A low DPI mouse setting means your cursor will travel less, enhancing precision. A high DPI mouse setting means your cursor will travel farther when you move your mouse an inch, increasing speed. The best DPI for your mouse depends on the task at hand and your personal preferences. For now, just understand that many manufacturers refer to CPI as DPI because the general public is more familiar with that term. You can take a deep dive into how CPI is calculated and how it affects performance by reading PC Gamer’s interview with Logitech engineer François Morier. This practice has the potential drawback of allowing the mouse sensor to pick up noise, decreasing overall accuracy. Steps are measured as pixels, but manufacturers can “slice” pixels into smaller parts to increase the stated CPI. There’s a lot of ambiguity over how CPI affects performance. The higher the CPI, the more steps it can count over an inch and the more sensitive it is to movement. While DPI refers to how far your cursor travels when you move your mouse, CPI – or counts-per-inch – refers to how sensitive your mouse is to movement.Įssentially, a mouse sensor can count a certain number of “steps” when you move your mouse an inch, then relay that information to your computer. What is the Difference Between DPI, CPI, and Mouse Sensitivity?ĭPI and CPI are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. If it’s 1600, your cursor will move 1600 pixels when you move your mouse an inch.Īverage mice range between 8 DPI, though gaming mice often feature DPIs greater than 4000 – and some models range up to 20,000 DPI or more. It’s sometimes called mouse resolution.įor example, if your DPI is 800, your cursor will move 800 pixels when you move your mouse one inch. Mouse DPI, or dots-per-inch, refers to how many pixels your on-screen cursor moves for every inch you move your mouse.

Here’s what mouse DPI means and how it affects gameplay and productivity, plus how to change mouse DPI to achieve optimal performance. There are several ways to change mouse DPI: Many people know that mouse DPI can profoundly impact performance, which is why serious gamers and productivity professionals change the DPI on their mouse for speed, precision, and personal comfort. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

M325 dpi how to change