Skip to main content
  • About the Razer Viper 8KHz

  • Should you buy the Razer Viper 8KHz?

  • Related content

  • About the Razer Viper 8KHz
  • Should you buy the Razer Viper 8KHz?
  • Related content

Pros

  • Excellent tracking

  • Truly ambidextrous

  • Solid value

Cons

  • 8KHz polling can be demanding

The Razer Viper 8KHz performs with the best of them.

About the Razer Viper 8KHz

  • Price: $80
  • Connectivity: USB-A (non-detachable)
  • Dimensions: 4.66 x 2.62 x 1.49 inches
  • Weight: 71g (2.50 ounces)
  • Sensor: Focus+ 20,000 DPI optical sensor
  • Colors: Black, ESL edition (black and yellow)
  • Material: Plastic
  • Special features: 8,000Hz polling rate, 650 IPS max speed, 50G max acceleration, Chroma RGB, 5 onboard profiles, ambidextrous thumb buttons, 2nd-gen Razer Optical Mouse Switches (rated for 70 million clicks), PTFE feet

The Razer Viper 8KHz is part of a wider family of gaming mice that all share the Viper moniker. This includes the Razer Viper Ultimate, Viper V2 Pro, and Viper Mini. These mice all share a similar ambidextrous shape and stick to a lightweight design, but offer different features and connectivity.

The Razer Viper 8KHz puts it all in the name. It’s about speed, and it has the tech inside to deliver it. The mouse doesn’t try to dazzle with fancy wireless connectivity, a huge assortment of buttons, or an elaborate design. Instead, it relies on its powerful Focus+ sensor and high-performance switches to precisely track mouse movements and register inputs reliably.

The basic design does leave the Razer Viper 8KHz looking a little cheap, but it feels structurally sound, not even creaking when put under considerable pressure. An addressable RGB Razer logo on the palm at least offers some flair.

The mouse with its USB cord.
Credit: Reviewed / Mark Knapp

A closer look a the cable and its length.

The flexible cable has a soft, fabric finish that moves with negligible resistance, giving it close to the feel of a wireless mouse with the consistency (and lower price) of a wired mouse. Occasionally the cable can snag or bunch up, but that’s more a matter of optimizing desk space than a fault of the mouse.

For the most elite gamers, the Viper 8KHz has a key special feature: an 8,000Hz polling rate. This means inputs can register eight times faster than it would on mice with the typical 1,000Hz polling rate. The difference is beyond my perception, but I never felt delay input.

However, this does take up additional system resources, and I caught my frames-per-second (fps) in Borderlands 3 tanking to as low as 1 fps while the 8,000Hz polling rate was active. Switching back to a 1,000Hz polling rate immediately solved the issue.

The Razer Viper 8KHz performs with the best of them while gaming. I kept consistent aim in Overwatch and Overwatch 2, as the tracking stayed accurate with no odd behavior.

Comparing results against my aim on the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless and Razer Viper V2 Pro I’d been using before, my accuracy in KovaaK’s ‘1wall 6 targets small’ scenario remained within 1% at 87.78 while my overall score was 693, landing comfortably in the middle of my scores of 671 on the other Viper and 711 on the Aerox.

The click consistency is superb on the main buttons and solid on the thumb buttons and scroll wheel. Thumb buttons are located on both sides of the Viper 8KHz, a big boon for left-handed users. Scrolling has a decent tactile notch that doesn’t slow me down at all.

Should you buy the Razer Viper 8KHz?

A hand holding the mouse.
Credit: Reviewed / Mark Knapp

The mouse feels comfortable and moves relatively fast.

Yes, especially if you’re a lefty

The Razer Viper 8KHz is a fantastically dependable wireless gaming mouse, from casual gaming and daily web browsing to intense esports gaming where every millisecond counts.

If you’re less concerned about the impact an 8,000Hz polling rate makes, SteelSeries’ Sensei Ten offers similar capabilities for less alongside impeccable tracking. Corsair’s M55 RGB Pro also offers a lightweight design, is ambidextrous with dual-sided thumb buttons, and though it doesn’t offer the same level of performance, it’s much more affordable at only $24.

The Viper 8KHz tracks incredibly well, and the wired connection never faltered in my testing—something I can’t always say for some wireless products. The buttons are just as consistent, and this is one of few gaming mice that includes thumb buttons for left-handed gamers. It’s all the better these features are on an excellent mouse.

Related content

  • Black Razer Viper V2 Pro computer mouse next to USB piece.

    review

    Razer Viper V2 Pro review
  • A white Logitech computer mouse sits on a surface.

    review

    Logitech MX Master 3S Review

Meet the tester

Mark Knapp

Mark Knapp

Contributor

Mark Knapp has covered tech for most of the past decade, keeping readers up to speed on the latest developments and going hands-on with everything from phones and computers to e-bikes and drones to separate the marketing from the reality. Catch him on Twitter at @Techn0Mark or on Reviewed, IGN, TechRadar, T3, PCMag, and Business Insider.

See all of Mark Knapp's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next