eDPI Explained: What Effective DPI Means for Your Aim

eDPI (effective DPI) is your mouse DPI multiplied by your in-game sensitivity. It turns two settings into one number that describes how fast your aim moves in a particular game. With eDPI explained in plain terms, you can compare your setup with a friend or a pro, copy a setting fairly, and keep the same feel when you change mouse.

The idea is simple, but it has limits that trip people up. The same eDPI does not feel the same in Valorant and CS2, and things like scoped sensitivity or mouse acceleration sit outside it. This guide covers what eDPI means, how to calculate it, how to turn it into a real distance on your desk (cm/360), and how to use it to choose a sensitivity that suits you.

What eDPI means

eDPI is the DPI you would need at an in-game sensitivity of 1.0 to get the same aim speed you have now. A player on 800 DPI with a sensitivity of 0.4 moves exactly like a player on 320 DPI at sensitivity 1.0, so both have an eDPI of 320.

Two settings decide how far your crosshair moves for a given hand movement:

DPI (dots per inch, also called CPI, counts per inch) is set on the mouse. It is how many movement counts the sensor reports for every inch you slide it. At 800 DPI, one inch of movement sends 800 counts.
In-game sensitivity is set in the game’s menu. It scales how far the camera turns for each count it receives.

Because the game multiplies one by the other, very different pairs of settings can produce the same result. Corsair describes eDPI as a figure that “indicates both the DPI of your mouse, and the in-game sensitivity”, and gives the example of 800 DPI at 0.27 sensitivity, which is 216 eDPI. BenQ Zowie defines it the same way, as the combination of mouse DPI and in-game sensitivity.

DPI vs sensitivity vs eDPI

DPI is hardware, sensitivity is software, and eDPI is the product of the two. Only eDPI describes your full aim speed, and only cm/360 compares that speed between games.

Value	Where it lives	What it tells you
DPI	Mouse or mouse software	Counts per inch the sensor sends
Sensitivity	Game settings	How far the camera turns per count
eDPI	DPI x sensitivity	Aim speed inside one game
cm/360	Calculated from eDPI	Hand distance for a full turn, any game

This is why sharing just your DPI tells another player almost nothing. “I use 1600 DPI” could mean a very fast setup or a very slow one, depending on the sensitivity next to it.

How to calculate eDPI

To calculate eDPI, multiply your mouse DPI by the sensitivity shown in your game’s settings. That is the whole formula:

eDPI = DPI x in-game sensitivity

Find your DPI in your mouse software, or check the number printed under the mouse or in its manual. If you are not sure the mouse really sends that value, measure it with the mouse DPI analyzer.
Open the game’s mouse settings and note the main sensitivity (hip fire, not scoped or aim down sights).
Multiply the two numbers.

DPI	Sensitivity	eDPI
400	0.8	320
800	0.4	320
1600	0.2	320
800	1.25	1,000
800	8% (Fortnite)	64

Fortnite shows its sensitivity as a percentage, so divide by 100 first: 800 x 0.08 = 64. If you would rather not do the sums, the eDPI calculator does them as you type.

Why the same eDPI feels different in each game

The same eDPI feels different from game to game because every game turns the camera by its own angle per mouse count. That angle at sensitivity 1.0 is called the yaw. In CS2 it is the console value `m_yaw`, which CSDB lists with a default of 0.022 degrees.

Game	Yaw (degrees per count at sensitivity 1)
Valorant	0.07
CS2	0.022
Apex Legends	0.022
Overwatch 2	0.0066

Valorant’s 0.07 is about 3.18 times CS2’s 0.022. So 320 eDPI in Valorant turns you as far as roughly 1,018 eDPI in CS2. CS2 and Apex Legends share the same yaw, which means their eDPI values can be compared directly, while Overwatch 2 numbers look much larger because its yaw is so small.

The practical rule: compare eDPI only with players of the same game. To move a setting between games, convert it, either with the formula in the next section or with the sensitivity converter.

From eDPI to cm/360

cm/360 is the distance you slide the mouse to turn a full circle in the game. It is a real length on your desk, so it means the same thing in every game and on every mouse. A higher cm/360 is slower aim; a lower one is faster.

To get it from eDPI, divide a fixed number for your game by your eDPI. The fixed number is 360 x 2.54 / yaw, which comes from the fact that a full turn needs 360 / (yaw x sensitivity) counts.

Game	cm/360 = this number / eDPI	Example
Valorant	13,063	320 eDPI gives 40.8 cm
CS2	41,564	800 eDPI gives 52.0 cm
Apex Legends	41,564	1,000 eDPI gives 41.6 cm
Overwatch 2	138,545	3,392 eDPI gives 40.8 cm

A worked example: Valorant at 800 DPI and 0.4 is 320 eDPI. 13,063 / 320 = 40.8 cm, or about 16.1 inches. A CS2 player at 800 DPI and 1.27 has 1,016 eDPI, and 41,564 / 1,016 = 40.9 cm. Two eDPI values that look nothing alike give practically the same feel.

For inches per 360, divide the cm result by 2.54. These numbers assume mouse acceleration is off.

Higher DPI or higher sensitivity?

For overall speed it makes no difference: 400 DPI at 0.8 and 1600 DPI at 0.2 have the same eDPI and the same cm/360. What changes is the size of each step. A higher DPI with a lower sensitivity splits the same movement into more, smaller counts.

Valorant setting (all 320 eDPI)	Turn per count	Hand movement per count
400 DPI x 0.8	0.056 degrees	0.064 mm
800 DPI x 0.4	0.028 degrees	0.032 mm
1600 DPI x 0.2	0.014 degrees	0.016 mm
3200 DPI x 0.1	0.007 degrees	0.008 mm

These steps are tiny at any of these settings, and how much the difference matters in a real match is debated. For context, Microsoft’s developer guidance describes a standard mouse as reporting 400 DPI and a high-definition mouse as 800 DPI or more. Many players settle on 800 or 1600 and then change only the in-game sensitivity, which keeps their desktop cursor speed familiar and makes their eDPI easy to share.

What eDPI do pro players use?

Pro eDPI values are spread widely, so treat them as a reference point rather than a target. CS2 has the best public data. CSDB tracks the settings of 1,007 professional players with complete sensitivity data and gives a median eDPI of 800 and a mean of 850, as of its 19 October 2026 sweep.

The same data splits by role. AWPers have a median of 840 (mean 921) and riflers a median of 800 (mean 833), so snipers lean a little faster, not slower.

That median is much slower than the game’s default. CSDB lists the CS2 default sensitivity as 2.5. On an 800 DPI mouse that is 2,000 eDPI, a full turn in about 20.8 cm. The median pro at 800 eDPI needs about 52.0 cm, two and a half times the distance.

For Valorant there is no dataset as complete as CSDB’s. BenQ Zowie’s guide gives a range of 200 to 450 for pros, and the familiar 800 DPI at 0.4 setup (320 eDPI) sits in the middle of it.

How to choose your eDPI

The right eDPI is the one where you can turn fast enough for your game and still make small corrections without overshooting. Pros are a guide, but your mouse pad, your grip and the way you move your arm matter more than their numbers.

Arm aiming (moving from the elbow or shoulder) suits a lower eDPI and a long cm/360, because large movements are comfortable.
Wrist aiming suits a higher eDPI, because the hand covers less distance.
Pad size sets a limit. If your cm/360 is 52 cm and your pad is 45 cm wide, you cannot complete a full turn in one sweep. Many players check that a 180 degree turn (half the cm/360) fits comfortably inside one swipe.

A simple way to settle on a value:

Fix your DPI at one number, such as 800, and leave it.
Pick a starting sensitivity, either your current one or a pro setting from your game.
Play for several days, including short focused sessions on the aim trainer.
If it feels too fast or too slow, change the sensitivity by around 10 percent, not by half or double.
Write down your final eDPI and cm/360, so you can restore it exactly after a reinstall or a new mouse.

Settings are only part of aim. How fast you react to a target is a separate skill, and you can measure it with the reaction time test.

What eDPI does not include

eDPI is a single multiplication, so several things that change how your aim feels are not part of it.

Windows pointer speed and acceleration. Microsoft’s documentation explains that raw input (WM_INPUT) reaches a game straight from the device stack with “no ballistics applied”, unlike the desktop pointer. Most modern shooters read raw input, so the Windows slider and “Enhance pointer precision” do not change your in-game aim. In a game that uses the desktop pointer, they do.
In-game mouse acceleration. With acceleration on, the same hand movement turns you different amounts depending on speed, so no fixed eDPI or cm/360 describes it.
Scoped and aim down sights sensitivity. These are separate multipliers on top of your main sensitivity. eDPI describes hip fire only.
Polling rate. Polling rate is how often the mouse sends its reports, not how many counts it sends per inch, so it does not appear in the formula. The guide to mouse polling rate explains what it does change, and the polling rate test measures yours.
Screen resolution. In the four games above the turn per count is fixed, and resolution does not appear in the cm/360 formula.
Real versus advertised DPI. A mouse set to 800 can report a slightly different number of counts per inch. If you copy someone’s exact eDPI and it still feels off, measure your real DPI before you blame the settings.

Common eDPI mistakes

Most eDPI confusion comes from comparing numbers that are not comparable. These are the ones that come up most often.

Comparing eDPI across games. A Valorant 320 and a CS2 320 are very different speeds. Convert, or compare cm/360.
Copying a pro’s sensitivity but not their DPI. A pro on 400 DPI and 2.0 sensitivity has 800 eDPI. Copying only the 2.0 on an 800 DPI mouse doubles it to 1,600.
Changing DPI and sensitivity at the same time. If you move both, it is hard to tell what changed. Change one, recalculate, and check the eDPI stays where you want it.
Forgetting the Fortnite percentage. 8% is 0.08 in the formula, not 8.
Judging a new setting in one session. A change always feels strange at first. Give it a few days.

Tools for working with eDPI

Each game has its own page with the calculator already set up, plus notes on where to find the setting in that game’s menu:

If something feels wrong with the mouse itself, such as double clicks or a sticky button, run the mouse test before changing any settings.

Frequently asked questions

What does eDPI stand for?

eDPI stands for effective dots per inch. It is your mouse DPI multiplied by your in-game sensitivity, and it tells you how fast your aim is in one particular game. For example, 800 DPI at a sensitivity of 0.4 is 320 eDPI.

Is a higher or lower eDPI better?

Neither is better on its own. A lower eDPI makes small, precise corrections easier but needs more space for big turns, while a higher eDPI lets you turn quickly with less movement. CS2 pros cluster around a median of 800 eDPI, which is slow compared with the game’s default.

Is eDPI the same as DPI?

No. DPI is a mouse setting that counts movement per inch. eDPI combines that DPI with your in-game sensitivity, so it describes your actual aim speed rather than just the mouse.

Can you compare eDPI between different games?

Not directly, because each game turns a different angle per mouse count. 320 eDPI in Valorant feels like about 1,018 eDPI in CS2. Compare cm/360 instead, or convert the setting with a sensitivity converter.

Is 400 or 800 DPI better?

For aim speed they are equal once you adjust the sensitivity: 400 DPI at 0.8 and 800 DPI at 0.4 give the same eDPI. 800 DPI splits each movement into smaller steps and is a common choice, but the total eDPI matters more than the DPI number.

Does changing my resolution change my eDPI?

No. eDPI only uses DPI and sensitivity. In games with a fixed turn per count, such as Valorant, CS2, Apex Legends and Overwatch 2, your cm/360 also stays the same when you change resolution.

Does eDPI include scoped or ADS sensitivity?

No. eDPI uses your main hip fire sensitivity. Scoped and aim down sights settings are separate multipliers, so your speed while zoomed in can be higher or lower than your eDPI suggests.