When building a PC there are many different parts that affect the FPS. However, some affect the FPS more than others.
In this article, we will talk about what PC parts affect FPS the most and which parts you should worry about upgrading first in order to enhance your PC’s performance.
So, what PC part affects FPS the most?
The GPU directly affects the FPS being displayed on your screen. The faster the graphics on your screen get updated, the faster FPS you will have. The CPU also plays a role in increasing FPS because it needs to be on par with GPU performance to prevent bottlenecks.
This shows that even though your GPU/graphics card is the main component in your computer that increases FPS, it is not the only part that matters.
The other parts of your PC can help assist your GPU so that you can squeeze the most FPS out of your game.
How Much Do Graphics Cards Affect FPS?
By far a good graphics card can enhance your FPS a lot and it is the most important computer part when it comes to gaming and performance.
The reason for this is that the graphics card is made to display graphics onto your computer screen.
When you have movement and videos involved, they can only move as fast as your graphics update. That is why having a good graphics card is important.
A good graphics card will allow your displayed graphics to update faster granting a higher FPS.
This is why a graphics card directly correlates with your FPS.
FPS stands for frames per second. The frames are what is displayed on your computer screen and every time your graphics card updates your screen it changes to the next frame.
If your graphics card can only update the graphics 60 times a second then you will be capped to 60 frames per second.
However, if your graphics card updates 120 times a second then you will be able to run your game at 120 frames per second.
Having a good graphics card will allow your game’s graphics to display much faster causing an FPS increase.
Even if your other computer components are high-end they won’t be able to perform past the speed of your graphics card because they will become bottlenecked to your graphics card’s speed.
An example of this is if you have a high-end CPU that can produce up to 150 FPS. If your graphics card is only able to display 60 FPS, then you will only be able to see and use 60 FPS, and your CPU will be bottlenecked by the graphics card.
So even though it is important to have well-performing PC components, if your graphics card isn’t able to display what your CPU, RAM, or Monitor is able to display then you won’t see the FPS increase.
How Much Do CPUs Affect FPS?
Your CPU does have a major role in increasing computer FPS, but you need it to work side-by-side with your GPU.
Although the CPU doesn’t have as big of an impact on FPS as your GPU does, having a high-performance CPU will still aid in performance especially if you are playing a CPU-intensive game.
You should check out: “How Much Does Your CPU Affect FPS When Playing a Game?” If you want a more in-depth explanation.
Many game developers build games that focus on using more power from the CPU than the GPU. Even still your GPU plays the main part in increasing FPS, but a good CPU will allow you to play these types of games at an even higher FPS and boost your performance.
While the GPU works on displaying characters, events, and movements on your screen. The CPU works in the background to make characters move, attack, and give objects properties such as collision properties, or barriers in a game.
Without the CPU your character wouldn’t be able to move or interact with anything on your screen.
Once the GPU knows what your CPU is doing to the characters and environment in the game it can then display it on your screen.
This is why it is very important to have a good CPU, so it can execute these movements and interactions in the background so it can be displayed faster and smoother on your screen, increasing your game’s FPS.
If your CPU is underperforming, then it won’t be able to execute these tasks in time for your GPU to display them, causing a CPU bottleneck, this is why it is very important to get a CPU that is as good or almost as good as your GPU, so you won’t experience this bottleneck.
To learn more about how your CPU affects FPS and performance (click here).
How Much Does RAM Affect FPS?
RAM is another component that plays a role in increasing your FPS and performance in the game.
Although, RAM is not as important to increasing your FPS as a CPU and GPU are. Having a good set of RAM can help squeeze that extra performance you aren’t already getting from your CPU or GPU.
There are a few factors that come into play when buying and installing RAM on your computer.
The first is the amount of RAM you buy and use. With so many different sizes and amounts of RAM, you can buy it can be a tricky decision to decide how much is the best for you.
I would say that the minimum amount of RAM you could get away with in most modern games is about 8GB of RAM. As this is what is usually the recommended minimum for most games.
Higher demanding games will work better with higher amounts of RAM because of the amount of information that is being produced and changed every second.
RAM is used to store temporary memory in whatever program you are using. Having enough RAM to support these games is very important if you want the game to run fast and smooth.
However, you should also note that having too much RAM is possible as well.
If you have too much RAM then you will see no performance benefit when gaming.
Therefore, if you have 32GB of RAM installed on your PC but your game only requires 16GB of RAM, then the game will only use 16GB of RAM. This means that the extra 16GB of RAM you have left in your computer is useless and not doing anything.
You should note that most games can run on 8GB of RAM, but even if that’s the minimum requirement it is recommended to get a little bit more RAM installed on your PC, as the game can fluctuate on the amount of RAM it uses sometimes using 9 or 10GB of RAM.
You should also have extra RAM for background programs on your computer. This is because every program even if it is running in the background still uses some of your RAM memory. So if you have 8GB of RAM, your game is really only using 6GB more or less.
Even if you have no programs running in the background your operating system such as Windows, and Mac needs to use some of your RAM memory in order to run.
So opting for about 16GB will benefit you greatly, and help improve your FPS.
Another way RAM improves FPS is through channels. The way you install your RAM plays a big role in this.
This is because having your RAM in dual-channel mode will allow your RAM to split its productivity into two, giving you more FPS.
If you want to learn more about RAM and Dual-Channel mode here is an article that goes into great detail on How RAM Improves Performance and FPS.
How Much Does Cooling Affect FPS?
Believe it or not, having a good cooling system in your computer can help boost FPS. This is because good cooling can allow your other PC components to work harder without overheating.
The harder and faster a computer part such as the GPU or CPU works, the more heat it produces.
If the cooling system in the PC is not efficient enough to keep up with the amount of heat your PC is producing then your computer parts will start to overheat.
This creates FPS and performance drops, as well as possible damage to your system.
Having a sufficient cooling system will also allow you to overclock your PC.
Overclocking your PC will increase the performance of your computer and FPS by a good amount, and the better your cooling system, the higher you can overclock your PC. Thus, boosting FPS even more.
If you want to know more about overclocking and how it increases performance (click here).
How Much Does Your Monitor Affect FPS?
Next, is your computer monitor.
Yes, your computer monitor can go hand in hand with the amount of FPS you are “seeing” being used on your computer.
Every monitor comes with a different refresh rate. The higher the refresh rate the faster your monitor can refresh the screen.
Similar to the GPU that produces the graphics on your screen. The monitor helps sync those graphics on display and allows them to run smoothly.
If you have a really good system that produces let’s say 120 FPS, but your monitor has a 60Hz refresh rate then only 60 frames will run smooth.
You want your monitor Hz to match the amount of FPS you are getting from the rest of your computer system.
So if you are getting 120 FPS, then you will want a 120Hz refresh rate monitor, that way you are getting the most out of your computer system.
If your refresh rate is too low compared to the FPS you are getting, then you will experience screen tearing.
If your refresh rate is too high compared to the FPS you are getting then the same frame might be refreshed twice. Cutting performance.
Here is an article that goes more in-depth on “The Difference Between Refresh Rate and FPS”
Here is an article that talks more about 60Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz Monitors.
What Part Of Your PC Should You Upgrade First For Better FPS?
You should upgrade your graphics card first in order to get the best FPS gain out of your PC, then your CPU, then your RAM. This is because the graphics card is most important when it comes to FPS.
Your CPU also plays an important role in performance, so that is why you should upgrade it second, and RAM still helps improve FPS, but it is not as significant as your GPU or CPU.
