Can Motherboard Affect FPS? Each Factor is Explained [2024]

When we talk about gaming, graphics performance becomes the most important factor that no enthusiast wants to compromise. Well, graphics performance means higher resolution, better refresh rate, and adequate fps or frames per second. If we look at the frames per second, it refers to how swiftly the number of frames occurs in a second and provides a smooth view. In other words, the term ‘FPS’ also expresses the quality of a video or game. In short, it’s the most critical graphics component if you don’t want to compromise the quality.

Due to the importance of fps, many users are conscious of can motherboard affect fps or other quality measures. Well, this post is all about the query. A motherboard is one of the essential components, but still, we have to keep several things in mind while choosing it. Therefore, we have tried our best to introduce you to the motherboard, its functionalities, fps, and the relation between fps and motherboard. Whether you’re a gaming enthusiast or not, you must read this post until the end to better know the impact of the board on the graphics quality.

What is FPS? What is a Good FPS for Gaming?

Most of the time, average gamers know about FPS and how it matters to them. FPS is actually a screen’s update rate which means how many times a screen refreshes within a second. Most of the time, 60+ fps is considered good and more than enough to get a smooth gaming output without spending much on a graphics card. The 30fps to 60fps is acceptable but considered laggy and not smooth. Some other first-person shooter gamers recommend 200 FPS. But most of the games can smoothly run on 60 FPS. 

Can Motherboard Affect FPS?

If we look at the relationship between the motherboard and FPS, there is no direct relationship between the motherboard and FPS. But it doesn’t mean that the board doesn’t affect the graphics quality—it does. I mean, a motherboard doesn’t directly impact the fps, but it does that indirectly. If I further simplify the statement, the motherboard helps other components increase the overall performance of the PC, which leads to loading your game faster and providing the best performance. So, a board helps the other components to enhance the fps or graphics output.

Note: For your information, there is still a lot to cover regarding the topic to better understand the importance of motherboards on fps. But even before that, we need to deeply understand the exact function of the mother circuit. Let’s dive deep into the topic!

What does a motherboard actually do?

As per definition, a motherboard is a primary printed circuit board or PCB which is used in most computing devices like laptops, PCs, mobile phones, and others. It holds a wide range of other system components like processing units, memory, storage, and other peripherals to let them communicate properly. In short, a board is like a bridge between different elements to establish stable connections between them. The best quality motherboards can hold heavier components and can let them operate at their true potential.

How does a motherboard affect FPS in gaming?

As I mentioned earlier, a board doesn’t directly impact fps but does that indirectly. For example, if there is a bad-quality board, the different components like CPU, GPU, and RAM won’t be able to operate at their peak and will affect the fps. So, choosing the best motherboard will be better if you build a custom desktop, especially for gaming or creative editing purposes. Therefore, you must keep some motherboard-related factors in your mind so the graphics card, processing unit, and other components can perform well as per requirements. Those factors include:

Chipset

A chipset is like a dedicated processing unit for the motherboard integrated into the mother circuit. It’s the backbone of the board since it establishes the connections between different components that are connected to the mother circuit. In short, you must pay a lot of attention to this tiny part of the board. For your information, you can go for a board with either 400- or 500-series chipset as per your needs. In contrast, if you have an older processor or graphics card, you can work it out with a 300-series chipset.

VRM Design & Overclocking

A voltage regulator module or VRM is used as a perfectly suitable converter and power supplier to the microprocessor and chipset. It converts 3.3 Volts to 12 Volts and supplies according to the needs of the components. It matters for professionals and gamers who like to overclock their PC. If VRMs do not work correctly, the power coming from PSU will not be filtered and converted, which may cause overheating and slow down your PC. In short, you must focus on the VRM design to utilize a system’s actual performance.

The total power phases may vary depending on your usage and other components paired with the board. But as per the bottom limits matters, a board with at least 4-8 power phases is considered quite an excellent combination to get the most out of the system. Such an arrangement allows the CPU and GPU to get enough power and reach their true potential. In addition, if there are 8+ power phases, you can expect better overclocking and more graphics details while playing different games. In short, consider this factor.

Maybe you would believe it or not but having a good cooling system results in increased FPS. The better cooling system lets the components work diligently without allowing them to overheat. The sharper and faster components generate a lot of heat to perform better. If the PC does not have a good cooling system, then your PC may lead to overheating. Overclocking your PC will increase the FPS and performance, but it would require a better cooling system to perform. So, ensure to check the thermal structure of the motherboard.

CPU and GPU support

CPU has a vital role in increasing the FPS; therefore, it must support your graphics card. Even though the CPU cannot support FPS as a GPU, it matters if you are playing CPU-intensive games. Some developers make games that use more ability from the CPU and show the moves according to FPS. Generally, GPU boosts games, but in these games, GPU shows the characters and CPU performing their activities and increasing performance and FPS. Make sure that the board has the capabilities to tackle heavy-duty processors.

The graphics card is directly related to FPS, and it is the one that can boost computer performance a lot and increase FPS. It helps the CPU in completing mathematical computational tasks and lets the CPU work on other activities. It is just because the graphics card is mainly created for displaying graphics on the monitor. The best quality graphics card offers your game’s graphics to display much faster, resulting in increased FPS. Make sure to pair a good-quality graphics card into your system to get high-quality graphics.

Conclusion

It is quite easier to understand whether a motherboard affects FPS or not. The motherboard has no link directly with the FPS, but indirectly, it affects FPS in collaboration with other hardware components. For your information, a 60 FPS rate is considered a standard acceptable rate by most professionals. Usually, the FPS and PC’s performance are affected by some other factors. These factors include VRM, Internal cooling system, monitor, microprocessor, and GPU. In short, consider all these factors to get the optimal fps per your wishes.

There are still several other factors to consider while purchasing a motherboard. The latest VRMs provide appropriate voltage to hardware components to run them properly. An internal cooling system prevents your PC from overheating and lets it perform better. Newer technology monitors come with higher refresh rates, resulting in an FPS increase. CPU and GPU both also respond accordingly for good or bad FPS. Moreover, all these parts collectively yield better and improved video quality, leading to rising FPS.

Abdullah Sarfraz

Motherboards & Graphics Cards Writer