Best mouse DPI setting for shooters
- Thread starter tribz
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,725
Why?
Low DPI means I have to sweep everything off my desk just to turn 90º.
I have a very small control area, so need low sensitivity with a higher DPI.
Check the section here on 'Useful CPI':
http://www.overclock.net/t/1251156/an-overview-of-mouse-technology#user_v
Soldato
- Joined
- 31 Jul 2010
- Posts
- 3,225
- Location
- Stoke-on-Trent
High dpi is very twitchy and far less accurate.
Most FPS games unless the person is in front of you, you're dead anyway so being able to move quickly isn't of much benefit.
Again though it is personal in general.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 8 Jan 2010
- Posts
- 10,263
- Location
- UK
No right or wrong answer, everything depends on:
- Desk space (room to move mouse)
- Resolution
- What you prefer (short movement or long sweeping)
Just run that Markc mouse fix and set in game settings to RAW. Then experiment between dpi and in game sensitivity and find what suits you.
BF4 has a few funky settings iirc for mouse settings, best asking in the BF4 thread for what they are as I've forgot.
- Desk space (room to move mouse)
- Resolution
- What you prefer (short movement or long sweeping)
Just run that Markc mouse fix and set in game settings to RAW. Then experiment between dpi and in game sensitivity and find what suits you.
BF4 has a few funky settings iirc for mouse settings, best asking in the BF4 thread for what they are as I've forgot.
There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding DPI and sensitivity.
First off, DPI shouldn't really be used as an indicator of sensitivity as your in game settings combined with mouse DPI will give you actual sensitivity so its different for everybody. For example, a high DPI with in game sensitivity set low might give exactly the same sensitivity as low DPI with in game sensitivity set to high.
With that said you might think that DPI doesn't really matter but it does due to the way mouse movement works. When you move the mouse, it actually jumps between fixed points (dots) very quickly, and the DPI setting (dots per inch) actually tells you how many of these dots there are in a given space. More dots with the same sensitivity settings = more sensitivity but if you counter the higher DPI with lower in game sensitivity you get much more accurate mouse movement.
Visual examples:
|. . . . . . . . .*. . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
Lets say the distance here is for a 90 degree turn in game. The mouse pointer is going to jump between each dot as you move it that distance. If the star was a person in an FPS game, it would be physically impossible to aim at him because your mouse pointer can't be between dots.
Now if you add more DPI but lower the in game sensitivity so that you get the same 90 degree turn with the same mouse movement.
|..............................................|
More accuracy because the mouse is moving in smaller increments!
TLDR: Higher DPI is better, use higher DPI and then lower ingame sensitivity until its comfortable for you. Only lower the DPI if it still feels too sensitive with ingame sensitivity all the way down.
First off, DPI shouldn't really be used as an indicator of sensitivity as your in game settings combined with mouse DPI will give you actual sensitivity so its different for everybody. For example, a high DPI with in game sensitivity set low might give exactly the same sensitivity as low DPI with in game sensitivity set to high.
With that said you might think that DPI doesn't really matter but it does due to the way mouse movement works. When you move the mouse, it actually jumps between fixed points (dots) very quickly, and the DPI setting (dots per inch) actually tells you how many of these dots there are in a given space. More dots with the same sensitivity settings = more sensitivity but if you counter the higher DPI with lower in game sensitivity you get much more accurate mouse movement.
Visual examples:
|. . . . . . . . .*. . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
Lets say the distance here is for a 90 degree turn in game. The mouse pointer is going to jump between each dot as you move it that distance. If the star was a person in an FPS game, it would be physically impossible to aim at him because your mouse pointer can't be between dots.
Now if you add more DPI but lower the in game sensitivity so that you get the same 90 degree turn with the same mouse movement.
|..............................................|
More accuracy because the mouse is moving in smaller increments!
TLDR: Higher DPI is better, use higher DPI and then lower ingame sensitivity until its comfortable for you. Only lower the DPI if it still feels too sensitive with ingame sensitivity all the way down.
There are lots of threads on this on various forums and from what people have said and tests that have been done, it depends on the sensor & mouse.
I personally use 450 cpi in FPS games (only really play CSGO atm) and 800 cpi on desktop as a lot of tests seem to show higher cpi results in less accuracy due to interpolation & sensor precision, altho I think this is dependant on the mouse & the sensor.
There are also mice which have angle snapping
I agree that people shouldn't just copy "pro" gamers completely but some pro configs / setups are a good place to start if they have a similar grip, mouse and playstyle.
I personally use 450 cpi in FPS games (only really play CSGO atm) and 800 cpi on desktop as a lot of tests seem to show higher cpi results in less accuracy due to interpolation & sensor precision, altho I think this is dependant on the mouse & the sensor.
There are also mice which have angle snapping
I agree that people shouldn't just copy "pro" gamers completely but some pro configs / setups are a good place to start if they have a similar grip, mouse and playstyle.
Some quotes from the thread you linked show lower cpi is more accurate as higher cpi can introduce problems (dependant on sensor)
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,725
^ That, pretty much.
When I first started proper PC gaming I wondered why the heck mice went up so high...
Since finding my stride, I've found myself having to set DPI higher and higher as time goes on, even in normal desktop use.
Problem is you also potentially have to balance this against software number precision and/or quite a few game developers mouse handling code is pretty poor at lower sensitivities. I generally find a balance of both produces the best overall results.