Page 2 - A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
When we first were made known of the name of the product, it immediately reminded me of the weapon I used in RuneScape. Compared to the other blade weapons, I always remembered the scimitar was a bit wider, at least when it was in old school RuneScape. However, a real scimitar is characterized both by its broader width near the point of the blade as well as a notable curve in the blade. When we look at the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite, we can sort of see this similar wider footprint as well as two differing curves on the edges of the mouse. The whole mouse feels pretty nice to hold in the hand. Its matte soft-touch black finish is easy to grip onto and generally resistant enough to fingerprints. As well, an extended right side is finished with a triangular grid pattern to make the mouse easier to hold. Corsair's name can be found on the top of the left primary button, while its sails logo can be found at the back. This logo is one of the four RGB zones we will discover when we look at the software later on. Overall, this mouse is definitely a gaming mouse just by the sheer number of buttons, but I think Corsair has done a good job in balancing between a gamer-look and still keeping it clean.
In terms of dimensions, the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite measures in at around 120mm in length, 75mm in width, and 43mm in height. This is quite a bit larger in every dimension compared to my previous daily mouse, the Cooler Master MM710. The peak of the height is situated slightly nearer to the rear of the mouse with a very gradual slope up from the front buttons to the peak and a rapidly sloped curve down near the back. As I have mentioned, the mouse weighs in at 122g without the cable, which again is more than double what I am used to. The weight is balanced to the center of where users would normally grip the mouse, but this lines up slightly in front of the sensor. Based on its shape and button layout, this mouse is intended for right-handed users. Build quality is quite good as everything feels solid and well put together.
The cable on the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is quite stiff despite being braided. This means the cable does not easily bend and can often get caught on the edge of a table or a different corner. You may want to employ a mouse bungee when using the Scimitar RGB Elite. Otherwise, the cable measures 1.8m in length, which is pretty typical. At the end of this cable, we have a typical full-sized USB port with Corsair logos on the end.
From this angle, you can see all of the buttons on the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite, which exist mostly on the left side. The first set of keys are the primary Omron switches with a fifty million actuation lifespan. Overall, these switches feel light and easy to press while offering good feedback. In the middle we have a scroll wheel with translucent edges. It offers a notched feel, which is pretty typical for most mice. Otherwise, underneath the scroll wheel are two buttons for quick profile and DPI switching. These secondary keys are alright with good feedback, but not as deep of a button travel. However, the real star of the show is the 3x4 grid of side buttons. This number pad array of keys is stacked in this way to be accessible to your thumb, while the whole grid can be slid back or forth to adjust to each user. Each subsequent column of buttons has a different texture so users can differentiate which column of keys they are pressing in. The button marked "5" also has a small ridge to also help you know where your thumb is. The buttons offer a bit of wiggle movement, which should reduce accidental presses. As for their actions, you will need to use Corsair's iCUE software to adjust the functions of these buttons, as they have no default behavior.
At the bottom of the mouse are a few more things of interest to point out. First of all, we have four PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene pads, which is commonly known as Teflon, in various shapes and sizes. The skates themselves are pretty smooth and protrude just enough so that none of the other grooves catch at the bottom of the mouse. On the right side, near the side number pad, is a small hex screw to be used with the key provided. When you loosen this screw, the side button grid can be moved as a whole. This works well as it holds it in place when it needs to and is easy to adjust on the fly, even if it does require an additional tool. There are some other stylistic elements here, such as the three deep grooves that come from the front of the mouse. A hole in the silver plate in the middle is where the sensor of the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is situated. This is a Pixart PMW3391, which is seemingly a custom PMW3389 with support for higher sensitivity and finer sensitivity adjustment steps. Other mice like the Cooler Master MM711 and MM710 both use the vanilla version of the sensor. The PMW3391 tracks at high speeds of 400 IPS with acceleration up to 50g, though it is not enabled by default. Polling rate is set to a minimum 1ms, or a maximum frequency of 1000Hz, and a maximum native resolution of 18000 DPI.
After reviewing several of Corsair's products, I can safely say their iCUE is a well-rounded and complete software experience overall. Its utility is used for practically all of Corsair's recent products, whether they are other peripherals, case lighting, or other hardware. This can be downloaded from Corsair's website. Otherwise, the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite has an unspecified amount of memory onboard with the ability to save up to three different profiles.
Corsair divides up their software into several tabs on the left side, so I will quickly go through each one. In the Actions section, users can set actions for all of their buttons besides the primary left-click. This includes actions such as user-recordable macros, keyboard and mice actions, media functions, application launching, and more. Assigning these actions is done by creating a single action for each key. I would have much preferred an action page to hold all of the actions for all of the configured buttons. Under Actions Library, you can save your commonly used actions to recall when configuring. The Lighting Effects page lets you change the lighting for the four RGB zones on the mouse. This includes the logo at the back, the keypad on the side, the scroll wheel, and a front illuminated area. There is actually one more RGB area on the side of the mouse, but this is specifically used for the next tab, DPI, where you can set your sensitivity settings and the corresponding light for this area. I think this is great to let users quickly know what sensitivity they are using. Here you can also create and set a new profile of DPI settings altogether. Under Performance, users can change the lift off distance, angle snapping, and pointer speed. Finally, Surface Calibration is exactly as the title reads, letting users adjust the mouse to the surface it will be used on with a tool. Overall, the iCUE software is a polished product that enhances the experience of using Corsair products.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
