Corsair Raptor M45-5000 DPI Optical Sensor Gaming Mouse (Raptor M45)

What a beautiful mouse. Has everything you will ever need for the average user. This isn't an MMO mouse or anything so don't expect myriad buttons and access to those kinds of features. It does have an extensive macro system though, and the features on the new firmware are pretty decent for this price range. At any rate mouse enthusiasts usually know what their mouses are for. The side pads as many have said have a sweet feeling sandpaper-like compound... BUT this doesn't last as long as one would like for the thumb position IF you use the mouse a lot. MANY mice today use that decrepit shiny and sticky plastic for where your thumb/pinky finger goes... The feeling after this compound wears down is akin to a slightly stickier plastic. The plastic itself is hard enough so the feeling is never too annoying; I must stress how important this is, because a soft and sticky plastic for my thumb and other fingers will have me wanting to throw the mouse away nearly immediately. I wish the normal sandpaper feel had been able to keep itself for at least 6 months. But this is still much better than my last mouse in feel and touch. I love the overall design of it. I'm just grateful they didn't go with that nasty, shiny stuff CM used on my Havoc. Anyway, I updated firmware and installed software in 2 minutes. While not quite the extensive system of options that CM has, this mouse for the time being has topped my old Havoc which had the aforementioned sticky plastic problem requiring tape. Otherwise I think CM's software is better and allows a lot more functionality with LEDs and a couple other things. What is there is pretty decent and you can tune each axis on the pad and have three different slots for DPI, easily reachable below the scroll wheel. A single, small and red LED light is for the first slot and this goes to three lights. They are pretty low key and not too bright. I shut off the Corsair logo as it was too bright and annoying for my tastes. I am not sure what the native specs are on the DPI sensor but I use about 900-1200 on my desktop and it feels about perfect. I certainly don't need much higher. My PC gaming is mostly done with a controller, but scrolling and clicking buttons works great for the games that need it. As with every mouse make sure it fits your hand. I feel I can put my palm into if I want or just basically finger touch it and the control and ease with how this mouse glides makes mousing fun again (I have been using some dimestore version for the past 10 days). They have a nice supplement of weights if you choose to lower what they have at the factory. I don't mind it right out of the box. Others will want to take a weight or two out. The roller is also topnotch here and has a metal and rubber design. Still working great after a year of solid work. The materials have held fairly well over this time and I am completely satisfied with the mouse. All in all a homerun for the M45.

At the time that I bought this mouse it was about $40, and for that price it is a very good mouse that holds its own against other mice that are in the same price range. However my history of mice I have always gone for the most expensive and it turns out for good reason. First let me start by saying what I do like about this mouse because there really is a lot to like, it just doesn't fit my niche taste. Pros: Bargain for what you get Sensor - (tracks amazing, you can find many tracking tests online of this sensor) DPI buttons - (a lot of mice in this price range don't always include them) Scroll wheel - (very stiff and clicks with just the right amount of force) Weights - (again a lot of mice in this price range don't always include them so its nice to see) Software - (straightforward, easy to use, no issues at all with it) Now, before I jump into what I dislike, first I need to give some history. I had a logitech g9x for almost seven years before I decided on a new mouse. Now the logitech g9x was a great mouse and it better have been as it was almost $100 for a new one at its time of release. It was extremely good for a laser mouse but being laser it tracked better on hard mouse pads than cloth ones. I now prefer cloth mouse pads that's why I started looking for a mouse with an optical sensor. One other thing that was of utmost importance was that the mouse have a similar shape to the g9x so after much researching enter the corsair m45, similar in pictures and in side by side comparisons, I thought I found a mouse I could love as much as my logitech g9x, but that tracked well on cloth. I admit I had high expectations but and I so wanted to like it but I was disappointed. Here are the problems I have with this mouse. Cons: Ergonomics Button Stiffness Now that doesn't seem like a whole lot to complain about, but when you have used the same mouse for almost seven years you learn how important ergonomics are. If the mouse isn't comfortable than nothing else really matters in my oh so humble opinion. Now I play first person shooters and I tend to like buttons that are somewhat stiff so I don't accidentally hit a button I didn't intend to, but with this one the buttons are so light that I hit them ALL THE TIME. I would constantly right click when I was just trying to left click, and I would double click when I meant to single click. This is the same reason I use a mechanical keyboard with the furtherest key travel length to actuate. I admit this might be good for MOBAs or games where you have to click a lot, but no not for me. Now going on the ergonomics, it's not bad per se, but it's not good either. My hands are about 19.5 cm or just over 7 inches. I have a hybrid of claw and palm grip. This mouse was unable to fulfill my preferred grip method, and not only did it force me into a palm grip, it was an uncomfortable one as well. I have used palm grip mice before such as the logitech mx5128 and the logitech g500, and this is a much different palm grip style, it seems too low and not raised enough where your fingers lay for a palm grip yet too wide for a claw. So this may seem like I am being picky and I am, but unfortunately this mice wasn't for me. I did however keep it as a backup mouse. Mice I have tried and returned since the purchase of this one, include logitech g303, Steelseries Rival 300, Logitech g100s, and an old Microsoft Optical one. This is still a good mouse, hence why I chose it as a backup, so don't get me wrong it's not bad by any means it just didn't live up to my standards. Currently I am waiting on a Zowie EC-2A after liking the Steelseries Rival but thinking it was just a tad too uncanny.

Intro: Before I write this I want to state that I am not affiliated in anyway with this company and this is a unbiased and honest review. Review: This is the first gaming mouse that I have bought for my new setup and I am very pleased with this mouse overall. I would like to start out with the negatives of this mouse that I have experienced while playing some games. 1. Left click sensibility: Now this might be from 2 months of use, but what I have noticed is that in some games, for example csgo, when trying to tap the left click to shoot one bullet it fires multiple shots instead. This does happen to me, but it really doesn't effect my overall experience by a ton. 2. Red led: I really wish this mouse came with an rgb selector to match with my color scheme, but the only color available is red. 3. Dpi: I never found it necessary to go over 2000 dpi for my personal preference so having 4000 dpi wouldn't really be necessary for any other gamer out there. Positives: Adjustable weight: This is what really got me interested in the mouse since now I can make the mouse as light or heavy as I want it to be depending on the games that I play. Texture: Both the side grip has a sand paper esc feel which really helps with gripping. The top of the mouse has a smooth surface which is awesome after longs hours of use. The mouse has shown some signs of wear after 3 months of use with the sand paper texture somewhat starting to fade away, but I am very happy with the results. Scroll wheel: This scroll wheel is very hefty. It has a rubber like texture feeling and has some weight to it to make it easier to scroll. Glide: The pads on the bottom are very well placed, and I have great glide on my mouse pad which is great for when I want to flick shot. Doesn't feel like a cheap old plastic mouse: The way this was designed really impressed me as this mouse doesn't feel or look like a plastic mouse. This mouse is one of the more durable ones that I have used in a while, Overall: GET THIS MOUSE! I really dont have a problem with it and use it daily for normal use to pc gaming. For 3 months of use this mouse still looks like what it was from day one and im very happy.

Nice mouse with a pretty good ruberized texture, however: just quit responding on me. I bought in on june 19, 2014: Today it stopped working I plug it into different ports, still nothing. I plugged in my secondary crap USB 5$ mouse, and navigated to the windows mouse and keyboard center and dug around in the control panel to see whats up. Everything checks out saying it works fine, the light is illuminated on the Corsair logo, so it's receiving power through the cord from the USB port, so that cord isn't damaged, and it isn't visually damaged either. So I re-downloaded the drivers for my mouse from corsairs website, and tried installing them again, still nothing. And as I type this, it's quite difficult because if I so much as tap the mouse while it's plugged in, along with my other mouse that I'm using it instantly shoots the cursor up to the very top left hand corner of my screen. It just wont detect my Mouse through the usb port... So the mouse is receiving power, it's sensor is working because it shoots to the corner when it is moved, and the drivers are up to date, as well as not being damaged visually in any way.

UPDATE: 2 months in and my review stands. The mouse IS showing a bit of wear, but not where I would have expected.... The soft-touch texture on top has held up PERFECTLY. I am VERY hard on this mouse, and use it on avg no less than 3 hours a day. The grippy texture on the sides however, has started to wear away on the thumb rest. As stated in my review, I use a pretty standard claw-grip, and my thumb is moving a LOT. Aesthetically, it cannot be seen from anywhere but a most close-up view of the thumb rest itself. The braiding on the cable is holding up nicely, and the scrollwheel (which I ABUSE) still functions as well as it did on day one. For the record, I wash my hands before sitting down at the pc, and I make a habit of not eating while in the office. Not sure how well the wheel would hold up under the duress of crumbs. Performance wise, the mouse still functions as well as it did day one, and the software (THOUGH ALWAYS RUNNING :madface:) has actually grown on me and uses essentially 0 resources. STILL A SAFE BET HERE!!!! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ I have burned through many a mouse, in the last 2 decades of pc use/gaming. In that time, I have come to realize a few truths/ things about myself.... 1. I prefer a claw-style grip whether browsing OR gaming. Take it or leave it, it's the kind of thing that gives some people a cramp just THINKING about it. 2. I am not a fan of "soft touch" surfaces, much like the one on this mouse. I find that over time they wear away (some sooner than others) leaving a shiny surface that is not only aesthetically displeasing but to the touch as well. 3. Unless your computer is from '01, the laser vs optical debate is probably something you should just ignore, flat out... Thanks to firmware updates and modern cpu architecture the difference in performance is negligible at worst, in the wild (you know... actually playing... not looking at test results) 4. Take no mouse on face value. I have owned very highly praised, expensive mice, that frankly never lived up to their own hype in comparison to less expensive unheard of mice in my collection. Most recently, I used a Logitech G9x (honestly the best mouse I have or probably WILL ever have owned)... My son dropped it and damaged the claw grip shell, so I have been looking for a suitable replacment, which is surprisingly hard to accomplish...I was able to play with one of these at Fry's Electronics in Tempe AZ and the profile is very similar. Gave it a shot, and I'm going to give my preliminary thoughts....With all of that said, Let's get into what I find nice about this mouse. Pros: +Very comfortable claw-grip profile...Easily one of the best I have ever used, and coming from the G9x that is something to take note of... +No slip grip sides... AGAIN... for claw grippers... this is paramount. My wrist almost never moves, and my dpi is on the high end... All of my mouse movement happens (generally) between my thumb and ring finger. G9x had textured sides as well, so perhaps I am biased here. +Side buttons are well placed. I tend to assign things like melee to the thumb button.... This one is easy to hit every time. +Highly customizable. The M45 gaming software has a very small footprint, and has a lot of options.... it is not without issues though (see cons) +The soft touch surface of the main buttons SEEMS durable (moreso than anything I've seen in the past... from several vendors... the absolute worst offender of brittle soft paint was and probably still is Razer.... (I loved my Diamondback 3g back in the day... but that soft touch wore off in a month) +Backlight can be turned off +Mouse wheel has a nice feel, and mouse wheel button is easy to press (but not TOO easy). Cons: -The software, while lightweight, and robust.... IS ALWAYS running. You cannot shut it off, as it is actually built into the corsair driver...Do you need it? NO. Will you get everything you paid for without it? NO. This I find to be a pretty big issue, and for now the reason I am docking a star. Logitech's software allowed you to install a driver IF you wanted to, but otherwise you could run the program to customize the G9x, and then close it as you saw fit (and never use it again). ALSO In order to get the software to work properly, I was forced to give it administrative privileges.. no big deal really, but until I did this, after closing it once I would be locked out of the performance settings. - No physical button to swap profiles. Just a nitpick here, mostly because the G9x spoiled me... but it had a buttons that allowed you to switch profiles on the fly (that way you could have a profile for each game if you wished and didn't have to run the software) The M45 Lacks this, I am assuming because Corsair decided it would be better to chain you to the software... I can deal with it, but I will probably not use the other profiles I set up very often because of the inconvenience. -No way to know how long the soft touch surfaces will last -LED backlit (yeah yeah you can turn it off in the software)...but seriously.... I'm not 12 and neither is most of your target market, I'd wager... Led's are not cool when you're trying to maintain a theme of professionalism in your office. For what this mouse currently costs (I paid <$50) it has a feature set that far outweighs the cost... I can't vouch for it long term, but as an initial test (I have about 25 hours on it now) This mouse is a solid buy. Just don't go into the purchase with unrealistic expectations,(like wanting a claw-grip mouse to be a wide-grip mouse) and you'll be fine.

My previous mouse was a Razer Deathadder. The reason I bought the M45 is because my deathadder had been giving me some issues. When I got the M45 I was surprised at the solid build quality and DPI settings. Overall it's a great mouse, just not for my tastes in particular. I usually claw grip mice and this was too small for me to comfortably claw grip.

I got this mouse to compliment my K70 in FPS games. For a long time, I was planning on getting the M65 for the sniper button and aluminum construction. Then I realized: 1) the sniper button is just a glorified extra button that can be replaced by any of the 4 spare buttons on the M45. and 2) Every other top-rated mouse out there is made of polymer. Aluminum just smells bad and looks cooler. But I was surprised when I got the M45, because it looks pretty freaking cool too. The red LEDs make it match my K70 and red LED case lighting much better than the M65 would have. The 5000DPI is actually WAY more than I can handle for my FPS games - or any games, for that matter. The scroll wheel is awesome and feels smooth when scrolling fast(but I can still feel each bump) and stable when rolling down single notches to switch weapons in games etc. The software available on the Corsair website works well enough (although Corsair should really learn how to code better, *cough* Corsair Link) I set the mouse DPI to somewhere around 2000 and that is about as fast as I can control in games or even just usual mousing around. The sandpaper-like thumb grip is weird at first, but actually provides a very nice grip on the mouse. I have never slipped. With all of the weights in, it feels solid but not too heavy to lift quickly. All of those things are nice, but what really makes this mouse work well for me (with hands that barely fit in XL gloves) is the size. I used to be a claw grip with a tiny little standard mouse, but not any more. Now, my hand sits in more of a palm position which gives me much better control of the mouse. My pinky still rests on the mat sometimes, but I can fit my whole large hand on it when I need to. Overall, this mouse is pretty close to perfect, I would like one more button on the side however. So if the M65 matches your colors scheme and you aren't allergic to aluminum, go for it instead. But just know, this mouse has plenty of DPI, good features, and great build quality.

The reason I am giving this mouse two stars instead of five stars is because it is missing the extra weights and the software that should be included in the box. I'm sure I can download the software on the Corsair website but I am disapointed about not having the extra wieghts. Don't get me wrong this is a great mouse and it is a upgrade to compared to generic mouse I had before. Feels great in the hand and the grip on the side feels great. Looks great next to my K70.