Frame pacing refers to how evenly spaced the delivery of individual frames is during gameplay. If your system renders frames at perfectly consistent intervals, you get smooth motion. If delivery times vary wildly, you experience stuttering and judder despite potentially high average frame rates.
Think of it as the difference between a 60 fps game where each frame takes exactly 16.67ms to render, versus one where frames arrive in bursts: 5ms, 30ms, 8ms, 20ms. Both might average 60 fps, but the second feels choppy because your eyes detect the timing irregularities.
Why it matters
Frame pacing directly affects perceived smoothness. A game with poor pacing at 100 fps can feel worse than 60 fps with locked pacing. Gamers often report this as stuttering or hitching during gameplay, particularly noticeable in fast-paced action or camera pans.
Common causes of poor frame pacing
- Frame time spikes from background processes or driver inefficiencies
- Throttling when GPU or CPU temperature limits are approached
- Inconsistent load distribution across CPU cores
- High input latency interfering with frame delivery timing
How to improve it
Enable V-Sync or adaptive sync technologies like G-Sync or FreeSync to lock frame delivery to your display refresh rate. Monitor frame time consistency using overlay tools rather than relying solely on fps counters. Close background applications that cause sudden cpu spikes. Ensure your power settings favour performance over efficiency.