If you are a gamer and wants to win the game, then you must have a good mouse with decent suitable DPI and Polling rate. Believe me it decides many stuff in your gaming experience and plays a crucial role in winning and losing the game.
So, if you are really interested to win your favorite game then you need to configure your mouse in such a way that it will serve you as you want it to be. But for that first you need to understand every term like DPI and Polling rate of your mouse and how you can change both.
What is Mouse Polling Rate?
The Polling Rate indicate the number of times your mouse sends signal to the computer processor so that it can update the cursor position. It's measured in Hertz (HZ). So, if your mouse sends signal to your computer processor for its position every 1 millisecond then it means your mouse polling rate is 1000 Hz. A faster polling rate means a quicker response time between the computer and the mouse and also it means less lag between your mouse movement and the movement of the mouse cursor on the screen.
So, it means if we set higher polling rate of our mouse, we will defiantly get higher performance and less lag so is it recommended to do so?
Answer to this question is it depends on your computer processor speed. So, if you are using higher polling rate it means your mouse is sending more frequent signals to your processor and your processor has to process the signal every time for you. This is fine if you are having a high-end gaming PC.
However, if you are stuck with lower end PC processor which is already having limited resources available then this may lead to lag in your computer processing and even hang your system for some time.
Polling rate more than 1000 Hz is overkill for any mouse because your CPU will register every movement and spends it clock speed behind it. It effects the overall PC performance as well. But you as a user will not be able to differentiate between them.
So, if you are a gamer, all you need is low latency while gaming to get faster response, then 1000 Hz is the optimal choice. 1000 Hz can fulfill all your requirements and provide a great gaming experience while not causing much stress on your high-end Gaming CPU.
What is Mouse DPI?
DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and refers to your mouse’s sensitivity. The higher the DPI, the faster your cursor moves. These Dots can be theoretically referred to as Pixels. Therefore, if you move your mouse one inch at approximately 1200 dpi, it means that your mouse would move 1200 pixels.
How to change Mouse DPI?
There are 2 methods of doing the same.
Method 1: You can change the DPI dynamically by pressing the button below your mouse wheel. It is the common button you may find in all the mouse.
Method 2: You can also change the DPI using firmware utility software provided by your mouse company.
How to change Mouse Polling rate?
You can change your mouse polling rate for free. there are tons of different websites available which provides service to check the polling rate of your connected mouse.
some of the example websites are below.
tecagile -> Mouse Polling rate
clickspeedtester -> Mouse Polling rate
toolzweb -> Mouse Polling rate
How To Change Mouse Polling Rate?
There are three ways by which you may be able to change the polling rate of your gaming mouse.
First Method: Some branded mouse companies provide in built mouse button to change the polling rate. You can just click on the button and set t to your suitable option.
Second Method: Mouse companies also provide mouse firmware utility software's which allows you to change the polling rate.
Third Method: In this method you have to follow some steps and use button combinations to set in a particular polling rate.
First Unplug Your Mouse from the computer.
To change mouse polling rate to 125Hz, Hold Buttons 4+5, and then Plug the Mouse Back into the USB port. When the wheels light up, the polling rate will now be 125Hz.
To change the mouse polling rate to 500Hz, Hold the Button 5 and Plug the Mouse into the Computer. The rate will become 500Hz as soon as the wheel lights up.
To change the mouse polling rate to 1000Hz, Hold the Button 4, then Plug the Mouse into the USB Port. As soon as the wheel lights up, the polling rate would now be 1000Hz.
We hope our article was able to provide you with basic and helpful information about mouse polling rates and DPI. Note that these two are two of the most critical features in every gaming mouse. Therefore, the more you know about them, the better you will decide which mouse to go for.
I have that mouse (the G-502) and those buttons below the mouse wheel are for unlocking the wheel and altering the color cycle. Directly to the left of the wheel are the buttons which control DPI.