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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Shape
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Weight
    6. Comfort Of Use
    7. Palm Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    8. Claw Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    9. Fingertip Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    10. Wireless Versatility
    11. Cable
    12. Mouse Feet
    13. In The Box
  5. Control
    1. Additional Buttons
    2. Click Latency
    3. CPI
    4. Sensor Latency
    5. Sensor Specifications
    6. Mouse Wheel
    7. Noise
  6. Operating System And Software
    1. Compatible Software Option
    2. Mouse Compatibility
  7. Comments

SteelSeries Rival 3 vs SteelSeries Rival 100

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Rival 3
SteelSeries Rival 100

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Dec 15, 2022 03:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.0

Updated May 29, 2023 03:10 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SteelSeries Rival 3 Picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Picture

Variants

  • Rival 3 (Black)
  • Rival 100 (Alchemy Gold)
  • Rival 100 (Black)
  • Rival 100 (Black/Red)
  • Rival 100 (Forged Red)
  • Rival 100 (Gaia Green)
  • Rival 100 (Proton Yellow)
  • Rival 100 (Sakura Purple)
  • Rival 100 (White)

Our Verdict

SteelSeries Rival 3

SteelSeries Rival 100

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.

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Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our mice test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Office/Multimedia 

6.3
7.1

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Style Picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Style Picture

Type 
 

Standard
Standard

Lighting Color  

RGB
RGB

Show text

Shape  

3D Model  

SteelSeries Rival 3 3D Model
SteelSeries Rival 100 3D Model

Length  

4.8" (121 mm)
4.7" (120 mm)

Height  

1.5" (38 mm)
1.5" (39 mm)

Width  

2.6" (67 mm)
2.6" (67 mm)

Grip Width 
 

58 mm
64 mm

Portability 
 

5.7
5.7

Portability picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Portability picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Portability picture

Volume 
 

18.80 in³ (308 cm³)
19.16 in³ (314 cm³)

Cable/Receiver Storing 
 

No
No

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Build quality picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Build quality picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Build quality picture

Show text

Weight 
 

7.6
6.6

Minimum Weight Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Minimum Weight Picture

Lowest Weight 
 

78.8 g
94 g

Default Weight 
 

78.8 g
122 g

Weight Distribution 
 

Centered
Centered

Extra Weights 
 

No
No

Maximum Weight Without Wire 
 

94 g

Show text

Comfort Of Use 
 

8.0
8.0

Right-handed 
 

No

Left-Handed Friendly 
 

Yes
No

Ambidextrous 
 

Shape Only
Yes

Coating 
 

Matte
Glossy

Finger Rest 
 

No
No

Show text

Palm Grip: Hand Size Recommendation 
 

Palm Grip Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Palm Grip Picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Palm Grip Picture

Small Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Medium Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Large Hand 
 

No
No

X.Large Hand 
 

No
No

Show text

Claw Grip: Hand Size Recommendation 
 

Claw Grip Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Claw Grip Picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Claw Grip Picture

Small Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Medium Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

X.Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Fingertip Grip: Hand Size Recommendation  
 

Fingertip Grip Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Fingertip Grip Picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Fingertip Grip Picture

Small Hand  
 

No
No

Medium Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

Large Hand 
 

Yes
Yes

X.Large Hand  
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Maximum Of Paired Devices 
 

Wired

Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
No Batteries

Use When Charging 
 

No
No

On/Off Activation 
 

None
None

Receiver Extender 
 

No
No

Battery Indicator  

No
No

Show text

Cable 
 

7.0
7.0

Cable Video  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wired

Cable Length 
 

5.9 ft (1.8 m)
5.9 ft (1.8 m)

Cable Type 
 

Rubber
Rubber

Permanent Kink 
 

Yes
Yes

Port Type: Mouse End 
 

No Port
No Port

Port Type: PC End 
 

USB
USB

Show text

Mouse Feet 
 

8.0
7.5

Mouse Feet picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Mouse Feet picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Mouse Feet picture

Gliding Experience 
 

Good
Good

Material 
 

PTFE
PTFE

Extra Included 
 

No
No

In The Box 
 

In the box picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 In the box picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 In the box picture

Show text

Control

Additional Buttons 
 

7.1
7.4

Buttons Picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Buttons Picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Buttons Picture

Buttons Activation 
 

Mechanical

Total Number Of Buttons 
 

6
6

Number Of Side Buttons 
 

2
2

Number Of Programmable Inputs  
 

8
8

Profile Switching Button 
 

Yes
Yes

CPI (DPI) Switching Button 
 

Yes

Gesture Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Click Latency 
 

8.1
7.6

Latency Testing While Gaming  

Latency Data  

See details on graph tool

Expected Connection 
 

7.5 ms

Wired 
 

7.5 ms
17 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

CPI 
 

8.7

CPI Video  

CPI Graph  

See details on graph tool

SRAV Close-Up  

SteelSeries Rival 3 SRAV Close-Up

SRAV @ 1600 CPI 
 

-0.75%

SRAV @ 800 CPI 
 

-0.63%

SRAV @ 400 CPI 
 

-0.50%

SRAV @ Fixed CPI 
 

N/A

Precision Error Between Speeds 
 

0.38%

Precision Error Between CPI 
 

2.36%

Worst Tracking Error 
 

-3.50%

Minimum CPI 
 

200 CPI
250 CPI

Maximum CPI 
 

8,500 CPI
4,000 CPI

CPI Adjustment Steps 
 

100 CPI
250 CPI

Sensor Latency 
 

8.9

Sensor Latency Demonstration  

Sensor Latency Transition Graph  

See details on graph tool

Sensor Latency CPI Graph  

See details on graph tool

Delay To Start Of Movement 
 

11.7 ms

Delay At Half Movement 
 

3.9 ms

Delay To End Of Movement 
 

5.7 ms

Sensor Specifications 
 

Sensor Technology 
 

Optical (LED)
Optical (LED)

Sensor Model 
 

TrueMove Core
SDNS 3059-SS

Works On Glass 
 

No
No

Minimum CPI (DPI) 
 

200 CPI
250 CPI

Maximum CPI (DPI) 
 

8,500 CPI
4,000 CPI

CPI (DPI) Adjustment Steps 
 

100 CPI
250 CPI

CPI (DPI) Variation 
 

-6%

Minimum Lift Off Distance 
 

2.4 mm
2.4 mm

Maximum Polling Rate 
 

1000 Hz
1000 Hz

Show text

Mouse Wheel 
 

Mouse wheel picture  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Mouse wheel picture
SteelSeries Rival 100 Mouse wheel picture

Scroll Wheel 
 

Notched Wheel
Notched Wheel

Scroll Wheel Steps 
 

24 Steps
24 Steps

Scroll Wheel Tilt 
 

No
No

Thumb Wheel 
 

No
No

Thumb Wheel Steps 
 

No Thumb Wheel
No Thumb Wheel

Show text

Noise  

Noise Video  

Click Noise 
 

Quiet
Quiet
Operating System And Software

Compatible Software Option 
 

10
8.5

Software settings screenshot  

SteelSeries Rival 3 Software settings screenshot
SteelSeries Rival 100 Software settings screenshot

Software Name  

SteelSeries Engine 3
SteelSeries GG

Software Windows Compatibility 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatibility 
 

Yes
Yes

Account Needed 
 

No
No

On-Board Memory 
 

Yes
No

CPI (DPI) Adjustment  
 

Yes
Yes

Polling Rate Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

Profile Configuration 
 

Yes
Yes

RGB On/Off 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Mouse Compatibility 
 

10
10

Windows Compatibility  

Fully
Fully

macOS Compatibility  

Fully
Fully

Show text

SteelSeries Rival 3

SteelSeries Rival 100

Comments

  1. Comparison

SteelSeries Rival 3 vs SteelSeries Rival 100: Main Discussion

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