If you’ve ever shopped for a gaming PC, watched a graphics card benchmark or compared gaming performance online, you’ve almost certainly come across the term FPS.
You’ll see figures like 60 FPS, 144 FPS and even 300 FPS being thrown around. But what do these numbers actually mean? And does having more FPS really make your gaming experience better?
Whether you’re building your first gaming PC or upgrading to something more powerful, understanding FPS can help you make smarter decisions about your hardware.
Let’s break it down.
What Does FPS Mean in Gaming?
FPS stands for Frames Per Second. It measures how many individual images, or frames, your gaming PC renders every second.
Games create the illusion of movement by displaying a rapid sequence of images. The faster those images are produced and displayed, the smoother movement can appear.
For example:
- 30 FPS: Your PC renders 30 frames every second.
- 60 FPS: Your PC renders 60 frames every second.
- 120 FPS: Your PC renders 120 frames every second.
- 240 FPS: Your PC renders 240 frames every second.
Generally speaking, higher FPS means smoother animation and potentially more responsive gameplay.
However, the relationship between FPS and your actual gaming experience isn’t quite as simple as bigger numbers always being better.
Your monitor, graphics settings, hardware and even the type of game you’re playing all make a difference.
30 FPS vs 60 FPS vs 120 FPS vs 144 FPS vs 240 FPS
Not all gaming experiences require the same frame rate.
A slower-paced adventure game can feel perfectly enjoyable at a lower FPS, while competitive multiplayer games often benefit from considerably higher frame rates.
Here’s how the most common FPS targets compare.
30 FPS: Playable, But Not Ideal
At 30 FPS, your computer renders a new frame approximately every 33.3 milliseconds.
For slower-paced games, this can still provide a playable experience, particularly when frame delivery is consistent.
However, fast camera movements and rapid action can appear less smooth compared with higher frame rates.
For a modern gaming PC, we’d generally aim higher wherever possible.
60 FPS: A Great Starting Point
For many gamers, 60 FPS represents a solid balance between performance and visual quality.
Movement appears noticeably smoother than at 30 FPS, while the hardware requirements are often more manageable than targeting extremely high frame rates.
It’s an excellent target for single-player adventures, racing games and many everyday gaming experiences.
If you’re playing visually demanding games at high graphics settings, a consistent 60 FPS can still feel fantastic.
120 FPS: A Noticeable Step Up
Moving from 60 FPS to 120 FPS can make games feel substantially smoother, particularly when playing fast-paced titles.
At 120 FPS, a new frame is rendered approximately every 8.3 milliseconds, compared with 16.7 milliseconds at 60 FPS.
This means the system can provide more frequent visual updates, potentially improving responsiveness.
You’ll need a suitable high-refresh-rate monitor to see the full benefit.
144 FPS: Excellent for Competitive Gaming
144 FPS is a popular performance target among PC gamers using 144Hz monitors.
It offers smooth animation and responsive gameplay, making it particularly appealing for games such as:
- Call of Duty
- Fortnite
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- Valorant
For someone who enjoys both competitive and casual gaming, targeting around 144 FPS can provide an excellent experience.
240 FPS and Beyond: For Competitive Enthusiasts
At 240 FPS, a new frame is rendered approximately every 4.2 milliseconds.
That can provide even more frequent visual updates when paired with a suitable monitor.
The benefits are most relevant to competitive players who prioritise responsiveness and motion clarity.
However, the improvement from 144 FPS to 240 FPS is generally less dramatic than the jump from 60 FPS to 144 FPS.
Achieving these frame rates may also require powerful hardware and carefully optimised game settings.
For most casual gamers, chasing extremely high FPS isn’t necessarily the best use of their budget.
FPS Comparison: How Much Difference Does It Make?
The table below shows how different frame rates affect the time available to render each frame.
| FPS | Time Per Frame | General Experience |
|---|---|---|
| 30 FPS | 33.3 ms | Playable |
| 60 FPS | 16.7 ms | Smooth |
| 120 FPS | 8.3 ms | Very Smooth |
| 144 FPS | 6.9 ms | Excellent |
| 240 FPS | 4.2 ms | Highly Responsive |
| 360 FPS | 2.8 ms | Competitive Focus |
Frame times are theoretical values calculated from FPS. Actual frame delivery can vary, and smoothness also depends on consistency.
An important point is that frame rate improvements become progressively smaller in absolute time.
The difference between 30 FPS and 60 FPS is approximately 16.7 milliseconds per frame.
But the difference between 144 FPS and 240 FPS is only around 2.8 milliseconds.
Both improvements can matter, but they aren’t equally noticeable to everyone.
What’s the Difference Between FPS and Refresh Rate?
This is one of the most common areas of confusion when choosing a gaming PC.
FPS and refresh rate are closely related, but they measure different things.
FPS measures how many frames your gaming PC renders each second.
Refresh rate, measured in Hertz (Hz), describes how many times your monitor can refresh its displayed image every second.
For example, a 144Hz monitor can refresh its display up to 144 times per second.
What Happens If Your FPS Is Higher Than Your Monitor’s Refresh Rate?
Imagine your gaming PC produces 200 FPS, but you’re using a 60Hz monitor.
Your PC is rendering 200 frames every second, but the monitor can only refresh its image 60 times per second.
You won’t see 200 complete, distinct frames each second on that display.
However, rendering more frames can still reduce the age of the most recently available frame and improve responsiveness in some circumstances.
The exact result depends on frame synchronisation, display settings and whether technologies such as V-Sync or variable refresh rate are enabled.
Should Your FPS Match Your Monitor’s Refresh Rate?
Ideally, choose a gaming PC capable of delivering strong performance at your monitor’s native resolution and refresh rate.
For example:
- 60Hz monitor: 60 FPS is a sensible baseline.
- 144Hz monitor: Targeting around 144 FPS lets you make full use of its refresh capability.
- 240Hz monitor: Very high frame rates are particularly useful for competitive gaming.
You don’t need to achieve exactly the same FPS in every game.
Technologies such as AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC can help compatible monitors deliver smoother results when frame rates fluctuate.
Does Higher FPS Make You Better at Gaming?
Higher FPS can provide advantages in competitive games, but it won’t automatically make you a better player.
The potential benefits include:
- Smoother movement and animations.
- More frequent visual updates.
- Reduced time between rendered frames.
- Improved responsiveness in suitable configurations.
- Easier tracking of moving targets for some players.
In fast-paced games, these differences can make the experience feel more immediate.
However, your skill, reaction time, positioning, accuracy and understanding of the game remain incredibly important.
A player running at 240 FPS won’t automatically beat someone playing at 144 FPS.
Think of higher FPS as a way to reduce certain technical limitations, rather than a shortcut to becoming a better gamer.
What Affects FPS in Gaming?
Several factors influence how many frames your gaming PC can produce.
Understanding these can help you decide which components matter most when choosing or upgrading a system.
1. Graphics Card (GPU)
Your graphics card is responsible for rendering the visual elements of your games.
In graphically demanding titles, the GPU is often the main factor limiting FPS.
Higher resolutions, detailed textures, complex lighting and effects such as ray tracing can place substantial demands on your graphics card.
2. Processor (CPU)
Your processor handles important game calculations, including simulation, game logic and instructions used to prepare frames.
Some games place particularly heavy demands on the CPU, especially when you’re targeting very high FPS.
Even an extremely powerful graphics card can be limited by a processor that can’t prepare frames quickly enough.
This is one reason why balanced gaming PC configurations matter.
3. RAM
RAM helps your computer store and access data required by games and other applications.
Insufficient RAM can contribute to stuttering and inconsistent performance.
However, simply increasing capacity beyond what your system needs won’t necessarily improve average FPS.
If you’re unsure how much memory you need, take a look at our guide to 16GB vs 32GB vs 64GB RAM for gaming.
4. Gaming Resolution
The resolution you play at can significantly affect GPU workload.
For example, 4K contains four times as many pixels as 1080p.
All else being equal, rendering more pixels generally requires more graphics processing power.
This is why a gaming PC might achieve excellent FPS at 1080p but considerably lower frame rates at 4K.
We’ve covered this in more detail in our 1080p vs 1440p vs 4K Gaming guide.
5. Graphics Settings
Settings such as shadows, reflections, lighting, draw distance and ray tracing can have a significant impact on performance.
Reducing demanding settings can improve FPS, sometimes without dramatically affecting visual quality.
Many competitive players deliberately use lower graphics settings to prioritise performance and visibility.
What About DLSS, FSR and Frame Generation?
Modern graphics technologies can help improve gaming performance.
NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR include upscaling techniques that allow supported games to render at a lower internal resolution before producing an image suitable for your display.
This can reduce rendering workload and improve performance, although image quality varies depending on the technology, settings and game.
Frame generation is slightly different.
In supported configurations, it creates additional frames between conventionally rendered frames to improve displayed motion smoothness.
However, generated frames aren’t equivalent to fully rendered game frames when evaluating responsiveness.
That’s why it’s important to distinguish between native rendering performance, upscaled performance and frame-generated FPS when comparing graphics cards or gaming PCs.
How Much FPS Do You Actually Need?
There’s no single answer that works for everyone.
Your ideal FPS depends on the games you enjoy, your monitor and how much you’re willing to spend.
Here’s our general recommendation.
Casual and Single-Player Gaming
Suggested target: 60-120 FPS
For story-driven games, exploration and casual gaming, a consistent 60 FPS can provide an excellent experience.
Higher frame rates are welcome, but visual quality may be a bigger priority.
General Multiplayer Gaming
Suggested target: 120-144 FPS
If you regularly play online multiplayer games, a higher frame rate can make movement feel smoother and controls more responsive.
This is a great target for players who enjoy a mixture of competitive and casual gaming.
Competitive Gaming
Suggested target: 144-240 FPS or higher
For competitive shooters and esports titles, high FPS can offer useful benefits.
Players using 240Hz or faster monitors may want to prioritise achieving consistently high frame rates, even if that means reducing graphics settings.
Remember, these are guidelines rather than requirements. A good gaming experience is about consistent performance, not simply reaching the highest number possible.
Average FPS vs 1% Lows: What’s the Difference?
When comparing gaming PC performance, you may encounter more than one FPS measurement.
Average FPS measures the average frame rate achieved during a test.
It’s useful for understanding general performance, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
1% low FPS is a supplementary metric intended to highlight slower portions of gameplay. Its exact calculation can differ between benchmarking methods.
For example, two systems might deliver similar average FPS while one experiences more noticeable frame-time spikes and stuttering.
This is why consistent performance matters just as much as headline FPS figures.
A gaming PC that delivers a stable, smooth experience can feel better than one with a higher average frame rate but frequent interruptions.
How MK Rigs Helps You Compare Gaming Performance
Choosing a gaming PC can be confusing, particularly when you’re trying to work out how different configurations will perform in your favourite games.
That’s why we’ve developed a gaming performance feature for supported MK Rigs systems.
It provides estimated average FPS across popular games and resolutions, helping you compare gaming PC configurations before making a purchase.
Our featured games include:
- Call of Duty
- Fortnite
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- EA Sports FC 26
You can explore estimated performance at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, depending on the game and available data.
How Are Our FPS Estimates Calculated?
Our estimates use a structured methodology based on published performance testing and carefully selected reference data.
Where suitable primary benchmark data is available, we use a standardised approach to estimate performance across supported hardware configurations.
When primary data isn’t sufficient, we use a secondary methodology based on curated performance sources.
The aim is to provide a useful comparison between gaming PCs, rather than promise an exact FPS result.
Actual performance can vary depending on graphics settings, game updates, drivers, hardware configuration and other factors.
We also recommend treating our figures as estimated average FPS, rather than guaranteed minimum frame rates.
Choosing the Right Gaming PC for Your FPS Goals
If you’re shopping for a new gaming PC, we’d recommend starting with three questions:
- Which games do you play most often?
- What resolution and refresh rate does your monitor support?
- Are you more interested in maximum FPS or higher graphical quality?
Your answers will help determine which processor and graphics card combination makes the most sense.
For example, someone focused on competitive gaming at 1080p may have very different hardware priorities from someone playing visually demanding single-player games at 4K.
The best gaming PC isn’t necessarily the one that delivers the highest FPS in every benchmark.
It’s the one that gives you the performance you want, in the games you actually play, at a price that works for you.
Ready to Find Your Next Gaming PC?
Whether you’re chasing high frame rates in competitive games or looking for smooth, immersive gameplay at higher resolutions, MK Rigs can help you find a configuration that suits your needs.
Explore our range of gaming PCs, compare estimated gaming performance and choose a system built around the games you love.
