Before we get to the MM700 RGB’s lighting options, it behoves us to reinforce the sheer size of this unit. It measures 931mm x 431mm total, which will take up a substantial area of any desk top and indeed be too large for some. Double-check whether it would still allow space for your monitor if your own setup is particularly cramped.
That does also mean that you will comfortably be able to sit a full-sized keyboard on it and have plenty of space for mousing. Most cap out at 480mm (the K100 RGB for instance is 470mm wide), leaving almost half the mat just for mousing.
Also, don’t be concerned by a potent chemical smell. It’s common to surface-treated fabrics and will dissipate over time.
The MM700 RGB appears in iCUE just like any other compatible device. Lighting configuration follows the same process as other RGB peripherals: individual lighting zones and one or more layered effects.
The MM700’s Logo Zone is solely for the logo on top of the USB hub area, and it lights up independently of the other two zones. It’s fully RGB and so can be configured as if it were just a simple zone like the mouse wheel of the KATAR PRO XT.
The Left and Right Zones however aren’t really zones per se. They refer to emitting RGB LEDs that shoot light through the plastic conduit in opposite directions, dimming slightly as they progress.
While you can configure each LED independently, the colour of the conduit edging will always be a combination of the two colours emitted. Select red for Left Zone and blue for Right Zone and the edging will be a purple gradient, notably redder on the left of the USB module and more blue to the right.
The same is true when you set up more complex lighting effects; the colour of the edge will always be a combination of the two colours emitted rather than discrete blocks of colour.
Nonetheless the colours reproduced are vibrant and match the KATAR PRO XT mouse wheel and K100 RGB.
That being said, CORSAIR should take another look at the iCUE Lighting Link effects, where the behaviour is a little erroneous. The Visor effect for instance is supposed to show a band of colour transitioning across the lighting zones, from left of keyboard to right, to mouse. For some reason however iCUE believes that the USB hub is positioned between mouse and keyboard, and has also transposed the left and right zones (illuminating right first, then left).
To be clear, slightly wonky effect presets are absolutely not a dealbreaker. Indeed in any case many of the effects will be inappropriate given the way this lighting works, which is best suited to static and slowly transitioning borders. Dynamic lighting based on in-game circumstances could also powerfully leverage this style, either for more immersive environmental illumination or reactive ‘health/MP’ metering.
The MM700 RGB, KATAR PRO XT and K100 RGB under low light conditions
One further note of caution: unlike most mouse mats, cleaning the MM700 RGB won’t be a trivial process. Integrated electronics mean you can’t immerse it in water, so spot-cleaning will be the order of the day. Take care of it if you want it to remain in tip-top condition.
That does also mean that you will comfortably be able to sit a full-sized keyboard on it and have plenty of space for mousing. Most cap out at 480mm (the K100 RGB for instance is 470mm wide), leaving almost half the mat just for mousing.
Also, don’t be concerned by a potent chemical smell. It’s common to surface-treated fabrics and will dissipate over time.
The MM700 RGB appears in iCUE just like any other compatible device. Lighting configuration follows the same process as other RGB peripherals: individual lighting zones and one or more layered effects.
The MM700’s Logo Zone is solely for the logo on top of the USB hub area, and it lights up independently of the other two zones. It’s fully RGB and so can be configured as if it were just a simple zone like the mouse wheel of the KATAR PRO XT.
The Left and Right Zones however aren’t really zones per se. They refer to emitting RGB LEDs that shoot light through the plastic conduit in opposite directions, dimming slightly as they progress.
While you can configure each LED independently, the colour of the conduit edging will always be a combination of the two colours emitted. Select red for Left Zone and blue for Right Zone and the edging will be a purple gradient, notably redder on the left of the USB module and more blue to the right.
The same is true when you set up more complex lighting effects; the colour of the edge will always be a combination of the two colours emitted rather than discrete blocks of colour.
Nonetheless the colours reproduced are vibrant and match the KATAR PRO XT mouse wheel and K100 RGB.
That being said, CORSAIR should take another look at the iCUE Lighting Link effects, where the behaviour is a little erroneous. The Visor effect for instance is supposed to show a band of colour transitioning across the lighting zones, from left of keyboard to right, to mouse. For some reason however iCUE believes that the USB hub is positioned between mouse and keyboard, and has also transposed the left and right zones (illuminating right first, then left).
To be clear, slightly wonky effect presets are absolutely not a dealbreaker. Indeed in any case many of the effects will be inappropriate given the way this lighting works, which is best suited to static and slowly transitioning borders. Dynamic lighting based on in-game circumstances could also powerfully leverage this style, either for more immersive environmental illumination or reactive ‘health/MP’ metering.
The MM700 RGB, KATAR PRO XT and K100 RGB under low light conditions
One further note of caution: unlike most mouse mats, cleaning the MM700 RGB won’t be a trivial process. Integrated electronics mean you can’t immerse it in water, so spot-cleaning will be the order of the day. Take care of it if you want it to remain in tip-top condition.
