option
Software Name SteelSeries GG
Software Windows Compatibility
Yes
Software macOS Compatibility
Yes
Account Needed
No
On-Board Memory
No
CPI (DPI) Adjustment
Yes
Polling Rate Adjustment
Yes
Profile Configuration
Yes
RGB On/Off
Yes

Note: The SteelSeries GG software is only available for Windows. However, the older SteelSeries Engine 3 software is compatible with macOS and provides the same functionality.

10
Operating System And Software
Mouse Compatibility
Windows Compatibility Fully
macOS Compatibility Fully