MX500 Mouse with USB or PS/2?

[andycheah]

Hello everyone,

I just got a Logitech MX500 Optical Mouse and was wondering what way to connect it to the computer. It is USB but comes with a USB to PS/2 adapter.

Is there any advantage of connecting it one way or the other? I was thinking of using just straight USB since it doesn't make sense to use the PS/2 adpater if I don't need to. But I've also been reading about being able to bump up PS/2 refresh rates so you're "overclocking" your mouse...oh god that sounds lame. That's it, time for bed.

Any suggestions appreciated,

Andy

 

[erikiksaz]

usb. do away with the legacy crap

 

[timu]

USB for sure. lot faster than ps2.

 

[stevewm]

Originally posted by: timu
USB for sure. lot faster than ps2.

Thats not entirely true.

USB input devices are polled by the USB host 125 times per second. With PS/2 mice you can set the poll rate to be anywhere from 10 to 200 times per second. With a "refresh" rate of 200hz PS/2 mice technically update faster than USB mice.

Now does all of this really matter? No. It's highly unlikely you'd find anyone who could tell a difference once the mouse gets updated more than 100 times per second so ethier interface will be just fine

Personally I perfer the PS/2 port. Why waste USB ports on a keyboard or mouse when you have already have 2 ports that are specifically designed for a keyboard and mouse. PS/2 is also the mose compatible interface. Any OS that supports mice will support PS/2. This is not always true for USB mice.....

 

[Mem]

I would use USB being it`s hot swappable etc , yes with PS2 you can set it up to 200Hz but I did read the CPU usage was actually higher then USB.

Any OS that supports mice will support PS/2. This is not always true for USB mice.....

OS wise, if you`re using 98,ME,2K or XP then that`s not a problem using USB devices,and probably 98% of users are using one of these already.

 

[Kevin]

But doesn't Logitech tell you to use PS2 when available?

 

[Brian48]

I just use the USB.

 

[Mem]

But doesn't Logitech tell you to use PS2 when available?

Probably for older boards that don`t have USB,remember Logitech mice now have USB connector at the end of the lead(unless it`s PS/2 only mouse) not PS/2,the USB to PS/2 adaptor is included for those that prefer or need to use PS/2.

 

[andycheah]

Ok, thanks for the replies...

Everything seems to be working fine so I'll probably just stick with USB unless someone comes up with any proof that changing to PS/2 is worth it. I guess the only real advantage is that PS/2 is more compatible and you free up a USB port.

Thanks again, Andy

 

[stevewm]

Originally posted by: Mem
I would use USB being it`s hot swappable etc , yes with PS2 you can set it up to 200Hz but I did read the CPU usage was actually higher then USB.

Any OS that supports mice will support PS/2. This is not always true for USB mice.....

OS wise, if you`re using 98,ME,2K or XP then that`s not a problem using USB devices,and probably 98% of users are using one of these already.

CPU Usage from ethier interface is BARELY measurable on a slow 500mhz system. So with 1Ghz+ machines of today this is not a issue. The slight CPU usage observed when moving a mouse around comes from the OS updating the on-screen cursor as you move the mouse, not from the hardware itself.

How often do you really need to hotswap a keyboard or mouse? Most of the time you can hot-swap just fine with PS/2. (although it was not designed to do it...)

 

[Mem]

CPU Usage from ethier interface is BARELY measurable on a slow 500mhz system. So with 1Ghz+ machines of today this is not a issue. The slight CPU usage observed when moving a mouse around comes from the OS updating the on-screen cursor as you move the mouse, not from the hardware itself.

How often do you really need to hotswap a keyboard or mouse? Most of the time you can hot-swap just fine with PS/2. (although it was not designed to do it...)

Look at it from my point of view,why should I use PS/2 when I`ve plenty of spare USB ports & would have to use the USB to PS/2 adaptor as well ,plus USB only uses one IRQ for all USB devices.

Bottom line is PS/2 is old and will go the way of the floppy,it`s only a matter of time,USB is here still stay.
Believe me 125Hz rate with USB is excellent even for gaming if you`ve a good mouse,200Hz rate is really pointless with a PS/2 mouse.

There will always be Pro`s and Con`s to both sides but I prefer to stay with the newer technology .

 

[liketofish]

well...opinions do differ when it comes to hardcore gaming using a mouse. Tom's hardware said this when reviewing new logitec mice:

"While we are on the subject, compared to PS2, USB is a step backward for the mouse, because PS2 can handle twice as many exchanges per second."
review here

I guess an optical usb mouse can be a little slower than an old PS/2 roller mouse when playing games such as quake.

 

[pelikan]

I use my system only for gaming and surfing. I use ps2 because I don't use USB (no printer, etc.). I like to keep USB and everything else possible disabled in bios. I scrape every bit of performance from every corner I can find. I think it all adds up.

 

[stevewm]

Originally posted by: Mem

CPU Usage from ethier interface is BARELY measurable on a slow 500mhz system. So with 1Ghz+ machines of today this is not a issue. The slight CPU usage observed when moving a mouse around comes from the OS updating the on-screen cursor as you move the mouse, not from the hardware itself.

How often do you really need to hotswap a keyboard or mouse? Most of the time you can hot-swap just fine with PS/2. (although it was not designed to do it...)

Look at it from my point of view,why should I use PS/2 when I`ve plenty of spare USB ports & would have to use the USB to PS/2 adaptor as well ,plus USB only uses one IRQ for all USB devices.

Bottom line is PS/2 is old and will go the way of the floppy,it`s only a matter of time,USB is here still stay.
Believe me 125Hz rate with USB is excellent even for gaming if you`ve a good mouse,200Hz rate is really pointless with a PS/2 mouse.

There will always be Pro`s and Con`s to both sides but I prefer to stay with the newer technology .

[nitpick mode]

IRQs are a thing of the past. Infact the entire notion of IRQs only exists on PCs today because of the need to stay backwards compatible..... Unless you stupidly disable ACPI in Windows free IRQs are a non issue as most of your devices will be allocated to a single IRQ anyways regardless of how many free IRQs you have.

IRQ 12, which is the IRQ a PS/2 mouse uses is reserved for just that, a mouse. Even if you don't have a mouse plugged into the PS/2 port, IRQ 12 will still be used by the port (same with your keyboard!) so using a USB mouse/keyboard to free up this IRQ is pointless

[/nitpick mode]


It will be quite awhile before the PS/2 port goes away. So far only a single motherboard manufactuer has tried getting rid of the PS/2 ports (Abit with their "Legacy Free" MAX IT-7 board) only to put them back on their MAX IT7-2 "Legacy Free" board due to popular demand.

Using USB for keyboards and mice provides no benefit whatsoever over PS/2 (except maybe hotswap, and it wouldn't be that hard to add that capability!) Since there is such a large installed base of PS/2 keyboards and mice; with no clear upgrade advantages people will never upgrade unless new systems where to drop the ports completely.