Page 2 - A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
Based on naming convention alone, it is no surprise the Cooler Master MM712 Wired bears resemblance to the original MM712. Obviously, we have a black one today while we received the white one last time. However, the rest of the physical body looks quite similar. As such, we still have a solid body at the top with no worries about water or dust entering inside. Otherwise, the appearance is pretty clean with nothing too remarkable or unique in its design. This simplicity does make the MM712 Wired look clean. Without it plugged in, you cannot really see the Cooler Master translucent area at the back of the mouse. This can be illuminated when it is plugged in, as the logo outline glows to whatever color you choose. The matte black finish is also clean and generally is good at hiding handling marks from fingerprints. The MM712 Wired is composed out of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, plastic so we may get a bit more shine later on.
Attached to the top of the Cooler Master MM712 Wired is the Ultraweave cable. This measure 1.8m in length and is extremely flexible. I have lauded this cable from every one of Cooler Master's mice, and it is no different here. I will say it does easily catch on Velcro hooks, so you should be careful. On the other end of the cable is a typical full-sized USB connector to plug into your computer.
As for its dimensions, the Cooler Master MM712 Wired measures in at 116.5mm in length, 62.4mm in width, and 38.3mm in height. Unsurprisingly, this is the same physical size as the MM712. As such, the peak of the height is slightly closer to the back with a gradual slope to the front and a rounded-out curve at the back. One major difference is the weight, as the MM712 Wired is yet again lighter than the wireless variant, dropping down to around 49g without the cable. This reduction is impressive considering it is lighter than the MM710 circa 2019. The weight is balanced towards the middle. The mouse is ambidextrous in shape, which is good for both left-handed and right-handed users, although the button placement is not. Overall, build quality is quite solid, as we do not have any flex in the shell with its solid back. As the MM712 Wired is made out of ABS plastic, it is lighter than compared to other plastics while generally still being strong enough for its construction. There is a slight bit of creaking when pressing the mouse on the sides, but overall, it is still better than the MM711 and other hole-filled predecessors.
From this vantage point, you can see the Cooler Master MM712 Wired and the majority of its buttons. The main left and right buttons are separated from each other and the rest of the body. They are slightly sloped towards the middle of the button, which makes users naturally rest their fingers in the center. Underneath, we have primary LK Optical V2 switches with a rated lifespan of 70 million clicks. Overall, the button response and weight feel good. It is definitely different from traditional Omron switches, although the clicks are still satisfying to press. However, one difference from the wireless MM712 is the cutout on the side. The original one had a scooped cutout on the sides of the button, which could snag on your fingers, if you are resting them in this place.
As for other buttons, in between the primary ones is a notched scroll wheel. It is a translucent smoky gray but no lighting exists here. Moving to the side buttons, we have standard forward and back on the left side. Cooler Master used notably different buttons here. The wireless MM712 used a more accented button with a protruding middle area, while this one is flatter and wider. According to Cooler Master, this should reduce any finger chafing from the buttons and make them easier to reach. They offer a good amount of travel, but they also have a slight spongy bottoming out. This is more noticeable on the back button. They are placed right under the primary button split and should be easily accessible.
At the bottom, we can see a few more changes Cooler Master has made with the MM712 Wired. We have four polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, feet that are placed in logical locations. This prevents the mouse from snagging on the surface it moves upon. Furthermore, these feet have been curved on their edges to reduce the friction between the mouse and the surface it sits upon. The other change is the fact Cooler Master has moved the sensor back to the middle. The sensor in question is the PixArt PAW3395. Users are offered a sensitivity range of 100 to 26000 DPI in 100 DPI increments. The sensor promises 650 inches per second tracking and acceleration of up to 50G. 1000Hz polling rate is standard, but can be lowered to 500Hz, 250Hz, or 125Hz. Thankfully there is no sensor or lens rattle with my unit of the MM712 Wired.
Otherwise, the single button at the bottom here is used to cycle your mouse DPI. Some may want this placed on the top of the body, but I personally do not change my sensitivity that often, so I do not see this placement as an issue. The label in the middle shows all of the certifications and the serial number for your unit. It also covers the perforated base, which can be felt underneath the label.
Unsurprisingly, the Cooler Master MM712 Wired uses the company's MasterPlus+ software. The download size for this utility is 318MB as a compressed file. In general, using the software was a consistently positive experience with a few hiccups. I made sure I was using the latest version of the software and immediately saw the MM712 Wired on launch.
As for the MasterPlus+ software, the program generally works well. Specific to the MM712 Wired, there are a total of five different configuration pages. The first tab is marked Buttons, where you can assign different actions for each button or scroll wheel action. You can enable mouse combinations, which let you add more actions when pressed in combination with the scroll wheel button. The Performance tab lets you change the seven DPI sensitivity settings, USB polling rate, angle snapping, lift off distance, surface tuning, and other operating system-specific settings. Thankfully, you can limit the number of DPI settings enabled, as I have done so, as this reduces the number of settings the DPI button will cycle through. Finally, you can change the primary button response time, as these are optical switches. The Lighting tab lets you adjust the lighting. This provides typical LED modes such as Static, Breathing, and Color Cycle. The Macros tab is where you create and record macros to be assigned to the mouse actions. Finally, you can save up to five different profiles and settings in the Profiles tab. Unfortunately, Cooler Master has still not addressed the scaling for the font and graphics, as I found the words to be too small with respect to the overall size of the window. This is just a minor gripe, as the rest of the utility is clean and easy-to-use.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
