What Polling Rate Means
Polling rate is how many times a second the mouse reports its position to the computer. Logitech calls the same setting report rate.
- 125 Hz: a report every 8 ms.
- 500 Hz: a report every 2 ms.
- 1000 Hz: a report every 1 ms.
- 8000 Hz: a report every 0.125 ms.
The rates you can pick depend on the mouse. Razer notes that some of its mice offer more presets than others.
Check Your Current Rate
Before you change anything, open the polling rate test and move the mouse in fast, steady circles inside the box for 3 to 5 seconds. It shows the live rate, the average, and the likely setting: the nearest of 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, or 8000 Hz.
Write the likely setting down, so you can compare after the change.
Razer Synapse
- Open Razer Synapse 4.
- Select your mouse on the Dashboard.
- Click Performance.
- Pick a polling rate from the presets.
Logitech G HUB
- Open Logitech G HUB and select your mouse.
- On the Performance tab, click the Performance icon and select Report Rate.
- Click the rate you want.
On mice with onboard memory, such as the G502 LIGHTSPEED, report rate is one of the onboard profile settings you set in G HUB. That mouse ships at 1 ms, which is 1000 Hz.
SteelSeries GG
Open SteelSeries GG, go to Engine, and open your mouse's settings to change the polling rate.
On the Prime mouse, you can also hold the CPI button on the underside. The scroll wheel light flashes to show the rate changed.
Check the New Rate
Press Reset on the polling rate test and move the mouse the same way again. The likely setting should match the rate you picked.
- It matches: the change took.
- It reads the old rate: make sure you changed the right mouse and profile, then try again.
- You set 4000 or 8000 Hz and it reads lower: browsers can cap or batch pointer reports at those rates. Trust the maker's software there.
- You set 1000 Hz or lower and it reads well below that: use a USB port on the computer, not a hub. Close apps that use a lot of processor time.
Chrome and Edge give the closest reading. The test uses the pointerrawupdate event where the browser supports it, which fires more often than the ordinary pointermove event. Safari doesn't support it, so there the test reads pointermove instead.
Which Rate to Pick
Logitech says 1000 reports a second gives the fastest mouse response but has the highest impact on system resources. It also says a lower report rate reduces processor use. If a game stutters after you raise the rate, set it back one level and test again.