CPI and DPI – Similarity in Difference! Know Your Mouse Today
CPI: For upon |you can find nobody who hasn’t seen a computer yet! Only a newborn baby possesses the chance to not see a computer in this age of technology. We all have seen computers and an astounding figure of individuals use PCs for their personal use as per the report of 2016.
| Country | PC in Use (Million) |
| USA | 310.6 |
| China | 195.1 |
| Japan | 98.1 |
| Germany | 71.5 |
| India | 57 |
So, with this growing computer utility, surely people are familiar with its required parts like keyboards, monitors, printers, and Mouse. But without this familiarity, we often miss the knowledge we should possess before buying any computer parts. Today, I am talking about ‘Mouse’!
Have you any idea about CPI and DPI?
Most of the answers of the non-technical guys will be “NO”! But this is one of the essential aspects of buying a mouse. A shopkeeper can fool you if you are not familiar with these terms. If you have ever gone to purchase a gaming mouse, the shopkeeper must have asked you, “CPI Mouse or DPI Mouse?” and you have got puzzled in between. So, get the knowledge now before being fooled by anyone else.
CPI (Counts per Inch):
CPI basically refers to the sensitivity of a mouse. The ratio of the distance a mouse pointer travels on screen compared to the one-inch physical movement of your mouse is called the CPI. In other words, CPI refers to the number of steps it reports when it is moved one inch physically by a user.
DPI (Dots per Inch):
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In technical terms, it is the metric of spatial printing or video dot density! DPI is used to define the resolution number of dots per inch in digital printing. It describes the amount of individual dots within the space of an inch. It basically refers to the printing resolution, both digital copy and hard copy.
While DPI is altogether a term from the printing world, CPI is the sensitivity of your gaming mouse.
Everything is sorted, why is the Confusion?
Yes, you have seen right! Your gaming mouse doesn’t have any CPI switch, rather it has a DPI switch! You may be reaping your hair off as you are thinking you have got the wrong mouse which will certainly affect your gaming experience. Wait! That is the CPI switch which should be there! Perhaps you are wondering why it is written DPI.
Technically, the proper term should be CPI but the manufacturers make use of DPI on behalf of CPI since DPI is more relative than the term CPI! Yes, it is true. Most of the individuals are familiar with the term DPI but hardly someone has heard or holds a conception of CPI. So, you are using the CPI button labeled as DPI. Quite confusing isn’t it?
Well, confusion doesn’t end here! You might have encountered graphics designers who were all abuzz about the DPI of their designs. They wanted to tell you the depth of their image by saying PPI (Pixel per Inch) but the widely used term DPI has taken the place of PPI as it is more relative to you.
Isn’t there any company that uses the actual nomenclature?
You will find the CPIs’ switch on the SteelSeries Rival 100 Gaming Mouse as the company opted for sticking with the actual term instead of using a more familiar DPI. The values of their CPIs’ are respectively 250, 500, 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750, 2000, and 4000 which are dissimilar compared to the mainstream mice with “DPI”.
So, if you find a mouse with a DPI switch on it, don’t hesitate to buy it since that is actually referring to the CPIs’! With that DPI (Read CPI) switch, you can set your mouse sensitivity and get a better gaming experience with a little movement of your mouse. So, don’t fall into any argument over CPI and DPI as, at the end of the day, you will get what you require!
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