Almost every shooter player eventually wonders whether to turn up the mouse DPI or the sensitivity slider in the game. The short answer is that they are two halves of one multiplication, so raising either one makes the crosshair travel farther for the same hand movement.
What matters is the final result: how many centimetres your mouse moves for a full 360° turn. This guide explains what each setting does, why very high DPI is pointless, which mouse options to switch off, and how to pick a DPI once and never think about it again.
What DPI actually measures
DPI (dots per inch, sometimes called CPI) is the number of counts the sensor reports for every inch you slide the mouse. At 800 DPI, one inch of movement sends 800 counts to the computer. It is set in the mouse software or with a button on the mouse itself, and the most common choices are 400, 800 and 1600.
DPI by itself does not say how fast your aim is. A count only becomes a turn of the camera after the game multiplies it by its own fixed number, which is why the same DPI feels different in different games.
What in-game sensitivity adds
Every shooter has a yaw: the degrees the view turns for one count at sensitivity 1. Valorant uses 0.07, while CS2 and Apex Legends use 0.022. The game takes the counts from your mouse, multiplies by your sensitivity and by the yaw, and the result is the turn you see on screen.
So the chain is simple: hand movement, then DPI, then sensitivity, then yaw. Changing any link changes the final speed. That is exactly why the two settings are interchangeable up to a point.
Why many combinations give the same aim
Because DPI and sensitivity multiply, you can trade one for the other. The product is called eDPI = DPI × sensitivity, and the real distance is cm/360° = 360 ÷ (yaw × sensitivity × DPI) × 2.54. In Valorant, 800 DPI at 0.4 and 1600 DPI at 0.2 both give eDPI 320 and both turn exactly the same.
| Valorant sens | 400 DPI | 800 DPI | 1600 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | 163.0 cm | 81.6 cm | 40.8 cm |
| 0.4 | 81.6 cm | 40.8 cm | 20.4 cm |
| 0.8 | 40.8 cm | 20.4 cm | 10.2 cm |
Look at the diagonals: 0.8 at 400 DPI, 0.4 at 800 DPI and 0.2 at 1600 DPI all land on 40.8 cm per 360°. The numbers differ, the aim is identical. You can check your own pair with the eDPI and cm/360° calculator.
Why very high DPI gives no real advantage
It is tempting to think more DPI means a more precise sensor. In practice, going above roughly 1600 gives no real aiming advantage. Since the final speed is what you feel, you would simply lower the in-game sensitivity to compensate, and you could end up with tiny decimals that are harder to adjust.
Very low in-game values can also make fine tuning awkward, because each 0.01 step becomes a large relative change. A middle DPI keeps the in-game slider in a comfortable range of numbers you can actually tweak.
Mouse settings to check first
Before comparing numbers, make sure the same hand movement always gives the same turn. A few settings matter more than the DPI itself:
- Turn off mouse acceleration, called Enhance pointer precision in Windows.
- Enable raw input in the game when it offers the option.
- Keep the polling rate at 1000 Hz, which is the usual standard.
- Leave Windows pointer speed at the default 6th notch.
If acceleration is on, a fast flick and a slow one travel different distances, and no DPI choice can fix that.
How to choose one DPI and keep it
Pick one value and stay with it across all your games. 800 is a safe default, 400 is also common, and 1600 is fine if your mouse tracks well on your pad. Then adjust only the in-game sensitivity until the distance feels right.
Start from a target distance rather than a random number. Many competitive players sit roughly between 30 and 55 cm/360° in tactical shooters, though this varies a lot, and beginners often play faster than about 25 cm/360°. At 800 DPI the sensitivity for several targets looks like this:
| Target cm/360° | Valorant (800 DPI) | CS2 (800 DPI) |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 0.544 | 1.73 |
| 40 | 0.408 | 1.3 |
| 50 | 0.327 | 1.04 |
To compare between the two games, see the guide on Valorant sensitivity and DPI and the one on CS2 sensitivity.
When changing DPI makes sense
Most players should change DPI rarely. Reasonable reasons include a new mouse whose default differs, a display resolution so high that your cursor feels sluggish on the desktop, or wanting every game on one shared number. If you switch, recalculate the in-game sensitivity so the cm/360° stays the same, otherwise your aim will feel off.
Sudden dissatisfaction with your aim is usually not a DPI problem. Fatigue, grip, mousepad and practice habits explain more than a few hundred counts.
Common mistakes
- Changing DPI and sensitivity at the same time, so you never know which one helped.
- Copying a famous player's numbers without checking which DPI they use; the same sensitivity means something else at another DPI.
- Comparing eDPI between games with different yaw, which is not valid. Use the sensitivity converter instead.
- Leaving acceleration on after a Windows update or a driver reinstall.
- Changing settings every day instead of giving one setup a couple of weeks.
For a deeper look at the product itself, read what eDPI means.
Frequently asked questions
Is higher DPI better for aiming?
Not by itself. DPI and sensitivity multiply, so a higher DPI just means you lower the in-game value to keep the same distance. Above roughly 1600 there is no real aiming advantage.
Which DPI should I use, 400, 800 or 1600?
Any of them works if cm/360° matches. For a 40.8 cm/360° Valorant turn, use 0.8 at 400 DPI, 0.4 at 800 DPI or 0.2 at 1600 DPI. 800 is a safe default; choose one and keep it across games.
Do 800 DPI at 0.4 and 1600 DPI at 0.2 feel the same in Valorant?
Yes. Both give eDPI 320, which is about 40.8 cm per 360°, so the camera turns the same amount for the same hand movement.
Does my polling rate change my sensitivity?
No. Polling rate changes how often the mouse reports its position, not how far the camera turns. At 800 DPI and Valorant 0.4 you get 40.8 cm/360° whether the mouse polls at 500 Hz or 1000 Hz; 1000 Hz is the usual standard.
Should I change DPI to fix bad aim?
Rarely. If you do change it, recalculate: moving from 800 DPI at 0.4 to 1600 DPI means 0.2 to keep 40.8 cm/360° in Valorant. Then check acceleration is off and give the setup a couple of weeks before judging.
DPI and in-game sensitivity are two halves of one setting, so the useful question is not which to raise but what distance you want per full turn. Choose a DPI such as 800, keep it, and tune sensitivity until the distance feels natural. Try your own numbers in the eDPI and cm/360° calculator and then stick with the result for a few weeks.