Is a higher frame rate beneficial in online gaming?
Is a higher frame rate beneficial in online gaming?
I have the information you provided which works well for most games at 100+ frames without any problems.
My system specs are: i5 8400, Vega 64, 16 gigabytes RAM, LG 29-inch ultrawide monitor at 80 MHz.
I sometimes play online games such as BO4 and R6, and my question is whether higher frame rates provide a competitive edge over others with lower FPS.
What matters more in online gaming? FPS, ping, input lag, or response time?
Thank you.
Realistically, you can't respond to what you can't see, which is why ping remains the dominant factor in online gaming. FPS offers an edge when paired with a high refresh monitor and excellent reflexes. It's similar to wondering if driving a supercar gives you an advantage—yes, it does, but only if you know how to handle it and have the right reaction speed. Without that, you'll fall behind a skilled professional.
Based on my own experience, it really comes down to personal preference and whether you’ll even notice the change. I recently upgraded to a 144Hz monitor (from 75Hz) and increased the frame rate in fast shooter games like CS:GO, Apex, R6, and others. It’s been incredibly smooth for me—everything feels much better. My precision and focus on specific targets have improved significantly. I also tried switching to 60Hz after getting used to 144Hz, but I can’t stand watching it.
On the other hand, when my friend tested it at home, he didn’t notice any major difference. However, he mentioned that after playing on his PS4, he could clearly tell the fps was much lower. Upgrading might not seem like a big change, but you’ll probably feel the impact if you downgrade.
in certain games fps influences game physics, for instance cod4 - at very high fps you might be able to jump in areas where others with 60fps couldn't.
It varies a bit with the games' netcode, but generally yes. You need around 60+ frames per second for smooth gameplay. Netcode refers to whether actions are processed on the server or client side. If actions are handled on the server, you might notice unexpected results like shooting or hitting an opponent before they register, yet still winning.
Assuming the game doesn't use some client-side FPS for some time keeping mechanism, I'd argue no. There's a periodic synchronization to the server, and the server will determine the final outcome. This sync rate may be as slow as 30Hz or as fast as whatever the server wants, but keeping in mind that a faster synchronization period requires faster hardware, both on the client and server sides. Note that while the server may send the state of the world as a snapshot and the client has to reflect that, the client can make guesses in between snapshots and update as necessary when the next snapshot comes in. However at the end of the day, nothing is a bigger killer of online playability than network latency.
While this mostly pertains to how Source does its multiplayer, I don't imagine other systems are different: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki...Networking
It really hinges on several elements. I'll take CS:GO as an illustration.
In this game, frame rate can be significant. Still, your ping and the server's tick rate (though I think 64 ticks is acceptable) will also play a role and might have a greater impact than your frame rate—provided you can maintain over 60 frames per second.
I'm near a Valve CS:GO server host in Atlanta, Georgia. This gives me an edge even with a poor internet connection compared to someone in California linked to the same servers. If you're close to a game's server and the tick rate is high enough, frame rate won't be as crucial unless you struggle to keep up.