The ASUS TUF Gaming M3 mouse is a decent, budget gaming option. It has a solid plastic body with two side buttons on the left. It's fairly lightweight, feels very well-built, and has a right-handed shape best-suited for a claw grip for all hand sizes or a fingertip grip for larger hands, though it's also suitable for a palm grip for all hand sizes except extra-large. It has a low lift-off distance and a fairly wide CPI range. However, you can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100. Unfortunately, it also has high click latency, and the sensor on our unit is inconsistent and undershoots the set CPI more during faster cursor movements.
Our Verdict
The ASUS M3 mouse is decent for office and multimedia use. It feels well-built, and you can program all buttons except for the left click. It also has a comfortable right-handed shape that's suitable for all grip types and most hand sizes. Unfortunately, it doesn't have wireless connection options, the software is only compatible with Windows, and the scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
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Feels very well-built.
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Nearly all buttons are programmable.
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Wired-only.
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Scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
The ASUS TUF M3 is a decent FPS gaming mouse. It's fairly lightweight, feels very well-built, and has a right-handed shape ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes or a fingertip grip for larger hands. Unfortunately, it has high click latency, a fairly stiff cable, and the sensor on our unit is quite inconsistent and undershoots the set CPI more during fast cursor movements.
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Feels very well-built.
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Fairly lightweight.
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Ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes and fingertip grip for larger hands.
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High click latency.
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Cable isn't very flexible.
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CPI only adjustable by increments of 100.
The ASUS M3 mouse is decent for MMO gaming. It feels well-built and has a comfortable right-handed shape ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes or a fingertip grip for larger hands. You can also program all buttons except for the left click, though it still doesn't have nearly as many buttons as a dedicated MMO mouse. Unfortunately, it also has a fairly stiff cable, high click latency, and an inconsistent sensor that undershoots the set CPI more during quicker mouse movements.
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Feels very well-built.
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Nearly all buttons are programmable.
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Ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes and fingertip grip for larger hands.
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Not nearly as many side buttons as dedicated MMO mice.
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High click latency.
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Cable isn't very flexible.
The ASUS M3 mouse is good for ultra-light gaming, but it's slightly heavier than what we'd consider an ultra-light gaming mouse. It also has a fairly stiff rubber cable and high click latency that may not feel responsive enough for fast-paced or competitive play. Additionally, the sensor on our unit is also quite inconsistent and undershoots the set CPI more during quicker cursor movements. It feels very well-built and is ideally suited for a claw grip for all hand sizes or a fingertip grip for larger hands.
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Feels very well-built.
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Fairly lightweight.
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Ideal for a claw grip for all hand sizes and fingertip grip for larger hands.
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High click latency.
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Cable isn't very flexible.
The ASUS TUF M3 is inadequate for travel use as it's fairly bulky and likely won't fit in most laptop cases. It also lacks any wireless connection options, making it cumbersome in smaller spaces like buses, trains, or planes. Despite this, it feels very well-built, and it has onboard memory for carrying your settings over to computers without installing the companion software.
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Feels very well-built.
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Wired-only.
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Bulky; may not fit in most laptop cases.
- Office/Multimedia
- Video Games (FPS)
- Video Games (MMO)
- Ultra-Light Gaming
- Travel
- Updated Dec 01, 2022: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update simplifies our Weight test and expands on our CPI test from Test Bench 1.1, resulting in changes to test results in both sections. For more details, you can see our complete changelog here.
- Updated Nov 17, 2022: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.1. This update revamps our Click Latency test and results in changes to test results. For more details, you can see our full changelog here.
- Updated Jun 18, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jun 04, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated May 13, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated May 10, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Apr 16, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The ASUS M3 mouse we tested is gray, but it's also available in black. You can see the label for our unit here.
Compared To Other Mice
The ASUS TUF Gaming M3 mouse is a satisfactory wired gaming model in ASUS's TUF lineup, aimed more towards the budget market. The TUF M3 may be a good pick if you're looking for an inexpensive, casual gaming mouse. Still, its high click latency, fairly stiff cable, and inconsistent sensor may be disappointing for some gamers.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best wired mouse, the best gaming mouse, or the best cheap gaming mouse.
The Logitech G502 HERO is a better gaming mouse than the ASUS TUF Gaming M3. The Logitech has a much wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a more consistent sensor, a lower lift-off distance, and a significantly lower click latency. It also has a thumb rest, more side buttons, and a scroll wheel with L/R tilt buttons that can also unlock for free scrolling. It's a larger mouse that's well-suited for all grip types but best-suited for larger hands. On the other hand, the ASUS is significantly lighter and best-suited for a claw grip for all hand sizes.
The Razer Viper Mini is a better, wired gaming mouse than the ASUS TUF Gaming M3. The Razer is significantly lighter, has a more flexible cable, and has mouse feet that glide more smoothly. It also has a higher maximum CPI and a much lower click latency. On the other hand, the ASUS has two dedicated CPI buttons behind the scroll wheel, while the Razer only has a single button that cycles CPI profiles. Both mice are suitable for all grip types, but the Razer is better-suited to smaller hands, while the ASUS is better-suited for larger hands.
The Razer DeathAdder V2 is a better FPS gaming mouse than the ASUS TUF Gaming M3. The Razer has a more flexible cable and has mouse feet that glide much more smoothly. It also has a much wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a lower lift-off distance, and significantly lower click latency. Additionally, its shape is best-suited for a palm grip or claw grip. On the other hand, the ASUS feels sturdier, and its shape is best-suited for a claw or fingertip grip.
The BenQ ZOWIE EC2 is a somewhat better gaming mouse than the ASUS TUF Gaming M3. It has a slightly more flexible cable, mouse feet that glide more smoothly, and a much lower click latency. Unfortunately, it only has four default CPI presets. Comparatively, the ASUS is lighter and feels sturdier. It also has a wider CPI range and an adjustable CPI. It has companion software for customization, which the BenQ lacks, but it's only compatible with Windows. Both mice are suitable for all grip types, but the BenQ is better-suited for larger hands, while the ASUS better accommodates smaller hands.
The Razer Viper is a much better FPS gaming mouse than the ASUS TUF Gaming M3. The Razer is much lighter, has a significantly more flexible cable, and two extra side buttons. It also has a wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a lower lift-off distance, a more consistent sensor, and much lower click latency. On the other hand, the ASUS has onboard memory, which the Razer lacks. Both mice are best-suited for a claw or fingertip grip for most hand sizes.
The GLORIOUS Model D is an excellent ultra-lightweight gaming mouse, while the ASUS TUF Gaming M3 is a decent budget gaming mouse. The GLORIOUS has a honeycomb body making it significantly lighter. It also has a much more flexible cable, smoother gliding feet, a higher max CPI, and a much lower click latency. On the other hand, the ASUS feels sturdier and has a lower minimum CPI. Both mice are suitable for all grip types and most hand sizes.
The G-Wolves Skoll SK-L ACE Edition performs better than the ASUS TUF Gaming M3 overall. The G-Wolves is much lighter, and it has smoother-gliding mouse feet and a more flexible cable. Also, it has a higher maximum CPI, a more consistent sensor, and lower click latency. It's better suited for extra-large hands using a palm grip and medium hands using a fingertip grip. On the other hand, the ASUS feels better built, and it's better suited for small hands using a claw grip.
Test Results
If you're interested in a similar gaming mouse with LED lights on the left side let you know what CPI setting you're using, check out the COUGAR Revenger.
If you're interested in a gaming mouse with similar performance that includes a set of weights that you can add inside the body to adjust the weight distribution, check out the Redragon M601 RGB Centrophorus.
If you're interested in a similar gaming mouse with textured, rubberized side grips, check out the MSI CLUTCH GM30.
- ASUS TUF Gaming M3 mouse
- User documentation
If you're interested in a gaming mouse with an additional button near the top left edge of the mouse next to the left-click button, check out the DELUX M625.
For a right-handed gaming model with a much lower latency, check out the Nixeus REVEL Fit.
The available polling rates are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. Unfortunately, the sensor on our unit is quite inconsistent and undershoots the set CPI more during fast cursor movements. If you want a wider CPI range and a lower lift-off distance, check out the HyperX Pulsefire Surge or the Gamesense Meta.
Initially, we had trouble with the software for the ASUS TUF Gaming M3 mouse when it didn't allow us to change settings, claiming it needed to be updated, even though no updates were available. Reinstalling the software fixed this issue.