max fps question

What is the greatest frame rate that you have seen? Also at what frame rate does it not matter anymore? If one player is at 60 fps and one is at 75 fps, does it make a difference in online gaming? I play HL2 DM and I average 23 fps right now( I'm getting a new computer soon) and can't wait to see the difference.

 

1. The greatest I have seen is around 500 fps (Oblivion in-game menu)
2. If it goes over 60 fps
3. No. But if one is at 23 and one is at 60, then yes, it does.

 

i get over 950fps on age of empires rise of rome lol. Even though laptop monitors of are usually capped at 60fps, I think that you will still see a difference higher than that.

This is because I've noticed that whenever I enable vsync and cap the framerate at 60, it doesn't seem at smooth as when i just let the game run at 80fps+. (even though theres alot of tearing)

It depends on the game too i guess. For example, my FIFA 2007 is capped at 60fps, but doesnt seem as smooth FEAR Combat at 40fps sometimes. kinda weird, i dunno.

 

Deeper explanation.
Aything under 60 fps than you are going to notice small lags f u have good vision and brain, and same for over 60 fps your brain won't be able to register it so doesnt really matter if 100Fps or 60. 25 is minimum playable under that eyes get tired and strained at least mine and you will be fast shot down if u play action games.

 

You will see a large difference between the game at 23FPS (I honestly don't know how you are playing at that low of a framerate) and at 30+ FPS. 30FPS is generally regarded as the minimum FPS needed for smooth gameplay. Ideally you want to have 50-60FPS.
One of the most important playability factors for an FPS game is the FPS range you are getting. If the framerate is all over the place (90FPS in some spots, yet 25FPS in others, changing in seconds notice) then you're not going to have that great of an experience. I do my best to keep the majority of the framerates between 40 and 60. That way you get a consistent gaming experience.

 

Also, the framerate needed for smooth playing depends on the game. Some look smooth at lower framerates than others. If you've got a lot of details, it'll be harder to play at low rates. But if it's a slow moving mist or fog, it'll look fluid at even low framerates.

 

Yes, it is discouraging to play when it drops to 9-12 range!! That's why I'm getting excited about my new computer with a 8600gt vs my old 64 meg ati radion 300 express!! Thank you for the input.

 

movies are played at 24 FPS, and they run smoothly, so above that will be very clear and fun

 

As for online gaming, which I'm surprised nobody's touched on, it the alignment of hitboxes and their relation to latency and framerate. In CSS, you'll suck if you play at 60FPS and 80+ ping. At anything between 30 and 60 FPS, sometimes if it's a fast game, where the bullets go doesnt line up with what you see on the screen.

 

movies and game FPS are not the same. At all.

 

You don't need to control the view in movies, and movies blur each frame into the next.

 

I play Tomb Raider Legend with everything on high and Next Gen content on. It only runs at around 15FPS average, but still looks smooth. Playing with a controller or mouse really makes a difference too. Using a mouse at 15FPS is awful, slow and sluggish.. However a controller feels naturally smooth.

 

Movies and video games "render" scenes much much differently. Every frame of a movie is a continuous blur (just try pausing a movie during an action scene - you'll barely be able to make out the details). This blending together tricks your brain into believing that 24 FPS appear to be one fluid motion.

Video games on the other hand render each frame distinctly - pause the game during an action scene and you'll see the entire scene is crystal clear. The frames don't blend together, so you need a lot more of them (60 is preferred for fast action games) to convince your brain that what you're looking at is in motion.

Of course, more and more games are including real-time motion blur (Medal of Honor: Airborne, Gears of War, Crysis, etc.) so this will become less of a problem in the future.

 

why couldnt they do that with games before? too much processing power?

 

There are other considerations as well. I can hold over 60 fps at all times, with a ping of below 40, on my desktop on Case's wired network. Unfortunately, they apply packet shaping during peak usage times, which means that CS:S is nearly unplayable - I can be shot before I even see or hear my attacker's gun fire. This is because my "Loss" and "Choke" hold continuously at 1 or 2, despite a ping of 30-something and 100+ FPS.

 

Movies have real life motion blur which make up for the lesser framerate. Your brain can fill in the gaps.

With PC games, each frame is distinctly rendered. Usually a minimum of 30 fps is the threshhold for most, but some people find that they need much higher fps to be deemed "acceptable".

It all depends on the game. C&C 3 is capped at 30fps, but it doesn't matter much since it isn't really a fast action shooter. Personally in most cass for me, anything over 30 is acceptable. I am surprised usually when I play a game and think it is smooth, and then run FRAPS later and find out it averages at around 30fps.