Let’s face it, just about all PC gamers chase the all-important FPS number when gaming. The higher, the better, so long as the graphic settings are also set to high or ultra, right?
Yes, FPS Matters in Gaming
As PC gamers, we often treat frames per second (FPS) like the only measurement of a game’s playability—and we’re partially right.
FPS is crucial to whether a game feels playable or not. If the FPS is too low, then a game simply isn’t enjoyable.
I tried firing up Satisfactory on my Chromebook and themenuwas running at 10 to 15 FPS at the lowest possible settings. The graphics really didn’t look all that bad, but the FPS made me say, “This isn’t worth playing.”
So, yes, FPS does matter in gaming. However, there are other parts of the gaming experience that are more important than chasing the rarely-obtainable perfect FPS in every single game.
FPS Is Not the End-All Measurement of a Gaming Experience
When was the last time you actually sat down and looked at all the graphics settings available on a console compared to a computer? There are barely any options on most consoles, yet PCs are inundated with massive lists of options.
This is because the two types of gaming focus on different considerations. PC gamers typically want to tweak every little thing to make the game “look the best it possibly can,” whileconsole gamers just want a nice, playable experience.
Would it surprise you to learn that many console games still run at 60 FPS? In fact, until the latest generation of consoles with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, no games ran higher than 60 FPS, andmany still run at 30 FPS.
However, on PC, some gamers would consider it blasphemy to run a game at 30 FPS.
However, most people don’t look at a console and say that it’s a terrible experience. It might not be as high fidelity as a $4,000 gaming system, but it doesn’t need to be.
Consoles juggle frame rate with graphic settings behind the scenes to deliver a solid, playable experience. The thing is, you can do the same with your PC, too.
PC gaming just requires that you manually balance frame rate and graphics settings. Unlike consoles, you’re in control of what those settings are, and it’s entirely up to you which you prioritize while playing different games. So, instead of cranking everything up to high then saying “It’s time for a new computer!” when the FPS drops below 120 (or even 60), learn to enjoy moderate settings that still deliver great performance.
You Can Still Enjoy Gaming at Sub-240FPS
Certain games, likeCall of Duty,CS:GO, or other ultra-fast-paced titles definitely benefit from high frame rates. However, it’s really only a big benefit if your monitor has a refresh rate that can match your FPS. A high frame ratedoesn’t always equate to a better gaming experience.
Okay, before you break out the pitchforks, let me explain. I have been a PC gamer for nearly 20 years and have played on all kinds of systems. The thing that I’ve come to realize over almost two decades of gaming is that I want the highest frame rate I can, but I don’t want to sacrifice the experience of actually playing the game.
If you have a 60Hz (or even 120Hz) monitor, and are driving a game at 120 FPS (or 240 FPS), then you’re not getting any major net benefit. Your monitor only refreshes so many times per second, after all. Conversely,having a monitor with a refresh rate higher than the FPS your PC can pushdelivers little benefit.
However, while pushing crazy frames per second doesn’t give much benefit, having an ultra-low frame rate isn’t good, either.
I had the privilege of being at CES 2023 when NVIDIA’s 30-series GPUs were being showcased with the first-generation frame generation.DLSS 3was relatively new to the scene, and it reshaped how I had to think about computer hardware.
I’m not a fan of the new multi-frame generationthat happens on RTX 50-series cards, but RTX 30-series frame generation was literally game-changing. NVIDIA showed me at a demo The Witcher 3 running on low-end hardware that was completely playable.
Without frame generation, the game ran on the system at around 10 to 15 FPS. However, with frame generation on, it idled around 35 FPS when walking around, with peaks up to 40 FPS.
This made the game playable on a computer that it otherwise wouldn’t have been. And, get this: it wasn’t at 240 FPS, 144 FPS, or even 60 FPS. It was low- to mid-range hardware that chose experience over frame rate, and it was well worth the sacrifice to enjoy the game.
Yes,you can (and should) enjoy gamingeven if you’re not setting records for the FPS your system can play a game at.
Turn Down Some Graphics Settings to Boost Your FPS In-Game
I spent several years on low-end graphics cards, and that taught me something important: gaming isn’t about running everything at ultra settings.
These days, I game on a Ryzen 9 7900X and RTX 3080 12GB, so I can run most games from the past few years at ultra settings. However, I’ve found that, even with this higher-end (slightly older) card, there are times I need to dial things back.
It took me a bit of time to realize thatthere’s not a huge difference between high and ultra, or medium and high. Yes, there are differences, but playability is far more important than fidelity.
For fast-paced games where FPS matters most, all the particles and other graphic-intensive elements typically get turned down anyway to give you the most uncluttered and distraction-free gaming experience possible.
However, in story-based games, there’s a balance. Typically, I try to push my graphics settings as high as I can, but value hitting at least 60 FPS as an average in-game.
60 FPS is my personal target, and I’m perfectly fine with dialing things back to hit that. You should be too. Just because the newCall of Dutydrops, and you can’t push it at 4K 144 FPS doesn’t mean it’s time for a new graphics card. Just turn some settings down and enjoy the game.
You Don’t Need the Latest Hardware to Enjoy Playing Brand-New Games in 2025
I used to chase the latest-and-greatest. For a time, I was a custom PC builder, and I was constantly playing with extremely high-end systems. In 2016, I built an SLI GTX 1080 Ti system with 128GB of RAM and the i7-6950X processor.
It was a system worth thousands at the time, and I had never experienced anything like it before. During this time of my life, I also had an ultra-high-end system with the i7-6800K, 64GB of DDR4, and the GTX 1080 (which was top-of-the-line when I bought it), and it wasn’t enough for me. I was never satisfied.
It wasn’t until years later that I realized I didn’t need the latest hardware as soon as it came out to enjoy gaming. I could simply enjoy it on the hardware I was currently running.
The fact of the matter is, it’s very likely your current system will play even 2025 games well on medium settings. There’s a chance you won’t be able to run 4K ultra and push over 120 FPS, but do you really need that?
My challenge to you is this: try to make your current system last as long as possible. I have a good friend of mine who ran a GTX 1080 up until a few months ago. He has two 4K 144Hz monitors, and still ran his GTX 1080. Now he has the RTX 5070 Ti, and it was a great upgrade for him.
At the end of the day, upgrade when you think you need to. I’m just trying to show you the other side of the track, where you can get a bit more life out of your current system and still be happy with your gaming experience at the same time.
Now, if you’re running a decade-old gaming system, it might be time to upgrade. Here arefive tips to make building your new PC easier. Then, be sure tobuild your PC in this orderif you want to have the smoothest experience possible.
