Why do some PC games feel much more responsive on my TV than others?
Asked by
MellowPine47
I'm running an RTX 5070 with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D and connecting my PC to a 4K TV over HDMI. The TV is in Game Mode, V-Sync is disabled in the games but enabled globally in the Nvidia app, and Nvidia's global Low Latency Mode is enabled. I use an Xbox controller over Bluetooth.
Some games, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Silent Hill f, and The Last of Us Part II, feel nearly as responsive as a console when Nvidia Reflex is enabled. Other games, including Halo Campaign Evolved, Cyberpunk 2077, and Call of Duty, have very noticeable input delay on the same TV, sometimes making them difficult to play. Lowering the resolution—even as far as 640×480—doesn't seem to fix the issue, and the HDMI cable is connected directly to the GPU rather than the motherboard.
When I connect the PC to my 1440p monitor through DisplayPort, every game feels responsive. Could this be caused by differences in game engines, frame pacing, V-Sync or Reflex behavior, refresh-rate settings, or TV processing? Why would the same system feel so different from one game to another?
Answers
Global Nvidia settings can sometimes create confusing results. Reflex-enabled games generally should be left to manage their own latency settings, while a global Low Latency Mode and forced V-Sync may interact differently depending on the engine. Try a clean test: disable global V-Sync and Low Latency Mode, use the game’s own Reflex option when available, cap the frame rate a few FPS below the TV’s refresh rate, and compare with VRR enabled and disabled. If the delay disappears in one of those combinations, you’ve found a settings interaction rather than a defective TV.
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Some engines simply have higher end-to-end latency. The number shown as FPS doesn’t tell the whole story: input sampling, simulation timing, render-queue behavior, frame pacing, and presentation methods can all differ between games. First-person shooters also make delay easier to notice because you’re constantly making rapid camera adjustments. Compare the TV and monitor at the same refresh rate and frame cap, then use a latency overlay or high-speed camera test if possible. That should show whether the delay is coming from rendering or from the display.
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Bluetooth controller latency may be contributing too, especially in games that already have high internal latency. Try the controller with a USB cable or its wireless dongle and compare. Also verify that the TV is in its actual low-latency Game Mode, that any motion smoothing or picture processing is disabled, and that the HDMI input supports the selected refresh rate. A cable or HDMI-generation limitation usually causes bandwidth problems rather than game-specific latency, but it’s still worth confirming the GPU, cable, TV port, and Windows display settings can all handle the chosen 4K mode.
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The biggest suspects are frame pacing, V-Sync, and the TV’s refresh mode rather than resolution alone. At 60 Hz, one refresh takes about 16.7 ms, and V-Sync can add another frame or more of waiting. A game that is hovering around 50–60 FPS or has uneven frame delivery can therefore feel much worse than another game running at the same average frame rate. Reflex can reduce the render queue, but it can’t completely eliminate latency caused by V-Sync, a slow game engine, or inconsistent frame times. Check that the TV is actually running at its highest supported refresh rate, enable VRR if available, and test with both global V-Sync and in-game V-Sync disabled.
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