FPS

What Is FPS

Frame rate = Frames/Time(second), and FPS, full name Frame Per Second, is the unit used to express the frame rate.

If an animation plays 20 images in 1 second, then we can call the frame rate of the animation 20FPS.

The Importance of FPS

In general, the more static images that are refreshed in a second, i.e. the higher the FPS, the smoother the view will be. On the contrary, the human eye can directly see the flickering and incoherence of the screen. Therefore, frame rate greatly affects the style of the video and people's viewing experience.

Different frame rates result in different watching experiences, and choosing a frame rate usually means considering a variety of factors, including whether the video needs to be realistic or whether techniques such as slow motion or motion blur effects are used in post-production.

For example, movies are usually shot at 24FPS because this frame rate is more similar to the real world and creates a cinematic look. Games, on the other hand, require a higher FPS to keep the gameplay smooth and the graphics crisp.

Influencing Factors

Chasing higher FPS is redundant when limited by your monitor's refresh rate and your graphics card's power. The graphics card draws static images and outputs them to the monitor, each picture is a frame. Then the monitor displays these pics, and the number of images it can refresh per second is its refresh rate.

So, let's suppose you need 200 FPS to play a shooter game, but the monitor can only display 60 pictures per second, so you'll only end up experiencing a frame rate of 60 FPS.

Also, Higher FPS increases the graphics card's workload with the same resolution. The graphics card processes every pixel for gaming or video playback, and its power is determined by the product of screen resolution and frame rate.

If you are watching a movie with 24FPS and 1024 x 768 resolution, then the amount of pixels your graphics card needs to process in one second is 1024 x 768 x 24 = 18874368.

But when you play Overwatch, assuming that the minimum frame rate required for the game to run smoothly is 60FPS, the minimum amount of pixels your graphics card needs to process in one second is 1024×768×60=47185920.

Therefore, when you go for high FPS, your graphics card may malfunction or get damaged because it can't handle that much data.

Scenarios for Different FPS

24FPS

Best used for movies or streaming video content.

30FPS

Live TV broadcasts such as sports and news use this frame rate to improve video quality. It's ideal for displaying clear and real-time footage.

60FPS

The higher frame rates available with 4K resolution provide stunning detail and smoothness for gaming videos and action movie recordings.

Above 60FPS

Games often require a higher frame rate than video to achieve the same level of smoothness. Generally, 60FPS is the accepted standard for smoothness in gaming, but gamers crave Higher FPS and Lower Pings.