Razer’s new Viper 8K promises the fastest performance of any gaming mouse

The Razer’s Viper 8K is an update of the true 2019 Ambidextrous Viper. For the most part, it’s identical and is now available for the same asking price of $ 79, but it has a few key improvements for competitive gamers who are hoping the tech could help them gain the advantage over their opponents.

First, Razer now includes the 20,000 DPI Focus Plus sensor used in many of its other 2020 mice, as well as the latest generation of optical switches that offer a more tactile click feel, according to the company (although it does did not stand out as noticeable when I tested the mouse). The biggest news is that, according to Razer, the recently revised Viper can achieve the fastest polling rate of any mouse currently available: up to 8,000Hz – well above the industry standard of 1,000. Hz.

Polling rate measures how often per second the mouse tells your computer where it is on the screen. The more frequent the interrogation, the smoother your mouse tracking can be. In the case of the new Razer’s Viper 8K, an 8,000Hz polling rate can deliver a whopping 8,000 pings to your PC per second, while reducing the response time of those pings from a millisecond to just one. eighth of a millisecond. On paper, it looks really impressive.

Image: Razer

But why, exactly, would anyone need such a high survey rate? Razer says this is an upgrade you won’t necessarily feel or notice right away, as this improvement only cuts fractions of a millisecond off response time – which I’d bet the Most people couldn’t define. However, according to Razer, it could help your movement and aiming be more responsive, and gamers who play fast-paced games, like first-person shooters, are more likely to benefit from using this mouse. – even if they don’t notice it. event.

Frankly, I didn’t notice a glaring difference in the gameplay when testing Ghostrunner, a first-person title based on quick reflexes. (I have failed a lot, but honestly that’s nothing new.) I then tried to test Razer’s 8,000Hz poll rate claim with some sites that track this metric. The tools created by Mouse Insider and Zowie recorded an average polling rate of 4700 Hz for this mouse. There have been a few times where it peaked at 5000Hz, so it looks like it could go higher if it was physically possible for me to move my hand faster.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Your PC hardware can also play a role. Razer has requested that the press that is going to test the mouse have access to PCs with at least an Intel Core i5-8600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor, an Nvidia GTX 1080 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 or better graphics processor, and high refresh – frequency monitor at 144 Hz or more. Fortunately, you don’t need such a high-end PC to use this mouse. Razer’s Synapse software allows you to reduce the polling rate to 125, 500, 1000, 2000, or 4000 Hz. However, as the primary purpose of the Viper 8K is to make your experience smoother with its rate. If you have at least a mid-range system with a high refresh rate monitor and powerful hardware, you’ll get the most out of the specs of this mouse.

I would expect other peripheral companies to release similar mice with high polling rates, although if you feel your needs are being met with current technology you probably don’t need to get excited about it. moment. But if you need a new mouse, it’s not a bad choice. I like using this mouse as much as the original Viper. And the fast polling rate technology won’t cost you anything extra to achieve since the Viper 8K is priced the same as its predecessor.