Mouse DPI is a term you have probably come across if you have ever been shopping for a new mouse or looking to upgrade the one you have.
Microsoft made the optical mouse popular during the late 1990s, and even though wireless mice are more popular now, the DPI debate remains a cult issue, especially among gamers.
Mouse DPI describes how sensitive a mouse is; this article explores the concept in detail, making sure that you’ll also learn how to find out your mouse’s DPI, and whether your mouse can switch between different settings.
But first…
What Exactly is DPI On A Mouse?
The DPI here stands for dots per inch, which means that a mouse that has a higher DPI can move the cursor on your screen further than a mouse with a lower DPI can, given that both mice are moved through the same distance.
A mouse that has higher DPI can detect and react to small movements much better.
Still, DPI is not the same thing as a mouse’s typical sensitivity settings because DPI refers to the mouse’s hardware capabilities. Sensitivity is a mere software setting.
For instance, suppose you had an inexpensive mouse that has low DPI, and you turn up its sensitivity. Now, if you were to aim at small targets, you would see the mouse cursor jump around on the screen as you moved it.
This is because the mouse’s hardware is still not sensitive enough, so it does not detect relatively smaller movements. All that happens is that your operating system compensates by moving the cursor even farther when it does detect a movement, and so the movement itself is not even as smooth.
Is High DPI Always Necessary?
While a more sensitive mouse is good for things like gaming or other precision work where the cursor being able to react to small movements of the mouse is crucial; this is not ideal or required for every scenario.
A higher DPI is not always a good thing because, for instance, you would not want your cursor to fly across the screen every time you move your mouse even a little bit.
Now let’s consider an opposing instance where you would want to be able to point at things more accurately, like when playing a first-person shooting game.
When you are zooming in with a sniper rifle and attempting to aim precisely at small targets, a high DPI mouse could prove invaluable. However, when playing the game normally, that is, without a zoomed-in sniper rifle, this same high DPI may be too sensitive – and thus, annoying.
Therefore, some high-end gaming mice have buttons that allow you to switch the DPI while you are playing. This is also why designers use more sensitive mice to be able to make minute adjustments in their designs. Alternatively, you can pair a high DPI mouse with a low sensitivity setting, so that the cursor will not fly across the screen when you move the mouse, and movement will remain smooth.
How to Check the DPI of a Mouse
Now that you know what DPI is, you can start trying to determine the DPI of your mouse. This can be tricky with some mice, but here are some methods you can try.
The first and most obvious thing you can do is check the manufacturer’s specifications by searching online for the make and model of your mouse.
Unless you have an unbranded mouse, you will probably find a specs sheet at this point that lists the DPI. But remember that this figure is typically the highest DPI the mouse can offer rather than the actual range it supports.
If this does not work, you can try to install the mouse drivers.
Again, unless you have an unbranded mouse that relies only on Windows’ stock mouse driver, you can download the appropriate software from the website of your mouse’s manufacturer. This driver will give you more options than the built-in one that Windows has. This includes the ability to choose the mouse DPI setting.
Once you install the appropriate drivers for your mouse, you also get a standalone app that allows you to access all the settings and options available. Here, you can check which DPI setting your mouse is currently running on.
If you were not able to find your mouse’s DPI using the above, you can use an online DPI analyzer to approximate the value.
It is important to note, however, that there is no specific mouse DPI test that guarantees an exact figure!
How to Change the DPI Settings on a Mouse
First things first, you cannot change the DPI settings on cheap or non-gaming mice. As already mentioned, many gaming mice have high DPI settings. We recommend trying different DPI settings to see which works best for you.
Some of these are fixed, like in three DPI settings of 1200, 1600, and 2000. Also, some gaming mice let you configure to whatever DPI you want within a range, like from 400 to 4000. They usually let you set the buttons to increase or decrease DPI as well, or to activate a specific DPI.
Conclusion: What DPI Should You Opt For?
Now that you are familiar with how mouse DPI affects its use, go for whichever setting you feel the most comfortable with.
All users have different habits of holding the mouse as well as different motor-skills, and different operating systems too.
Remember that the difference between high DPI settings is pretty much negligible. Even if you are playing an extremely fast-paced shooter like Quake, there will be no impact on performance between 1600 and 4800 DPI. FPS players can take a look at some of the best FPS mice, all of which will be great for any shooter.