Why Is My FPS So Low?

FPS (Frame Per Second) is the number of frames shown by your PC in a second.

Regular human vision can be perceived from 30-60fps, but 120fps is also a thing for gaming. Usually, when the FPS of your monitor or display drops below 30fps and the program lags, it’s known as low fps.

FPS getting low can have some reasons, and you can’t always blame your CPU for it. Many other components like the monitor, RAM, and game settings control the fps rate too.

FPS drop can also occur when your PC uses up too much space for doing other tasks assigned by the OS.

When FPS Matters

FPS is the breathing oxygen for all kinds of gamers starting from the single-player offline gamers to the professional streaming gamers. Unless the game has a fixed FPS rate and your PC has the RAM and capability to handle that FPS, it will cause lags and lower FPS to an unbearable rate.

Online Gaming

Online gaming is all about competitive gaming. Playing with a teammate or an opponent who’s also a real person with a stable FPS will give you a massive disadvantage on the battlefield. It’s like shaming yourself online because of using an outdated PC to play high-end game fps properly.

eSports Tournaments

The professional gamers compete in the eSports tournament and require top-notch PCs all the time. If your target is to reach the status of such world-renowned gamers, you need to take FPS seriously and buy a PC that can handle your game fps without hassle.

Live Streaming

Gamers have many platforms like Twitch, Facebook Gaming, YouTube, etc., for streaming games live to their fans and followers. These live streams take up a massive RAM size, so it’s necessary to have enough RAM left to play the game smoothly and not displease the community.

Final Boss Moments

All games have a final boss or enemy that you must defeat to complete the game or a particular stage. Such stages tend to use more fps than regular gameplay because of the additional special effects. This is the crucial moment when stable FPS truly matters in gaming.

Components That Directly Affect FPS

1. GPU: The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) directly affects your entire gaming experience and the overall fps of the game. Having a minimum requirement GPU or below for your desired game will cause sudden fps drops and unbearable lags during gameplay.
2. RAM: Having a sufficient amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) for your PC to run the game smoothly is highly necessary. Current games require 16GB of RAM to run with the highest resolution and stable 60-120fps.
3. Graphics Driver: Graphics drivers are an essential part of your PC graphics and need to be updated from time to time. It provides the OS with the proper settings required to run a certain game properly. Additionally, it includes the fps rate for your game and PC.
4. CPU: Your CPU can have internal problems or go outdated, resulting in failing to play new games smoothly. You need to update your CPU components, such as the cooling fans, motherboard, etc., from time to time. Old or outdated CPU parts will cause fps issues eventually.
5. Monitor: Unless you’re using a laptop, you’ll face problems with the monitor display. Some monitors can’t display above 60fps, which causes lags and fps issues in the gameplay. The problem is easy to solve, but the desire to experience the game smoothly will force you to buy a new monitor.

How to Fix FPS on Your Low-end PC

Your PC has low fps because of a certain problem that affects the game fps directly. Usually, such problems can be fixed easily, and you don’t need to buy new parts to upgrade your low-end PC. Some of those ways are listed below for your convenience.

Firstly, optimize the display and graphics settings of your game. There’s no doubt that your PC cannot handle the pressure of the game. So, lower the game graphics to allow the fps to run smoothly.

Next, check the graphics settings of your GPU. The GPU settings of your graphics card are different from that of your processor. Lower them enough to dissipate the low fps issue slowly. You can eventually find the proper optimization for your PC through trial and error.

Then, try reducing the screen resolution of your monitor. Most games nowadays use 1080p resolution to process the game properly. To stabilize the fps of your PC, you can lower the resolution to 720. Your graphics of the game may look bad, but you will have 30-60fps without facing lags.

In addition to these, try to shut down as many running programs as possible. Windows 10 has a bad habit of running applications in the background, unnecessarily causing RAM deficiency. Terminating these programs will free up RAM and fix your fps issue.

Finally, check your desired game’s anti-aliasing and shadow effects graphics settings. These two settings are responsible for low FPS, and the best way to increase fps is to turn them off completely. Similarly, turn the Anisotropic Filtering setting to bilinear or trilinear for stable fps.

Final Words

If you’re worried that your FPS is low, it probably has something to do with your GPU or RAM. The first thing you should check are these two, then move on to terminating unnecessary programs, optimizing in-game settings, fixing resolution, etc.

FPS is the most important part of any game because it determines how you play and concentrate on the entire game. A game with low resolution and graphics can still give you great storytelling and experience, but a game that lags frequently destroys all concentration and fun.

All in all, FPS should be your most important priority while gaming. So, if you ever face sudden lags or fps drop while gaming, try to fix your PC in the suggestions mentioned above. Have a great game!