lyrill wrote: ↑02 Mar 2021, 07:10
oh and btw is there a link to the 3080+8k article cus I can't find it in Area and title post said it was due last Nov.
One of my computer failed in December postponed the article to later -- it was such a busy month and I had to cherrypick what tasks to postpone til new year. Sorry about that. It's still coming, as I hurry through my overflowing plate -- there is a Blur Busters Approved monitor I am currently focussing on getting launched first. THEN, I'll definitely hit the 8KHz mouse.
As you all already know, Blur Busters essentially runs on Valve Time for article deadlines. Guilty as charged.
Brainlet wrote: ↑08 Mar 2021, 16:16
The odd thing about this screenshot is that using the monitor hub results in LOWER latency than directly connecting it to the back panel which just further reinforces my belief of 20 sample click to photon tests not being conclusive evidence.
I think both he and you are right.
20 samples are too few, but there are some interesting insights from background knowledge:
There are rare cases where a hub unexpectedly reduces latency. It doesn't happen often, but it happens -- for mudane reasons like improved USB processing (e.g. better USB chip in hub than in the computer) and/or repeatering for a stronger USB signal that doesn't require error correction by a crappy motherboard USB chip on a poor S/N connection running too close to noisefloor. USB2 packets being re-encapsulated (within USB3 hub) into USB3 if the chip in the motherboard is better and less buggy at processing USB3 than USB2. Or it could also be coincidential (crappy connector mating, worn USB ports, cables, etc). All kinds of rare edge-case reasons that a hub may unexpectedly reduce latency.
But almost always, it's better to connect directly.
USB extension cables occasionally add a bit of latency from USB error correction, since longer cables can reduce signal strength to the point where the motherboard's USB chip has to do more error correction by asking the mouses' USB chip to retry the USB packet that failed. Like a network connection with a 5% packet loss, it happens on USB cables. It's exactly why in high-EMI environments, wireless mice sometimes have less lag than wired mouse (e.g. if you live under a hydro transmission corridor).
If you use good cables and a good USB chip on the computer, then there should be no noticeable lag increases. But in real world, we have crap USB cables and crap EMI environments, with crap USB motherboard chips overloaded with many USB devices (like a simultaneous 4KHz USB keyboard), presenting lots of opportunity to add unexpected lag from USB error correction.
My current favourite recommendation for the 8000 Hz mouse is a direct USB plug to a PCIe USB card with its own PCIe lane directly to the CPU, with no interference by other USB devices (only USB device plugged into PCIe USB card). Single USB chip processing the 8KHz mouse directly.