NVIDIA explains why you need a faster GPU even if you only play esports titles

We always talk about how high refresh rates look more fluid, and how the screens generally feel more responsive. This is true for both smartphone and PC screens. But then again we also consider 60 frames per second (fps) to be the bare minimum when it comes to gaming. But of course, more is better, and NVIDIA put out some objective data on why more frames per second helps you play better.

NVIDIA also very simply explained the difference between FPS and refresh rate. FPS is what your GPU can deliver to your monitor, and refresh rate is how fast your display can show them to you. With that out of the way, let’s see NVIDIA’s data.

With a high-FPS camera, you will see the difference more clearly. When a GPU can deliver a high frame rate into a high refresh rate monitor, you will be able to see more frames, i.e. less jarring transitions between frames. That’s why you get a smoother view with high refresh rate displays.

NVIDIA used an example of a 240 Hz gaming monitor, which is 4x the refresh rate of your average 60 Hz monitor. In one second, you are seeing 4x more frames each second. While our brain is smart enough to just blur out the difference between each frame even at 60 Hz, that blur is what makes the difference between being able to successful track your shot, or just miss entirely.

While we have mostly touched on the monitor, you would need quite an impressive GPU to run games at 240 fps. There’s no point having a 240 Hz monitor if your GPU can only output 60 frames per second. And that’s where NVIDIA comes in with their high-end GPUs. NVIDIA is still the undisputed king of gaming graphics cards right now with their GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.

NVIDIA used 240 Hz monitors to illustrate their point more clearly, but if you use a 144 Hz monitor, you would still be seeing more than double the number of frames than you would on a 60 Hz monitor. Would we recommend getting a 240 Hz monitor over a 144 Hz? Not really, because there are some really awesome features in certain 144 Hz monitors like the ROG Swift PG27UQ that we wouldn’t miss out on just for that faster refresh rate.

You can read more about NVIDIA’s findings here, where they also go into how a higher FPS and refresh rate prevents tearing from being as obvious.

Pokdepinion: Dear Santa… I need a new GPU.