The acronym FPS stands for frames per second and refers to the number of images (frames) displayed per second. We have all seen the old-school movie reel, all divided into short individual frames. When played consecutively, at the right speed, this delivers decent movie footage.
Despite the change to video and digital video, we still use the term FPS. This determines the quality and detail of the movie. The question remains, however, how does your monitor affect FPS?
What is Frame Rate?
If you can picture a movie or any video format made up of individual frames, one can understand that the more frames used will result in better quality and accuracy. The detail and clarity will be better and there will be minimal to no lag. This will not be a viable option if the frame rate (FPS) is not fast enough.
Many budget cameras and related devices have a lower FPS as these as less expensive to develop and build. In the same way, many monitors and devices deliver a higher or lower FPS.
The standard is set by the SMPTE or “ Society of Motion Picture and Television Editors”
If it is top-quality you are after, here are the best monitors for fps games.
FPS vs. Hz
The refresh rate of a monitor is measured in Hertz (Hz). When viewing action gaming monitors it is normal to compare the FPS. So, the faster the better but that is not the full story. There is more to it.
In most modern games and graphics, what counts is the power of your CPU and GPU. These two need to work in harmony to deliver quality images, graphics, and video. The best monitor in the world will not display correctly with the computer hardware backing it up. The display ports also play a role and can limit the refresh rate.
If you need a compact quality monitor, take a look at the Best 24 Inch Monitors for Gaming.
Frame rate vs refresh rate
These two terms are often confused. They are different. As explained above, the FPS, or frame rate, is the speed at which your display will show each frame. This is important, especially in detailed modern movies or high-speed games. This is largely dependent on the processing power of the PC or device.
While the FPS is important, so too is the refresh rate. If you have a high FPS but a low refresh rate, the quality will be reduced. It will not matter how many frames there are as the refresh rate will not allow you to appreciate them.
Check out The Best 32 Inch Monitors for Gaming.
Response time
This refers more to color accuracy and quality. It is a measure of how quickly the monitor can change as colors change on the media being viewed. It is, in most environments, less important than the refresh rate and other factors.
You are unlikely to notice the difference between two monitors with a slightly different response time. The faster, the better, yes. It does improve quality and accuracy but is not a critical factor. It has no relevance to FPS.
How does the monitor fit into all of this?
So, back to the original question, while we have learned the CPU, GPU, display ports, and refresh rate are all important, you still need a quality monitor with a high FPS rate. Provided that all the other factors are aligned, this will give you the best gaming or viewing experience. This is especially important for fast action games that are graphic-intensive.
Does size matter?
Yes, size always matters. It will give you a larger perspective to view. In terms of FPS, however, it has no impact. The size of the screen and the FPS are not related.
What about multiple screens?
When operating with multiple screens the ideal is to have all with a similar size, resolution, FPS, refresh rate, and other factors. If not, it is possible to tweak the settings on your OS to make them work in harmony.
Final thoughts
There are many factors to consider when investing in a monitor. The size, resolution, and refresh rate are all important. If you really want to appreciate fast-paced action games then the frames per second are also relevant. This does require, however, that you have all the other requirements in terms of power and speed that we discussed above.
Happy gaming.
This article was last updated on May 6, 2022 .
