Advertisement IC Markets

Mouse latency and the hardware nobody checks

Optimize MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView for speed. Discuss Level II Market Depth (DOM), custom hotkeys, and volume indicators.
Post Reply
Amanhasnoname
Posts: 1506
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2026 9:45 am

Mouse latency and the hardware nobody checks

Post by Amanhasnoname »

Execution speed depends on the human side too. A cheap mouse with a slow polling rate, a wireless device with lag, or a laggy monitor adds small delays between decision and click.

Most of these are tiny, tens of milliseconds. But compared with the network latency a scalper works hard to reduce, they are in the same range.

A wired mouse with a decent polling rate and a monitor with a fast response time cost little and remove a layer of delay. Keyboard hotkeys avoid the mouse entirely.

Another factor is the operating system. Background tasks, power-saving settings, and visual effects can cause stutters. A computer set to high performance mode and cleaned of unnecessary programs behaves more consistently.

Even small things like the display refresh rate affect how quickly a price change is seen. A 144 Hz monitor shows updates sooner than a 60 Hz one.

None of this replaces a good edge, but it removes avoidable friction.

What hardware changes made a noticeable difference to execution feel?
Recommended broker for automated trading & scalping IC Markets
Post Reply