The game is operating at 120 frames per second.
The game is operating at 120 frames per second.
Hey everyone, I'm in CS:GO and noticed my monitor refresh rate is set to 60 Hz on the desktop. In-game, my FPS is capped at 120, but if I lower it to 60, I can really feel the difference. Even though my PC runs at 60 Hz, I wonder if the game can still maintain 120 Hz on my monitor when Vsync is disabled. Turning Vsync off should bring it up to 60 FPS, but it might add noticeable lag to mouse movements.
The monitor's refresh rate stays at 60Hz, while the game maintains 60Hz. If your frame rate is limited to 120fps, it works as long as you keep the game running at that speed. Refresh rate and FPS are distinct concepts.
It seems your screen is only showing 60Hz. The drop in latency at higher frame rates happens because VSync isn't enabled and each rendered image arrives more closely to actual time than when the game runs at 60Hz.
However, I wouldn't expect any change if you kept the frame rate between 125 and 65 fps during the game.
You're right, higher FPS leads to better smoothness even if it's not immediately noticeable.
Notice the difference at 120 over 60 because it provides twice the frames. This implies the average frame time is half of what the monitor can display, making your screen more precise over time. Capping frame time at 65Hz raises the frame time, reducing accuracy between frames and possibly causing occasional jumps. Dividing one second by 60 gives 0.0167, while dividing by 120 yields about 0.0083 (approximate). Keeping a visual update every 0.0083 seconds—roughly 8.3 milliseconds—is more beneficial long-term, even with minor dips, since you can access more accurate frames when needed.