Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless review

Our Verdict

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a clever take on an excellent gaming mouse, but skillful functioning tin't quite embrace for some bizarre design choices.

For

Comfortable, proven shape
Robust software
Subtle RGB lighting

Against

Inexplainable tunable weights
Much more expensive than wired model
Downgrade from previous models

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a clever take on an fantabulous gaming mouse, but good performance tin't quite cover for some bizarre design choices.

Pros

+
Comfortable, proven shape
+
Robust software
+
Subtle RGB lighting

Cons

-
Baffling tunable weights
-
Much more expensive than wired model
-
Downgrade from previous models

Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless: Specs

Max DPI: 26,000
Buttons: 8
Size: 5.1 10 two.eight x 1.7 inches
Weight: 3.nine ounces (adjustable)

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a strange mouse, in that information technology's a downgrade from what came before it. While the Corsair M65 design has been one of my favorite gaming mice for years, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless has a significant design flaw that drags the whole experience downwards. The device offers tunable weights, which is skillful. But said tunable weights could scratch up your mouse pad, which is bad.

Granted, the tunable weights are an optional feature, and you could just eschew them entirely. If you do, and so the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a perfectly respectable wireless gaming mouse, although it arguably falls brusque of competitors such equally the Logitech G502 Lightspeed, or the Razer Basilisk Ultimate. The ergonomic design is comfortable to concur, and the Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE) software is as comprehensive equally e'er.

All the same, other gaming mice offer tunable weights besides, and manage to do and then in a way that won't impairment your mouse pad — or your desk-bound. With an request price of $130 — more than double what the wired model costs — it'southward simply too much coin for a product with such a glaring flaw. Read on for our full Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless review.

Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless review: Design

To its credit, the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is mostly a well-designed gaming mouse. Information technology has a right-handed ergonomic design with a curved body and textured grips on either side. The thumb rest protrudes just enough to be comfortable, and the front and back of the device characteristic a cool industrial silvery design, which contrasts with the rest of the black plastic chassis.

There are 8 buttons: a right click, a left click, a clickable scroll wheel, two dots-per-inch (DPI) sensitivity adjustment buttons, ii thin pollex buttons and one "sniper" button on the left side, which can temporarily lower DPI. The palm rest features an RGB Corsair logo, which y'all'll rarely see, just at that place are a few more than RGB lights below that, which requite the mouse a pleasant underglow.

At v.i x two.8 x 1.7 inches, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is neither too large nor too small. The weight is adjustable, between 3.9 and 4.5 ounces. This, however, is where the mouse runs into problem.

Unlike the G502, or the SteelSeries Rival 600, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless does not use an internal compartment for its tunable weights. Instead, you accept to attach each of the 3, modest circular weights with a metallic screw.

Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless on desk — (Image credit: Corsair)

At showtime, I was sure in that location was some kind of encompass to get over the spiral, but the arrangement really is as unproblematic equally information technology looks. If you use the M65's tunable weights, you lot'll wind upwards with upward to 3 metal screws on the bottom of your mouse.

I was not brave enough to try this setup on my desk-bound'due south wooden surface, simply I did confirm that the screws left tiny scratches in my hard gaming mouse pad, and scuffed the material on my soft mouse pad. I can only imagine how this pattern might continue over the grade of months, or years.

If you forego the tunable weights, your mouse pad and desk volition exist prophylactic. Only information technology's simply bizarre that such an expensive mouse could present such a hazard to other expensive gaming and office gear.

Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless review: Features

Autonomously from the tunable weights, the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless has all the standard features you'd await from a Corsair mouse. Information technology runs on the iCUE software, which lets you reprogram buttons, customize the RGB lighting and set up profiles for private apps. At that place's an onboard profile for tournament play; otherwise, you lot tin can plan as many software profiles as you lot like.

While iCUE is still a complicated program, the latest version adds some brief tutorials, which walk yous through how to program shortcuts and alter lighting options. The app can even so be abstruse at times, just considering it offers so many variables. You tin, for instance, stack lighting effects on top of each other, or unlink the mouse's horizontal and vertical DPI, or connect multiple wireless devices to a unmarried USB hub. Generally, though, yous'll be able to get iCUE to practice what y'all need to do, fifty-fifty if you never fully learn its ins and outs.

The M65 RGB Ultra Wireless also has ii types of wireless connectivity: USB dongle and Bluetooth. Both modes work as advertised, although Corsair recommends USB connectivity for gaming, and Bluetooth connectivity for everyday work. Personally, I retrieve USB connectivity is fine for productivity work too, although it does hateful y'all'll utilise up the battery a piffling flake faster.

I emphasize "a little bit," however, as the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless has pretty generous bombardment life overall. Corsair advertises that the mouse can last up to 90 hours on USB with the lighting off, and upward to 120 hours on Bluetooth with the lighting off. Since I tested the mouse with the lighting on, I tin can't vouch for these figures immediate. But I can say that subsequently 3 days of heavy utilise, the mouse'due south battery indicator was yet on "Loftier."

Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless review: Performance

Like most other Corsair mice, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless performs beautifully in-game. I put the device through its paces with Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition, Deathloop, Baldur'southward Gate III and Final Fantasy XIV.

Like its wired counterpart, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless worked particularly well with start-person shooters, such as Deathloop. The mouse's straightforward, ergonomic pattern made it easy to aim and fire, while the sniper button was legitimately helpful when — as you might expect — wielding a sniper rifle. I didn't have any problems with other genres, notwithstanding, making the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless a good all-purpose gaming mouse besides.

Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless review: Verdict

While the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless gets a lot of things correct, I can't recommend it unless you're absolutely sure y'all won't use the tunable weights — or that your desk or mouse pad is impervious to scratching. A few hours of utilize caused minute scratches in my mouse pad, and I can only imagine what a longer exposure time might do.

On the other manus, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless isn't all bad. It has a comfy design, pretty lighting and excellent wireless connectivity. If — and only if — 3.nine ounces sounds like the perfect weight, then yous should be in the clear.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing groundwork, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and engineering. Afterward hours, you can discover him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.