CPI VS DPI: What’s Difference Between CPI and DPI?

When you buy a new mouse, you may have heard the term DPI. This is an important point that you need to consider when purchasing a mouse, especially for gaming. Even so, some companies like Steelseries use another term – CPI.

Well then, is CPI the same as DPI? As for gaming mouse, CPI and DPI are the same things, just with a different name. But if you want to be more professional, they actually mean something completely different.

So what’s the difference between CPI and DPI? Just get the answer from the following part.

CPI VS DPI: What Do They Mean?

What Does CPI Stand for on a Mouse?

CPI, also known as Counts Per Inch, usually refers to the sensitivity of the mouse. It is used to show the number of steps that the mouse will report when it physically moves one inch. The higher the CPI, the more sensitive it is to your movements.

This is much like a CMOS sensor of a digital camera. The number really indicates how many pixels fit into one inch on the surface of the mouse sensor. For example, if the mouse is set to 800 CPI, it means it registers 800 counts when moving one inch.

What Is DPI?

DPI stands for dots per inch and it also refers to the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within a span of one inch. That is, DPI is used to measure the output resolution of a printer.

Actually, it can also be used to measure the mouse sensitivity, showing how many pixels your mouse can move when moving it one inch.

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From the definition, you know CPI is related to your gaming mouse while DPI is a term used when it comes to the printing world. Then, you have a question: why use DPI instead of CPI?

Why DPI Is Used Rather Than CPI?

Technically speaking, the correct term should be CPI. But instead, DPI is widely used. When the cursor moves around, you are the ones looking for our screen. When talking about the mouse sensor itself, it is CPI.

The sensor counts how many pixels it can put in one inch when moving the mouse while the monitor displays how fast the cursor is moving based on the DPI setting. Both refer to the same thing.

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Besides, many companies, aside from Steelseries, use the DPI nomenclature on their websites. In fact, DPI is CPI and SteelSeries have just set the DPI (read CPI) steps as per their own choice.

In conclusion, whether you choose CPI or DPI of your mouse, this depends on what the company brands the feature as. In the end, they both mean the same thing—mouse sensitivity.

Final Words

After reading this post, you know CPI vs DPI: what they mean and why use DPI instead of CPI. They are not different but the same thing and you actually adjust the mouse sensitivity only, regardless of what name the company gives it.