Technical Specifications Explained

Discover everything you need to know about gaming mouse specifications, from DPI and polling rates to sensor types and grip styles.

This comprehensive guide explains all the technical terms and features that make gaming mice unique, helping you understand what really matters when choosing a high-performance gaming mouse.

Whether you're a competitive gamer or just getting started, learn how specifications like weight, shell design, and sensitivity affect your gaming experience.

Sensors Specs

Higher is better

Polling Rate determines how often your mouse reports its position to your computer. Higher rates mean more accurate tracking. 1,000Hz means 1,000 reports per second.

Try and find a mouse with a polling rate of at least 1,000Hz.

Important Note:

If you experience problems with your high Hz mouse (E.g. 8000Hz), temporarily lower your polling rate for affected games.

A windows update in 2023 improved mouse performance with high polling rates. Learn more.

DPI (Dots Per Inch) or CPI (Counts Per Inch) is a measurement of how far your cursor moves per inch that the mouse moves.

There are two main things that affect your mouse's move speed:

  • DPI/CPI - The number of dots or counts the mouse moves per inch.
  • Sensitivity - The settings that can be easily adjust in most games, or in the operating system's mouse settings.

The combination of DPI/CPI + Sensitivity will determine your mouse's move speed on your screen.

Higher DPI can technically be better (slightly lower latency), but the small benefit greatly diminishes above 3200 DPI. Most pros use between 400 and 1600 DPI.
Higher is better

Acceleration is what makes your mouse track well during rapid movements (accelerating from a stop, changing directions).

Higher means better tracking during fast flicks and sudden movements.

Just like a car, your mouse has a speed at which it can accelerate. Some cars can go from 0-60mph in 2 seconds. You want your mouse to be able to do that, figuratively speaking.

35G or higher ensures reliable tracking even during the fastest movements, though many users won't reach these limits.
Higher is better

IPS represents your mouse's maximum tracking speed. Higher IPS means your mouse can keep up with faster movements without malfunctioning and losing accuracy.

A car has a maximum speed at which it can go. The same is true for your mouse.

Aim for 250+ IPS if you're really fast with the mouse.

The lift-off distance is the distance (in millimeters) your mouse needs to be lifted off a surface before the sensor stops tracking your mouse movement.

If you play with very low sensitivity settings, you will likely want a mouse with a lower lift-off distance. This is because when you lift the mouse off the surface to reposition the mouse (as one does with extremely low sensitivity, and a large mouse pad), the mouse will continue to move if the lift-off distance is too high, which will lead to unexpected mouse movement! You only want the mouse to move when you want it to.

The sensor is the technology used to track mouse movement. There are two main types:

  • Optical: Reads surface with an LED light
  • Laser: Reads surface with a laser

The sensor is most of what is behind each mouse's performance stats like DPI/CPI, IPS, and Acceleration; often you are able to glean a lot of information about a mouse just by knowing the name of its sensor.

There are important caveats though, as companies that make mice, such as Logitech, Razer, etc. may make additional modifications (upgrades or downgrades) to the sensor that they bought from a sensor vendor (E.g. Pixart).

This means that you can't reliably infer the capabilities of a mouse just by looking at the sensor that it uses.

Sensor manufacturers have websites detailing their sensor's stats, for example:

Physical Features

When it comes to gaming mice, grip styles refer to how users hold the mouse, which can affect comfort, precision, and performance during gameplay. There are three primary grip styles commonly recognized in the gaming community:

  • Palm Grip: The entire palm rests on the mouse, with fingers lying flat across the buttons
  • Claw Grip: The palm rests only partially on the back of the mouse, while the fingertips are arched, resembling a claw
  • Fingertip Grip: Only the fingertips touch the mouse, with the palm not resting on it at all

Which one you use is a matter of personal preference — just try it out and see what feels best for you. Some gamers use a mix of these styles, or have come up with their own unique grip style.

Lower is better

Mouse weight is measured in grams, and it determines how heavy the mouse is. Most people typically consider lighter mice to be better:

  • Easier to use for long periods of time
  • Easier to move quickly

Some mice offer adjustable weights that can be put in / taken out of the mouse.

The shell refers to the outer casing or housing of the mouse that you physically touch. It's the main body that contains and protects the internal components while providing the surface you grip during use.

  • Solid: Traditional design
  • Honeycomb: Typically lighter weight, but allows dust entry

Related Terms

Sensitivity is how fast your cursor moves on the screen. It is determined by the combination of the DPI/CPI of the mouse and the sensitivity setting in your game or operating system.

Players are often described as "high sens" (small physical movements) or "low sens" (large physical movements, requiring bigger mousepads) based on their preferred cursor movement speed.

cm / 360, also known as inches / 360, measures the distance your mouse needs to move to turn your in-game character a full circle (360 degrees) in a 3d world.

Example: a 28cm / 360 will require you to move your mouse 28cm to the left or right to turn your in-game character a full circle (360 degrees).

This is related to both your in-game mouse sensitivity settings, as well as the DPI that your mouse is currently set to.