How this instrument works
DPI (dots per inch) measures how many counts a mouse sensor reports for every inch it physically moves. In-game sensitivity is a separate multiplier the game applies on top of that raw sensor count. Because different mice and different games interact with these two settings differently, comparing raw DPI or raw in-game sensitivity alone between two players tells you almost nothing about how their aim actually feels — eDPI (DPI multiplied by sensitivity) collapses both numbers into a single, directly comparable value.
Competitive first-person-shooter communities, including Counter-Strike, Valorant and similar titles, commonly report eDPI so other players can approximate a pro's or teammate's exact aim feel regardless of which specific mouse or DPI setting that player personally uses. Lower eDPI generally means slower, more deliberate aiming with larger arm movements across the mousepad; higher eDPI means faster, twitchier aiming achieved with smaller hand movements.
It's worth treating eDPI as a useful comparison shortcut rather than a physical law. The same eDPI can still feel different across two games, because of differing sensitivity curves, mouse acceleration settings, polling rate, or field-of-view configuration — it's an excellent starting point for finding a familiar-feeling sensitivity in a new game, not a guarantee of an identical experience.
- Enter Mouse DPI — the sensor resolution set in your mouse software or on an on-mouse DPI switch.
- Enter In-game sensitivity multiplier — the sensitivity value set inside the game's own settings menu.
- Read eDPI (effective DPI) — the single number to compare against your own settings in other games, or against another player's reported setup.
- Keep DPI fixed and adjust only the in-game sensitivity when tuning your feel — it keeps the eDPI math simple and matches how most competitive players fine-tune their aim.
Worked example — 800 DPI at 0.4 sensitivity
Enter 800 into Mouse DPI and 0.4 into In-game sensitivity multiplier — a common competitive FPS starting configuration. eDPI reads 320.00: 800 × 0.4 = 320, the effective sensitivity you'd quote to another player regardless of what DPI their own mouse happens to be set to.
A player running 1,600 DPI at 0.5 sensitivity, or another running 400 DPI at 2.0 sensitivity, both land on an eDPI of 800 instead — three completely different DPI settings that all move the in-game view by the same amount for the same physical mouse movement, once the in-game sensitivity is factored in.
Questions
Why do two different DPI settings feel the same at the same eDPI?
Because eDPI multiplies DPI and in-game sensitivity together, and how far a given physical mouse movement turns the in-game view depends on that product, not on DPI alone. 1,600 DPI at 0.5 sensitivity and 400 DPI at 2.0 sensitivity both multiply out to an eDPI of 800, so a mouse moved the same physical distance rotates the view by the same amount under either setup.
Is there a 'correct' eDPI for competitive gaming?
No single number is correct for everyone — very low eDPI requires large arm movements across the mousepad for a full turn, while very high eDPI makes fine aim adjustments harder to control precisely. Competitive players settle into a fairly wide personal range depending on mousepad size, desk space, arm versus wrist aiming style, and simple preference, so the right eDPI is the one that lets you aim accurately and comfortably, not a fixed target.
Should I keep my DPI the same across every game?
Many competitive players do, keeping the mouse's DPI fixed — often somewhere between 400 and 800 — and adjusting only the in-game sensitivity slider per title. This keeps mouse sensor performance and acceleration behavior consistent across games, and makes it simple to match a known eDPI in a new title by solving the formula for sensitivity instead of adjusting by feel alone.
Does eDPI account for field of view or screen resolution?
No — eDPI only combines mouse DPI and in-game sensitivity. It doesn't correct for a game's field-of-view setting, monitor resolution, or aspect ratio, all of which also affect how far the view rotates for a given mouse movement. That means an identical eDPI can still feel subtly different between two games running very different field-of-view settings.
How do I convert my eDPI to a new mouse with a different DPI?
Divide your target eDPI by the new mouse's DPI to find the in-game sensitivity to enter. For example, matching an eDPI of 800 on a 1,600 DPI mouse means setting the in-game sensitivity to 0.5, since 800 ÷ 1,600 = 0.5 — the same multiplication relationship this calculator uses, applied in reverse.