This device is still as superlative as its predecessor, particularly when it comes to FPS gaming, and it has a lower price-tag that some of the other gaming mice comparable to it. If you’re looking for a gaming mouse that’ll help you take-over your multiplayer battles (and you use your right hand), then the Corsair RGB Elite mouse should something you might want to consider trying out.
DESIGN
The Corsair M65 Elite mouse is a bit too overdesigned for the office setup, however, all the extra surfaces and angles are there for a reason. It’s got a black-colored plastic chassis on-top of a grayish plastic board, an elevated palm rest at the center, a short thumb-rest located on the left-side and nothing much really going on the right-side. The M65 Elite’s short body might be a bit jarring at first, however, the dedicated FPS player probably won’t want the associated drag or the extra material.
Other than that, it’s a very comfortable mouse to hold with a rather intelligent button layout. There are 2 thumb-buttons, a “sniper” button, buttons for the adjustment of DPI sensitivity down and up, a clickable and textured scroll-wheel and, of course, the right-and-left-click buttons. If you’ve never had the chance of using a gaming mouse that has a sniper button feature before, it’s an incredibly useful feature, especially for the hardcore FPS gamers. When you use your thumb to hold it down, this lowers the DPI sensitivity so that you can aim more carefully when you want to take shots that have a low margin of error. If sniper functionality is something you doubt you’ll need, the button can be reprogrammed to what best suits your needs.
One of the best things about the Corsair M65 Elite gaming mouse is its tunable weights. When the screws found underneath the mouse are removed, users can dislodge between 1 and 3 six-gram weights, which gives the device an overall mass measurement that is between 98-grams and 116-grams. Most FPS gamers usually like using a gaming mouse that’s fast and light, so this feature is something that can prove very useful to them. Although, the weights themselves are kind of a pain to use sometimes. Competing gaming mice that have this tunable weights feature, like the Rival 600 from SteelSeries and the G502 Proteus Spectrum from Logitech, just generally allow users to pop the lid off, remove or add some weights and then close the lid right back on with ease.
In the case of the M65 Elite mouse, if you want to remove the panel you’ll need a flathead screwdriver to remove each screw one at a time. Once you’ve added or removed the weights, you’ll need to repeat the same process once again. That’s basically up to around 6 adjustments with a screwdriver each time, though depending on how often you tune the mouse. Furthermore, with this technique the weights get jammed in very tightly as well. Yes, it’s nice to be sure that they’ll firmly be in place, however, it was a little unwieldly in the M65 Elite’s predecessor.
FEATURES
An area where the Corsair M65 Elite has really improved is when it comes to the software it uses. The modern iCUE (Corsair Utility Engine) software is a robust, nuanced and deep program that’ll give the experienced user endless room to play with. The company, at the same time, has implemented many amateur-friendly features that allows the user to simply reprogram a button or set a color and then get straight back to gaming.
Corsair’s Utility Engine software will allow you to tweak the RGB illumination settings, set DPI levels, reprogram any button, create different profiles for the mouse and then link these said profiles with specific apps, programs and games. While the software might need a bit more investment compared to other similar programs from Razer and Logitech, however, it’s mainly because it gives you way more options. In addition to simple customizations of the mouse, the software’s Dashboard feature can be used to monitor DPI levels, fan speed, CPU temperature and more. There are several benefits to having a gaming mouse designed and developed by a company that is well-known for its internal parts and components.
It also can’t be stressed enough the very many cool things the Utility Engine program lets you do with the color profiles, that is if you’ll be interested in exploring them and have some time on your hands. For the StarCraft: Remastered title, you can make custom color gradients that cycle between purple, dark blue and light blue over a thirty-second period, which represent the 3 playable races. If you want to, you can also customize effects and brightness, as well as create more ambitious color patterns. Oh, and syncing the device to Corsair keyboard products will allow you to do even more.
PERFORMANCE
Of course, a good FPS gaming mouse is judged by how well it handles FPS titles. Destiny 2 is one such title and when put through it the Corsair M65 Elite provides an incredibly fluid all-round experience. The mouse’s thumb grip makes it easy for users to adjust it slightly to aim and the sniper button feature gives them further precision. Yes, your hand might end up sweating more than you’d like, but it’s not so much to make you lose grip on the chassis.
The M65 Elite will give generally the same performance on whatever game genre you put it through, be it The Witcher Tales, World of Warcraft or StarCraft: Remastered. You won’t get any special features that’ll allow you to enhance gameplay in specific genres, like other comparable gaming mice do, however, at the same time, this gaming peripheral from Corsair is an accurate, precise and comfortable gaming mouse that can be used for almost anything.
VERDICT
If you’re in search of a great gaming mouse but don’t have any intention of breaking the bank, then not many come much better than the M65 RGB Elite gaming mouse from Corsair. Okay, many people in the gaming world will probably want to have the option of being able to increase its weight to suit their needs, however, the lightweight design isn’t all that bad. With its reliable Omron switches, dedicated sniper button and 18,000 DPI sensor, this mouse makes it so easy for us to recommend it to you, especially if you’re diehard FPS fan.
Now, with better software and RGB lighting, the Corsair M65 Elite gaming mouse represents a marked improvement. Even though the weights are still somewhat of a pain to use, and the not as comfortable as most would want it to be, these are generally minor annoyances in the grand scheme of things. It certainly got our two thumbs up.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can change your mouse’s RGB color by long-pressing the forward button. When you do this, it’ll turn to a solid color and the change to the next every few seconds or so. When the color you want or like gets displayed, release the forward button. Once released, the color will stay on what you selected.
In Settings, you’ll find a mouse icon. Click this icon. Once you’ve done this, you’ll get access to an option labeled “USB Wireless Receiver Pairing”. Here you’ll get instructions on how to pair your device when you go over the initiate button.
You’ll need to bind this button to a certain, specific key. However, that’s not all. You’ll also have to go ahead and bind the said key in game before you can start using it. For instance, you can reprogram the sniper button to say “N” and then bind “N” in the application. To reprogram the sniper button, you’ll need to go to assignments tab, right-click the sniper button icon and then choose “Remap Key”.
