Your mousepad probably isn't the problem.

You can test it without any gear: put your mouse on a hard, flat surface you know works (like a desk or a piece of paper), then do the same exact movement pattern on the suspect mousepad. If the cursor feels equally responsive, the pad is fine.

Most “input lag” people blame on mousepads is actually sensor issues—especially if the pad is glossy, patterned, or has a weird texture. Old laser sensors sometimes freak out on certain surfaces. Modern optical sensors are usually fine on anything that isn’t glass or reflective.

To be extra sure, use Paint or a mouse tester website. Draw a slow horizontal line on both surfaces. If the line on the new pad has jitter, skips, or wobbles that the desk line doesn’t, the pad is causing it. If they look identical, the pad is innocent.

If you’re really paranoid, just wipe the pad with a damp cloth. Dust and grease can mess with tracking. That’s almost always the real culprit.