What is the relation between LCD's refresh rate and fps in game?

[ngbaohung]

Hello everybody. I have a LCD that's refresh rate is 60Hz. Why we need powerful VGAs with high fps in reviews while the LCD can display only 60fps. For eg., while playing Counter-Strike:Source the game show me the current fps is ~ 300, so we have 240 in excess?
Could you please explain it sorry for my noobs question and my bad English

 

[2DividedbyZero]

refresh rates only come in effect with vsync enabled i.e

60Hz screen vsynced = 60FPS*

60Hz screen no vsync = FPS max your card can do

vsync usually helps reduce screen tear with low FPS



* as long as your card can manage 60 FPS

 

[TheMailMan78]

What is the relation between LCD's refresh rate and fps in game?

Heterosexual most of the time. However if you get screen tearing it can turn quite gay.

 

[2DividedbyZero]

meh

 

[ngbaohung]

refresh rates only come in effect with vsync enabled i.e

60Hz screen vsynced = 60FPS*

60Hz screen no vsync = FPS max your card can do

vsync usually helps reduce screen tear with low FPS



* as long as your card can manage 60 FPS

But the monitor can display only 60fps, then if I do not turn on v-sync will the monitor display full fps my card can do (> refresh rate)? If it won't, so the 60fps is similar to 300fps?

 

[2DividedbyZero]

Hz and FPS have no direct realtionship unless you use VSync

a 60Hz screen can display 300FPS

VSync limits your FPS to the screen refesh rate (Hz) be it 60, 120, 240 Hz etc etc


you only need to worry about vsync when your card cannot display at the same rate, i.e 60Hz + vsync + low end gpu then depends on whether you are double or triple buffered.>>>

examples:

1. 60Hz + vsync + low end gpu double buffered, then cuts the FPS in half from 60 to 30 FPS

2. 60Hz + no vsync + low end gpu = 57 FPS (for example) then you will see screen tearing

3. 60Hz + vsync + low end gpu triple buffered = 40 FPS

4. 60Hz + no vsync + mid range gpu = 70 FPS (may see some tearing, but probably not)

5. 120Hz + no vsync + v high gpu = 400 FPS (we can all dream of this ideal world )




further edit, vsync can look very bad when using this example:

your average FPS in COD is say 62 FPS, but you get screen tearing, so you enable vsync.

your FPS is now locked at 60, but you are using double buffering so, as soon as you encounter a heavy scene and your FPS drop just below 60, the vsync db will forcibly cut your FPS to 30, and getting this 60-30-60-30 jump can really mess with your eyes, which is why they introduced triple buffering, which will give you 40-60-40-60 jump, not as noticeable but still a royal pain in the A (and eyes)

so if you have a good gpu which can give you a high average FPS, then you don't need to enable vsync as you don't see screen tearing.

60Hz means nothing in LCD terms - in CRT terms people hated vsync because 60Hz on a CRT was P A I N F U L E X T R E M E!!!!111one


(thats how I understand it)

 

[ngbaohung]

Thanks for your responses, this is the big help for me

 

[RejZoR]

It only changes this fact.

If you use 60Hz (default for most LCD's) with V-Sync means you'll lock games to 60 fps.
If you use 75Hz with V-Sync it means that games will be locked to 75 fps which is usually smoother if you have a high end gfx card. It doesn't do anything special to monitor itself...