Last week I looked at the Mionix Saiph 1800 Gaming Mouse, this week I’m taking a look at one of their mousepads, the Alioth 320. Mouse and mousepad go together and why not use both from the same company right, it only makes sense to use both as they should compliment each other. The number 320 in the name is the largest dimension of the pad or 320mm, about 13 inches, so it’s a rather small pad, but that’s not a bad thing. The Alioth 320 is nicely made cloth pad, with a great design, and it offers a slick surface to use your mouse on.

The Alioth 320 comes in a plastic box with info on it it of course.

The Alioth 320 is a cloth pad with a great design on it, the design is actually the Mionix logo broken up in a sort of a camouflage design. The Mionix logo is also in the bottom right corner of the pad. The pad itself is very thin, and since it’s cloth it can be easily rolled up and taken with you.

The pad has a rubber backing on it to keep it in place.

The surface of the pad has a texture to it that feels rough to the touch, but it’s actually smooth when running your mouse across it.

Specifications:

Alioth 320

A STAR HAS BEEN BORN
Alioth is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Major. The word “Alioth” origins from the ancient word “Alyat”, which means “fat tail of the sheep”. Alioth has a very weak magnetic field for its type of star and the magnetic poles separates different elements in the stars hydrogen fuel. This phenomena causes Alioth to have very strange spectral lines. The spectral lines has been implemented in the design of the surface to avoid data losses in chaotic situations.

MODEL OVERVIEW
Next generation of coated mouse pad, suitable for all type of gaming. The surface is made of a extremely smooth cloth to allow user do exact and precise movements. Backside is made of a rubber-based material offering a combination of firm grip and great performance. Alioth 320 is the ultimate mouse pad for players who likes to play with high sensitivity without loosing control over the movements.

FEATURES
-New developed coating for maximum glide
-Optimized dimensions for high mouse sensitivity
-Backside is made of a rubber-based material with a ribbed pattern to improve the grip
-The unique striped design improves the sensor performance and reduces data loss
-3 mm thickness smoothens out the differences irrespective of the surface under the mousepad

Recommended price (VAT included): 14,90 €
Art. No. ALIOTH-320

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Material: Durable, smooth and flexible coated cloth
Surface: Glossy, low-friction coating
Dimensions: 320mm x 270mm
Thickness: 3mm
Weight: 146 g
Back: Rubber based back for a firm grip on all types of surfaces
Compatibility: Optical & laser

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Warranty for Mionix products only covers defects caused by
manufacturing. The warranty does not cover defects caused
by any kind of usage that is not attributable to the manufacturing process.

All of our products have 2 year warranty. Defect products will
be replaced with a new product.

Here’s a picture of my Logitech G5 on the Alioth 320 to give you a better idea of scale size:

I used the Alioth 320 with the Logitech G5, Steel Series Ikari optical, NZXT Avatar and the Mionix Saiph 1800 as well.

Personally for me the Alioth 320 is too small, I’m accustomed to a larger mousepad as I’ve got a big desk, so my mouse kept falling of the edges, but of course not everyone has the space I have so a small pad is better for them. it all depends on your desktop space. I also have the Alioth 400 which is the larger version of the Alioth 320, so if you have a bigger desk as I do there is another version of this pad for you.

Using the Alioth 320 with the mice I found no problems at all, both laser and optical mice work perfectly fine with it. Tracking is excellent fast or slow so the Alioth 320 is great for both general usage and gaming.

The mice just glide across the surface nicely, the pad provides little resistance, just enough to maintain control over the mouse.

Overall the Alioth 320 is a nice pad, a bit small for me, but very good nonetheless.

Conclusion:

The Alioth 320 is a well made pad that works perfectly with the mice I tested, it offers a nice smooth surface with a thin profile. I really like the design on the pad, not sure why, but it’s  a nice change from just plain. If you need a small sized pad then I’d check into this one.

Pros:
+Slick surface
+Nice design
+Excellent tracking with all mice tested

Cons:
-A bit small, at least for me

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance