2025-2026 Polling Rate Test Results for 100 Gaming Mice

Mouse polling rate is how often a mouse reports its position to the PC. 1000Hz means 1000 reports per second (every 1ms). Higher rates like 2000Hz, 4000Hz, and 8000Hz can reduce timing jitter, but they also push the USB stack and CPU harder. This report aggregates 2025-2026 polling rate tests for 100 gaming mice across major brands and explains what the numbers mean in real use.

Run the Mouse Polling Rate Test

Open the Mouse Polling Rate Test

We tested each mouse at common settings (125Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz, 8000Hz where supported) and tracked achieved rates, stability, and any anomalies. The goal is to separate marketing specs from real-world behavior.

Testing Methodology and Setup

All tests used a real-time polling rate graph in a controlled Windows 11 environment with USB 3.0 ports and minimal background load.

System: Windows 11, Intel i7/Ryzen 7 class CPU, USB 3.0 ports
Tool: Web-based polling rate graph (1ms resolution)
Procedure: 10-second fast circular swipes, repeat 3x per setting
Metrics: Average Hz, max Hz, consistency percentage
Wireless: 2.4GHz receiver mode (Bluetooth not used)
Firmware: Latest mouse firmware and driver

Note: Browser-based tests can under-report by roughly 10 to 20 percent because JavaScript sees browser-delivered events, not raw USB reports. A measured 900 to 1000Hz for a 1000Hz mouse is normal. We focused on relative performance and stability, not absolute perfection.

You can compare your own results with the Mouse Polling Rate Test and use the stability graph to see how consistent your setup is.

Standard Polling Rates: 125Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz

125Hz (8ms)

All 100 gaming mice supported 125Hz. Stability was nearly perfect since the rate is easy to maintain, but latency is high (about 7ms slower than 1000Hz). We consider 125Hz a power-saving or troubleshooting mode, not a competitive setting.

500Hz (2ms)

Every mouse that allowed 500Hz delivered stable results around 500Hz with 95%+ consistency. It feels smoother than 125Hz and is still easy on the system. Some older sensors showed slightly less jitter at 500Hz than at 1000Hz, but the difference was minor.

1000Hz (1ms)

This is the modern standard, and every tested mouse supported it. Wired and wireless models from Logitech, Razer, SteelSeries, Zowie, Pulsar, and Lamzu all produced stable 900 to 1000Hz averages with 98 to 99% consistency during fast movement.

Table 1: Sample 1000Hz Results

| Mouse model | Polling options | Observed performance at 1000Hz | | --- | --- | --- | | Logitech G Pro X Superlight (wireless) | 125 / 500 / 1000 | ~1000Hz average, rock-solid stability | | Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro (wireless) | 125 / 500 / 1000 (4K via dongle) | ~1000Hz average, no fluctuations | | SteelSeries Prime Wireless | 125 / 500 / 1000 | ~1000Hz average, stable | | Zowie EC2 (wired) | 1000 (fixed) | ~1000Hz constant, extremely consistent | | Finalmouse Starlight-12 (wireless) | 1000 (fixed) | ~1000Hz, locked polling | | Corsair M65 Ultra (wired) | 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000 | ~1000Hz average, stable | | Pulsar X2 (wireless) | 125 / 500 / 1000 (4K via dongle) | ~1000Hz average, stable | | Lamzu Atlantis (wireless) | 125 / 500 / 1000 | ~1000Hz average, stable |

Note: "4K via dongle" indicates an optional 4000Hz wireless receiver accessory.

Bottom line: there is no meaningful 1000Hz stability gap across modern gaming mice. If your mouse is from a reputable brand and running in 1000Hz mode, you are effectively at the competitive standard.

High Polling Rate Performance (2000Hz, 4000Hz, 8000Hz)

2000Hz and 4000Hz

Wireless 2K/4K modes are now common via special receivers (Razer HyperPolling, Pulsar 4K dongle, Glorious Pro editions). In our tests, 4000Hz averaged around 3800 to 4000Hz during fast swipes with 90 to 95% consistency. Slight dips happen when movement slows, which is expected because you cannot generate new sensor data every 0.25ms without a fast swipe.

At 800 to 1600 DPI, you need a moderately fast swipe to saturate 4000Hz. In typical FPS gameplay, that speed is achievable. The practical win is lower micro-jitter and tighter frame alignment on 240Hz+ displays.

8000Hz

8000Hz is real, but sustaining a flat 8000Hz line is very difficult. Even on high-end systems, we observed 6000 to 7500Hz averages with oscillation based on movement speed and OS scheduling. This is not a fake rate. It reflects the reality of Windows timers, USB scheduling, and CPU interrupts at 0.125ms intervals.

We also confirmed the movement requirement: at 1600 DPI, you need roughly 5 inches per second of motion to approach full 8000Hz. Slow movement naturally produces fewer updates, so the graph will drop toward 2000 to 4000Hz during fine micro-movements.

The subjective gain at 8000Hz is subtle: slightly smoother cursor timing and marginally lower jitter on high refresh monitors. The cost is CPU overhead and, for wireless mice, much shorter battery life.

Stability and Variability Insights

We measured stability as the percentage of time a mouse stays near its target rate during fast, continuous motion:

1000Hz: typically 98 to 99% stability
4000Hz: typically 90 to 95% stability
8000Hz: typically 75 to 85% stability

The key takeaway is that higher polling rates are more sensitive to system timing and motion speed. Fluctuation at 8K is expected and does not indicate a defective mouse.

Standout High-Rate Models

Razer Viper 8KHz (wired): Consistently hit the 7000Hz ceiling on strong systems. Excellent tracking, but 8K can stress CPU-bound games.

Razer Viper V3 Pro (wireless): Delivered 6500 to 7000Hz wireless with strong stability. Shows that modern 2.4GHz can match wired polling performance.

Pulsar X2/Xlite with 4K dongle: Averaged around 3900Hz and felt smooth. Great cost-to-performance for 4K wireless.

Glorious Model O 2 Pro: 4K wireless was stable and wired 8K behaved like other 8K mice, confirming that the main limit is the system, not the mouse.

Finalmouse Starlight series: Still capped at 1000Hz, but stability at 1000Hz was excellent.

Battery Life and System Load

Higher polling rates cost power and CPU time, especially on wireless mice:

1000Hz: roughly 50 to 70 hours
4000Hz: roughly 20 to 25 hours
8000Hz: roughly 12 to 17 hours

Some mice and drivers let you auto-switch to 1000Hz on desktop and enable 4K/8K only in games. That is the best balance for most users.

On the CPU side, 8000Hz can consume a few percent of a core. On older or heavily loaded systems, this can cause stutter in CPU-bound games. If you notice hitching, drop to 4000Hz or 2000Hz.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

1000Hz is rock-solid across modern gaming mice and remains the competitive baseline.
2000Hz and 4000Hz work well on capable hardware and can reduce micro-jitter on high refresh monitors.
8000Hz is real but inconsistent due to system timing limits and motion speed requirements.
Wireless is no longer a polling disadvantage at 1000Hz or 4000Hz when using modern receivers.

If you want to validate your own setup, run the Mouse Polling Rate Test and focus on stability rather than a perfect peak number.

Next steps: Run the Mouse Polling Rate Test and compare results. For how browser tests work, see Mouse Polling Rate in the Browser. For a broader toolkit, read Top Hardware Testing Tools in 2026.