Why Is My Mouse Polling Rate Lower in a Browser?
Compare Chrome and Firefox using the same mouse and motion. Learn why browser pointer callbacks differ from USB reports and how to record a reproducible comparison.
This tool measures dispatched pointermove callbacks. It does not read the USB bus. A nominal hardware rate and a browser-observed rate describe different stages of input delivery.
Before you start
Use the same mouse, connection, system rate setting and movement for each trial. Keep the tab visible and close heavy background work. This guide provides a method, not a fabricated device benchmark.
Open the live toolRun the check step by step
- Run the eight-second sample in Chrome while moving continuously inside the sampling area. Save the median, average and peak plus the browser version.
- Repeat several times, then run the same sequence in Firefox with the same setup.
- Compare repeated medians and variability. Note any changed power, display or application setting rather than treating the browsers as the only difference.
- For a raw hardware-rate claim, use an appropriate native measurement method. Keep that result separate from browser callback rates.
How to read the result
Compare repeated medians using the same setup. A peak or a single low run cannot certify a hardware rate or identify which stage limited delivery. There is no universal multiplier that turns browser results into USB measurements.
What the browser cannot prove
- This is not the raw USB polling rate; browsers may merge or throttle pointer events.
- CPU load, display refresh, and operating-system settings affect the estimate.
Common questions
Can this verify an 8000 Hz mouse?
It cannot certify the raw USB rate. Use a suitable native measurement method for hardware verification and compare browser results as a separate signal.
What if the result is empty?
Repeat with continuous movement inside the sampling area and keep the tab visible for the whole run.
Compare the result and choose your next step
Pointer samples can be merged
Several underlying samples may be combined into one pointermove callback. This tool counts callbacks and does not expand getCoalescedEvents samples. Dispatch can also interact with rendering and load, so a callback interval is not a raw USB interval.
An empty result is not zero hardware polling
No continuous movement or a hidden tab can produce too few usable samples. Run again with the page visible. The current tool stops when hidden instead of treating background throttling as a hardware failure.
A comparison record others can reproduce
Record date, OS, browser version, mouse model, connection, configured device rate, display setting and each run’s summary. Leave unknown values blank. Avoid claiming an exact cause from a browser-only comparison.