I change a setting immediately when I first start a game on PC and you should do the same

You are starting a new game on your gaming PC? MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann always changes a setting when he starts a game for the first time. And he explains to you why he can recommend this to everyone.

As soon as I start a game for the first time, I usually go to the graphics settings first – if there are any – and check them.

The first setting I always adjust is the often optional FPS limit. This sets an artificial limit for my hardware on how many FPS it can render and display on my monitor.

In principle, I count these settings among the most important options that you can change in a game and should. Because these are not just bare numbers, but you are also influencing your PC hardware in the long term.

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Those who don’t limit the FPS stress their PC hardware

What happens if I don’t limit my FPS? If you do not limit your FPS in the game, your PC hardware often runs at maximum capacity. Because your graphics card wants to extract the maximum from the available performance, and the FPS quickly rise as a result. And this leads to several problems:

Due to the high load, your graphics card gets hot, producing a lot of waste heat.
Since the heat has to go somewhere, ideally outside, the fans of your graphics card and case ramp up. This is the “jet engine” effect that many players probably still know and “love” from the old PS4.
Some graphics cards make strange noises under heavy load, which are referred to as coil whine. These are annoying and can be particularly unpleasant for sensitive individuals.
Also, not to be underestimated: A fully loaded graphics card results in significantly higher power consumption. This not only stresses the power supply but also ultimately your electricity bill.

The probably most well-known example of a missing FPS limit is probably the MMORPG New World, which is said to have damaged numerous graphics cards because the load was so high. The developers reacted by implementing an FPS limit in the main menu of New World to reduce the load on the PC hardware.

Limiting FPS preserves your PC hardware

With an FPS limit, you set an artificial limit for your graphics card that, ideally, it does not exceed. There are basically two options for this:

Ideally, directly through the graphics settings in the game, saving you time and effort.
If the game does not offer an internal FPS limit, you can do this via the graphics card software. For AMD, the option is called “Radeon Chill.” For Nvidia, you can find the setting under “Manage 3D Settings” and then “Max Frame Rate.”

My recommendation: Set the FPS limit to your monitor’s refresh rate. You really gain nothing if your graphics card renders 300 or 400 frames per second, while your monitor can only display 144 frames per second anyway.

It is really unnecessary to calculate 500 or even 1,000 frames and make your graphics card work hard, thus artificially increasing power consumption, noise, and wear on the hardware. Especially considering the current high prices, where you should ideally save on every repair and spare part.