Razer Releases Firmware Update Enabling 8KHz Polling on Select Mouse Models
Razer, much like Intel with their ARC GPUs, is effectively letting you download more performance via software updates.
On the 7th of November, Razer announced they are enabling up 8000KHz pooling rate with several of their mice as well as their aftermarket HyperPolling receivers. Until recently 1000KHz polling rate as been the norm for higher end gaming mice. Since Corsair increased their Sabre RGB Pro mouse to 8000 KHz in 2021, there has been a stead increase in other brands following in suit.
Polling rate is the frequency at which data is sent from the mouse to the device. Thus faster polling results in a more responsive mouse feel.
For this new feature to function, you will need to update your compatible razer wireless mouse: the Viper V2 Pro, DeathAdder V3 Pro, Cobra Pro, Basilisk V3 Pro or the Viper V3 HyperSpeed. You will also need to update the HyperPolling Dongle or the Mouse Dock Pro, both sold separately. After updating the firmware, you should see the new polling rates Via the Razer Synapse application.
Razer claims higher polling rates improve cursor movement and accuracy by eliminating micro stutters. How much that matters to you would depend on the games you pay and how good your physical reflexes are.
When users raised questions about how this higher polling rate will affect their wireless mouse battery life, A Razer representative replied: “Depends on which mouse you’re using. Battery life details may be found on the respective product pages”. As an example, for the DeathAdder V3 Pro, mouse battery life is estimated on the official Razer product page to drop from 90 hours to 17 hours using the 8000 KHz polling rate.
Something to keep in mind is not every game will be fully compatible with these higher polling rates. Higher polling rates will also lead to higher CPU load, which may be a problem if your processor is already struggling to keep up.
At the end of the day, if you already have both a supported razer mouse and a HyperPolling dongle you might as well try the faster polling rate. If you don’t notice a difference or like the change, you can always reflash your firmware to the previous version.
