Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite Gaming Mouse Review
Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite Gaming Mouse – A Closer Look
Corsair hasn’t changed the physical shape or layout of the Scimitar RGB Elite from its predecessor and we’re still looking at a medium-sized mouse packed with a lot of buttons. The Scimitar RGB Elite features a design geared towards right handed ergonomics, with dimensions of 4.7(L) x 3.0(W) x 1.9(H) inches. The Scimitar RGB Elite features aluminum base construction with a plastic body, so it should be durable. Corsair has been able to reduce the weight of the Scimitar RGB Elite down to 122 grams from the 147 grams of the previous edition, all while not reducing button count or changing the shape or dimensions of the mouse.
The top side of the Scimitar RGB Elite has two buttons right beneath the scroll wheel that can be programmed within iCUE to do various commands, but they control DPI by default. The scroll wheel of the Scimitar RGB Elite sits in an open cavity and Corsair says they have made improvements to the build quality of the scroll wheel over their previous edition of the Scimitar, so we should be seeing less issues like scroll wheels that begin to double scroll or stop clicking, something I’ve seen mentioned as a common issue when browsing the Corsair mouse forums.
The left side of the Scimitar RGB Elite is where we see the selling feature of this mouse, the fully programmable, 12-Button adjustable keypad. This keypad is able to slide into position within the aluminum frame that it is mounted to and is unchanged from the previous version, though Corsair has made build quality improvements across the mouse and the key slider was not left completely untouched. The key slider of the Scimitar RGB Elite can be programmed for custom macros, button remaps, program launching and more. Since you can set different profiles based on the program or game being used, the potential here really lets the Scimitar RGB Elite shine and I can see potential for the mouse beyond just gaming, as content creators can program their most used macros to the mouse
Corsair has updated the braided cable and stress relief on the Scimitar RGB Elite and the new version is slightly more flexible, with the sleeving having a softer feeling as well. This cable is still leagues away from the quality cable I’ve seen on mice like the Glorious Model D and Razer DeathAdder V2, but it’s an improvement and given that this is a mouse designed around MMO use and not fast paced, twitch style shooters, I don’t think you’re going to see people complaining about this cable, it’s totally adequate.
Like the previous iteration, the Scimitar RGB Elite has four controllable RGB zones that can be adjusted within iCUE, with one being the logo. Corsair has a full selection of effects available and each area can run independent effects without much of a hit on CPU resources. One of the lighting zones illuminates the keypad, while the other illuminates the scroll wheel.
There is also an RGB zone that illuminates the front of the Scimitar RGB Elite, an area that you’ll never see when using the mouse since it faces away from you, though you may see a bit of the reflection from the RGB on your mousepad when the room isn’t lit up.
The underside of the Scimitar RGB Elite gives us a look at the PTFE feet Corsair is using. These PTFE feet do a good job of covering the corners of the mouse and provided good balance, while having notches to allow for easy removal and replacement. Corsair used an adequate amount of material here to allow for minimal resistance while not being too slick. The Pixart PMW3391 sensor, the same sensor Corsair outfits its IronClaw RGB Wireless and several other mice with, is installed close to the center of the Scimitar RGB Elite within the aluminum frame, with a slight bias towards the front of the mouse. Keen eyes will notice a small allen key insert on the bottom of the Scimitar RGB Elite and this insert is to loosen the button slider so that it can be adjusted to the optimal position, depending on hand size and preference.
So far, the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is looking exactly like its predecessor, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Corsair had made manufacturing changes to the mouse that should mean for functional improvement and we’ll see if that’s the case, shortly. Before that, since the release of the original Scimitar RGB, Corsair has released it’s iCUE unifying software. Let’s take a look at iCUE and the adjustments that can be made to the Scimitar RGB Elite.