Well, like everything in the world of modern gaming, the answer is a little nuanced. Optimizing for the best DPI on your gaming mouse is dependent on your favored experience. Boosting it may make certain players nauseous and may create an optimal experience for others.
So, to understand what the best gaming mouse DPI setting is for you, let’s learn a little more about DPI.
DPI (dots per inch or pixels per inch) is a setting which determines how fast your mouse is. It basically translates to how far your cursor will move on the screen per inch of movement. This translates to how fast your gaming character can turn around, look from side to side, etc. in a game.
Older mice usually maxed out at 800 DPI. However, as mice evolved, the maximum DPIs increased to 1200-1600 DPI.
Today, you can get gaming mice which have a maximum DPI setting of 8000. However, this doesn’t really matter since nearly no games use this maximum setting at all. Most games are fine running on a maximum 800 DPI setting till today.
That being said, optimizing DPI for your mouse can help you win. This matters in competitive gaming since it gives you a speed advantage over other, non-optimized players. However, more important than DPI, is a metric called EDPI (effective DPI).
eDPI (Effective DPI)
Effective DPI translates to the true sensitivity of your gaming mouse. It’s a product of your DPI setting with your in-game mouse sensitivity. For example, a 400 DPI and 2 in-game sensitivity will translate to 800 eDPI. Again, there is a subjectivity to this metric. It can vary from game to game. The universal comparison metric is how much distance it takes to make a full 360-degree turn. This distance can be measured in centimeters or inches.
Changing Your Mouse DPI
You can change your mouse DPI pretty easily either through software or a dedicated DPI button.
Through Software
Companies like Logitech and Razer accompany their gaming mice with software. You can use this software hub to vary your DPI settings quite easily.
Through Hardware
Multi-button gaming mice usually have a dedicated button to vary the DPI. This is usually directly below the click-wheel. If you’re facing trouble varying the DPI, you can look up online tutorials to do so.
What is the Best Gaming Mouse DPI Setting?
Again, as mentioned before, there is no universal best DPI setting. However, by visiting gaming forums and chat rooms, it’s obvious that the 400-800 DPI setting is quite popular. That being said, the sensitivity settings play into this to make the effective DPI vary wildly.
Famous gamers like Tfue, Shroud and Ninja say their best gaming mouse DPI setting varies similarly for Fortnite (400-800 DPI). However, they also prefer cranking the sensitivity settings up or down wildly differently.
For example, Ninja prefers a 0.077 X-sensitivity and 0.079 Y-sensitivity with 800 DPI. This translates to 62.4 eDPI. While Tfue prefers a 1236 eDPI.
This just goes to show how wildly the ideal gaming experience can vary for individual gamers.
How to Test Your Mouse DPI
You can check your DPI using a DPI analyzer and a simple wooden/steel ruler. Since it’s a simple distance measurement ratio (virtual to physical), it’s not that hard to measure. Here are the steps you can follow:
- Enter the number of inches required to move your mouse in the target.
- Enter the DPI number to test in the configured DPI.
- Ensure the settings are right (units used for target distance like cm or inches). Also ensure which direction you’re moving your mouse (right or left).
- Find out the windows mouse-pointer speed (WPS). This will be available in the Windows Mouse Properties section.
- Click and hold the red crosshair and then adjust the ruler. This will ensure that you start measuring at the exact right spot.
- Then hold the mouse button and try to move the mouse by the target distance.
- Then let go of the mouse button and check the tester. Note the distance that it’s displaying.
