How to Reduce Input Lag for Better FPS

What Is Input Lag and Why It Matters in FPS Games

Input lag is basically the delay between your actions and computer performance. For example, when you click a mouse button but it delays for the two to three second and then the click is displayed on the screen so such kind of delays with respect to the mouse keyboard or any other input device is basically called the lag. I’m giving you example of very bigger figures but lag is also in milliseconds and yes it affects the performance of your computer.

Most advanced systems have minimized the lags and it is totally the instant click on the screen as we have clicked the mouse button and these little little things ruins the performance which causes delay and could result in the failure of the system and does not give a smoother gameplay.

Common Causes of Input Lag in PC and Console Gaming

There are many reasons for input lag in PC and also in-case of the Console gamers, but most common ones are stated below. For example,

• Hardware bottlenecks
• Display latency
• Wireless devices
• Poor optimization
• Slow internet connection
• Less specifications

Adjust In-Game Graphics Settings for Optimal FPS

If we talk about the graphics setting, then we can say it is 50% responsible for lagging of a system. Basically the system is not so powerful and the graphics settings are optimized for the powerful system then this  gap difference makes the users uncomfortable and is responsible for delay.

For most of the systems, you should off the lower shadows, anti-aliasing, post-processing, and all that related things which makes the game interface awesome but actually affects performance. So do off them if your system is not performing well. The other solutions are to upgrade your system.

Reduce Background Processes and System Load

According to the experts opinion, the 30% reason behind the system’s delay is because of the background running processes. Sometimes we are downloading some kind of a video or playing background music and other such things which frequently reduces the FPS of the system and results in the lag.

Actually, these things should be sorted out as soon as possible to reduce the system’s delay which helps us to improve our gaming experience and get better results. And many other times we are also using the background apps like we have opened any kind of a editor or we have given the hotspot or taking the Wi-Fi and others.

The necessities shouldn’t be turned off but the things that are extra like playing songs while gaming and other kind of things, then these should be completely turned off while gaming to get a very good FPS rate.

Choose the Right Display Cable and Port

Some of the times, because of the lack of knowledge, the lagging of the system also occurs because of the wrong choice of the display cables and ports. We buy a very good system, a very good display device, but we use the low quality cables which is just wasting our time and gives the bad performance experience.

At least go for the 1.4 or higher frame rates cables and discuss the HDMI versions, port standards, cheap cables are just like a sleeve snakes, so don’t go with these. Spend money one time and enjoy the better gaming experience.

Input Lag and FPS Optimization Comparison Table

Setting/Method	Input Lag Reduction	FPS Improvement	Difficulty Level	Works on PC	Works on Console	Cost	Time to Implement	Visual Impact	Effectiveness Rating
Enable Game Mode on Display	High	None	Very Easy	Yes	Yes	Free	2 minutes	None	Very High
Disable V-Sync	Very High	Medium	Very Easy	Yes	Limited	Free	1 minute	Minor (possible tearing)	Very High
Lower Graphics Settings	Medium	Very High	Easy	Yes	Limited	Free	5 minutes	Moderate	Very High
Update Graphics Drivers	Medium	High	Easy	Yes	No	Free	10 minutes	None	High
Enable Reflex/Anti-Lag	Very High	Low	Easy	Yes	No	Free	1 minute	None	Very High
Close Background Apps	Low-Medium	Medium	Very Easy	Yes	Limited	Free	3 minutes	None	Medium
Use Wired Connection	High	None	Easy	Yes	Yes	Low ($10-30)	5 minutes	None	High

 

Calibrate Mouse and Controller Settings

Professionals suggest that when we haven’t calibrated the mouse, controller, joystick, or any kind of input device, then it also results in the lagging of a system, low FPS, and a bad gaming performance. Basically, these devices are a kind of a sword for us in the computer gaming. Without these, we cannot play the games on the computer. So, for this reason, we must be-aware of these things.

We must encourage the gamers to read the fine-tune, DPI, polling rate, sensitivity, and other optimal options for maintaining a better experience. Higher polling rates are 1000 Hz that slightly reduce the input delay, but it also matches and is dependent according to your system’s performance.

Also cover the controller dead zones, reduce input response, calibration within the game, as well as with the device settings. These play a very much important role in the performance of a system. So, do think for these kind of problems and make the necessary solutions.

Maintain System Health and Cooling

Furthermore, due to the warm weather conditions and heating of the systems, the delay also occurs. We should use the liquid cooling systems, cooling fans, and air conditions for maintaining the system’s temperature low.

In most of the cases, we have noticed that the temperature got so high that everything got burned. So, this is the first step in order to avoid any kind of a mishap, any kind of a problem, and this will also help you in maintaining your system’s FPS. Dust buildup also causes problems so get rid of  this too. You should update your BIOS and use tools like MIS, Afterburner, Stable Performances, and ETC to optimize your system regularly.

Conclusions

At last I would say that first of all cool down your system, then physically clean your system, then use different types of a software as explained above. This would help in lowering your system’s lag which is hunting your FPS. These are basically the main remedies to enhance your system’s FPS so go for it and enjoy the performance of your enhanced system.