Launch FRAPS before starting up your game, and look at the FPS figure it provides when you're in the game. Solution: But how can you be sure that it's graphics lag that's causing your problem? Get scientific and use the free FRAPS utility to measure your actual framerate. You know you haven't gone soft, it's that damn lag! Frustratingly, you get plugged before your character can react in time. This sudden drop in FPS is guaranteed to cause some lagĮxample: You've just turned the corner into a courtyard where several guys are firing away, maybe a smoke grenade is going off nearby, and there's an explosion or two for good measure. Your actions take a fraction longer to be reflected in the graphics on-screen because it takes your system a bit more time to create each new frame of graphics and send it to your monitor. Anytime graphics lag happens, you'll typically get a reduction in the responsiveness of your controls. Basically, your system just can't produce enough Frames Per Second (FPS) to make everything feel nice and smooth. The granddaddy of all lag, this is the result of a general slowdown in graphics, and is a common occurrence for any gamer. There are multiple causes of lag, so let's cover the symptoms and solutions for each one of them.

Sure, we all know that lag refers to some kind of slowdown or reduced responsiveness during a game, but we need to get more specific. Why? Because it's a general term and not particularly descriptive. Right off the bat, the word 'lag' itself is a problem.

But what exactly causes this periodic lack of responsiveness in a game? Is there any way to get rid of it, or at least reduce it? Let's get to the bottom of this annoying phenomenon. That one word sums up a world of frustration for PC gamers everywhere. It doesn't matter what the game is, or whether you're playing multiplayer or singleplayer - at some point the dreaded word Lag will be used.

You might be playing Black Ops, Bad Company 2 or Team Fortress 2 online or maybe you're ploughing your way through enemies in Crysis 2, Fallout: New Vegas or GTA IV.

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