Configuring your PC for competitive play: the real list, not the myths
V-sync, FPS caps, exclusive fullscreen: some popular tips stopped mattering years ago. Here's what actually makes a difference in 2026.
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A lot of “competitive” advice floating around dates from a time when hardware and game engines worked differently. Some of it is now useless, or even counterproductive.
V-sync: turn it off, no exceptions
V-sync adds noticeable display latency by inserting a frame of delay between rendering and display. On a 144Hz+ monitor, it offers no visual benefit that justifies that cost — turning it off remains true in 2026, no exception for competitive play.
FPS caps: counterintuitive but useful
Counterintuitively, capping your framerate slightly below your monitor’s max refresh rate (say, 238 FPS on a 240Hz screen) reduces display latency compared to an uncapped framerate that far exceeds that rate. A GPU running flat-out with no limit introduces more frame-queuing latency than you’d expect.
In practice
- V-sync: off, always
- FPS cap: 2-3% below your monitor’s refresh rate
- Exclusive fullscreen rather than “borderless” when the game offers it (lower input latency)
- NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag: turn it on whenever the game supports it
Verdict
Two settings account for most of the difference: turning off V-sync and capping FPS just below your monitor’s rate. Everything else is mostly personal comfort.
