I used to play CS 1.6 on a 60Hz monitor, and 100 FPS felt fast and responsive. Now that I have a 144Hz monitor, playing CS 1.6 with the same 100 FPS cap feels laggy. What causes this difference?
3 Answers
With a 60Hz monitor, your GPU only needs to deliver 60 FPS, which means every 16.67ms the monitor shows a new frame. So even if you reach 100 FPS, the extra frames don’t matter. But on a 144Hz monitor, the GPU is still rendering 100 FPS (a new frame every 10ms), while your monitor is craving a new frame every 6.95ms. This mismatch causes the lag you’re feeling.
It's about render queue latency. You got used to playing with 100 FPS capped at 60Hz, which had less latency. On a 144Hz monitor, if you keep that FPS cap at 100, consider lowering it to around 90. You’ll notice a better response and less lag overall.
In my opinion, refresh rate and FPS go hand in hand. Human eyes can perceive differences above 30 FPS, and if you want to match output with feeling, set your refresh rate to 100Hz for 100 FPS gameplay. Experimenting with various refresh rates and resolutions might help you find the right mix. Also, don’t forget to install the latest drivers for your monitor as they can make a difference!
That "eyes can only see 30 FPS" thing is a myth from back in the console wars, haha!