For any beginner, setting up your computer for a competitive game is a pretty complex task. It is true that almost everyone will come across a laptop or a PC at some point in their life. While most of it is for productive and educational purposes initially, almost everyone tries out installing a game. Voilah! This is when people start realizing the power of video games and how much of a stress buster it is. After a few gaming sessions, users try to figure out the best way to play the games they love on their PC. If you’re trying to understand terms like FPS, input lag, and monitor HZ, you’re in the right place. This post explores the roles of FPS and monitor hertz in gaming, especially their importance for AAA titles.
FPS: Frames Per Second
While configuring a computer, computer store owners often advertise the computer’s power by relating it to the FPS of multiple games. The higher the FPS, the more computing power you need to attain those numbers. Just to trim it all down, for games like Valorant, players who are competing at the highest level would need to push for 400 FPS and above. At the same time, single-player games would not require as many frames primarily because the game is tuned for competing against AI enemies. Hence, single-player games users tend to prefer higher resolution and compromise FPS. Even the highest PCs push for 60 frames when it comes to 4K Gaming. The same does not apply for competitive multiplayer games.
Competitive multiplayer games like Valorant require players to push for as many FPS as they can get out of the system. Resolution is often set to 1080p, which allows for relatively low-end systems to get an FPS that suits their monitor. Since players are playing against each other, the priority of the CPU is to generate as many frames accurately as possible, compromising resolution and higher-end graphics. Pro players often ensure their in-game graphic settings are always at a minimum so that they can get as much as possible. Pushing for higher FPS also reduces input latency, the time between your input and the in-game response.
What is Monitor Hz (Hertz)?
Since the launch of PlayStation 5, electronic stores have been loaded with TVs offering high refresh rates as well as monitors for PC users.Until recently, only PC monitors had higher refresh rates, but now TVs with 120 Hertz refresh rates dominate the market.Hertz is referred to as the number of times your monitor refreshes in a second. So, in simple words, a monitor Hz should always match the FPS of the game. In fact, every gamer should push for more FPS than what the monitor offers. Users with a 240 Hz monitor would ideally need an in-game FPS of 300+ to ensure everything is visually smooth.
For anyone wondering, higher refresh rate screens track data from the screen way more smoothly. To put this into context, let’s assume that a player is sniping in on an enemy. Using a 240 Hz monitor instead of a 60 Hertz monitor enables the player to see the enemy much more clearly when the target is in motion. Watch the video above where Shroud, along with other pro players, explains how refresh rates affect games based on reaction time.
