Question 1

What does FPS actually measure?

Accepted Answer

Frames per second is how many complete images your PC finishes drawing each second. It is an average, which is why it can look fine while the game still feels rough.

Question 2

Why does my game feel bad at high FPS?

Accepted Answer

Because feel comes from frame time consistency and input latency. A 120 FPS average with regular 40ms spikes feels worse than a stable 80 FPS.

Question 3

What is a 1% low?

Accepted Answer

The average of your worst 1% of frames. If your 1% low is far below your average, you have a stutter problem rather than a raw performance problem.

Question 4

Should I cap my frame rate?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. A cap a few frames below your refresh rate keeps VRR in range and produces more consistent frame delivery.

Question 5

Is more FPS than my refresh rate useless?

Accepted Answer

Not entirely — extra frames can slightly reduce latency in competitive titles, but the visual benefit stops at your refresh rate.

Question 6

Why does FPS drop in cities or big fights?

Accepted Answer

Those scenes add simulation and draw call work, which loads the CPU rather than the GPU. It is a classic CPU-bound pattern.

Question 7

What is a bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

The single component that limits performance at your current settings. Every system has one; the question is whether it is the one you expect.

Question 8

How do I know if I am GPU bound?

Accepted Answer

GPU utilisation sits at 97-100% while CPU usage has headroom, and lowering resolution raises frame rate noticeably.

Question 9

How do I know if I am CPU bound?

Accepted Answer

Frame rate barely changes when you lower resolution or graphics settings, and one CPU thread is far busier than the others.

Question 10

Can a bottleneck move?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It changes with resolution, settings and even scene. That is why we analyse a specific game at a specific configuration.

Question 11

Is a bottleneck always bad?

Accepted Answer

No. Being GPU bound at high settings is the normal, healthy state for a gaming PC.

Question 12

Does VRAM affect frame rate?

Accepted Answer

Only when you run out. Below the limit it has almost no effect; above it you get hitching, texture pop-in and sudden drops.

Question 13

Should I enable ray tracing?

Accepted Answer

Only if you have frames to spare after hitting your target. It is one of the most expensive settings available.

Question 14

Is upscaling cheating?

Accepted Answer

It is a rendering technique, not a shortcut. At Quality preset on 1440p or higher it usually gives back a large amount of performance for a small image cost.

Question 15

What about frame generation?

Accepted Answer

It increases smoothness but not responsiveness, so it works best when your base frame rate is already reasonable.

Question 16

Do drivers matter?

Accepted Answer

Yes, especially for new releases. Many launch-day performance problems are resolved by a driver update alone.

Question 17

Do more cores help gaming?

Accepted Answer

Up to a point. Most games use six to eight cores well; beyond that single-thread performance and cache matter more.

Question 18

Does large CPU cache help?

Accepted Answer

In simulation, strategy and open-world titles it can produce a substantial improvement in 1% lows.

Question 19

Is RAM speed important?

Accepted Answer

For CPU-bound games, yes. Running memory at its rated profile in dual channel is one of the cheapest gains available.

Question 20

What temperature is too high?

Accepted Answer

Modern parts are designed to run warm. What matters is whether clocks fall over a long session, not the number itself.

Frequently asked questions

01What does FPS actually measure?

02Why does my game feel bad at high FPS?

03What is a 1% low?

04Should I cap my frame rate?

05Is more FPS than my refresh rate useless?

06Why does FPS drop in cities or big fights?

07What is a bottleneck?

08How do I know if I am GPU bound?

09How do I know if I am CPU bound?

10Can a bottleneck move?

11Is a bottleneck always bad?

12Does VRAM affect frame rate?

13Should I enable ray tracing?

14Is upscaling cheating?

15What about frame generation?

16Do drivers matter?

17Do more cores help gaming?

18Does large CPU cache help?

19Is RAM speed important?

20What temperature is too high?

21What is thermal throttling?

22Why does my laptop lose FPS after 10 minutes?

23Will undervolting help?

24What is input latency?

25Should V-Sync be on?

26What does Reflex do?

27Does my monitor add latency?

28Which settings cost the most?

29Are presets good enough?

30Should I lower resolution?

31How do I know if an upgrade is worth it?

32Will a new GPU fix stutter?

33Is 16GB of RAM still enough?

34Do you read my system automatically?

35What do the data labels mean?

36Why do you not show hardware prices?

37How does pricing work?

38What is the smallest purchase?

39Which payment methods work?

40Can a human help directly?

41Do you guarantee more FPS?