# Can someone explain to me DPI on a mouse versus mouse sensitivity in options?



## Phusius (May 27, 2012)

So, sometimes I crank my DPI to 5600 in MW3, aiming is super fast, but I can also just increase mouse sensitivity in options, so what is the difference?  Any in-game benefits to DPI speed or mouse sensitivity speed?


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## Frag_Maniac (May 27, 2012)

DPI is resolution, sensitivity is primarily how fast the cursor moves. Higher DPI (dots per inch) means the cursor has a smoother, more accurate feel for pinpointing precise spots, as per in sniping. Higher DPI mice have more increments the LED or laser reads with, a denser scan so to speak. However going too high in DPI can have adverse effects on the sensitivity for things that don't require precise pinpointing. 

For that reason if you have not tested the one you want to buy, or can at least return for refund with no hassle, it's best to have an on-the-fly DPI adjustment on the mouse somewhere, and not underneath. Somewhere that's easily reachable and adjustable while you're playing. That said, many settle on a given DPI spec that is either not adjustable, or leave it at one setting. Once you know what amount of DPI is comfortable for the gaming you do, it opens up a lot of brands, models and price ranges.

In other words, you don't necessarily HAVE to have on-the-fly DPI adjustability. It just takes the guesswork out if you're not sure how much DPI you need. In your case however you already own one, and it's even DPI adjustable. So now you just need to differentiate between speed of cursor movement, and smoothness of precise pinpointing, and find the sweet spot, or keep adjusting as you go.

To put it another way, ever heard of mouse look getting "squirrelly" when it's cranked up high? Fast cursor panning in and of itself if left to just the mouse options can be hard to control. Ideally you want speed and precision. To a degree it depends how the game you're playing is coded, esp games that are made on console and ported to PC. That in itself is one of the best reasons to have an adjustable DPI mouse.


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## Phusius (May 27, 2012)

I usually leave at 2500 DPI.  Makes web browsing good and such, but turn in MW3 for instance is a notch to slow, to I usually bump it up to my next preset of 3400 DPI.  Which is what I use in most FPS games, once in a great while I jump it up to 5600 DPI, but it is generally to hard to aim anything at such a high level.  I do 5600 DPI only when I am shooting from the hip with Steady Aim perk, lol.

Thoughts on how I should change how I use DPI after reading that?


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## Mussels (May 27, 2012)

think of the DPI as the accuracy of the sensor, and the sensitivity slider as a multiplier for the speed.


so a mouse with a DPI of 100 set to 10x via software, would move the same speed but jerkier and more prone to 'twitching', than a mouse with 1000 DPI.


personally i never change off 800 DPI, i've just grown used to 800 dpi at default mouse speeds.


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## micropage7 (May 27, 2012)

Phusius said:


> I usually leave at 2500 DPI.  Makes web browsing good and such, but turn in MW3 for instance is a notch to slow, to I usually bump it up to my next preset of 3400 DPI.  Which is what I use in most FPS games, once in a great while I jump it up to 5600 DPI, but it is generally to hard to aim anything at such a high level.  I do 5600 DPI only when I am shooting from the hip with Steady Aim perk, lol.
> 
> Thoughts on how I should change how I use DPI after reading that?



higher DPI could give you better handling on gaming like FPS, but the better is set the DPI that you feel comfortable for gaming


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## Yo_Wattup (May 27, 2012)

I turn my mouse up to its maximum of 5600dpi, and turn sensitivity down in the game. This gives me the most accuracy I can possibly get. Whether 5600dpi with sensitivity down is noticeably different to 3000dpi with sensitivity up, I don't know.... but one thing I do know is that I almost vomit every time I play with a standard 800dpi mouse. Its absolutely terrible after using a gaming mouse.


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## Frag_Maniac (May 27, 2012)

It's a very personal preference thing, so it's hard to advise on how to adjust your settings. Just as many like different in-game mouse sensitivity settings, many also like different DPI settings.

I have had the same experience Mussels has for most part. I care not to bother constantly adjusting back and forth, and have grown accustomed to and still use my old MX500, with 800 DPI.

It's said that we live in a society of disposable goods, flooded with over-choice. Sometimes what seems like it may be better in the end is just more needless complexity. I'm still having a hard time adjusting from CRT to LCD.

And BTW, the MX500 at 800 DPI WAS the first "gaming mouse" per se. Some seem to need more bells and whistles than others. Me, I care more about usable buttons than DPI settings WAY higher than I need.

I still see tons of so called elite gaming mice where the manufacturers can't even seem to get basic things like placement of the extra buttons and scroll clicks right.


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## Mussels (May 27, 2012)

Frag Maniac said:


> It's a very personal preference thing, so it's hard to advise on how to adjust your settings. Just as many like different in-game mouse sensitivity settings, many also like different DPI settings.
> 
> *I have had the same experience Mussels has for most part. I care not to bother constantly adjusting back and forth, and have grown accustomed to and still use my old MX500, with 800 DPI.*
> 
> ...




i started at 800 dpi with an MX500, stuck with it through 510, 518, G5, G7, and now G700. maybe its a logitech thing, that the 800 dpi is so smooth? almost all razer owners i know up the DPI quite high.


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## Yo_Wattup (May 27, 2012)

Mussels said:


> i started at 800 dpi with an MX500, stuck with it through 510, 518, G5, G7, and now G700. maybe its a logitech thing, that the 800 dpi is so smooth? almost all razer owners i know up the DPI quite high.



I disagree. 800dpi is very _un_smooth. Why would you waste your high end mice by lowering them to 800dpi? Why not buy a non-gaming mouse?


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## Phusius (May 27, 2012)

Yeah, 800 dpi feels very odd to me after being at 2500-3600 for so long.


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## Mussels (May 28, 2012)

Yo_Wattup said:


> I disagree. 800dpi is very _un_smooth. Why would you waste your high end mice by lowering them to 800dpi? Why not buy a non-gaming mouse?





Phusius said:


> Yeah, 800 dpi feels very odd to me after being at 2500-3600 for so long.



what mice do you have? i dont lower anything, since 800 is stock on logitech.


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## Phusius (May 28, 2012)

See system specs.  Naga Epic, palm grip, but I claw grip the palm grip since my hands are large, works perfect for me.


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## Mussels (May 28, 2012)

Phusius said:


> See system specs.  Naga Epic, palm grip, but I claw grip the palm grip since my hands are large, works perfect for me.



again, what i said before: everyone i know with razer mice seems to need higher DPI than the logitech users.


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## Yo_Wattup (May 28, 2012)

Mussels said:


> i started at 800 dpi with an MX500, stuck with it through 510, 518, G5, G7, and now G700. maybe its a logitech thing, that the 800 dpi is so smooth? almost all razer owners i know up the DPI quite high.





Mussels said:


> what mice do you have? i dont lower anything, since 800 is stock on logitech.



800 is not stock on G5, G7 or G700 IIRC. From what I can gather Mussels, from this thread and from others, is that you have your general sensitivity lowered, so you move your hand more than someone with a higher sensitivity, which is common among gamers, and gamers are common here at tpu. 

So if you move your hand 3x as far and your cursor moves the same distance on screen as someone that has set their dpi to 2400, it will theoretically have the same perceived smoothness. 

But if like me, you like a high sensitivity mouse, then a higher dpi is a must.


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## Mussels (May 28, 2012)

Yo_Wattup said:


> 800 is not stock on G5, G7 or G700 IIRC. From what I can gather Mussels, from this thread and from others, is that you have your general sensitivity lowered, so you move your hand more than someone with a higher sensitivity, which is common among gamers, and gamers are common here at tpu.
> 
> So if you move your hand 3x as far and your cursor moves the same distance on screen as someone that has set their dpi to 2400, it will theoretically have the same perceived smoothness.
> 
> But if like me, you like a high sensitivity mouse, then a higher dpi is a must.



i own all those mice, 800 is stock DPI for them. they can go much higher, but they default to 800. i always run at default DPI and sensitivity, until about 2 minutes ago where i tried raising the DPI and lowering sensitivity to see what you razer people are talking about. so far, its no real change. i dont want faster movement.


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## Widjaja (May 28, 2012)

I have owned two gaming mice.
The Logitech MX518 and the Gigabyte M6900.

Both mice consider 800dpi default.

The MX518 personally has a superior smoothness than the Gigabyte one at the same dpi and also seems a little faster than the M6900 at default.
Also the M6900 seems to move up slightly when moving right as well so it won't be long before this mouse takes a back seat for another Logitech mouse.


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## Jetster (May 28, 2012)

I use the G500 set to 5700 dpi. Got use to it now all other mice feel slow and cheap


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## Yo_Wattup (May 28, 2012)

Mussels said:


> i own all those mice, 800 is stock DPI for them. they can go much higher, but they default to 800. i always run at default DPI and sensitivity, until about 2 minutes ago where i tried raising the DPI and lowering sensitivity to see what you razer people are talking about. so far, its no real change. i dont want faster movement.



BTW im a logi man, G700 here


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## Frag_Maniac (May 29, 2012)

Just did a little pixel vs DPI res math. On the tightest pixel pitch 2560x1440 27" displays, the pitch is .233mm. Even just 800 DPI, since the scale is measured linearly, is a tiny .032mm per scan dot.

Seriously, I think this is overblown. It's like all those people claiming their LCDs have uber fast response time when a 60Hz LCD panel is in fact restricted by an 8ms refresh.

If the higher res DPI is such a big deal, why are so many only referring to the mouse speed changes when setting it higher, which can easily be accounted for in mouse sensitivity settings. Higher DPI is supposed to give you more precision, not just faster speed.


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