Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
After installing and properly configuring the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro to my liking using the software, I put the mouse through our series of standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in the Windows environment as well as gaming within first person shooter games. Graphics work is done in addition to regular office usage with Adobe Photoshop. Mousing surfaces used includes the Func F-Series 10 L and XTracPads Ripper XXL. Please note these are subjective tests, but we attempt to make it as objective as possible with our cross-reference testing methods.
Personally, when I use my mouse, I prefer to establish a palm grip rather than a claw grip. What this means is that I prefer to cover the whole mouse with the palms of my hands, therefore a comfortable ergonomic fit is a priority preference. The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro, being designed mainly for users like me in mind, was perfect for the occasion. For those who like claw grips or a semi-claw-palm-hybrid grip, the Sabre RGB Pro will also accommodate you if you have larger hands. Furthermore, its very lightweight design was perfect for first person shooter games; making swift, quick actions attainable. This, in conjunction with its wide sensitivity sensor -- 100 DPI to 18,000 DPI in 1 DPI increments -- caters perfectly to all the different scenarios and game play strategies FPS gamers will encounter in the real world. The sniper button to temporarily use a different sensitivity setting was useful as well. The fact is, dipping as low as 100 DPI is definitely not something you will see every day, nor is the epic 18,000 DPI maxima in 1 DPI increments. I am not entirely sure why anyone would need something that nauseatingly sensitive, but hey, it is there for those who want it.
During usage, I have never accidentally pressed any buttons I did not intend to click. Obviously, there are not a whole lot of buttons on the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro, but at the same time, this is only made possible considering the few that are there are very well placed in the first place. It is interesting because the Sabre RGB Pro is also marketed as a MOBA mouse in addition to FPS, because the lack of buttons mean you probably will not be remapping many, if any, of the ones on board. After all, this is no Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite. That said, any feature I need was always well within reach of my thumb or my index finger, so props to Corsair coming up with great placements. That said, the matte hard plastic reminds me of a generic office mouse as mentioned on the previous page. The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro generally fit well in my hand, even if my hands are average-sized. However, better materials that are more comfortable to touch and provides better grip will be appreciated.
The primary purpose of Corsair's Sabre RGB Pro is for the performance enthusiast crowd. It is intended for gaming, but this does not exclude graphic professionals and office users demanding the edge in tracking precision. Unlike some gaming-oriented products, I found the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro to be excellent for everyday office work in addition to performance-demanding applications. The hardcore PixArt PMW3392 is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, sensors in the market today, and you can definitely see why with this mouse. The lift-off distance was very low on the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro. The sense of control and the smoothness of its glide over all tested tracking surfaces was excellent, and the pointer tracked accurately and precisely in accordance with my inputs. The PTFE feet helped smooth the glide too. I noticed no tracking problems with the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro on all surfaces I have tested it on. The surface calibration feature claims to further enhance its tracking performance, although I personally did not notice any significant changes before and after calibration.
At up to 8000Hz polling rate with the optical sensor, the PixArt PMW3392 is an incredibly precise and quick responding mouse, just as we would expect from a performance gaming product. I have never used anything with such an intense polling rate, so props to the company for pushing the limits. You probably will not notice it in day-to-day use, so keeping it at 1000Hz will save you some CPU processing power. However, it could give you an edge in-game. From my tests using an Intel Core i7-6700K, not exactly a late-model Core i7 but a decent CPU nonetheless, the Sabre RGB Pro created about 10 to 15% CPU load when in use. A regular 1000Hz mouse will use around 5%, so this is reasonable. With that in mind, its very lightweight build only enhanced the capability of the electronics. No input lag was noticed; response time was consistently excellent from the lowest sensitivity setting all the way to 18,000 DPI. Not that we would expect anything less from an 8000Hz mouse, haha. Although sensitivity range is not a direct indicator of performance similar to how resolution is not a direct indicator of digital camera performance, its incredible precision was still basically sustained across the entire sensitivity range. I noticed what could be very minor jitter at high sensitivity settings, but I could not tell if it was just my hand or if it was really the mouse itself. No smoothing was noticed, which is good.
The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro is a hardcore mouse for users desiring wide tracking resolution, maximum responsiveness, lag-free performance, some RGB lighting, and razor sharp handling characteristics. It packs some serious punch under the hood despite its unassuming looks.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
