What Is 1% Low FPS? Why It Matters More Than Average FPS

What is 1% low FPS? It is the frame rate you get during the slowest 1% of your gaming time. It shows how bad your worst moments are, the stutters and freezes that average FPS hides. A game can show 100 FPS on average and still feel choppy, and the 1% low is the number that tells you why.

This guide explains it in simple words. You will learn how it is measured, what a good number looks like, what causes low numbers and how to fix them.

What Is 1% Low FPS? And Why it Matters for FPS- Quick Answer

Term	What it means
Average FPS	The overall frame rate across the whole test
1% low FPS	The average frame rate of the slowest 1% of frames
0.1% low FPS	The same idea, but for the very worst 0.1% of frames
A good 1% low	Close to your average, ideally 70-80% of it or more

If your average FPS is high but the game still feels jumpy, a low 1% low is almost always the reason.

What Does 1% Low FPS Mean in Simple Words?

Think of a game as a long list of frames. Most frames arrive quickly and on time. A few arrive late, and those late frames feel like a small freeze or hitch.

The 1% low focuses on those late frames. ASUS ROG describes it as the average frame rate of the slowest 1% of frames in a given period of time. So if you play for 10 minutes, the 1% low shows how the game behaved at its worst moments. asus

Here is a plain example:

• Your average FPS is 100.
• Your 1% low is 40.

On paper, 100 FPS sounds great. But every so often the game drops to around 40, and your eyes and hands notice. Compare that with a game that averages 80 FPS with a 1% low of 70. The second one has a lower average but feels much smoother, because the frame rate stays steady.

Why Does 1% Low FPS Matter More Than Average FPS?

Average FPS hides problems. A few big drops get blended into thousands of fast frames, so the final number still looks healthy.

Your eyes do not work like an average, though. You notice the bad frames. ASUS ROG makes the same point: the bigger the gap between your average FPS and your 1% low, the more noticeable the stutter. asus

So the 1% low tells you three useful things:

• How smooth the game feels. A small gap between average and 1% low means steady play.
• How stable the game is. Big drops point to a hardware, settings or software problem.
• Whether your upgrade helped. A new part can leave average FPS almost unchanged but fix the stutter, and only the lows will show it.

This is also why benchmark reviewers show both numbers. When you compare a 6-core and an 8-core processor, the extra cores often help the lows more than the average, which we cover in our guide on CPU cores vs threads for gaming.

How Is 1% Low FPS Calculated?

You do not need to do the math yourself, because tools do it for you. But the idea is simple.

1. The game makes each frame in a certain amount of time. This is called frame time and is measured in milliseconds (ms).
2. A tool records the frame time of every frame while you play.
3. It sorts the frames from slowest to fastest.
4. It takes the slowest 1% and works out their average frame rate.

You can turn frame time into FPS with one step: 1000 ÷ frame time in ms = FPS. A frame that takes 16.7 ms is 60 FPS. A frame that takes 50 ms is only 20 FPS, and that is the kind of frame you feel as a hitch.

One thing to know: different tools use slightly different methods. CapFrameX explains that MSI Afterburner counts time instead of frames when it works out its “low” values. So two programs can show slightly different 1% lows for the same game. For the full detail, read the CapFrameX guide to performance metrics. The practical advice is to compare numbers from the same tool. capframex

What Is the Difference Between 1% Low and 0.1% Low?

They work the same way, but 0.1% low looks at an even smaller, worse slice of frames.

• 1% low: shows regular small stutters and dips.
• 0.1% low: shows rare, big freezes, the kind where the game stops for a moment.

If your 1% low is fine but your 0.1% low is very poor, you probably have occasional hard hitches. These are often caused by loading data, shader compiling or a full storage drive, not by constant low performance.

1% Low FPS vs Minimum FPS: Are They the Same?

No. Minimum FPS is the single worst frame of the whole run. One odd frame, such as a loading moment, can ruin it, so it does not tell you much about normal play.

The 1% low is more reliable because it averages many bad frames instead of reacting to one. That is why reviewers moved from minimum FPS to 1% lows.

What Is a Good 1% Low FPS?

There is no single perfect number, because it depends on your screen and your game. Use these rules of thumb:

Your 1% low compared to average FPS	What you will feel
80% or more of the average	Very smooth
60-80% of the average	Mostly smooth, some small dips
40-60% of the average	Noticeable stutter
Under 40% of the average	Choppy and uncomfortable

Also check the number against your screen:

• 60 Hz screen: aim for a 1% low of about 50-60 FPS or higher.
• 144 Hz screen: aim for a 1% low of about 90-100 FPS or higher.
• Competitive shooters: keep lows as high and steady as possible, because tiny drops can affect your aim and timing.

These are practical guidelines, not official standards. Use them to judge whether your gap between average and low is too wide.

What Causes Low 1% FPS?

Low 1% lows mean something is making the game wait. These are the most common reasons:

• A weak or overloaded CPU. Games need the processor to prepare every frame. If it falls behind, frames arrive late. This is the classic CPU bottleneck.
• Too few CPU cores. Older 4-core chips can stutter in newer games, especially with apps running in the background.
• Slow or single-channel RAM. Low memory speed or only one RAM stick can cause dips.
• Not enough RAM or VRAM. When memory fills up, the game has to swap data and freezes briefly.
• A hard drive instead of an SSD. Open-world games stream data from storage, and a slow drive makes them hitch.
• Overheating. If the CPU or GPU gets too hot, it slows itself down to cool off.
• Background programs. Browsers, recording software and launchers take CPU time.
• Shader compiling. Some games stutter the first time they show a new effect.
• Outdated or buggy drivers.

If you are not sure which part is holding you back, our guide on what is bottlenecking my PC helps you find it.

How to Check Your 1% Low FPS

You have a few free options.

MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner. This is the most popular choice. In the monitoring settings, turn on FPS Avg, FPS 1% Low and FPS 0.1% Low and show them in the on-screen display. ASUS ROG’s guide to monitoring 1% lows points out that these values do not appear at once, because you have to set a time period for the tool to log them. Play for a few minutes and the numbers will fill in. asus

CapFrameX or NVIDIA FrameView. These log every frame and give more detailed results. They suit you if you want to compare settings or hardware carefully.

Watch your hardware too. A low number is more useful when you know the cause. Tracking temperatures, clocks and per-core load with our HWiNFO64 guide shows whether the CPU, GPU or heat is the problem. If you are not sure which processor and RAM you have, our CPU-Z guide shows you in a minute.

Tip for fair results: test the same scene in the same game each time, and run it for at least a few minutes. Short tests give unreliable lows.

How to Improve 1% Low FPS

Start with the cheap fixes and work down.

1. Close background apps. Shut down extra browser tabs, overlays and recorders before you play.
2. Update your graphics driver and Windows.
3. Move the game to an SSD. This helps a lot in open-world games.
4. Turn on dual-channel RAM. Two sticks usually beat one stick of the same total size. Aim for 16 GB at a minimum, and 32 GB for heavier games.
5. Lower CPU-heavy settings. Crowd density, view distance, shadows and physics hit the processor hardest.
6. Fix heat. Clean the dust, check your fans and make sure the CPU cooler is seated properly.
7. Use a frame cap. Capping FPS slightly below your average can reduce wild swings and make the game feel steadier.
8. Upgrade the CPU if it is the limit. If one or two cores sit near 100% while your GPU is not fully used, the processor is holding you back.

Do not buy anything before you know the cause. If your GPU is the weak point, a new CPU will not fix your lows.

FAQ

What is 1% low FPS in gaming?
It is the average frame rate of the slowest 1% of frames. It shows how smooth or choppy a game is during its worst moments.

Is a higher 1% low better?
Yes. A higher 1% low, close to your average FPS, means steadier and smoother play.

Is 1% low more important than average FPS?
For how the game feels, yes. Average FPS shows overall speed, but the 1% low shows stutter, and stutter is what players notice.

Can you have high FPS and still have stutter?
Yes. A game can average 120 FPS and still hitch if the 1% low is very low.

What is a good 1% low for 60 FPS gaming?
A 1% low of about 50-60 FPS or higher feels smooth on a 60 Hz screen.

What is 0.1% low FPS?
It is the same idea as 1% low, but for the worst 0.1% of frames. It shows rare, heavy freezes.

Does RAM affect 1% lows?
Yes. Slow, single-channel or too little RAM can cause dips and stutter.

Do more CPU cores improve 1% lows?
Often a little, especially when you game with other apps open. Past 6-8 cores the gain is small for most games.

Why are my 1% lows so low?
The usual causes are a CPU limit, slow RAM or storage, heat, background apps or a driver problem. Use the monitoring steps above to find which one it is.

Is it better to lower graphics settings or buy new parts?
Try settings first. If lowering CPU-heavy options fixes the stutter, you do not need new hardware.

Final Verdict

Average FPS tells you how fast a game runs. The 1% low tells you how it feels. A small gap between the two means smooth play, and a big gap means stutter. Check both numbers, fix the cause of any big gap, and only upgrade once you know which part is the limit.