How to check your mouse polling rate
Start the test
Press Start test. You get a 3 second countdown, then 8 seconds of sampling.
Move in fast circles
Keep the mouse moving the whole time. Pauses are thrown away, so slow or stop-start movement lowers the number of valid readings.
Read rate and stability
You get the nearest standard rate, the measured median and peak, and how stable the rate was. Use Run 3 times to confirm.
Just want a quick number? Move inside the box without starting a test and the live reading updates as you go.
How accurate is a browser polling rate test?
A browser can only measure the mouse reports that actually reach it. How many it sees depends on the browser:
Raw input events
Chrome and Edge. Every report from the mouse arrives as its own event, independent of the screen.
- Max readable rate
- Accuracy
Coalesced events
Firefox and some others. Reports are grouped per frame but can be unpacked; reliable up to about 1000 Hz.
- Max readable rate
- Accuracy
One event per frame
Older browsers. The reading is capped near your monitor’s refresh rate.
- Max readable rate
- Accuracy
We count reports per 250 ms window instead of timing the gap between two reports. Browsers round timestamps, which makes single gaps unreliable at 4000 or 8000 Hz, but counting is not affected by that rounding.
What your result means
Stable
The rate barely changed between windows. Your connection and USB port are delivering a steady stream.
Slightly unstable
Some windows dropped. Often caused by uneven movement; retest moving faster and more evenly.
Unstable
The rate jumps around. Look for wireless interference, a USB hub, power saving or a busy CPU.
This mouse Hz test reads standard rates of 125, 250, 500 and 1000 Hz, and high rates up to an 8000 Hz polling rate test in Chrome and Edge. Use it as a polling rate checker after changing the setting in your mouse software.
1000 Hz vs 4000 Hz vs 8000 Hz
1000 Hz
One report every 1 ms. The long-standing gaming standard; light on CPU and battery.
- Smoothness
- CPU load
- Battery
4000 Hz
Every 0.25 ms. Smoother cursor on high refresh monitors; noticeably more CPU work.
- Smoothness
- CPU load
- Battery
8000 Hz
Every 0.125 ms. The smallest possible delay, but the highest CPU load and shortest battery life.
- Smoothness
- CPU load
- Battery
Higher is not always better. Above 1000 Hz the gains are small and mostly visible on 240 Hz or faster screens. If games stutter at 4000 or 8000 Hz, step down a level.
Why is my polling rate lower than expected?
Stuck at about 125 Hz
- Likely cause
- The mouse is in its default or power-saving mode, or connected over Bluetooth.
- What to do
- Set the rate in your mouse software, use the USB receiver or cable instead of Bluetooth.
Never above about 1000 Hz on an 8000 Hz mouse
- Likely cause
- Your browser groups events per frame, or the high rate needs a special receiver.
- What to do
- Test in Chrome or Edge, and use the high-rate dongle that came with the mouse.
Rate jumps up and down
- Likely cause
- Wireless interference, a USB hub or front-panel port, or a busy CPU.
- What to do
- Move the receiver closer, plug directly into a rear USB port, close heavy apps.
Low and unstable on every run
- Likely cause
- Slow or stop-start movement during the test.
- What to do
- Move in continuous fast circles for the whole 8 seconds.