Sometimes, I feel as though we get too stuck in our ways. We use the same gear and brands, and it’s comfortable that way. Still, change can be good. I fear change too, and one of my biggest “scares” is when someone tries to tell me to use a new computer mouse! In particular, the new one I am referring to is the Cooler Master MM712. As I said, I’m always skeptical of new gear, but the peer pressure proved this piece of hardware worthwhile.
Style / Feel / Build / Hardware
The MM712 is simple yet stylish, made of composite plastics that host a fine gritty texture on the body. It’s a fairly prominent texture, but it’s not overly rough, and I feel like it adds a natural grip to the mouse. It also has quite a unique feel you rarely find on mice. With this type of mouse, I would probably leave the provided rubber grips off of the unit as there is a pleasant texture already, yet to each their own. Also, this will likely easily stain, so be careful with your nachos.
The mouse’s body has creative, futuristic-looking cuts and grooves to add a bit more design flare, and it does stand out. Instead of being basic, Cooler Master cares about aesthetics, which goes a long way here.
As for the mouse wheel, it’s just okay. It doesn’t necessarily feel cheap, but it’s probably the part where the mouse lacks the most build quality. It’s made of rubber and has no adjustable sensitivity. Spinning the wheel has relatively “fine” notches for scrolling input is easy. Additionally, the wheel has a “dead zone” between the notches where the wheel spins, though nothing is registered until the mouse wheel is fully seated into the notch.
Moving on, the MM712 weighs in at 58 grams, proving to be very light in your hand, feeling like a cloud. It fits most hand sizes reasonably well, too. The mouse is on a medium to small scale. Still, it accommodates large paddles for a more clickable surface area. Feel free to grip this mouse however you please, though keep in mind that if you choke up too much, it will be near impossible to click.
Regarding the paddles, the clicks are a bit sticky for my taste, yet their emitted sound is neat. Although the right click is a bit stickier than the left, I find this to be a common design choice. Further, the mouse is rated for 70 million clicks, so get spammy, gamers.
The mouse paddles are a great example of judging a book by its cover because I was so used to a more sensitive mouse, requiring less pressure to click than the MM712. After some time, the paddle’s construction was very pleasing to use, and it especially gave my brain some breathing room to click a bit more intently and intensely, which was a nice change of pace. Don’t judge hardware too quickly, remember?
Anyway, we see our favorite and modern USB-C port centered in front of the MM712 that charges with USB-A on the other end. The mouse charged fully in about two hours when plugged into a standard USB port. The provided braided charge cable color matched and is exceptionally lightweight if you choose to game plugged in. I can also tell you that the battery life is exceptional, providing days of worry-free charge.
I have to charge every 3-5 days based on my use, and when you do have to charge, the cable is a feather. By spec, the battery is 500mah with 180 hours of Bluetooth, and 60 hours of 2.4ghz dongle wireless usage, granted these numbers are with the LED off. The RGB light is actually quite bright and sharp, granted it covers a minimal surface area. Also, the LED clearly doesn’t diminish the battery life too much because this thing just never dies, so stay lit, everyone. One quick note, the battery life is indicated by red and green when charging or about to die. Also, the software does not tell you a battery percentage but rather provides a numberless graphic.
Cooler Master’s MM712 holds a total of 5 buttons. However, it’s 6 if you include the DPI button on the bottom, which has 8 presets. You can customize up to 19,000 dpi through Cooler Master’s “Master+” software. As for the bottom of the mouse, you see 3 pure PTFE material mouse glides offering just enough grip while providing a smooth response to your mousepad for accurate movements.
Besides the mouse sensor, the bottom of the mouse hosts the hybrid mode switch allowing the user to toggle between Bluetooth, high-fidelity wireless, and wired. Although you cannot be connected to multiple devices at once, you can seamlessly switch between Bluetooth and wireless if you are set up for it, granting this mouse universal features. The MM712 also has a pairing button with an indicator light to connect to new Bluetooth devices more easily.
For about $60 USD, the MM712 offers a lot of versatility, along with being wireless as an added bonus. Lastly, as per usual on some Cooler Master mice, the dongle door on the bottom is cheaply made, yet practical and seems easily breakable. Just be careful how you pull it.
Performance / Hands-on Use / Features / User Experience / Analysis / Etc.
To get more specific now, it’s hard to say anything negative about the Cooler Master MM712. Nowadays, tech is so responsive it’s impossible to feel any performance lag via wired or dongle wireless, so the performance conversation tends to lean towards customer experience, bugs….things like that. You may face a little more input delay on Bluetooth, but that is expected.
The MM712 offers various customizable features through Cooler Master’s “Master+” software, including but not limited to DPI, polling rate, lift-off response, and more. This is pretty standard today, as all these brands compete for user experience and hardware integration rather than performance. I won’t list all the features here but just know there is a lot.
Moreover, a feature in the Master+ software for their mice is called “Mouse Combo.” This feature defaults the mouse wheel as a toggle for a whole new set of macro keys and presets for the MM712 on the fly. This is not to be confused with the various profiles you can save and cycle, but even another layer to add more buttons to the mouse. I don’t know if I will use it, but I can see this as a huge selling point.
If you want, you can add the provided rubber grips to the mouse if it is a bit too slippery for your taste. I like to leave them off, though the mouse looks pretty cool with them on, adding to the futuristic design. Whatever route you choose, the desk will still look good.
After long sessions of use, I never experienced any pain or cramps worth noting, but everyone is different. I tend to be more of a palm grip person, although I spontaneously change depending on the game. Also, the mouse is symmetrical and ambidextrous, although only buttons on the left. I did find the left macro buttons are a bit more optimized toward claw grippers as my thumb falls more centered on the buttons in the claw grip rather than my palm, so that’s something to consider if you like customizable buttons.
Let’s get really specific now and break down a minor bug I had. On day 2 of using the mouse, either the sensor or the DPI was stuttering and acting glitchy, making it unusable for gaming. Resetting the mouse seems to fix this bug, and I haven’t troubleshot other methods, as the first appeared to resolve the issue. Additionally, remember that a quick and easy way to reset the mouse is to switch to wired mode and then go back to wireless. I haven’t had the bug happen since. Still, that doesn’t mean it won’t seek revenge later.
The mouse is labeled for PC and Mobile supporting any Windows operating system post-Windows 8, Android, IOS, and macOS.
Conclusion
The Cooler Master MM712 mouse is a relatively simple yet effective product that covers most use cases while maintaining a lightweight form factor. The mouse also wins in aesthetics, as it provides a throwback to early 2000s technology, at least in my opinion.
Anyway, besides some minor components of this mouse feeling a bit tacky, such as the mouse wheel, and the dongle door, the MM712 is a great piece of hardware. Oh yeah, the wireless can be a bit weird sometimes and needs a reset occasionally, but other than that, there isn’t much to complain about. The wire is well made, the battery is good enough, and it’s portable and basically universal. I might even make this mouse my new main.
Noisy Pixel is giving the Cooler Master MM712 Hybrid Gaming Mouse and A.
P.S. I still have yet to find a mouse that puts the side buttons in the right place for my big hands. I stopped bringing it up in reviews because I’ve come to the conclusion that my hands are too big. That is all. Also, the dongle should be color matched.
