What difference does a 4000hz vs 1000hz polling rate make for gaming?

[Amelia.B]

I’m trying to decide if I should upgrade my mouse to one with a higher polling rate, but I’m not sure I’d actually notice the difference. My current one is 1000Hz, and I keep seeing these new 4000Hz and even 8000Hz models advertised for competitive gaming.

[StellaTW]

I tried a 4000Hz model for a month, mostly to test the hype around polling rate. I logged a few quick aim drills and in-game timings, but the numbers barely moved. The cursor did feel a touch tighter when I whipped the mouse side to side, but I couldn’t pin it on the polling rate. It just felt like the same mouse with a pricier label. After a while I stopped chasing it and went back to the 1000Hz model.

[MiaW]

Nah, I kept the 1000Hz because I didn’t notice any edge in ranked matches. My reflex timings were the same, and I saved money for something else.

[Mark_P]

A friend went 8000Hz and kept swearing it helped in sprint fights, but we tried on two different PCs and the result was basically a wash. Could have been the sensor, could have been the surface, who knows.

[Addison91]

Do you notice latency in real games or is this more about how it feels when you flick fast at a wall?