Mouse latency and the hardware nobody checks
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 9:25 pm
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?
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?