How to check keyboard polling rate

Keyboard Scan Rate Test | Joltfly

We are proudly offering this extensive Keyboard Scan Rate Test so you guys can easily detect how fast the system registers your keystrokes. Press any key on your keyboard device to start seeing the real-time statistics on your screen.

Moreover, you guys can use this exciting tool to monitor the scan rate and response time of your keyboard for each pressed key. Meanwhile, you can also download a detailed report on the scan rate and response time of your keyboard device.

Online Keyboard Scan Rate Test

Scan Rate and Response Time are two measurements that describe how fast your keyboard sends information to your computer and how rapidly your computers process it.

The scan rate is measured in hertz (Hz) and determines how frequently the keyboard updates or internally refreshes itself with the state of its key matrix.

A higher scan rate will yield a faster response time for typing on the keyboard. As a result, each keypress translates more quickly into data transmitted by electrical signals sent from the pressed keys.

On the other hand, Response Time is the measurement of the time it takes a device to react after the information is presented to it fully. A high response time means that wherever you are typing on your keyboard is exactly what appears on your screen.

What is Keyboard Scan Rate?

The keyboard scan rate does not refer to the same as the polling rate for a mouse (i.e., how often the mouse reads from its optical or laser sensors).

Keyboard Scan Rate refers to how fast a keyboard sends a keypress signal when you press a keyboard key.

Features of this Keyboard Scan Rate Test

First of all, you can use this online tool to monitor the scan rate of your keyboard against each keystroke.

Secondly, you can also watch the response time of a personal computer and how fast it translates the electronic signal from the keystrokes into meaningful information.

Moreover, you can also watch each key pressed while using this online tool and check its response time.

Lastly, you can also download the in-depth report of your complete session, which includes the response time of each pressed key. So, you can analyze the performance of your device.

In addition, you can also use the reset button to restart a new session on this online tool for a fresh start.

FAQs

On a USB device, polling refers to how often the operating system will check for updates from the USB device. Meanwhile, the polling rate of a keyboard measures how frequently the keyboard polls the keys. Most keyboards scan at 1000 Hz or once every millisecond. Modern keyboards with a USB HID interface can report multiple key presses and may have a higher scan rate.

The polling rate tells you how often the keyboard polls keystrokes. Meanwhile, Keyboard Scan Rate refers to how fast and smoothly it sends keypresses to your PC when you press a key on the keyboard. The polling rate and scan rate work together to determine input latency which is how long it takes for you to see something you’ve typed on your computer onscreen.

Keyboards’ polling rate is quite crucial in multiple scenarios, especially in games and competitive or professional typing. A keyboard that scans at a lower frequency may cause problems in games with high-speed key presses (e.g., reflex games) or when you type very rapidly.

Anything close to or more than 1000hz will decrease the latency of the keyboard input, thus enhancing your experience.

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README.md

The idea behind test.exe is to output a number whenever you press a key or move your mouse over the window. Each number represents the millisecond time difference between the latest input and the previous input.

This was originally created to test issues with Thinkpad keyboards, but it can test any mouse or keyboard. https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/9j70v6/thinkpad_keyboard_firmware_worse_than_anyone/

First, in some text editor, press asdf simultaneously. If the letters always come out in a specific order (for example, always fdsafdsafdsa instead of scrambled like asfdfadsdsaf), then your keyboard has a ordering problem. If you can press them not exactly at the same time and the ordering still persists, then the ordering problem is bigger. The size of the ordering problem represents how much you must slow down your typing in order to not scramble keys.

If you have an ordering problem, run test.exe to get more precise data. When you press a key or move your mouse, you’ll see some numbers and letters. Each line gives the key that was pressed, and the time in milliseconds since the previous press. Try pressing specific chords (two-button keypresses) like kl and sl simultaneously, and also closely-but-not-simultaneously. Large numbers like 1000 represent the time to the previous chord, and small numbers like 24 represent the time between the two keys of the chord. Ignore the large numbers.

The ideal result is that every integer from 0 to 20 can appear in the output. This represents a 1000Hz scanning keyboard with no sampling problems. You’ll see this only on high end keyboards.

A poor result, on high end keyboards with bad firmware, is that you achieve every number from 0 to 50 but still have an ordering problem when testing in a text editor. This represents 1000Hz reporting, but bad scanning behavior internally. It means you bought an expensive keyboard that is not any good.

Lenovo Thinkpad X/T keyboards have a different result, where specific chords have outcomes 8ms apart, different chords have different outcomes in 0.5ms increments, and the lowest non-0 outcome is 15.5ms. This represents a 2000Hz-report-rate keyboard with a 125Hz scan rate and a 23ms ordering problem.

How to build it

Windows Visual Studio:

If GLFW comes with a pre-compiled library for your Visual Studio version, you may be able to use that. Otherwise, you must build GLFW from source. Here were my steps for VS2017:

Then build GLFW. Then in my project, use these settings:

Then build. My exact settings, for a reproducible build, were VS2017, Multi-threaded (non-DLL), Release mode, x64, GLFW 3.2.1.

How to check keyboard polling rate

Both competitive and casual gamers need to have lightning-fast reactions, and any hesitation can make the difference between winning and losing. The last thing any gamer needs is their equipment being slow to react to their actions. There are many different components in a typical PC gaming setup, and each piece introduces its own latency or input lag, causing a small delay between when an action is registered and when it actually happens on-screen. The key to victory is having the least amount of latency possible, and although most people can’t visually tell when there’s latency, it can make a huge difference in games.

We already measure the input lag of monitors, which is the last piece of equipment that introduces lag. Your actions are first registered with either your keyboard or your mouse, and we’ve already been able to measure the latency of mice, so now we’re focusing on keyboard latency. We test for it using a 360Hz monitor and a high frame rate camera.

Test results

When It Matters

Keyboard latency is extremely important for gamers, and although most have good enough latency for office work or programmers, a gaming keyboard with high latency can be the difference between a win and a loss. The keyboard, along with the computer and monitor, each contribute to latency between your input and the action being completed, so you want to make sure each piece doesn’t have a ton of latency. Although no equipment is completely free of lag, gaming keyboards are designed to have the lowest latency possible.

There are a few factors that contribute to the latency. The type of connection used is a major factor, as wired connections tend to have the lowest latency, while Bluetooth connections tend to have the highest, which is why Bluetooth keyboards are good for typing, but not for gaming. Once your keyboard registers an input and sends a signal to your computer, your PC processes the information and displays it on the monitor, and all these steps take some time to complete, even if it’s a few milliseconds. The key for gamers is simply to have the least amount of latency possible, and that starts with the keyboard.

Our tests

The way we measure the click latency is fairly straightforward, but at the same time, it can be a long process to do. We use a few different pieces of equipment, including a Sony RX0 II camera, a computer with an NVIDIA RTX 3080 graphics card, a Dell Alienware AW2521H monitor, a SteelSeries Rival 3 mouse, and a solenoid connected to an Arduino Uno, which is used as a plunger, as part of the setup.

Through the GeForce Experience software, we have access to the NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer program. This program is only available with compatible 360Hz monitors, which is why we need to use the AW2521H. It measures the latency between a mouse and a monitor, but it only works for mice, so we can’t use it to measure the click latency on the keyboard. To measure the PC and display latency (or system latency), we enter the ‘Shooting Range’ in Valorant with the gun pointed towards a dark corner so we can clearly see when the muzzle fires. We make sure the Ultra Low Latency Mode is enabled in the NVIDIA Control Panel and we enable Game Mode in Windows to ensure we’re getting the lowest input lag possible. We then measure the system latency by firing the in-game gun 21 times, and we use an average of the last 20 measurements to calculate the system latency.

We repeat the same process with the keyboard, but since the NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer can’t measure the click latency of the keyboard, we need to use a camera. If the keyboard has multiple debounce time and polling rate settings available, we use the lowest debounce and highest polling rate settings. In simple terms, debouncing is when the keyboard introduces a slight delay after a switch is actuated so it knows for sure that switch was pressed. Polling rate is how many times every second the computer checks the USB for data, so a polling rate of 1000Hz means that the keyboard checks for data 1000 times per second. Then, we place the plunger above the P key and position the camera so that we see when the key is actuated and when the gun in Valorant fires. The camera starts to record a video as the plunger presses down on the key 12 times.

Once we finish recording the video, we analyze frame-by-frame when the plunger exactly made contact with the key and when the gun fired in the game. Since the camera records at 1000 frames per second, each frame is 1 ms, and we count the frames between the point that the plunger makes contact with the key and when the gun fires to measure the click latency. We calculate the deviation between the 12 results to make sure there aren’t any outliers or problems with our results. We use an average of the 10 best values to get the latency, and then we subtract the system latency that we previously calculated. However, this isn’t the final latency, as we also need to account for the key’s pre-travel distance, which we measure before doing this test. Using the speed of the plunger and the switch’s pre-travel distance, we can calculate the key travel time that’s needed before actuation. We also subtract this number from the click latency to get the final keyboard latency.

For example, if a switch’s pre-travel distance is 1.44 mm, we know that the key travel time is 1.872 ms. If we also calculated the system latency as 9.4ms, and if we get an average click latency of 13.75 ms during testing, the final keyboard click latency would be 2.5 ms (13.75 minus 9.4 minus 1.872, rounded to the nearest tenth). Depending on the keyboard’s connectivity, we repeat this test over Bluetooth, wirelessly through the proprietary receiver, or wired.

Keyboard Polling Rate: What Does It Entail?

The polling rate for keyboard refers to how often rows and columns of keys strobe during a key down or up event. High precision and faster reaction times are necessary for functions like gaming.

As such, it is essential to have the right keyboard.

This review will help you understand how polling rates work and whether or not they’re necessary to how you perform some tasks.

A Tabular Representation of a Keyboard Polling Rate and Response Time

What is Polling Rate Keyboard?

Generally, poling rage or report rate is a measurement of how often devices report to connected computers. It has Hertz(Hz) as a unit to measure it. Your tools, including keyboards and mouses, have to send their position to the computer first.

For example, the cursor or crosshair will not move an inch until your mouse reports its status. The same thing happens with certain functions on your keyboard. It’s all designed to work in tandem.

In practice, the polling rate is essential, especially when you are gaming. You want your gear to respond as quickly as possible to your commands. For example, if enemy bullets are showering you, you wouldn’t want to wait even for half a second before your devices report your movement to your PC.

That will most certainly cost you your life on the game. For this reason and others, gaming keyboards advertise faster response times. That is because of the quicker responses, the faster your movements, and lesser input lag.

Unlike modern gaming mice that let you choose the mouse’s polling rate, the keyboard is a little fixed, although you can opt for higher speeds. To buttress the polling rate definition, that means you can choose between 125, 250, 500, and 1000Hz.

It’s a no-brainer then that a higher polling rate is better. However, a higher polling rate also comes with higher stress on your system, with there being more emphasis on the CPU.

Depending on your computer setup, it might not be advisable to just set and forget your keyboard to the highest polling rate it can handle. We have also noticed that the vast majority of our analyzed pro gamers use a polling rate of at least 500Hz.

As a result, we don’t recommend going below that. Further, different polling rates have different feelings. That makes it all the more necessary to be more comfortable being on 500Hz as opposed to 1000Hz.

How Does Polling Rate Work?

We already mentioned that the Hertz is how many times the device reports its movement to the computer per second. To that end, if a keyboard has a 1000Hz polling rate, it gives an update on its activity 1000 times per second or every millisecond.

The same thing happens with a keyboard pegged at 500Hz polling rate, which reports its position 500 times a second or every two milliseconds.

Polling Rate For Gaming

The keyboard polling rate for gaming is considered because many users think it has nothing to do with how best your keyboard functions. However, in games, every millisecond matters.

As such, it’s advisable to use the highest polling rate available when you’re gaming for maximum performance. Many professional gamers, such as Overwatch pros, use a mouse and keyboard with a 1000Hz polling rate.

Things might be a little bit different when you consider other factors. For example, if you’re using a wireless mouse or keyboard and want to save battery, you should take on a lower polling rate.

If your game lags most of the time, it’s possible to have your polling rate lowered. That will effectively reduce CPU resources. Again, any reduction you make should stay above 500Hz. For competitive games, the input lag is more noticeable so sticking with nothing less than 500Hz sure helps.

The fact is typical keyboards can’t handle more than three keystrokes at a time. As such, rapid, simultaneous keystrokes can result in ‘missed’ key presses. That causes your untimely demise because you zigged instead of zagged.

That’s because your zag didn’t register as it ought to. However, virtually all gaming keyboards can handle at least five or more simultaneous keystrokes without ‘dropping’ or losing one. That is typically known as Anti-ghosting.

Many brands are quick to display points stating their keyboard’s ability to take on more than ten simultaneous key presses without dropping a single one. That is a great feature, but only if you have more than ten fingers.

However, we prefer the measurement of responsiveness in polling rates. Standard keys will operate at 125Hz, which means they report input to your computer 125 times per second. That is good enough for typing but not as good for gaming. Again, many top-notch gaming keyboards offer 500Hz or 1000Hz polling rate.

Polling Rate: Importance

The polling rate is essential simply because you want your gear to respond to your movements as quickly as possible. Fast-paced games and others you need a lot of combinations for will work better. A low polling rate is not suited to such games.

For example, with 125Hz vs. 1000Hz, you’re dealing with 8 ms vs. 1 ms response lag. Besides, keyboards have switches that travel, so 8ms on a keyboard are imperceptible. In comparison, 8 ms on a mouse can easily register for any user.

These specifications are generally crucial to many gamers. That is why such values are prominently displayed in advertising and on the packaging for gaming keyboards and other gear. You don’t a precise or swift reaction time when browsing the web or filling out a spreadsheet.

You don’t even need to fret much about speed and precision unless you’re playing the kinds of games where a competitive edge is on a different level. Either way, having a keyboard that has speed and accuracy listed as specifications is excellent.

Dealing With Poor Connections

Most times, poor connections creep up between your peripherals and computer. That is why many top brands suggest keeping your keyboard and other peripherals within one foot of the receiver. If you still experience too many lags, ensure that no other electronics sit between your peripherals and the receiver. At least it won’t impede a high polling rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are higher polling rates better?

A higher polling rate could come in handy, but Hertz’s difference will be hard to notice in many scenarios. A higher polling rate also uses more CPU resources, so setting the polling rate too high will not only waste CPU resources but also give you fewer benefits.

Is 500hz better than 1000hz?

There’s the notion that 1000Hz is more snappy, while 500Hz is much smoother. Either way, It’s a 1ms difference. As such, we feel there’s absolutely no difference you can notice. The only catch is that 1000Hz is unstable on many gaming keyboards, in which case 500hz could be better.

Conclusion

The polling rate will remain a great source of debate among gamers and keen computer users. However, a higher polling rate can still be beneficial, but as we mentioned, it is hard to notice differences between 500Hz and 1000Hz.

Don’t rely on specifications about polling rates, though. Be more concerned about keyboard preferences, models, and connections to your computer.

Further, you will find that a polling rate of 125Hz is very stable and not much different than higher counterparts. However, like all choices you have to make when building your rig, it’s essential to find what works best for you.

Whether you need one for engaging games or something else, get a keyboard for that. Keep in mind that you can also make changes to your keyboard’s rate.

How do i know the polling rate of my keyboard?

Defus3

Registered

ripster

Banned

ripster

Banned

Wow. Speed used to be a big deal around here.

In other news this guy thinks his Filco is faster than a Leopold on PS/2 but he may be imagining it. Just like some PS/2 keyboard users think they are faster than USB keyboard users (see the OCN Mechanical Keyboard Guide for more on this).

Crazy9000

Premium Member

bavman

Registered

djriful

Originally Posted by bavman

I thought most boards were either 200 or 1000. Just trying pressing it a couple hundred times a second and see if it’ll register every keypress

Phantom fingers exists?

I really have no idea about polling rate on keyboard except for mouse.

It is almost no point of it LOL. Someone who can type 1000 words per min is pretty much no life.

Nothing to see here

ripster

Banned

MME1122

Registered

Except for troubleshooting purposes, the polling rate doesn’t matter. I don’t know how you would figure it out though unless you just want the manufacturer’s spec.
Things like kro and anti-ghosting usually make the polling rate a non-issue.

As for USB vs PS/2, I think it depends on the board. If you have extra features that require USB, then its probably better to just use USB. But if there’s no difference in core functionality, there’s no reason to pick USB over PS/2. For me at least, freeing up a USB port is worth it on its own.

djriful

Originally Posted by MME1122

Except for troubleshooting purposes, the polling rate doesn’t matter. I don’t know how you would figure it out though unless you just want the manufacturer’s spec.
Things like kro and anti-ghosting usually make the polling rate a non-issue.

As for USB vs PS/2, I think it depends on the board. If you have extra features that require USB, then its probably better to just use USB. But if there’s no difference in core functionality, there’s no reason to pick USB over PS/2. For me at least, freeing up a USB port is worth it on its own.

Nothing to see here

AlphaTay

Registered

Originally Posted by ripster

Wow. Speed used to be a big deal around here.

In other news this guy thinks his Filco is faster than a Leopold on PS/2 but he may be imagining it. Just like some PS/2 keyboard users think they are faster than USB keyboard users (see the OCN Mechanical Keyboard Guide for more on this).

Originally Posted by ripster

Mine is 1000hz over USB. Filco Camo.

hi, can u pls check it with USBView.exe to confirm it is really 1000hz? thx in adv. my filco ninja red is only usb 1.1 full speed, diatec website only show Filco Majestouch 2 Camouflage as [Polling Rate 1000Hz / Reporting Rate 1ms]

nleksan

Premium Member

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[Official] ASUS ROG Rampage IV X79 Owner’s Club
PLEASE DOUBLE-CHECK ANY ANSWERS I MAY PROVIDE, AS I AM HUMAN AND QUITE FALLIBLE

majkool

Registered

Originally Posted by AlphaTay

hi, can u pls check it with USBView.exe to confirm it is really 1000hz? thx in adv. my filco ninja red is only usb 1.1 full speed, diatec website only show Filco Majestouch 2 Camouflage as [Polling Rate 1000Hz / Reporting Rate 1ms]

AlphaTay

Registered

Originally Posted by majkool

Where is the information in USBView about polling rate?

Unsaid90

Registered

drazah

KEYBOARD KONNOISSEUR

Originally Posted by Unsaid90

I’m 99% sure it’s a bad idea to dig up necro posts, but seriously

*ignoring the necro*

Most likely your keyboard is 1000Hz as most keyboards now come standard with 1000Hz or have adjustable polling rates ranging from 125Hz, 500Hz, or 1000Hz but that depends on the keyboard if you have adjustable polling rates or not.

Unsaid90

Registered

Originally Posted by drazah

*ignoring the necro*

Most likely your keyboard is 1000Hz as most keyboards now come standard with 1000Hz or have adjustable polling rates ranging from 125Hz, 500Hz, or 1000Hz but that depends on the keyboard if you have adjustable polling rates or not.

drazah

KEYBOARD KONNOISSEUR

Originally Posted by Unsaid90

Falkentyne

Facepalm

This has been asked twice with ZERO replies from ANYONE.

So I’ll ask a third time for myself:

Where is the info about keyboard polling rate? USBView shows absolutely nothing.

Can polling rate even be measured? Mouse polling rate can only be measured by doing fast constant swipes, and that’s not even possible over a keyboard (Unless holding down a key or setting keyboard repeat/delay to fastest (via some keyboards) would work.

The Ducky YOTG (and Shine 5, though the YOTG has this pre-mapped to the number keypad with FN+Numlock) has a mouse emulation feature over keyboard, and holding a key down in that mode shows 50-93hz with 1000hz counts every several ticks, so it’s entirely possible the keyboard is capable of 1000hz. But not many keyboards have mouse emulation possible (the shine 6 firmware is bugged and mouse emulation isn’t working at all on it).

Gonzalez07

Registered

Originally Posted by Falkentyne

This has been asked twice with ZERO replies from ANYONE.

So I’ll ask a third time for myself:

Where is the info about keyboard polling rate? USBView shows absolutely nothing.

Can polling rate even be measured? Mouse polling rate can only be measured by doing fast constant swipes, and that’s not even possible over a keyboard (Unless holding down a key or setting keyboard repeat/delay to fastest (via some keyboards) would work.

The Ducky YOTG (and Shine 5, though the YOTG has this pre-mapped to the number keypad with FN+Numlock) has a mouse emulation feature over keyboard, and holding a key down in that mode shows 50-93hz with 1000hz counts every several ticks, so it’s entirely possible the keyboard is capable of 1000hz. But not many keyboards have mouse emulation possible (the shine 6 firmware is bugged and mouse emulation isn’t working at all on it).