Mouse Polling Rate and Input Latency

Mouse polling rate (measured in Hz) determines how often the mouse reports position to the computer. 125Hz mice report position 125 times per second (every 8ms). 1000Hz mice report 1000 times per second (every 1ms). Higher polling rates reduce latency between physical movement and computer registration.

Latency difference between 125Hz and 1000Hz is 7ms. While small, this compounds with monitor latency and game processing latency. Competitive players minimize latency at every opportunity. Setting mouse polling to maximum (8000Hz on some mice) is standard practice among professional players.

Configure polling rate in mouse driver software (Corsair iCUE, Razer Synapse, etc.). Check maximum polling rate your mouse supports and set it to maximum. This one-time setting ensures every movement is registered with minimal delay.

Polling rate only matters with low-latency gaming setup. If you're playing on 60Hz monitor with 100 FPS, polling rate optimization provides minimal benefit. But if playing on 240Hz monitor with 240+ FPS, every millisecond matters. Configure polling rate optimization as part of comprehensive latency reduction.