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Does V-Sync Lower FPS & What to Do to Improve it

Great visuals and high FPS? Is it possible?

4 min. read

Published onAugust 7, 2024

published onAugust 7, 2024

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To fix various driver issues on your PC, you will need a dedicated tool to find the freshest and the original drivers. You can use PC HelpSoft Driver Updater to do it in 3 easy steps:

Apart from speed and low latency, visuals are everything in a game so you would understand why enabling V-Sync enhances the appearance.

While vsync has its benefits like preventing screen tearing and overall appearance, it has its downsides which could also tank the performance of your game. To optimize your gaming, you need to get the right balance and tweak these settings for the best performance.

Does V-Sync ruin FPS?

Does V-Sync ruin FPS?

V-Sync works hand in hand with your monitor’s refresh rate. So whenever you’re playing a game and you want to enable V-Sync, you can only go as far as your monitor’s refresh rate will let you.

If you’re trying to max out your refresh rate, your monitor must be capable of running the desired rate otherwise, you’ll just end up with ablack screen.

For instance, my display’s maximum refresh rate is 60Hz. This means any game I play will be capped at an FPS of 60 regardless of whether it can go higher. So if a game has a higher FPS, enabling V-Sync forces it to remain at a lower FPS and even if my monitor is capable of going up, it cannot.

The game’s output will in turn be affected because its FPS has been forced to drop. The consequences of this may manifest in widespreadlagging and stuttering in games.

How do I enable V-sync?

How do I enable V-sync?

1. Nvidia graphics

2. AMD graphics

What can I do to improve FPS with V-Sync enabled?

1. Update your graphics card driver

2. Lower the resolution

The lower the resolution, the fewer the pixels that the GPU has to handle which in turn means less visual data to be processed hence higher FPS.

3. Lower the graphic settings

Letting Windows decide your graphics preference will optimize your game as it will adjust based on your system resources and hardware capabilities.

A high-end GPU will probably go well with the high-performance setting while a lower-end or older hardware will go with power-saving mode so as not to put too much strain on your GPU by prioritizing frame rates over visuals.

What are the alternatives to V-Sync?

In conclusion, V-Sync is not the enemy here. It does its job pretty well by improving your visual experience but if you don’t have the right hardware to match, you may experience more disadvantages than benefits.

Granted, you will experience reduced FPS in situations where your game exceeds your display’s refresh rate but you can always turn it off to accommodate such cases.

It’s all about understanding your gaming needs and hardware capabilities and then using V-Sync when it best suits the situation at hand.

Furthermore, you can alwaysincrease your FPSwith built-in Window settings or useFPS booster software. Ultimately, there’s no shortage of ways toboost your gamesfor improved overall performance.

Have you used V-Sync before? Did you notice a drop in FPS? Would you keep it on or off? Let us know in the comment section below.

More about the topics:gaming

Claire Moraa

Windows Software Expert

Claire has a knack for solving problems and improving the quality of life for those around her. She’s driven by rationality, curiosity, and simplicity, and always eager to learn more about Microsoft’s products. With a background in teaching and reviewing, she breaks down complex topics into easily understandable articles, focusing mostly on Windows 11, errors, and software.

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Claire Moraa

Windows Software Expert

With a background in teaching and reviewing, she breaks down complex topics into easily understandable articles, focusing mostly on Windows 11 errors.