Question:

What causes mouse cursor lag on a secondary monitor with different refresh rates and how to fix it?

I am experiencing mouse cursor lag on my laptop screen, which is used as a secondary monitor, when running moderately heavy tasks such as discord, spotify, and a game. The lag does not occur on my main monitor, which has a higher refresh rate, nor on my laptop screen when used alone. My cpu and gpu usage are not very high during the lag. I have not found any solutions on online forums.

My specifications are:

– Main monitor: iiyama G-Master GB3467WQSU-B5 Monitor @ 165hz

– Secondary monitor: my laptop screen @ 60hz

– Laptop: HP ZBook Power G10 Laptop- Intel i7-13700H 13th gen- Nvidia RTX Ada 3000- 32GB RAM

– Mouse: logitech pro x superlight (with G Hub software installed) (but also lags when using any other axis input device)

Answer:

Mouse cursor lag is a common problem that many users face when they connect a secondary monitor to their laptop or desktop computer. It can affect the smoothness and accuracy of the mouse movement, especially when performing tasks that require precision and speed. Mouse cursor lag can also interfere with the user experience and productivity, as it can cause frustration and annoyance.

There are several possible causes of mouse cursor lag on a secondary monitor, but one of the most common ones is the mismatch of screen refresh rates between the primary and secondary monitors. Screen refresh rate is the number of times per second that the monitor updates the image on the screen. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother and clearer the image will be. However, if the primary and secondary monitors have different refresh rates, such as 165Hz and 60Hz, the mouse cursor may lag on the lower refresh rate monitor, as it will not be able to keep up with the faster image updates on the higher refresh rate monitor.

Another possible cause of mouse cursor lag on a secondary monitor is the outdated or incompatible graphics card driver. The graphics card driver is the software that communicates between the graphics card and the operating system, and it is responsible for rendering the images on the screen. If the graphics card driver is not updated or compatible with the latest version of Windows, it may not be able to handle the dual monitor setup properly, and it may cause performance issues such as mouse cursor lag.

Other possible causes of mouse cursor lag on a secondary monitor include connection issues, faulty mouse hardware, or interference from other programs or devices.

Fortunately, there are some solutions that can help fix the mouse cursor lag on a secondary monitor. Here are some of the most effective ones:

• Change the screen refresh rate of the secondary monitor to match the primary monitor. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Right-click on the desktop and select Display settings. 2. Scroll down and select the secondary monitor. 3. Click on Advanced display settings. 4. Click on Display adapter properties for Display X, where X is the number of the secondary monitor. 5. Select the Monitor tab. 6. Under Screen refresh rate, choose the same value as the primary monitor, such as 165Hz. 7. Click OK and Apply.

• Update or re-enable the graphics card driver. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box. 2. Type devmgmt.msc and click OK to open the Device Manager. 3. Expand the Display adapters category and right-click on the graphics card driver, such as NVIDIA or AMD. 4. Select Update driver and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the latest version of the driver. 5. Alternatively, you can also select Disable device and then Enable device to re-enable the graphics card driver.

• Check for Windows updates. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Press Windows + I keys to open the Settings app. 2. Click on Update & Security. 3. Click on Windows Update on the left pane. 4. Click on Check for updates on the right pane and wait for Windows to download and install any available updates.

• Check the mouse connection and hardware. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Make sure that the mouse is plugged into a working USB port or that the wireless mouse has sufficient battery power. 2. Try using a different mouse or a different USB port to see if the problem persists. 3. Clean the mouse sensor and the mouse pad to remove any dust or dirt that may affect the mouse movement. 4. Adjust the mouse settings, such as the pointer speed, acceleration, and sensitivity, to suit your preference and comfort.

• Close any unnecessary programs or devices that may interfere with the mouse performance. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys to open the Task Manager. 2. Click on the Processes tab and sort the list by CPU or Memory usage. 3. Right-click on any program that is consuming a lot of resources and select End task. 4. Repeat this for any other program that you do not need or use at the moment. 5. Disconnect any other devices that may cause interference, such as Bluetooth speakers, headphones, or keyboards.

By

following these solutions, you should be able to fix the mouse cursor lag on a secondary monitor and enjoy a smooth and lag-free mouse experience. However, if none of these solutions work, you may need to contact the manufacturer of your monitor, graphics card, or mouse for further assistance.