What the polling rate means
The polling rate (or report rate) is how often the mouse tells the computer where it moved. At 125 Hz a new report arrives every 8 ms; at 500 Hz every 2 ms; at 1000 Hz every 1 ms; at 8000 Hz every 0.125 ms. A higher rate makes cursor motion smoother and trims the delay between moving your hand and the cursor moving — going from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz cuts the worst-case wait for a report from 8 ms to 1 ms.
| Setting | Report interval | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 8 ms | Office mice, many Bluetooth mice |
| 250 Hz | 4 ms | Older or power-saving modes |
| 500 Hz | 2 ms | Gaming mice on a lower setting |
| 1000 Hz | 1 ms | The usual gaming default |
| 2000–8000 Hz | 0.5–0.125 ms | High-end gaming mice; needs a strong CPU |
A reading a little below the nominal value — say 940–990 Hz for a 1000 Hz mouse — is normal: the mouse only sends a report when its sensor sees movement, and timing jitter shaves off a few percent. A reading far below your setting (for example around 125 Hz on a gaming mouse set to 1000 Hz) means the setting isn't active or something is limiting it.
How to measure your polling rate
- Use Chrome or Edge for the most accurate result (see the browser table below).
- Move the pointer into the test area and draw fast, large circles without stopping for two or three seconds.
- Watch the live number and the graph settle, then read the average and the verdict.
- Change the rate in your mouse software, press Reset and measure again to confirm the change took effect.
Method and limits
In Chromium browsers the test listens to pointerrawupdate, which delivers one event per report from the mouse, as soon as it arrives. Elsewhere it listens to pointermove and unpacks getCoalescedEvents(), which recovers the individual reports a browser batched into one event per screen frame. The rate is computed from the timestamps of consecutive reports over a sliding 250 ms window; gaps longer than 100 ms are treated as a pause and excluded from the average.
Browsers are not lab equipment. Readings up to about 1000 Hz are reliable in Chrome and Edge; above that, timestamp precision, CPU load and browser scheduling make the number approximate. If a browser can only deliver one pointer event per frame, the result will match your display's refresh rate (60, 120, 144 Hz…) instead of the mouse — the test detects this and tells you.
| Browser | Method used | Reliable reading |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave | Raw pointer updates | Up to about 1000 Hz; higher rates approximate |
| Firefox | Coalesced pointer events | Varies by version and OS |
| Safari | Coalesced events or one event per frame | Often limited to the display refresh rate |
If your polling rate is lower than expected
- Check the setting in the mouse's software or on its polling-rate button — some mice reset to a lower rate on a new computer.
- Plug in directly: use a USB port on the computer rather than a hub, monitor or keyboard pass-through.
- Wireless: keep the receiver close and in line of sight, and turn off battery-saving modes, which often drop the rate.
- Bluetooth connections are usually limited to around 125–133 Hz; use the 2.4 GHz receiver for full speed.
- High rates and CPU: at 4000–8000 Hz, a busy CPU can miss reports. If games stutter, 1000 Hz is a sensible default.
Frequently asked questions
What polling rate should my mouse be?
For gaming, 1000 Hz is the common standard and works well on any modern PC. Office work is fine at 125–500 Hz. Rates above 1000 Hz bring smaller gains and use more CPU.
Why does the test show 60, 120 or 144 Hz?
That is your display refresh rate, not your mouse. Some browsers deliver only one pointer event per screen frame. Open this page in Chrome or Edge, which expose every report, for a true reading.
Why is my reading slightly below 1000 Hz?
Small shortfalls are normal: reports are only sent when the sensor detects movement, and timing jitter costs a few percent. Move faster and in larger circles; a steady 900+ Hz is a healthy 1000 Hz mouse.
Is polling rate the same as DPI?
No. DPI (or CPI) is how far the cursor moves per inch of mouse movement; polling rate is how often the position is reported. They are set independently.
Is an 8000 Hz mouse worth it?
It reduces report delay from 1 ms to 0.125 ms and can look smoother on very high refresh-rate monitors, but it needs a fast CPU and not every game handles it well. Browser readings at that level are approximate.
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