Anyone who loves games knows the need to continuously upgrade your devices to stay on track with the gaming world. Having the best equipment and using the latest version is extremely important. Nobody wants to lose a match because their device wasn’t fast or capable enough.
An essential part of the gaming setup is the gaming mouse. It has become a crucial part of gaming, so people are always trying to upgrade it to the best version. USB 3.0 is the latest version of USB with 5 Gbps data transfer capability. It works fast and consumes less power. It is a fantastic port.
However, the question arises does the gaming mouse need USB 3.0. At first glance, it may seem the answer will be positive because why wouldn’t a gaming mouse benefit from the best USB version. But you’ll be surprised to know that is not the case at all. To find out more, read ahead!
Does Gaming Mouse Need USB 3.0?
To put it simply, a gaming mouse does not need USB 3.0. In fact, gaming mice and keyboards do not use USB 3.0 as there is no noticeable difference from other USBs. USB 3.0 can increase the data transfer speed, but since gaming mice is a slow device by design, you cannot spot much quality improvement.
For those interested in gaming, we understand the need to have the best equipment and components for our gaming setup. Gaming mice have a better polling rate than regular mice. But that does not mean that using a newer USB like USB 3.0 will make it work even faster.
What is USB 3.0?
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus (USB) line. USB 3.0 is the most recent version. In fact, most smartphones, external hard drives, gaming equipment use USB 3.0. So, you could be unknowingly using it.
The cable that you use for transferring files from your phone to your computer? That’s a USB 3.0 connector. Most flash drives that are used today also use this connector. USB 3.0 comes with two parts, plug, and receptacle. The plug is the part that sticks out of the cable or connector, and the receptacle is the hollow part.
USB was created for easy and hassle-free file transfer since many devices used many different types of connectors. In 1996, USB 1.0 was released. In 2001, a newer version called USB 2.0 came out, and in 2008, the latest version USB 3.0. It made significant changes and performed much better than the previous version.
USB 3.0 has faster data transfer but uses less power. The power output is also higher, and the receptacle is compatible with every device. Currently, there are four types of USB 3.0 connectors, and they can be differentiated by the plugs.
Type-A is the style that we need to know about. Type-A is a blue-colored connector in a rectangular shape and has nine built-in pins. This is the connector that is used at the end of mice, keyboards, and flash drives.
What USB Does Gaming Mouse Use?
Mice are slow devices when compared to other devices of computer setup. The mouse and keyboard can run adequately with only USB 1.0. Most gaming mice these days can work sufficiently with USB 2.0 since that connector is more common.
To understand how much data a mouse can transfer, you need to consider its polling rate. Polling rate basically refers to mouse response time. Gaming mice have a high polling rate at 800-1000Hz.
Here 800Hz polling rate means that the gaming mouse sends data to the computer 800 times a second. The USB polling rate is 125Hz. So, mice don’t actually need the latest version of USBs. It works just fine with USB 1.0 and 2.0.
Why Does Gaming Mouse Not Require USB 3.0?
The main feature of USB 3.0 is that it is extremely fast. The data transfer happens at great speed. The issue is that gaming mice or mice, in general, are not fast devices.
USB 3.0 ports contain additional connectors for faster data transfers but are also compatible with USB 2.0 connectors. This means when a gaming mouse with no additional connectors is connected to a USB 3.0 port, it will automatically connect to the USB 2.0 to connect to the USB 3.0.
Suppose you feel that your gaming mouse is lagging than usual. In that case, it might not be because of the mouse itself but rather something detrimental in the CPU that is slowing down the mouse driver.
What Happens If I Use USB 3.0 port for My Gaming Mice?
Most gamers will suggest that USB 3.0 makes no difference. In fact, most gamers still use USB 2.0 rather than upgrading. When USB 3.0 was released, many people switched to it immediately as the speed is 5 Gbps compared to the 480 Mbps of USB 2.0. But most of them found no difference in function.
As we have stated above, mice are slow devices. It does not transfer data while playing games, so the high speed of USB 3.0 has no value to it. However, if you feel that you need to try or test it out yourself, it’s pretty easy to do so.
Most gaming consoles and computers have USB 3.0, while gaming mice use USB 2.0. Meaning you need to use extra connectors to actually use the high-speed transfer of USB 3.0.
USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 have different motherboard implementations. USB 2.0 transfer included other transactions than its primary one. Before the leading transfer happened, it had to handle the PCI, media interface, and CPU interface. This is not the case with USB 3.0. So, there’s a time difference. However, the difference is so minuscule that you won’t even notice it when it comes to gaming mice.
Conclusion
To conclude, I hope you got the answer to the question, does the gaming mouse need USB 3.0 or not. Gaming mice are much faster than regular mice. But they are still mice, and these devices weren’t made for high-speed connections. Using a USB 3.0 with a gaming mouse has no value because it does not make the mouse work faster. So, you can now contentedly use your gaming mouse with other ports.
Hello Good People! This is Pavel and Welcome to PC Delight!
I’m an Electronics Engineer by profession with a passion for Gaming & PC builds. When I came up with the idea for PC Delight, it was my goal to share & offer the very best PC building ideas to tech-loving people like myself.
Since my school days, I’ve been just addicted to gaming & PCs. That leads me to experiment with various ways around the very niche, resulting in great productivity. And I’m here to share those practical experiences. So that next time you start some experiment with your PC builds or struggle to cope with a certain game, I’m here with the solutions. With these philosophies, I started my journey in 2017 and just kept going.