Does Lower Resolution Increase FPS

As a gamer, the activity that should be fun and recreational (gaming) can turn into a sad and provocative event if you don’t have the graphical tools for that incredible FPS. If you have reduced your resolution to the lowest level but still have not gotten the desired frames, the question in your mind would be, “Does lower resolution increase FPS”?

You get more FPS when you reduce the resolution. When you reduce your game’s resolution, the graphics processor processes less information and can process more frame data concurrently. However, you may decide not to reduce the resolution for higher FPS unless you have severe FPS lag in-game. 

What is the essence of FPS and resolution, and how do they affect your gaming experience? Keep reading.

What Is FPS – What You Need To Know

FPS means “Frame-Per-Second.” For starters, it means the number of images showing on the screen per second to form an animation. The more frames displayed on the screen, the more information you get as a gamer. 

Does Lower Resolution Increase Fps

For instance, in old games, you would notice the sudden appearance of enemies or opponents on the screen instead of them walking in; that is a result of low frame rates. The fewer the frames displayed per second, the fewer the “tweens,” according to videographers. The “tweens” refer to the images between essential stages of the animation.

Here is a case study; if you show a one-second animation of a man walking forward, a 60 FPS image will display 60 distinct images. Conversely, a 15 FPS animation will display 15 different images. More tweens mean more information displayed.

How Does Lowering Resolution Increase FPS?

The resolution describes the number of pixels your GPU will adhere to. For example, 1920 x 1080 is 2073600 pixels, changing multiple times in a second to give you the best gaming experience.  If the resolution reduces to 720p, you will have 921600 pixels; this means the pixels have dropped from over 2 million to less than a million. 

In such situations, your GPU will display half the pixel it would have rendered if it was 1080p. Since the GPU now displays fewer pixels per second, you will get more frames per second. As a result, you will get incredible performance, stability, and overall excellent gaming performance, especially if your game has a GPU bottleneck. 

Isn’t this the best answer to “Does lower resolution increase FPS”?

Sometimes, Resolutions Do Not Matter

As a gamer, you need to know that there are two types of bottlenecks. The GPU bottleneck describes where your GPU has reached the maximum utility level and cannot create more frames. On the other hand, the CPU bottlenecks represent where your GPU is not consuming much, but the CPU is taking it all in.

In the situation described above, lowering the resolution will reduce the FPS. This means you are dumping the load from your GPU on the already-weak CPU, resulting in lower FPS. The best thing to do is increase your resolution, sometimes beyond the standard PC resolution, to force in extra frames using your GPU. 

Additionally, avoid CPU bottlenecks at all costs; in most cases, they are not helpful. GPU bottlenecks are a bit standard and common with most gaming rigs. One of CPU or GPU bottleneck must be present in a system. 

Differences Between Resolution And Frame Rates

The more pixels, the better the photos, hence more details. However, if you add excessive details and pixel information, there will be slow production for enough images. The inability of your PC to quickly process the images produced by your game will result in poor performance and frame lag-in. 

You can sort the situation by reducing the resolution or changing the graphic setup to eradicate hectic processes like shadows and water textures. For clearer understanding, the frame rate is how quickly your PC produces images to create animation, while resolution represents the data contained by each image. 

What To Do When You Have A Low Frame Rate

Are you experiencing a low frame rate while gaming? Below is what you should do;

     1. Shaders And Light Quality

Shaders are the main culprit when it comes to poor graphics card processing. New games now come with dynamic shading that requires extensive processing to use in high definition. You can improve game performance by reducing shaders’ quality and completely taking off the shadows; mind you, it won’t affect the resolution in any way. 

Some gamers often prefer playing with the shaders off; they claim to see the game clearer without the shaders since it makes things darker. Reducing the lighting quality also fosters better performance since switching between light colors and quality is hectic.

    2.Anti-Aliasing

It is a graphic process involving line smoothening and visual distortion reduction. Several anti-aliasing processes go into game design, and several forms of anti-aliasing offer better game performance irrespective of the PC. Altering the anti-aliasing setting or switching it off to get more frames will cause anti-aliasing software malfunction. 

    3. V-Sync

V-sync stands for “Vertical sync,” a software process that ensures the game matches your frame rate to your PC’s refresh rate. The refresh rate represents the speed at which your PC crates more images to display. The more ideas your monitor can create, the higher the frames it can produce per second.

The V-sync necessitates that your PC does extra work by matching the frame rate with your computer’s refresh rate. The operation of the V-sync will affect your game’s performance because your graphics card and CPU are strained from performing extra functions. 

Hence, image production will become slower because the CPU and graphic card oversee the creation of the images simultaneously to match the refresh rate. 

    4. Motion Blur

If I were to share my opinion, I would hate motion blur, especially when moving the camera in a game. It has no relevance apart from adding extra workload to the graphics processor. The safest thing is to turn it off when necessary. Motion blur complicates game processing on your PC and blurs out what you see while moving the camera, especially in action games. 

Hence, poor gaming experience. For a better gaming experience, turn the motion blur off.

     5. FOV

This stands for Filed Of View and can also lower your performance. A high field of view forces your graphics processor to process more images since a higher FOV provides more information about the surroundings. 

The FOV is an advantage and a necessity, especially for games like Counterstrike, where you need to see the whole surroundings as enemies can show up anytime from anywhere. 

How To Know When To Reduce Or Increase The Resolution For More FPS

The best way is through “Trial and error.”  First, check your GPU bottleneck, then reduce the resolution to half what it was. 

You May Also Ask

  • Does Lower Resolution Increase FPS?

Reducing resolution always provides more FPS while gaming. Lowering the resolution means the graphics card will only render a few pixels, reducing its workload to produce frames more quickly and effectively. 

  • How Much FPS Increase Will The Resolution Reduction Provide?

The level of FPS increase caused by resolution reduction is determined by several factors, such as your PC’s hardware specification and the game you are playing. Reducing resolution will improve FPS significantly, especially if you are experiencing poor gaming experience while on high resolution. 

  • Are There Any Disadvantages To Lowering Resolutions For More FPS?

Lowering resolution can increase FPS, but the process has some disadvantages, and the most common one is that it reduces visual quality. It causes the game to display fewer details. 

  • Is There Another Way To Increase FPS Apart From Resolution Reduction?

Depending on your game and hardware settings, there are other ways to increase FPS. You can also increase FPS by reducing graphics settings such as shadows. Another option is to avoid features like V-sync and anti-aliasing. 

  • Does Reducing Resolution Guarantee A Better Gaming Experience?

Reducing resolution will increase FPS, hence, a smooth gaming experience. However, it does not guarantee a better gaming experience in all instances. 

Final Thoughts

Does lower resolution increase FPS? Yes, it does, especially if you have GPU bottlenecks. With CPU bottleneck, reducing resolution will reduce the FPS. Not being able to play your game with all its sweet features and settings may be frustrating, but reducing them can improve your experience until you get a new graphic card.

Read Related:

Good Idle CPU Temp – What You Should Know

CPU Bottleneck Fix – Effective Solution

Bottlenecking In PC – What You Need To Know

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