Why High FPS Matters in Gaming

In this article, we’ll explain the importance of high FPS (frames per second) and how it impacts gaming performance, especially with the introduction of next-gen consoles supporting 120fps. FPS refers to the number of frames rendered by the GPU in one second. Meanwhile, display rate, measured in Hz, is the number of frames a screen can display per second. Below is a graph showing the relationship between GPU FPS and display refresh rate.

Although FPS and refresh rate don’t align perfectly, the difference is minimal. For simplicity, we’ll assume they’re effectively the same in this article.

Smoother Animations

One noticeable benefit of high FPS is smoother animations during movement. At 60fps, animations refresh every 16.6 milliseconds, while at 120fps, they refresh every 8.3 milliseconds, making movements appear significantly smoother. The GIF below demonstrates this difference.

While the difference may seem minor here, in fast-paced games like CS:GO, the improvement in animation fluidity between 60fps and 240fps is much more apparent.

Reduced Ghosting

At lower FPS, you may notice ghosting, where blurry afterimages appear as objects move. This happens due to the slower frame refresh rate, causing overlapping animations that can distract you during gameplay. High FPS eliminates this issue by speeding up the frame updates.

As shown in the image above, ghosting becomes less noticeable at higher FPS, improving the gaming experience.

Minimized Tearing

Screen tearing occurs when there’s a delay in displaying frames, resulting in overlapping visuals on parts of the screen. Popular solutions like VSync address this by displaying only the last rendered frame. However, VSync can cause input lag, which is unsuitable for competitive games like shooters.

Higher FPS reduces tearing significantly. For instance, playing at 240fps minimizes tearing by 75% compared to 60fps, as shown below.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the advantages of gaming at high FPS. Even if your monitor is limited to 60Hz, playing at higher FPS improves response times, making your gaming faster and more precise.