Installing a GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card in my desktop PC prompted me to track frame rates while playing games like WoW, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. Witnessing frame rates reach 110 fps at 1080p with ray tracing in WoW validated my investment in the new GPU. The MSI Afterburner app provided additional performance statistics like RAM usage, fan usage, and clock speed, enhancing my gaming experience initially. However, constant scrutiny of these stats became a distraction, with questions about hardware performance lingering in my mind.
MSI’s Afterburner app has an fps counter that you can switch on to watch performance stats as you play. Shown here is a glimpse of the app’s monitoring settings for framerates.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
The presence of the FPS counter proved to be a distraction during gameplay, obstructing crucial elements in games like Fortnite. Details that were once clear without the counter became obscured, leading to confusion during gameplay. The counter’s constant updates disrupted my focus and gameplay experience, ultimately diminishing my enjoyment of the games.
Despite occasionally providing valuable insights, the FPS counter often led me down a path of unnecessary adjustments and settings tweaking in an attempt to optimize performance. This resulted in wasted time and a lack of mindfulness during gameplay, detracting from the overall gaming experience. As a result, I decided to eliminate counters and statistics from my gaming routine, opting for a more immersive and distraction-free gaming experience.
