Over the years, every peripheral device on my desk - and even some hardware inside my computer - has had the Corsair logo on it at one point or another. Strewn across two computers, I currently have Corsair RAM, a Strafe Mk 2 keyboard, Void Pro headphones, a Scimitar Pro mouse, and even a mouse pad in use, all bought and paid for. So when the chance to test out Corsair’s new Sabre RGB Pro FPS/MOBA Gaming Mouse, I was chomping at the bit to give it a try. After hearing all that, you may think you’re in for a fanboi-fueled ride to a 10 out of 10 review. If so, get ready to be surprised. Welcome to our Corsair Sabre RGB Pro FPS/MOBA Gaming Mouse (let’s just call it the Sabre Pro, shall we?) review.
Specifications
- Price: $59.99
- Chassis: Plastic, black, matte, and gloss finish
- Handedness: Right-handed
- Sensor: PixArt PMW3392 optical sensor
- Resolution: 100-18,000 DPI, with 1 DPI steps
- Buttons: Six including reprogrammable DPI button
- Backlighting: 2-zone RGB plus RGB led DPI indicator
- Connectivity: 2.1m (7ft) USB 2.0 Type-A cable
- USB Report Rate: Up to 8,000Hz hyper-polling
- Dimensions: 129mm (5.1in) x 70mm (2.76in) x 43mm (1.7 in)
- Weight: 74g / .17lbs
Targeted at the FPS/MOBA crowd, Corsair has done everything it can to reduce the Saber Pro’s weight. To that end, they’ve gone with a minimalist design that lacks any type of thumb or pinky rests you’d find on the rest of their rodent army. They could have dropped a few more grams off the Sabre’s 74g weigh-in by going with a honeycomb shell, but I’m happy with the classic fully enclosed covering aesthetic they chose.
The Sabre Pro is also light on lighting, with only the mouse wheel and the Corsair logo on the rear of the mouse getting the RGB treatment. There isn’t any pinstripe lighting along the mouse’s frame, nor will you find any underglow. There are three little hashes on the left side of the mouse to help identify the DPI setting, but that is more about utility than fashion, so we won’t count that as part of the light show.
Like everything else Corsair, the lighting is controlled by their iCUE software. Corsair went minimalist here, allowing only one stored lighting option shared across both RGB zones. The limited lighting is perfectly fine for me; I get all the RGB I need from my keyboard, and my hand covers up my mouse anyway.
From front to back, the Sabre Pro has a slightly asymmetrical hourglass figure which gives a secure and comfortable fit with a claw-style grip. I could also use it with a palm-style grip, though my palm did hang ever so slightly off the back of the mouse, causing it to sometimes drag on my mouse pad.
Both grips provide superb control of the lightweight Sabre Pro, allowing me to increase the DPI sensitivity beyond what I use with any other mouse I own. I still can’t reach the 18,000 DPI maximum of the PixArt PMW3392 optical sensor, but the increased range I can realize with the Sabre Pro means I actually put all five of its adjustable DPI presets to use.
I’ve always preferred a heavier mouse, but I have adapted well to the Saber Pro’s light weight. After a few weeks of use, I can absolutely understand just how much the Saber Pro’s weight improved my aiming and reaction time.
When it comes to button presses, I like the solid feel of the left and right buttons. Corsair calls them QUICKSTRIKE buttons. I call them responsive. Corsair says there is zero gap between the strike plate and the OMRON switches. I say that I really like the quick report and lack of spongy feeling when I press and release the buttons. Corsair didn’t provide a PR term for this last part, but I am most impressed by the two buttons’ consistent feel regardless of where and how I am clicking them. Whether I am clicking them with the very tip of my finger in a claw grip or using the pad of my finger in a palm grip, I get a quick, solid click from anywhere on the strike plate, not just directly above the switch.
Although you’ll probably never be able to put this to the test physically, Corsair utilizes their AXON Hyper-Processing Technology to give an unprecedented 8,000Hz polling rate. There’s already enough debate about the pros and cons of higher polling rates - Corsair even mentions that this extreme polling rate can tax older CPUs - so I question how useful going above the standard 1000Hz polling rate of other gaming mice will be, especially for the typical gamer? At the same time, if you have a high refresh rate monitor, it does hold the potential to reduce microstuttering and provide a more accurate experience. The benefits of this really only come to play in excess of 144Hz, however.
The Sabre Pro may be an FPS/MOBA mouse, but it still has additional buttons - two on the mouse’s left side, the scroll wheel click, and a fourth button directly behind the wheel. As for the scroll wheel clicky, it gets the job done. It’s firm enough that I don’t accidentally click it, yet soft enough that I don’t inadvertently spin the wheel.
I’ve always found using buttons behind the mouse wheel to be an awkward affair, and the Sabre Pro is no different. I guess with it being on the top of the mouse, it is designed to be out of the way. I find its default setting as a DPI toggle is the only actual use I will ever get out of it. Someone with more skill than I wield in my mouse-fu can easily swap it to a different function through Corsair’s iCUE software.
As for the two side buttons, I found them a little underwhelming. They are positioned about a quarter of an inch too far forward for my liking. This was okay when pressing the back button, but I often ended up clicking both buttons simultaneously when reaching for the front button.
Final Thoughts
So much about the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro FPS/Gaming mouse comes down to personal preference. There aren’t any side pieces to be switched out if you want a thumb or pinkie rest, and there aren’t any of those little weights inside the box to stick inside the mouse if 74g isn’t in your acceptable weight range. On the things you can customize - DPI and polling rate - the only thing that stands out from the crowd is Corsair’s AXON hyper-polling technology, and the benefits of an 8000Hz polling rate are up for debate.
More than anything else, though, the suggested retail price of $59.99 puts the Sabre Pro in a tough spot. It’s only slightly cheaper than other more full-featured Corsair offerings like the Dark Core or Nightsword. At the same time, the competition has very similar mice for the same or lower price. Some of those offerings are even wireless.
In the end, if you removed the logo on the Sabre Pro and nine of its competitors and threw them all in a pile, I would wager most gamers wouldn’t be able to tell you which is which. And that’s where I fall with the Sabre Pro. It’s not a bad mouse; there just isn’t anything to make it stand out in the crowd.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.