Mouse Polling Rate Test

Polling rate, also called report rate, is how many times per second a mouse sends movement and button data to your computer, measured in Hz. At 1000Hz the mouse sends a report every 1 ms; at 125Hz, every 8 ms.

8000Hz shortens the report interval from 1 ms to 0.125 ms, so the ideal average wait for the next report drops from about 0.5 ms to about 0.06 ms. Whether that is noticeable depends on your monitor, game and CPU. 8000Hz also adds CPU load and can cause stutter on some systems, so compare game frame times before keeping it.

Common causes are pausing or slowing the mouse during the test, a distant wireless receiver or radio interference, a USB hub or front-panel port, power-saving modes and high CPU load. Keep moving for the whole run, plug the receiver into a rear port close to the mouse and repeat. If the average stays near your monitor refresh rate, the browser is limiting delivery rather than the mouse.

Stability compares update rates across complete 500 ms windows. 100% means every window had the same rate; lower scores mean the rate varied. It is calculated as 100 × max(0, 1 − standard deviation / mean), and pauses in movement lower it, so it describes this capture rather than mouse quality.

This test shows how many movement updates your browser receives, which can be lower than the rate your mouse sends, especially at 4000–8000Hz. Vendor software shows the configured setting but does not measure delivery, and verifying every raw USB report needs a native tool or USB analyzer. Use the software to set the rate and this test to check what reaches the browser.

Peak is calculated from the shortest single interval between two samples. When the operating system or browser delivers samples in bursts, two timestamps can land very close together and produce a peak above your setting. Use average rate, not peak, as your result.

Keep moving for the full default 8-second run. A result needs at least 3 seconds of movement and 100 samples; for comparisons, run the test three times under the same conditions and compare the averages.

Plug the mouse or receiver into a rear USB port without a hub, keep a wireless receiver close to the mouse with its extension adapter, charge the battery and turn off power saving, and close CPU-heavy apps. During the test, move continuously; for 4K/8K, use higher DPI and wider movements.

Modern 2.4GHz gaming mice can reach the same polling rates as wired mice, but receiver distance, obstacles and interference affect stability. Bluetooth connections are usually limited to much lower rates, so use the 2.4GHz receiver for gaming.

Start at 1000Hz: nearly every gaming mouse supports it and it adds little CPU load. Casual players can use 500Hz. On 240Hz+ monitors, 2000–4000Hz may be worth testing if your system stays smooth; compare game frame times before keeping a higher rate.

Use your mouse manufacturer's software: Razer Synapse, Logitech G HUB, SteelSeries GG, or similar. Some mice like Zowie have a physical button underneath to toggle between 125, 500, and 1000Hz. Windows itself does not provide native polling rate controls.

The software sets the polling rate but does not change how this test measures. What matters is whether the active profile or onboard memory actually applies the rate you chose, and whether 4K/8K modes have the required receiver. After changing a setting, rerun the test to confirm the average moved.

Yes. Our keyboard polling rate test compares the intervals, jitter and stability of key events your browser receives. Like this mouse test, it does not read USB reports directly or measure end-to-end latency, so confirm the hardware setting in your keyboard software.

For gamepads, use our controller polling rate test on ControllerTest to compare browser-visible update rates, input intervals, jitter, and stability across USB, Bluetooth, and 2.4 GHz connections. Keep the computer and browser the same for each comparison. Results reflect browser-visible updates rather than raw USB polling or total input lag.