Ever wondered if your keyboard could understand your keypresses quicker? Well, you might be surprised to find out that it can.
Keyboard polling rate refers to how often your keyboard is queried for input. The higher the polling rate, the more frequently the keyboard will check if you’re pressing a key, which directly affects the responsiveness of your keyboard.
But why does the keyboard polling rate matter to regular folks, and is a higher polling rate more important to gamers?
What Is a Keyboard Polling Rate?
Keyboard polling rate determines how frequently your computer checks for key presses. Like many measurements with computers, polling rate is measured in Hertz (Hz), which tells us how many requests are made per second. As such, a higher figure means your computer and keyboard communicate more frequently, and key presses are detected and registered rapidly.
For example:
A higher keyboard polling rate can reduce the effects of input lag, where there is a noticeable delay between your input and the key press registering on the screen.
Many modern gaming keyboards offer polling rates up to 1,000Hz, as this provides the fastest response times for competitive gaming. However, extremely high polling rates like 4,000Hz may be overkill for most users.
The standard polling rate used to be around 125Hz, but higher speeds like 500-1,000Hz have become more common recently. Choosing the right polling rate depends on your needs—fast-paced gaming benefits from 500+Hz, while typical typing doesn’t require extremely high rates.
Does Keyboard Polling Rate Make a Difference When Gaming?
Yes, the keyboard polling rate absolutely relates to in-game performance. Well, perhaps not for mere mortals, but those that game even vaguely competitively will want faster keyboard polling rates where possible.
It makes sense; the faster your inputs are received and reacted upon by the keyboard and computer, the faster they are enacted in game. It could be the difference between dodging a shot in a competitive FPS versus getting taken down and losing the round.
As mentioned above, a higher polling rate reduces input lag. ESport professionals will use much higher polling rates than regular folks, with some keyboards offering up to 4,000Hz (0.25ms) and some even ramping up to 8,000Hz (0.125ms).
Still, most regular folks can compete just fine with a 1,000Hz polling rate. A 1,000Hz polling rate means your key presses are registered every 1ms, which is still incredibly fast. Furthermore, a 1,000Hz polling rate could provide a competitive edge over a keyboard polling at 500Hz, 250Hz, or 125Hz.
But nothing can replace actual in-game skills!
It’s also worth noting that higher polling rates typically place more strain on the system CPU. An 8,000Hz polling rate requires extremely fast communication at a near-constant rate, which can lead to some CPU overhead.
Do Wired Keyboards Have Better Polling Rates Than Wireless Keyboards?
You do not necessarily need a wired keyboard to achieve a high polling rate. Many modern wireless gaming keyboards can also have high polling rates of 500Hz or 1,000Hz.
However, wired connections generally can more easily achieve higher and more consistent polling rates than wireless keyboards.
Here are some key considerations regarding polling rates for wireless keyboards:
High 500+Hz polling rates are achievable in today’s wireless gaming keyboards using advanced wireless protocols. However, wired keyboards may offer slightly more consistent and maxed-out polling rates for competitive gamers who want every last bit of responsiveness.
If you’re gaming competitively, a wired keyboard is always the best option (that goes for your mouse, too).
How to Check Your Keyboard Polling Rate
Now, it’s all very well and good knowing you need a higher keyboard polling rate, but how do you check the keyboard polling rate to begin with?
Thankfully, there are several ways to check the keyboard polling rate.
The manual option exists, but you’re much better off using one of the other methods to track your keyboard polling rate.
Which Keyboards Have the Highest Polling Rates?
Currently, there are a few keyboards with an 8,000Hz polling rate:
Note that this is just a handful of options, and other keyboards offer an 8,000Hz polling rate. It’s also worth remembering that 8,000Hz is the highest polling rate offered by these keyboards, but it’s not the only rate. You can set each of these keyboards to a regular polling rate like 1,000Hz using on-board controls or desktop software.
1,000Hz Is More Than Enough
The idea of an ultra-fast polling rate sounds good, but in reality, it’s overkill for most folks. Even when accounting for key press times and switch bounce back, a 1,000Hz keyboard polling rate should be more than enough to register key presses with accuracy.
With that said, the 8,000Hz keyboard options above give you options at the very peak of polling rates, should you need them.
