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Top-of-the-line enthusiast gaming PCs are built for raw performance, boasting technical specifications with far more horsepower than the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, opening up a wealth of gameplay options unavailable to console owners. If you fancy gaming at 2.5K, or 4K, at 60fps, 120fps or even higher, the PC is the only format with the flexibility and scalability to deliver. But that's not to say that the console-standard 30fps isn't a good fit for certain hardware specs, or specific titles. In a wealth of scenarios, limiting frame-rate can result in a markedly smoother gameplay experience. There's just one problem - only the tiniest minority of PC games actually offer the option to run at a lacked 30fps.Most PC games only have one frame-rate limiter available: turning v-sync on. This attempts to synchronise gameplay with the refresh rate of the display, in most cases limiting your system to 60fps. Out of the box, the only alternative is to disengage v-sync, allowing the game to run completely unlocked. There's no synchronisation with the display, meaning that frames are delivered as soon as the GPU finishes rendering them. This usually takes place as the screen is still refreshing, producing screen-tear, and a wholly inconsistent performance profile - input lag and visual feedback vary from moment to moment, often producing a sub-par experience.
Locking at 30fps is the solution often favoured by console developers - but why cut your potential frame-rate in half on a platform that offers so much flexibility? Why not settle on something like 40 or 45fps? The problem here is that 60 screen refreshes per second cannot be equally divided by 40 or 45 frames. Some frames stay on-screen for longer than others, resulting in off-putting judder. Locking to 30fps ensures that each rendered frame persists for two screen refreshes and presents with no screen-tear whatsoever. Combine that with a decent motion blur implementation and you have a good, consistent presentation. To find out more about why 30fps is sometimes the best option, check out our dedicated article that addresses the topic directly - do higher frame-rates always mean better gameplay?.
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