Ping vs Frames Per Second (FPS) in Online Gaming

No excuse for poor online gaming performance will be used more than "it was lag". When game response time is too slow after entering a keyboard command, this term is often used. Other reasons for saying it include failing to take personal responsibility for a lack of skill or a drop in framerate.

Lag has nothing to do with the last two. A poor frame rate has nothing to do with the network, but with your computer, namely high ping, which causes lag. There is still a lack of understanding among gamers regarding the actual cause of the lag they complain about.

There are so many of these occurrences that even the definition has changed: "a noticeable decrease in the speed of an application due to network congestion or insufficient processing power".

Frames Per Second (FPS) vs Ping

Considering lag is a slang term, its meaning is likely to change depending on the whims of the people who use it. To understand what exactly causes lag, we must first understand the differences between frames per second (FPS) and ping.

Understanding the cause of computer performance problems will help you identify and fix them. We can begin by splitting up to discuss what fps and ping are, then applying what we've learned. That way, we can determine why our online gaming sessions are running slowly.

Low Frames Per Second

It is technically incorrect to consider low frames per second (FPS) as lag since it is a computer issue. FPS measures how well your computer can run a game. It indicates how many new images can be created by your computer to create a smooth flowing image in game. 

The higher the frame rate, the smoother the gameplay will be. Images can appear choppy, jerky, or stutter when frames are low. Your computer can generate a maximum number of frames based on a couple of factors.

The specifications of your Computer Processor (CPU), graphics card (GPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), and sometimes the hard drive.

The graphics settings within the game you’re currently playing.

Low FPS occurs when there are more things on screen than your computer can handle. A computer in need of upgrades often occurs when playing more advanced games. A computer might meet all the minimum requirements for a game, but that doesn't guarantee a smooth experience.

If you notice a drop in FPS, it is probably due to your computer trying to render more than it can handle. This problem can be avoided by upgrading one (or all) of the four components mentioned above. During gaming, you can also make sure that no other programs are running in the background so that your computer's processing resources aren't used up.

High Latency

Lag results from a problem with the network in its true definition. High latency, or "ping", is the delay between sending and receiving information. Basically, your ping is the time it takes for the game server to hear what your computer is asking when your network is talking to it.

The same happens when your computer's question is answered by the game server. The time it takes you to receive the answer is also factored into your ping. In total, you will receive a number that represents your ping. Your ping is measured in milliseconds in game, so it appears as ###ms (# being your total).

The higher the ping, the higher the chance of your game time incurring lag. When your computer is located far from the game server's location, your ping is likely to be high. Playing a new eastern MMORPG based in South Korea while living on the east coast of the United States is an example of this. The ping will be higher than usual.

High Ping Indicators

Although your game is experiencing heavy lag, frames per second may still remain high. The game itself may appear smooth when playing a multiplayer game, with all the images displayed correctly. During this time, players may appear stuck, running in place, or appear to be teleporting. There is no "game hack" here (though it isn't totally out of the question), just lag. 

Likewise, you may miss every time you try to shoot someone in a first-person shooter game, even when you're at point blank range. It may be because your latency is so high that, by the time your shot reaches your opponent on your screen, he has already moved on theirs. The actions you've entered on your screen will seem to take longer than they should.

Spikes in lag are also problematic. In multiplayer games, these things are similar to teleporting. When latency spikes, normal walking will seem as though characters are time-jumping.

Improving Your Lag

There aren't many things you can do personally to improve your lagging issue. It would be advisable to change servers, if possible, to one that is physically closer to where you are located. An alternative would be to use only an ethernet connection rather than WiFi. Lagging issues can be caused by slow internet, so increasing your connection speed could resolve the problem.

If you are experiencing lag, it is likely due to a network problem rather than a computer problem. Although they often seem similar, computer performance issues are separate from one another.

Lag and low FPS can appear to be connected

In addition, low FPS and lag can sometimes occur at the same time, further complicating the notion that lag is related to computer performance. This can happen when your game is experiencing both a network response time issue and an image generation issue.

If you enter a large city filled with other players, you can experience both low frames and high ping at the same time in an online mmorpg. There is lag because the server is having trouble keeping up with all that's going on at once while your computer is having trouble generating all the visuals on screen leading to a low FPS.

There may be confusion between gamers as both low FPS and lag have the same cause - too many people in one place at the same time. The large number of players are what is causing both the dip in computer performance and the network issues, not that they are the same thing.

Why This Is Important

If you know the difference between lag and low FPS, you will be able to identify problems and fix them more easily. The FPS and ping of some games can be displayed while playing. If you are experiencing lag in game, you can check your FPS and ping counters to see what has changed. Hopefully, this will alert you to the current problem and, if possible, allow you to resolve it.

Based on your current ping and FPS, you can do the following:

Normal Ping + Normal FPS

• Everything is fine.

High Ping + Normal FPS

• Server lag is possible. Check to see if others on your server are experiencing lag.
• Nothing to complain about? Make sure you're connected to a local server (if applicable). By choosing a separate server from your computer, you've probably already braced yourself for lag occurrences.
• Run a task manager check to see if any networking programs are running in the background that shouldn't. If you can, close them so that network resources are freed up, or wait until they are done.

Normal Ping + Low FPS

If you see a lot of activity on your screen, let your computer catch up.

Programs could also be running in the background, taking up processing resources. You can check the task manager and stop them to see if the performance improves.

High Ping + Low FPS

There are many things that could cause this. There's a problem with both your computer and the network. Maybe it's just an unlucky spike. Wait for it to subside and the values to return to normal, or perform the fixes described in the other sections.