Mouse Polling Rate Test with Live Hz Graph

Polling rate is how often your mouse reports its position to the computer, measured in Hertz (Hz). A 1000 Hz mouse sends an update every 1 ms; a 125 Hz mouse sends one every 8 ms. Higher rates mean smoother cursor motion and lower input lag.

In Chrome, Edge, Brave or Opera the readings reliably distinguish 125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000+ Hz mice. Safari and Firefox cap somewhere around 1000 Hz — if your mouse advertises higher, switch to a Chromium browser to confirm. The reading is always within a few percent of what proprietary vendor tools (Logitech G HUB, Razer Synapse, the MouseTester desktop app) report.

Common causes: a long or low-quality USB extension cable, a USB hub instead of a direct port, the 2.4 GHz wireless dongle being far from the mouse, a low-power USB port (try a rear-panel USB 3.0 port on a desktop), heavy CPU load, or simply moving the mouse too slowly to generate enough events. Close other tabs and swirl the cursor in steady circles for the cleanest reading.

1000 Hz has been the FPS / esports baseline for years — every competitive title benefits and the input feels noticeably crisper than 125 Hz. 2000–4000 Hz delivers a smaller but still measurable improvement to aim consistency in trainers like KovaaK's and Aim Lab. 8000 Hz produces only marginal real-world benefits and can actually hurt frame pacing on lower-spec CPUs because the OS has to process eight times more events per second. For productivity, any rate from 125 Hz up feels identical.

How long you physically hold the button — typically 50–150 ms for a human click. It is not full input-to-pixel latency (which also includes OS, browser, and display delays), but it is useful for spotting an inconsistent switch: a healthy mouse shows clusters around your usual click length, while a worn one shows random spikes or very-short ghost clicks.

σ (sigma) is the standard deviation of polling-rate samples — how much the rate fluctuates around the average. A lower σ means a more stable mouse. Gaming mice on a quality USB port typically stay under 30 σ (green). Consumer mice run 30–80 σ (amber). Values above 80 σ (red) usually indicate a USB issue (long cable, hub bottleneck), CPU contention, or a worn switch — try a different port and close other tabs.

It counts cases where a new pointerdown event lands within 50 ms of the previous pointerup on the same button. Real human clicks need 80+ ms to release-and-press again — anything faster is almost always a worn micro-switch firing twice for one physical press. Even one or two phantom clicks per session usually means the switch is degrading; many gaming mice (especially with Omron switches) develop this within a year of heavy use.