As graphic processing units get faster, gamers are able to play modern games on ultra settings. Some gaming enthusiasts are already prepared to sacrifice frame rate or resolution just to earn a bit of extra bling in their games. Others might reduce foliage or even smoke effect settings so that the competition is easier to see on the battleground. Finding the right settings to suit your specific needs can be difficult, but understanding the importance of resolution vs. frames per second is critical to achieving the perfect configuration. In this article, we discuss the two most significant image quality settings to PC gamers, so you can decide which setting is most important to you and the games you play.
Pros and Cons of Higher Frame Rate
By increasing the frame rate, you can effectively reduce lag, which is very important in competitive gaming. Input lag can make the difference in an eSports player’s reaction time, even if only milliseconds apart from the competition. Higher frame rates have also been found to reduce tearing and stutters.
You must also consider the impact that a higher frame rate can have on your hardware. A higher frame rate is dependent on your central processing unit, so you must have a well-balanced system with a graphics card and processor that can live up to the task and achieve the desired frame rates. There are plenty of ways to increase FPS without needing to shell out money on an all-new graphics card.
By lowering the resolution, you can probably achieve more frames per second, but you can also adjust the resolution in the graphics settings of the game you’ve chosen to play. Lowering the resolution can cause certain games to look more pixelated, but that might be a sacrifice you have to make in order to run a game at an acceptable frame rate.
Pros and Cons of Higher Resolution
The more resolution you have, the better and sharper the game images can be. High resolution is good for any gaming enthusiast that prefers maximum immersion in their gaming excursions. When it comes to general computing tasks, high resolution is essentially the better choice. Single-player games can benefit from either choice, depending on the expectations you have for graphics, scenery, or smoothness.
However, increasing the resolution will have its implications on the performance of your graphics card. Furthermore, the ultra-low input latency provided by a higher frame rate won’t necessarily affect you if you don’t tend to play multiplayer shooters, fighters, and other games that fall into that immersive genre. A rich, complex game might be worth the sacrifice of gaining extra milliseconds per frame.
What’s the Verdict? FPS vs. Resolution
Suffice it to say, gaming enthusiasts should care about frame rate and resolution. Frame rate makes a game more playable and enjoyable, whereas resolution makes a game more beautiful. Although we would love to substantiate the need to upgrade, we simply can’t do that. The sacrifices associated with increasing frame rate versus resolution and vice versa are totally dependent on the games you play and what you are willing to do without. We hope that this article gives you a lot to consider before reconfiguring and testing your settings.
