Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless Review: Best Gaming Mouse?

Are you tired of missing that crucial headshot by mere inches? Or do you find yourself fumbling through complex keybindings, struggling to keep up with the lightning-fast pace of your favorite FPS games? Fear not, fellow gamers, for I have stumbled upon a weapon in the gaming arsenal that might just be the game-changer you’ve been searching for. Introducing the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless, a true champion amongst gaming mice crafted with FPS enthusiasts in mind.

From its unparalleled precision to its customizable features, this gaming marvel promises to elevate your gaming experience to new heights. The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is an intriguing mouse since it is the next step of its wired predecessor. The Corsair M65 iconic structure has been my go-to design for many years, and using it again was as delightful as it could be. It differs sufficiently from existing market standards to defy both expectation and categorization.

It has one really useful feature that I would like to be standard on all mice, which is the adjustable weights. Even though the adjustable weights may damage your mouse pad, they are, of course, completely discretionary; you could always go without them. Having said that, let me take you on an in-depth review of the features and performance of this gaming beast, uncovering why the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless has captured the hearts of FPS gamers worldwide. If you are an FPS enthusiast, this is one review you would not want to miss.

We have also reviewed the Corsair M65 RGB Elite, make sure to check it out.

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Key Takeaways

• Designed for right-handed gamers, the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a hefty wireless device. It works well with large hands and a claw grip. In terms of performance, it has a low click latency, a short lift-off distance, a high CPI that can be fine-tuned with 1 CPI increments, and a 2000Hz maximum polling rate that allows for more fluid cursor control.
• The things I liked about the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless are that its form factor is comfortable, iCUE offers extensive customization, has a decent number of buttons, introduces us to a novel design, and offers remarkable wireless performance. 
• The things I have disliked about the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless are its bothersome customizable weight, a bit pricey compared to the previous model, unusual button arrangement, inadequate RGB lighting, and a low-quality charging cable. 
• The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is an exceptional gaming mouse tailored specifically for FPS gamers. It boasts pinpoint accuracy with its high-precision sensor and customizable CPI settings, enabling gamers to achieve precise aiming and quick cursor movements.

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Specifications

Box Contents

1. M65 RGB Ultra Wireless Gaming Mouse
2. USB Charging and Data Cable
3. Wireless USB Transceiver
4. Optional Weights

First Impressions – Ultra-Fast, Ultra-Precise

As for my first impressions, it is an expensive gaming mouse with a focus on first-person shooter players, but gamers of all stripes may benefit from its high-end design and functionality. The M65 Ultra RGB Wireless Gaming Mouse costs $130 at retail and has far too many qualifiers for comfort. Corsair shoved “FPS” and “Tunable” into the official website description. However, I had to shorten the term to fit it in my title.

Considering its size and feature set, its pricing is impressively close to the market standard for a “flagship” mouse. Moreover, the sturdy metal structure of the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless gives it a premium feel. Consequently, there is no noticeable shaking or wobbling from any of the parts, except its L/R click buttons do shake ever so slightly. Moreover, the side panels bend at the rear, where there is a space between them and the palm rest.

Most importantly, it contains an inbuilt gyroscope and accelerometer in addition to the optical switches underneath the buttons and a battery life of up to 90 hours over 2.4 GHz, depending on your settings. Furthermore, it features a second Bluetooth connection that has a much larger battery life but lower performance. Consequently, this mouse can compete well with other high-end gaming mice thanks to its CPI throttle thumb button, adjustable weight, and other customizable features.

Having said that, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a competent wireless gaming mouse. It is easy to grip because of the ergonomic design, and the Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE) application is as feature-rich as ever. However, there are other gaming mice that provide adjustable weights without scratching your mouse pad or desk. The product’s $130 price tag, which is more than double that of the wired version, is a little bit much for what it offers. That is to say, continue reading for an in-depth look at the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless.

Iconic Design

While the motion sensing capabilities are impressive, I must first discuss the mouse’s peculiar structure. The time has finally arrived if you are sick of the tech industry’s obsession with making increasingly thinner mice and desire for a solid, substantial device to grip. Consequently, this mouse is completely futuristic looking; it even has a metal plate that looks like a car’s bumper on its front. At its lightest, this mouse weighs 110 grams; fully loaded, it can support up to 128 grams of weight.

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is, generally speaking, a well-designed gaming mouse. Additionally, the curved body and textured grips on each side make it comfortable to hold in one’s right hand. It features a triangular cutout design. Similarly, the right side of the mouse has the same design, and it is really comfortable for my pinkie and thumb to rest on. Notably, the curved design and generous size of the thumb rest surround my grip, allowing me to use it with relaxed fingertips.

Having said that, the front and rear of the mouse have a sleek industrial silver design that stands out against the remainder of the black plastic frame. To give an illustration, the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is very identical to the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra in appearance. However, it lacks RGB lighting on the scroll wheel and has a textured pattern on the thumb rest. Even though Corsair included “RGB” in the name of the mouse, some RGB lovers may be dissatisfied with the lack of lighting.

A unique RGB Corsair logo appears on the palm rest, and additional RGB lights provide a nice glow to the mouse underneath. The only problem is that your hand hides the entirety of the mouse when you are using it. If you prefer a palm grip or fingertip grip style over a claw grip style, you may find it difficult to adjust to the mouse’s body. The M65 RGB Ultra’s rear end is shorter than usual, so it does not rest at the base of your palm as some other mice do. Instead, it cradles into the palm’s middle for a more secure hold.

The strain on your wrists and hands is little, yet it is noticeable. The shorter length also makes it hard to get your thumb on the CPI throttle button. Again, this is not a dealbreaker, but the button is perfectly aligned alongside the mouse body, so finding it in the heat of battle when you need to aim more precisely with a sniper rifle or other weapon with more accurate optics might be a challenge. Moreover, the CPI throttle button is also located near the mouse’s two additional thumb buttons on the left side.

As a result, it makes it easy to push by mistake while switching grips or moving the thumb swiftly. This is not a deal breaker for me, but it is worth keeping consideration when evaluating other gaming mice with CPI throttles and side buttons. However, this mouse has one of the most robust builds I have experienced; the metal body and integrated weight system give it a satisfying heaviness. For my large hands, the calm grip works best, and I do not believe the substantial weight is great for a fingertip grip.

Comfort – Call the Shots

With dimensions of 5.1 x 2.8 x 1.7 inches, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is comfortably sized for large hand size. It is comfortable to hold and sturdy enough to withstand intense games. My first reaction upon putting my hands on the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless was one of disbelief. Its engraved design on the sides and extra-long thumb rest make it a pleasure to use. Its curved shape is comfortable for all my fingers since it starts at a lower position than other mice I have tried.

The center mouse wheel and side buttons are now too far away for comfortable usage. On the downside, while holding the mouse in a natural stance, my thumb is only at the beginning of the farthest side button. Although it requires some stretching, I can push it. This came as a surprise to me since I have quite big hands, so if you don’t, I would not recommend this particular model. Although, with a hybrid grip, I could prevent my hand from becoming tired, even during the most intense gaming sessions.

As for the coating, Corsair has once again gone against industry standards by choosing a rubberized matte finish. The result looks satisfactory on my mouse for the time being, but it seems to be prone to gumming up after some use. I believe the mouse would benefit from a matte finish, like the rest of their products, since this is a common problem with rubber coatings.

Weight Tuning – Find Your Balance

The M65 RGB Ultra’s adjustable weight is a major selling feature. It offers three weight-installation zones, which is more than can be said for most mice. For the sake of getting the “full” experience and seeing how different this may be from all the sleek mice I have tried in the previous few years, I inserted the weights immediately after I pulled M65 out of the packaging. To add the weights, you will need to unscrew the bottom of the mouse to get to the strong aluminum frame in its center.

More than I anticipated, the screws tighten down to prevent the mouse from rattling about on your desk. There are three little weights in the box to attach to the mouse’s base for a personalized experience. Since the triangular arrangement of the weight additions might throw off the mouse’s balance, I suggest using every one of them simultaneously or none at all. Even with the added weight, the mouse is still manageable for most uses due to its larger-than-usual size and well-balanced design. The mouse’s feet are designed to work smoothly on either a desk or a mousepad. Make sure the screws are in securely. However, otherwise, they can leave marks or snag on your surface. 

At first, I thought the screw would need some kind of cover to keep it in place, but the procedure is really just as easy as it seems. However, I can confirm that the screws caused some small scratches in my hard gaming mouse pad. I have no idea how this pattern will play out over the period of months or years. Fortunately, you can prevent damage to your mouse pad and desk by skipping the adjustable weights. But it is perplexing that such a costly mouse could endanger other valuable gaming equipment.

To a maximum capacity of 128 grams, each extra weight adds 3.13 grams. It may not seem like much, but I can feel it; in fact, the mouse feels nearly a little bit heavy now since I am a lightweight mouse user. Notably, the Corsair M65 Wireless weighing a substantial 109 grams, can seem like a lot until you feel how easy it is on your hand, wrist, and forearm for a general person. It is still convenient and simple to move about your desk, so you can quickly aim, change directions while bunny hopping, or move the game’s camera to take notice of enemy locations and target markers. 

Grip Styles

Three Modes of Connectivity

The M65 RGB Ultra Wireless supports both Bluetooth and a USB dongle for wireless connectivity. You can switch between them using the power toggle at the mouse’s feet. Corsair suggests using the USB mode for gaming and the Bluetooth mode for regular use, although both modes function as described. Even though it may drain the battery a little bit quicker, I believe a USB connection is adequate for productive work as well. To be clear, I say “a little bit” since the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless has a very long battery life.

Wireless mice have historically either not had enough buttons for my needs, been too simplistic, or been difficult to maintain. In its wireless arrangement, the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless has performed well, and I had no problems using it in any other game genre than FPS that I tried. On the downside, when the mouse is connected through Bluetooth, the iCUE software does not interact with it. Because of this, it is not an excellent alternative if you ever want to customize things like CPI and RGB settings or remap buttons.

Moreover, it can also be used with a wired as well. The rubber cable that is included in the package is quite rigid and may get coiled during rapid motion. Here is a sample video of how it works with a cable.

Buttons – Quickstrike Technology

There are eight buttons in total. In addition to this, you can assign four more actions to them by using tilt motions. Because each 20-degree tilt to the left, right, forward, or backward registers as a separate command, this mouse effectively has 12 “buttons”.

Thanks to Corsair’s “QuickStrike” technology, which positions the button housing directly above the optical switch, the primary buttons offer a very rapid reaction time. Although the clicky spring on the primary left and right buttons of the M65 is there to increase click sensation, I find that it is both too noisy and inconsistently placed on my two buttons. My right mouse button is responsive, noisier and smooth, whereas my left mouse button is clunkier.

Additionally, you can also map multiple mouse tilt directions to various shortcut key alternatives. Consequently, the use of this function for hotkeys in games is ideal. When I am using a 60% keyboard like Ducky One 3 Mini, I tend to substitute it for the arrow keys often. The motion components (in addition to the metal chassis) likely contribute to the mouse’s heft, but the extra weight may be worthwhile if you find yourself going for the tilt feature often.

Furthermore, the thumb cluster performs well, with two primary buttons and an easy-to-reach sniper toggle button. The major side buttons are somewhat elevated on the substantial body, but I can reach them with a little movement of my thumb. Moreover, their ridged design also aids in adjusting or raising the device for use with the motion sensor. If you do not like the preset CPI toggle option, you can remap the sniper button in Corsair’s iCUE to do anything you want it to do.

Having said that, the scroll wheel clicks on the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless are satisfyingly distinct. It has an adequately soft but definite click to it, and the center button is fairly clicky, although a little stiff. The rubberized, non-slip finish makes it comfortable to use and quick to navigate. Fortunately, the standard button actions are compatible with both Windows and macOS.

Here is the sample video of what the buttons on the Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless sound like:

Corsair Marksman Sensor

The M65 RGB Ultra Wireless can reach a maximum CPI of 26,000 with its cutting-edge Corsair Marksman Optical Sensor. Its name is PixArt PAW3393-T4QU, and I assume it is based on the PAW3399. Having such a sensitive sensor seems like overkill, but maybe the few individuals who really need one will be pleased. It offers very precise tracking with a huge sensitivity range that can be adjusted in 1 CPI increments. In addition to this, it can track at a maximum speed of 650 IPS, which is equivalent to 16.51 meters per second.

Moreover, it has 50G of acceleration. The default settings include the following CPI stages: 400, 800, 1200, 1600, and 3000. To make the most of my limited work area and my average screen, I set my CPI at 1,200. Additionally, it has a polling rate of 2,000Hz, which is lower than its wired equivalent but still quite good. It enables more fluid cursor motions than is possible using a standard gaming mouse. 

The results of this test are used to identify the presence of angle snapping and jitter problems. As can be seen, there are no obvious snapping angle issues. At 2000 CPI, no jitter is noticeable. However, when I pushed the CPI to above 10,000, a catastrophe occurred. Therefore, at 16,000 CPI, it displays little jitter. It is just going to get worse from here on out. At 26,000 CPI, We can observe a significant jitter is there.

Click Latency Test

Each component of a PC gaming setup adds an additional delay known as latency or lag to the gameplay. You want as little latency as possible while playing games so that your inputs register instantly and the action flows smoothly. The click latency of your mouse has a significant impact on the quality of your experience. Using the CPStesters click latency test, I was able to calculate the click delay and provide the results as an average of over a hundred clicks.

You can see a demonstration of this graph for the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless with wireless, wired, and Bluetooth connections below.

• Wired = 4ms
• Wireless = 6ms
• Bluetooth = 33ms

Polling Rate Test

In Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless, you may choose between five different polling rates: 2000Hz, 1000Hz, 500Hz, 250Hz, and 125Hz. I used Joltfly’s mouse polling rate test at 2000Hz and 1000CPI to ensure the highest possible polling rate. Using these settings, I these results which can be seen in this graph. 

The graph demonstrates different actual polling rates the mouse achieved, ranging from 920 to 1550. I moved the mouse in circular motions to test the polling rate that displays different results. The test recorded 147 samples and had a 1307Hz average polling rate for the entire duration.  

Performance – Sensor Fusion Control

The M65 RGB Ultra Wireless from Corsair, like all of their previous mouse, delivers excellent in-game performance. I tested the mouse with Valorant, Doom Eternal, DOTA 2, Fortnite, Minecraft, and many more. First-person shooters are where the M65 RGB Ultra really shines, as I highlighted before. This mouse was pushed to its limits with Valorant, a beloved multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Riot Games.

Using the CPI throttle button proved to be quite useful while using sniper rifles along with other long weapons equipped with sophisticated optics. The different CPI settings are color-coded in iCUE and on the mouse, so you can always tell which one you are using. You are less likely to inadvertently change your CPI settings while modifying your grip or rotating your fingers to utilize the scroll wheel since the CPI sensitivity buttons lie fairly flat with the primary buttons and structure of the mouse.

iCUE – Unite Your Setup

The M65 RGB Ultra Wireless from Corsair offers all the standard features you would hope for from a Corsair mouse, with the addition of customizable weights. ICUE enhances the experience of using the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless. The Corsair iCUE software allows for extensive personalization with features including key remapping, macro recording, and profile management.

Having said that, when it comes to applications that let you create unique profiles for each of your installed programs and games, iCUE is among the hardest to use. Though iCUE remains a complex application, the newest version includes quick instructions that explain how to set up shortcuts, help with the less-than-intuitive button assignment, storing of profiles to the onboard memory, and customize lighting. One of the best standout features is its sniper button.

By pressing and holding the “Sniper” button, you can instantly switch to the CPI you have set in the Corsair settings by default. To become better at aiming in a competitive game, the player can fast change their CPI to a target value. Additionally, the CPI buttons at the top are a pair of up-and-down arrows, giving you finer control over your CPI changes than would be possible with a linear cycle. If you do not want to utilize the CPI buttons, you can always assign additional actions to them.

All in all, even if you never completely master iCUE’s ins and outs, you will still be able to get it to perform what you need it to accomplish in most cases. In order to install the latest firmware update for the M65 RGB Ultra Wireless mouse, all that was required was a wired connection. Similarly, all I had to do to update the USB dongle was plug it in and click the “update” button.

Here is the sample video of all the settings that are available for Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless in iCUE.

Battery Life

According to Corsair’s advertising, the battery life is 90 hours when using a USB receiver and 120 hours when using Bluetooth. When power is running low, the LED light that sits between the two CPI control buttons will glow red. My experience with the mouse’s battery life has been consistent with the stated claims when I keep the lights off. Despite three days of constant usage, the battery life indicator on my mouse remained on “High.”

Furthermore, charging through USB-C is fast. However, at this price, I would have expected a more flexible cable. Additionally, a USB extender from Corsair, but neither of these features seems to have been a top priority for the company. Unfortunately, the cable is just a simple rubberized design. Fortunately, the dongle is rather small and fits neatly into a magnetic metal slot on the underside of the mouse’s frame. 

Should You Buy It or Not?

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a well-rounded gaming mouse. Featuring a CPI throttle for pinpoint accuracy, configurable buttons and lighting effects, and a customizable weight to fit your tastes and playstyle. It may take some time for those who use a palm grip to adjust to the mouse’s overall design, but users will find that gaming or working for extended periods of time is not that unpleasant.

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra is an excellent choice for gamers that play across genres and want a mouse that can perform well in a wide range of titles, including first-person shooters. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the wireless connection and comfort of this mouse are also top-notch. Only proceed if you think that 110-128 grams is the ideal weight for your needs. With more consistent buttons, this would be a fantastic huge alternative to all the little sleek mice out there — yet even with the button jank, I still appreciate it.

Additionally, the motion sensor is quite accurate and has never let me down at a crucial gaming moment. Consequently, the motion technology allows for an ultra-low lift-off distance, which greatly improves the tracking performance, putting it on par with that of any other recent PixArt sensor mouse. Moreover, the metal structure of the mouse makes it feel premium in the hand. Surprisingly, this huge metal mouse with seemingly odd features is somehow available in today’s market.

Despite its unnatural width, its numerous buttons, stylish design, and accommodating thumb rest more than make up for it. Its $129.99 price tag is excessive, but for players of precision-based games like Valorant, Overwatch, and Osu, the mouse is well worth it.

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