{"id":420629,"date":"2022-03-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/"},"modified":"2022-03-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T21:00:00","slug":"do-they-matter-for-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"#Do They Matter for Gaming?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32f68bc34b4\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32f68bc34b4\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/#%E2%80%9CDo_They_Matter_for_Gaming%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Do They Matter for Gaming?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/#Optical_Mice_Basics\" >Optical Mice Basics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/#DPI_Explained\" >DPI Explained<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/#Polling_Rate_Explained\" >Polling Rate Explained<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/do-they-matter-for-gaming\/#Are_Higher_DPI_and_Polling_Rates_Better\" >Are Higher DPI and Polling Rates Better?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CDo_They_Matter_for_Gaming%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Do They Matter for Gaming?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-733430 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/gaming-mouse-with-a-blue-glow.jpeg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/gaming-mouse-with-a-blue-glow.jpeg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/gaming-mouse-with-a-blue-glow.jpeg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Gaming mouse with a blue glow\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/blue-light-computer-gaming-mouse-dark-723052858\" data-credittext=\"Third of november\/Shutterstock\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/blue-light-computer-gaming-mouse-dark-723052858\">Third of november\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gaming mice are advertised with high DPIs and polling rates. But what do these specifications actually mean, and are higher values really\u00a0useful when buying a gaming mouse?<\/p>\n<p>These specifications <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly matter most to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>rs, which is why you tend to see the values prominently displayed in advertising and on packaging for gaming mice. You don\u2019t need high precision or the fastest reaction time possible when browsing the web or working on a spreadsheet. And you don\u2019t really even need to worry much about it unless you\u2019re playing the kinds of games where a competitive edge matters. Arguably, though, a mouse with good precision also can be important to graphic artists and designers. So, let\u2019s take a look at what these specifications mean.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Choose the Right Gaming Mouse<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Optical_Mice_Basics\"><\/span>Optical Mice Basics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There was a time when a computer mouse contained a rubber ball that rolled (and picked up dirt) as you moved it across a mouse pad. The movement of the ball was picked up by mechanical rollers that translated the mouse\u2019s movement into something your computer could understand. Those days are over, and today we have optical and laser mice.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-733431 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/optical-mouse-sensor.jpeg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A hand holding a mouse with an optical sensor\" width=\"650\" height=\"354\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hand-computer-mouse-isolated-on-white-27946889\" data-credittext=\"Tatiana Popova\/Shutterstock\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hand-computer-mouse-isolated-on-white-27946889\">Tatiana Popova\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Modern optical mice contain a light\u2014 usually a red one\u2014and a little camera. As you move the mouse around, the light shines on the surface below the mouse and the camera takes hundreds of pictures per second. The mouse compares the pictures and determines the direction you\u2019re moving the mouse. The mouse then sends this movement data to your computer as mouse input, and the computer moves the cursor across your screen. Laser mice function similarly but use infrared light instead of visible light.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DPI_Explained\"><\/span>DPI Explained<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dots per inch (DPI) is a measurement of how sensitive a mouse is. The higher a mouse\u2019s DPI, the farther the cursor on your screen will move when you move the mouse. A mouse with a higher DPI setting detects and reacts to smaller movements.<\/p>\n<p>A higher DPI isn\u2019t always better. You don\u2019t want your mouse cursor to fly all the way across the screen when you move your mouse a little bit. On the other hand, a higher DPI setting helps your mouse detect and respond to smaller movements so you can point at things more accurately. For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re playing a first-person shooter game. When zooming in with a sniper rifle and trying to aim precisely at small targets, a low DPI could be valuable. A low DPI allows you to move the mouse large distances across your mouse pad, while your aim in-game moves much more slowly. That means the minor movements of your hand don\u2019t translate into big misses. When playing the game normally without a zoomed-in sniper rifle, this low DPI may not be sensitive enough \u2014 you\u2019ll find yourself picking up the mouse repeatedly just to turn around. This is why many high-end gaming mice have buttons that you can flick to switch between DPI settings on the fly when playing a game.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-733432 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/dpi-buttons-on-a-gaming-mouse.jpeg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"DPI buttons on a gaming mouse\" width=\"650\" height=\"395\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/optical-mouse-black-color-wire-put-249526432\" data-credittext=\"Tatchaphol\/Shutterstock\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/optical-mouse-black-color-wire-put-249526432\">Tatchaphol\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can also see why more sensitive mice are attractive to designers that need to make minute adjustments in their designs.<\/p>\n<p>DPI is different from the typical mouse sensitivity setting. DPI refers to a mouse\u2019s hardware capabilities, while sensitivity is just a software setting. For example, let\u2019s say you have a very cheap mouse with low DPI and you crank up the sensitivity. If you tried to aim at small targets, you\u2019ll see the mouse cursor jump around as you move it. The mouse hardware isn\u2019t as sensitive, so it doesn\u2019t detect the smaller movements. Your operating system just compensates by moving your cursor farther when it does detect a movement, so the movement isn\u2019t as smooth.<\/p>\n<p>A high DPI mouse can also be paired with a low sensitivity setting, so the cursor won\u2019t fly across the screen when you move it but the movement will stay smooth.<\/p>\n<p>High DPI mice are more useful if you have a higher-resolution monitor. If you\u2019re playing a game on a low-resolution 1366\u00d7768 laptop screen, you don\u2019t necessarily need that high DPI. On the other hand, if you\u2019re playing a game on a 3840\u00d72160 4K monitor, a higher DPI lets you move your mouse cursor across the screen smoothly without having to drag your mouse across your entire desk.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Polling_Rate_Explained\"><\/span>Polling Rate Explained<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A mouse\u2019s polling rate is how often it reports its position to a computer. The polling rate is measured in Hz. If a mouse has a 125 Hz polling rate, it reports its position to the computer 125 times every second\u2014or every 8 milliseconds. A 500 Hz rate means that the mouse is reporting its position to the computer every 2 milliseconds.<\/p>\n<p>A higher polling rate can decrease the lag that occurs between when you move your mouse and when the movement shows up on your screen. On the other hand, a higher polling rate will use more CPU resources as the CPU has to query the mouse for its position more often.<\/p>\n<p>A mouse that officially supports a higher polling rate will generally allow you to select a polling rate in its control panel. Some mice may have hardware switches to adjust their polling rate on the fly, too.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Higher_DPI_and_Polling_Rates_Better\"><\/span>Are Higher DPI and Polling Rates Better?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>DPI and polling rates are a subject of great debate. Everyone has an opinion, and even some gaming mouse manufacturers have said that DPI is a fairly irrelevant specification to talk about. An extremely high DPI would cause the mouse cursor to fly across your entire screen when you nudge the mouse. For this reason, a higher DPI isn\u2019t necessarily a good thing. The ideal DPI depends on the game you\u2019re playing, the resolution of your screen, and how you prefer using your mouse.<\/p>\n<p>A higher polling rate could be useful, but the difference between 500 Hz and 1000 Hz will be hard to notice. A higher polling rate also uses more CPU resources, so setting the polling rate too high will just waste CPU resources for no benefit. This isn\u2019t necessarily a problem with modern hardware, but there\u2019s no point in manufacturers releasing mice with over 1000 Hz polling rates.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Higher DPI and polling rates may be useful, but they\u2019re not everything. There\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll find yourself decreasing the DPI below the maximum value after buying a pricy gaming mouse. You definitely don\u2019t need the mouse with the highest DPI and polling rate settings. These specifications aren\u2019t a simple measurement of performance like the speed of a CPU\u2014they\u2019re more complicated than that. And, there are a lot of other factors important in choosing a good gaming mouse, including things like size, weight, grip style, and button placement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/182702\/mouse-dpi-and-polling-rates-explained-do-they-matter-for-gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Do They Matter for Gaming?&#8221; Third of november\/Shutterstock Gaming mice are advertised with high DPIs and polling rates. But what do these specifications actually mean, and are higher values really\u00a0useful when buying a gaming mouse? These specifications generally matter most to gamers, which is why you tend to see the values prominently displayed in advertising&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":420630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/gaming-mouse-with-a-blue-glow.jpeg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-420629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}