The Corsair Saber RGB PRO is a professional gaming mouse that falls within the “Champion Series FPS / MOBA”, which means that it is aimed mainly at demanding gamers who want to compete at the highest level, and have everything they need to give the best of himself in each confrontation.
The peripherals for gaming have lived a rather curious evolution, and have had moments when the functional value, and even benefits, have been relegated to the background. The Corsair Saber RGB PRO stands out from this trend, and is committed to uniting a sober and discreet design, although without hiding its gamer spirit, with a set of features that make it one of the best mice in its class.
During the last two weeks I have been able to enjoy the Corsair Saber RGB PRO, and today, finally, I am ready to share my experience with you. Being an eminently gaming mouse, I have focused my tests on games, but I have not completely forgotten other more mundane tests, grouped around a basic use of the PC, including web browsing and office automation, so that you have a clearer vision and profound of all that it offers. We have previously shared article on Razer Viper 8K mouse.
Corsair Saber RGB PRO: First Look
The Corsair Saber RGB PRO is an all-terrain mouse that is designed to fit seamlessly into any environment. Its line has markedly angular nuances, is made of plastic and successfully combines a matte black finish, the dominant color, with touches of glossy black, which creates a very nice contrast.
That sobriety achieved by the matte black and glossy black color combination is broken by the RGB LED lighting, which highlights that gamer spirit we referred to, and which makes it clear, from the beginning, that the Corsair Saber RGB PRO can cover without problems the needs of the most demanding players.
I must say that, right out of the box, the sensations that the Corsair Saber RGB PRO transmits to the touch are very good. It is a very light mouse, but at the same time it has a remarkable size and adapts perfectly to two types of grip: claw and palm. Personally, I use a palm type grip, so I have felt very comfortable from the first moment with the Corsair Saber RGB PRO, I have not needed any adaptation period.
Both for build quality and design, the Corsair Saber RGB PRO strikes a high level, and RGB LED lighting has been implemented with great success, since it manages to give a touch of distinction to the mouse without breaking the elegance it gives it. its angular line and its two-tone black finish. Nice job from Corsair on both counts.
The build quality is noticeable by the materials that Corsair has used, but it is appreciated at its best when we review the technical specifications of the Corsair Saber RGB PRO, although we will delve into this in the next section. They deserve special mention, yes, the connection cable is of the USB type and is braided, as one would expect from a high-quality product, and the base that has a Teflon surface and a customizable plate.
The Corsair Saber RGB PRO comes with a total of six programmable buttons and uses, in its primary buttons, the Corsair QuickStrike design, which is based on special springs that reduce the space between these buttons and the switches to zero. What does this mean for the user? Well, very simple, that all the actions that we execute using these buttons will be carried out more quickly. It goes without saying that, in competitive games, this can make the difference between a win and a loss.
When it comes to RGB LED lighting, the Corsair Saber RGB PRO has two fully customizable zones through iCUE, located on the scroll wheel and on the Corsair logo. On the side there are also three spaces that reflect the DPI profile that we have activated. We can switch in real time, and with a single click, between five different profiles.
Corsair Saber RGB PRO: Specifications
After this first look, we are ready to dive right in to see the most important technical specifications of the Corsair Saber RGB PRO. I’m not making you wait, let’s get to it:
- The Corsair Saber RGB PRO is designed for claw and palm type grips and has been tested by professional gamers.
- USB 2.0 Type-A connector.
- Made of plastic, with a Teflon base and a 1.8 meter braided cable.
- Compact and lightweight: it weighs just 74 grams and measures 129 x 70 x 43 mm.
- It uses buttons with the Corsair QuickStrike design, which incorporate special springs that reduce the space between buttons and switches to zero, which translates into faster actions.
- Corsair Axon hyper-processing technology, which records and transmits your actions at a maximum of 8,000 Hz.
- Six programmable buttons.
- Paracord-type cable that reduces drag and resistance, which allows better interactions with the mouse, achieving faster and more fluid movements.
- PixArt PMW3392 native optical sensor customizable up to 18,000 dpi, tracking 450 IPS at up to 50 G acceleration customizable in 1 DPI resolution steps.
- Compatible with Windows 10 and macOS 10.15.
- OMRON switches with a lifespan of 50 million clicks.
- Customizable RGB LED lighting system via iCUE.
- Two year warranty.
- Price: 59.99 dollars (54.99 dollars for the version without RGB).
Corsair Saber RGB PRO: Our experience
The Corsair Saber RGB PRO features fully “plug and play” operation, that is, as soon as we plug it in we are ready to start using it. However, if we want to get the most out of it, we must download iCUE, a tool that, as you can see in the attached images, has received a major facelift. The interface now has a more modern and detailed finish, groups the most important functions within the advantage of each peripheral or component, and allows us to add different sensors in the lower left part.
The truth is that the new iCUE design seems like a success, not only for aesthetics, but also for the value it offers at a functional level. Now it is easier to find what we need, and it takes less time to make those adjustments we had in mind. On the other hand, resource consumption is kept to a minimum (around 1% of CPU), so it must be recognized that Corsair has done an excellent job.
As we anticipated, the integration of the Corsair Saber RGB PRO in iCUE is complete. We found numerous customization options including:
- Key mapping : allows us to create macros, change button settings and modify profiles, among other things.
- Lighting effects: we can use it to customize the mouse’s RGB LED lighting, and create lighting links with other components and peripherals.
- Hardware lighting: it also gives us the possibility to change the RGB LED lighting, but it is applied at the hardware level and is stored in the mouse memory.
- DPI: allows us to adjust the resolution and create custom profiles with different values between which we can switch easily, quickly and comfortably.
- Performance : We can customize the angle setting and pointer speed.
- Device settings: we can use it to change a number of important settings, including from the polling rate to optimization of the pointer, angle and speed, as well as install firmware updates.
One of the most interesting, and most important, new features that the Corsair Saber RGB PRO includes is the Corsair Axon hyper-processing technology, which records and transmits our actions at a maximum of 8,000 Hz. To better understand the value that this technology offers, you need to find out how it works, so let’s get to it.
Corsair Axon technology is supported by a specifically designed Corsair operating system and a high-performance SoC. Both elements create an integrated mouse system that is capable of ultra-low latencies, greatly enhancing the user experience. These are its keys:
- Corsair Axon technology is optimized to process instructions faster and more efficiently than the previous generation of mice.
- It is capable of multi threading, thanks to the built-in high-performance SoC, which means you can parallelize multiple instructions without messing up.
- It has an advanced scheduling algorithm that ensures that the most important clicks arrive, and that they do so as soon as possible.
- Mouse clicks are detected, and processed, almost instantly.
- It can transmit clicks and movements to the PC eight times faster than a normal gaming mouse (up to 8,000 Hz).
- You can work in conjunction with lighting effects, without the effects having the slightest impact on performance.
As we can see, the Corsair Axon technology completely changes the rules of the game, but we must put it in relation to the QuickStrike design that we referred to at the beginning of the analysis, since this minimizes the space between the left-click and right-click buttons and their switches, which dramatically reduces travel and translates to almost instantaneous keystrokes, with perfect response and almost immediate recoil.
Well, what does this mean for me as a player? Well, it is very simple, thanks to both advances we will enjoy almost zero latency, and we will be able to make our plays faster than our rivals, which means that we will have a better chance of winning when playing with a Corsair Saber RGB PRO.
I want to give you an example so that you can better contextualize all this. With a traditional gaming mouse we would have a pulsation time that would totally depend on our reflexes, an instantaneous click detection, a recoil time of less than 3 ms, a processing time of less than 1 ms, a transmission time of up to 1 ms. and an average latency per click of 4 ms. Well, with the Corsair Saber RGB PRO, the pulse time is sped up thanks to the QuickStrike design, there is no backward delay, the processing time is reduced to almost zero, and the transmission time drops to a maximum of 0.125 ms. Average latency per click is less than 0.115 ms.
To fully enjoy the Corsair Saber RGB PRO, and the Corsair Axon technology running at 8,000 Hz, I used my new PC, a very powerful computer that mounts a Ryzen 7 5800X, 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 3080. The monitor has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, a refresh rate of 144 Hz and is G-SYNC compatible. I have high refresh rates, a setting capable of very high frame rates per second, and the peace of mind that G-SYNC will prevent out-of-sync and image breakage. Yes, it is a perfect team to test the Corsair Saber RGB PRO.
My experience in web browsing, multimedia, office automation and daily work with the Corsair Saber RGB PRO has been outstanding. Switching between the different profiles with a simple click allowed me to adapt the operation of the mouse to my specific needs at all times, but its true value is in gaming. This is a mouse for game lovers, and I can attest that it makes a clear difference.
In League of Legends, for example, mental agility and constant positioning on the map are essential to increase our chances of victory. Team play matters too, and the speed with which we execute our movements, and the combinations of skills, can make the difference between winning or losing our line. I almost always use three characters: Lee Sin, Brand and Vayne. All three require reflexes and skill, and with the Corsair Saber RGB PRO I have enjoyed like never before.
The skill combinations with Lee Sin and Brand were executing so fast, even with the smart launch disabled, that, on more than one occasion, I was accused of cheating. You already know that both depend on the precision and speed with which we fit the combo to achieve a kill. With Vayne the exact same thing happened to me, the response of the Corsair Saber RGB PRO was incredibly good, and this allowed me to rush to the maximum and get out alive in several matches, both individual and group.
I’ve also tested the Corsair Saber RGB PRO in Destiny 2 and DOOM Eternal, and the experience has been sublime. With this mouse I have been able to take that level of mastery that I have acquired in these games over time a little further, not only because of the speed with which my movements were transmitted, but also because of their precision.
Final notes: A mouse capable of making a difference
The Corsair Saber RGB PRO is a mouse that, of course, surprises. Its marked gaming character is perfectly “camouflaged” by a fairly discreet and sober design, dominated by a two-tone black color that is only broken by one, also discreet, dual-zone RGB LED lighting.
The surprise is great when we start to use it in games and delve into its functions and characteristics, and little by little we realize that we are facing one of the best gaming mice that exist today.
Its build quality and ergonomics are outstanding, but the precision and speed of response that we achieve with Corsair Axon technology are the two great turning points, the two clear differentiators that make the Corsair Saber RGB PRO play, directly, in another league.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that with the Corsair Saber RGB PRO you will become a professional gamer overnight, that requires dedication, practice and a lot of patience. However, it is true that with the Corsair Saber RGB PRO you will play better, and that your natural talent will be amplified. An excellent purchase, without a doubt.
