Link to us!
 Total Downloads | Our files have
been downloaded
145948 times! |
|
 How to Change Your USB Polling Rate...and Why You Should Consider It |
One of the tricks that was tucked away up some sleeves until recently was how to change the USB polling rate to faster than the Windows default of 125HZ. For all intents and purposes the default 125HZ polling rate has a 8ms built in response time (lag) that cannot be overcome without changing the usbport.sys file. If you change the polling rate to 250HZ your mouse response time drops to 4ms. At 500HZ it drops to 2ms and 1000HZ it drops to 1ms. This is an obvious advantage in an online environment.
There are things to consider before changing anything in your system. First of all, you have probably been using the standard 125HZ for quite awhile. You are USED to it. You have learned to compensate for the delay however minute it is and if you change the polling rate of your system there will be an adjustment period. At first it may seem awkward but in my experience the change made the tracking in my mouse feel noticeably smoother. Strafing was easier. Turns were more natural and fluid. I have also heard reports that some players did not like the change and some couldn't tell the difference. Your mileage may vary.
Also, not all mice are created equal. There should be no harm to your system or mouse if you attempt to change your system to a polling rate that the mouse does not support. There should be no system hangs or glitches. However, all mice have relative limits. I have included the testing that I was able to personally do in this article.
I have been a logitech fan for a couple of years now, ever since the MX300 I think. The first mouse I tested was my MX510. The patch felt smooth and accurate. There is no point in shooting for 1000HZ with this mouse however. It wont get there and moreover, it felt more consistent at 500HZ. The mouse is capable of running at a smooth 450HZ with a hair over 2ms lag time.
The next mouse I tested was the logitech MX518, their "Gaming Grade Mouse". While this is an amazing mouse the sensitivity switching is a bad idea imo. In any case, with the patch applied at 1000HZ the mouse seemed to settle in at about 750HZ give or take. It was very, very smooth and comfortable.
It was time to start stepping back and pulling stuff out of retirement for testing. I had logitech MX310 next up. It was decent, pulling about 450hz more or less. It was definitely noticeably better than the standard 125HZ.
Next I tried a Intellimouse 3.0 and I have to say it was noticeably rougher that the others. Being an older mouse, it was seriously in need of some mouse skates. That said it was stable at 500HZ.
When I tested the Razor Diamondback it settled at about 700hz and felt extremely smooth. As a side note, what is it with Razer and button placement? Their side buttons always seem to be in the wrong place to me.
That's about it. The other thing to remember is that the higher the USB polling rate the higher the cpu load is. I would have to say the impact is minimal however.
Good Luck!
You can check the downloads section under Quake Utilities for the files to help you make these changes.
Recommended reading: ESReality's Mousescore 2007 |
|
 Comments |
|
No Comments have been Posted.
|
| Post Comment |
|
Please Login to Post a Comment.
|
| Ratings |
|
Rating is available to Members only.
Please login or register to vote.
No Ratings have been Posted.
|
|
