How to configure your corsair keyboard and mouse

If you're new to embarking on an adventure with a Corsair keyboard and mouse, you're in luck. Today in Professional Review we are going to do a good review of all the aspects that you must know to express everything they have to offer. Ready to set sail?

The privateer ship is famous in the seven seas. With us since 1994, it has rained a lot since its foundation and today it is among the top brands of PC hardware and peripherals.

When it comes time to configure our devices, it is the moment when everything comes to light. What about lighting? Refresh rate? Macros? Software? Maintenance? Go for it.

Index of contents

Corsair software

In the case of Corsair things are like this: currently and depending on your keyboard model you can have two brand softwares to manage our peripherals: CUE and iCUE. The difference between the two is mainly in that iCUE is more advanced, capable of controlling both peripherals and Corsair components.

CUE (Corsair Utility Engine)

A veteran where there are. This is Corsair's original software and it received a revision when it became CUE2 in 2016 before later being replaced by the current interface: iCUE. This of course does not mean that this software is no longer available, but it is true that its successor has backward compatibility options for peripherals prior to launch.

The peripherals that CUE can manage are:

• Keyboard Mouse Mats Headphones Headphone stands

iCUE (Integrated Corsair Utility Engine)

iCUE is the advanced version of the previous program. You will not find really substantial differences between the two apart from an aesthetic step and the addition of management panels. The iCUE interface has a more up-to-date look than its predecessor and also gains in cleanliness and simplicity. This is necessary and appreciated when the number of configurable options increases.

The aspects that iCUE can manage and that are added to those named in the CUE software are:

• Custom Cooling Power Supplies Memory Commander Pro (Controller) Lightning Node Pro (Controller) Fans

We remind you that the management of both components and peripherals only occurs if the aforementioned elements are from the Corsair brand.

ICUE navigation

Before continuing on the calibrable Corsair keyboard and mouse options, let's discuss some aspects of the visible input categories in the iCUE software itself:

• Home: it is the welcome panel and where we can see the active profile and all the peripherals currently connected to the system.

• Panel: the first time we open it it will be empty, but here we can select tabs to view both peripherals and operating system. If any of your devices is wireless, here you can see the status of its battery. Other interesting data are the performance and consumption of the processor, motherboard or graphics among others.

• Instant lighting: this option is highlighted outside the lighting category as such since what it allows us is to choose a specific color from a preset palette so that all connected Corsair peripherals change to it.

• Configuration: the configuration panel changes according to the peripheral we select since it is adaptive. Here we can see the settings of both our keyboard and mouse and allow us quick access to aspects such as polling rate, brightness or battery status, among others. Community: the last selectable point offers us access to Corsair's web support, forums, social networks and official website.

What aspects should we control

Once we access the section of our Corsair keyboard or mouse you will notice that a menu appears with four sections on the left. It will be from here that you can graduate to your liking all the available options. These sections are:

Keyboard options

• Profiles: creating, editing and deleting profiles for both buttons and lighting. Actions: Here we can assign functions to specific buttons. These can vary between recording macros, text, multimedia, starting application, timer, disable and change files. Lighting effects: its own name indicates it, we will expand on its corresponding section. Performance: adjust to game mode and disable Windows key among other options such as Alt + Tab, Alt + F4 or Shift + Tab.

Mouse Options

• Profiles: creating, editing and deleting profiles for both buttons and lighting. Actions: Here we can assign functions to specific buttons. These can vary between recording macros, text, multimedia, starting application, timer, disable and change files. Lighting effects: its own name indicates it, we will expand on its corresponding section.

• DPI: Sets and regulates the profiles of dots per inch, enabling or disabling them accordingly. It also allows us to choose the indicative LED lighting.

• Performance: angle adjustment and options to improve pointer position and acceleration speed.

• Surface calibration: it helps us establish the relationship between our percentage of DPI and acceleration and the friction rate that our mouse generates with respect to the mat or surface on which it slides.

DPI (mouse)

The dots per inch property is closely related to the quality of the sensor integrated in our mouse. Generally, not only does it usually make us gain stability, but we can manage it according to what needs arise.

Depending on the mouse model, several things can happen: to begin with, in the most basic ones it is common to find a single default DPI option that cannot be changed. The second possibility is that there is a catalog of three to five interchangeable speeds (also fixed). Finally, we have more complete models that through software allow us to fully calibrate them at our whim.

The third option is always the most desired and the one that you will find available in the wide Corsair catalog. Initially of course we will find a previous selection of DPI that we can later alter. It may be possible to cancel all the active options except one and also (if the mouse allows it) to change the color of the LED that shows the speed. If we have a Sniper button with light we can also adjust it in this category.

Polling frequency

Polling rate or polling frequency is a relevant factor the more you are fond of gaming. This consists in the frequency with which your mouse or keyboard transmits information to the computer about both the pressed keys and the movement. It is generally a fixed percentage on keyboards. In mice, however, the percentage may vary. It is common to find it by levels:

• 125Hz / 8 milliseconds 250Hz / 4 milliseconds 500Hz / 2 milliseconds 1000Hz / 1 milliseconds

The ideal amount is around 1000Hz / 1ms, being the fastest data exchange today. If you have the possibility, our recommendation is to always select as many hertz as possible in the shortest time. This usually helps to combat latency problems, although it cannot work miracles against problems such as server lag.

illumination

RGB is a spell that is very difficult to escape from when you have tried it. Those of Corsair know it and they make it easy for us when managing our preferences. Once we access our peripheral, the Lighting Effects section will be shown in the left main menu.

Here we can select from a catalog of patterns, speed and direction. For mice, it may also be possible for the lighting to stop when the keys are pressed, released, or never.

In any case, your preferences can always be saved in the profile you are configuring, being able to create a mode for each occasion.

Macros

One of the most relevant questions for keyboards depending on who you ask. There are users who do not take advantage of macros and others who cannot live without them. In its origins it was a matter limited to the pressing of buttons on the keyboard while nowadays its action capacity has been expanded and they are available even in mice.

Generally we will always recommend configuring them through software, although it is possible to do them On the Fly (on the fly) according to your peripheral. If you want to dive deep into this section we have two specific tutorials:

Profiles

After all we've just seen, it's time to save our custom previews. Generally you can distinguish between two memory modes:

1. Local on the computer using Corsair software Integrated in the peripheral (mouse or keyboard)

The difference between the two is not so relevant if you are not going to be moving from one side to the other, but if that is your case, you will probably be interested in the Corsair keyboard and mouse having integrated memory.

On the other hand, it is also interesting to note that you can create a whole catalog of personalized profiles depending on what you have programmed it for. Its macros, lighting, DPI and actions can change radically from one to another and you can perfectly have specific profiles for games and others for office automation or work with editing programs like Photoshop.

Maintenance and care

No, you are not reading a cream ad. We know that we all love to peck something while we are on the computer or we can have outbursts of homicidal anger and roll our mouse, so we are going to see some solutions both to keep our PC Rig in perfect condition and for when we have "accidents".

Cleaning the keyboard

A classic among classics. Bread crumbs do not go away on their own and it is a very good idea to periodically review our keyboard. Here we are not just talking about wiping it, but about removing all its keys and cleaning it thoroughly. Whether it's finger grease, dust, or some food residue, this can affect not only the mechanisms but also the luster of the buttons.

Whether you are users of a mechanical or membrane keyboard, here is a tutorial: How to clean the computer keyboard.

The key question then is this: how often do you clean it? The truth is that there is no exact amount. In a way it also depends on environment factors, frequency of use or regular maintenance. A periodic cleaning every six months or a year may be a good estimate.

Another influential factor is the keyboard chassis. If we are facing a keyboard with the switches seen we can clean the dirt much more easily than if it is a box type.

Cleaning the mouse

A keyboard-like situation occurs here, although on the other hand mice are much easier to care for. A slightly damp cloth with glass cleaner or other non-abrasive product is enough to remove residual grease from the fingers on its entire surface, being careful with sensitive areas such as grooves, sensors or buttons.

Keycaps replacement

Situations like slimy keys or disappearance of characters may lead us to need a keycaps replacement. Currently we can find many suppliers but often situations occur in which the official brand does not provide them separately and we must resort to third parties that have compatible models. Fortunately, this is not the case with Corsair, which provides its users with official keycaps with PBTs and prepared for RGB backlighting.

Surfers replacement

If we talk about the replacement of keycaps if we have deterioration, the same thing happens with surfers. Scratches, cracks or the detachment of the part itself can cause poor sliding. Changing surfers is somewhat more complicated than buttons since their shapes and thickness can vary much more and are more closely linked to the design of the mouse itself.

In these situations we can find that Corsair itself can provide a sealed pack inside the box with which to replace them. Otherwise we would have to find them from a second seller as stickers to stick them on if the same model is not available.

Updates

Not everything was going to be a matter of hardware, and is that the software must also be pampered a little. Generally all big brands like Logitech, Razer or Corsair can present regular updates for their software. This is not only good to do so that they stop giving us the ember with the little sign, but because they generally bring with them improved performance, less consumption or more options.

Conclusions on how to get the most out of your Corsair keyboard and mouse

In short, Corsair offers us a very complete catalog of options thanks to its software. Whether our peripherals are managed with CUE or iCUE, we find everything we need in both, although iCUE includes more variety in terms of component management.

We recommend reading:

What we mean by this is that not only if you are a gamers are you going to take advantage of the customization options that a Corsair keyboard and mouse can offer. The versatility when creating and editing profiles will allow you to adapt your keyboard and mouse also to work, which we know many of you will appreciate.

Apart from the customization of options on our Corsair keyboard and mouse, it should also be noted that proper maintenance for our peripherals will also help extend their life.

We hope this guide has been useful to you. Remember that if you have any questions, you can always leave us a comment and we will take a look at it as soon as possible. For the rest, we wish you a good trip and that the wind is always favorable to you.