Guide
4000 to 8000 Hz mouse not steady? Which USB port to use
A mouse set to 4000 or 8000 Hz sends thousands of reports a second. If something else on the same USB port path competes with it, the reports arrive unevenly and the mouse feels choppy even though the setting is high.
Measure what the mouse really sends
Setting 8000 Hz in the mouse software does not mean the PC gets 8000. Move the mouse in fast circles and count how many reports a second arrive. If it is far below the setting, or the number keeps jumping, check the USB port next.
Which rate to set
- 500 Hz or less means 2 ms or more between reports. Set 1000 Hz in the mouse's own software (some mice have a button underneath).
- 4000 Hz and up takes more CPU time. If FPS drops in games, try 1000 or 2000 Hz.
Move it to the right USB port
- Plug the mouse straight into a rear port on the motherboard, not through a hub. Front panel ports and a monitor's USB ports are usually hubs.
- Check whether the mouse's USB controller also has busy devices on it: a webcam, a USB headset, a USB Wi Fi card, a USB drive or Bluetooth.
- If it does, move those to a port on another controller. Most PCs have more than one.
- If the PC has only one controller, unplug what you don't use while you play, then measure again.
Mouse buffer for high rate mice
Windows has a value for how many mouse inputs the driver can hold at once. For 4000 to 8000 Hz, use 30.
Under 16 the mouse stops. If it freezes, undo with the keyboard.
Let Savenz Optimizer check it
The Mouse & Keyboard page of Savenz Optimizer has a polling rate test: press Start, move the mouse in circles and it shows how many Hz the mouse really sends and which rate to set. Under it, the USB check shows which controller the mouse and keyboard are on, whether a hub is in between and what they share it with. It only reads and changes nothing. The Mouse buffer is on the same page and can be undone.