Polling rate: 125 vs 1000 Hz (and 4000, 8000 Hz). Does it matter?
Your mouse or controller software offers 125, 500, 1000 or even 8000 Hz. Here's what changes and how much it really saves.
The maths
| Polling rate | Gap between reports | Average wait | Saved compared with 125 Hz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 8 ms | 4 ms | - |
| 250 Hz | 4 ms | 2 ms | 2 ms |
| 500 Hz | 2 ms | 1 ms | 3 ms |
| 1000 Hz | 1 ms | 0.5 ms | 3.5 ms |
| 4000 Hz | 0.25 ms | 0.125 ms | 3.9 ms |
| 8000 Hz | 0.125 ms | 0.06 ms | 3.94 ms |
The average wait is half the gap, because a press lands somewhere random between two reports. Each doubling saves half as much as the one before, so the gains shrink quickly.
Smoothness, not just lag
Higher polling also means the cursor or camera gets more frequent position updates. On a high refresh-rate monitor (240 Hz and up), 125 Hz mouse movement can look slightly uneven because some frames get a new position and others don't. That's the main argument for 1000 Hz and above on fast monitors, more than the milliseconds.
When higher is worse
- CPU load. 4000 and 8000 Hz mean thousands of interrupts a second. On older or busy CPUs this can cause stutter and frame drops in games, which costs far more than it saves.
- Some games and apps handle it badly. Older games can drop inputs or feel jittery at very high rates.
- Battery. Wireless mice at high polling rates drain faster.
- Bluetooth can't do high rates. High polling needs a cable or the device's own 2.4 GHz dongle. See wired vs wireless vs Bluetooth.
What should I use?
- Mouse: 1000 Hz. Try higher only if you have a fast CPU and a 240 Hz or faster screen, and go back down if games stutter.
- Keyboard: 1000 Hz is plenty; the key switch's own debounce is usually a bigger delay.
- Controller: whatever it supports over cable or dongle. Third-party "overclocking" tools on PC can raise some pads to 1000 Hz, but the gain is a few ms and not every pad is stable.
To see how much 3.5 ms is next to everything else, try the input lag calculator, or play with the polling slider in the interactive Wirebook lesson on how a controller talks to a console.
Related
Monitor stuck at 60 Hz · 60 vs 120 vs 144 Hz: can you tell? · Controller lag: wired vs wireless vs Bluetooth · TV game mode: what it does · Good ping, jitter and packet loss for gaming
Questions
What does polling rate mean?
How many times a second a mouse, keyboard or controller reports its state to the computer. 1000 Hz means once every millisecond.
Is 1000 Hz better than 125 Hz?
Yes, slightly: about 3.5 ms less average delay and smoother movement on fast monitors. It's the usual choice for a gaming mouse.
Is 8000 Hz worth it?
Usually not. It saves under half a millisecond more than 1000 Hz and uses much more CPU, which can cause stutter.
What polling rate do console controllers use?
Many console pads report roughly 125 to 250 times a second, depending on the pad and connection. Some report faster over a cable.
Does polling rate affect FPS?
Very high rates (4000 Hz and up) can lower or destabilise FPS on some systems because of the extra CPU work. At 1000 Hz the effect is negligible on modern PCs.
Published · updated .