What is Input Lag? – Everything You Need to Know in 2023s
You must have experienced the delay after the input is provided to your computer and the time it takes to display the results. While it is usual to take up a few milliseconds by your system, it gets worse when an obvious delay occurs.
Such a thing is referred to as input lag. It is the amount of time your monitor or TV takes to display a result on its screen after receiving input from the source. In addition to that, it is measured in milliseconds.
With that being said, here we look at the concept of input lag considering it from several other aspects. So if you want to know what is input lag in detail then make sure to read it till the end.
That said, let’s get down to it:
What is Input Lag in Gaming?

Now for those wondering what is input lag in gaming – or precisely, how your gameplay is affected by higher input lag, we have got you covered! Have a look at the following details in this regard:
Gaming comprises several essential factors that add up to give you an immersive gametime. And one of such crucial factors is low input lag. This means, that your monitor should be capable of responding as quickly as possible, to the input being provided to it.
Therefore, be it regarding input lag PS4 or any other gaming console, the importance of lower latency is always significant!
Is Low Input Lag Good for Gaming?
That being said, e-gaming is all about fast reflexes, swift thinking capability, and quick decision-making. So during an intensive game, you cannot risk your victory due to the lag or delay caused by your hardware technology. So turns out, that having lower input lag in your gaming monitors is quite an essential aspect!
What is Input Lag on TV?

As similar as above, input lag in TV refers to the delay or amount of time it takes to process and display the signals that are sent by the controller. With that being said, the input latency on TVs is also measured in milliseconds – just like the usual gaming monitors.
Adding to this, the input lag in TVs has an impact on gaming as well. So if you are using a TV as your gaming display, then you have to keep in check the rate of input lag it operates with, in order to get least bothered while immersive gameplay.
Having said that, this is for a fact that monitors are a comparatively better option for gaming especially. So much, that even the best and high-end HDTVs offer input latency of around 17-18 milliseconds; whereas monitors deliver as much as 9-10 milliseconds commonly.
Some Quick Fixes to Input Lag
Before we conclude with our discussion, let’s have a look at some of the easiest ways of reducing input lag in your monitors and TVs as well:
Firstly, in the case of TVs, you can switch to game mode while gaming. Other than that, you can disable motion smoothing as well, which could help reduce the overall input latency.
Apart from that, in the case of gaming monitors, you can turn off power saving options, or lower the resolution to the point where it gets aligned with the overall settings of the display. Apart from that, turning off picture enhancing or altering features can also be beneficial in this regard.
FAQs
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What causes input lag?
First and foremost, input lag is something unavoidable because it is a natural part of every device. This is for the reason that all the electric or digital devices require some time to respond to the input being given.
Having said that, in monitors, a few major reasons that cause input lag are as follows: the time taken up by chips to process digital signals, adjustment of color contrast and saturation, and the proper sizing of images.
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What is the acceptable input lag for gaming?
For the most part, the quantity of input lag in gaming depends on the type of games you’re playing. So for the gamers playing fighting games or other kinds of competitive games, then the acceptable input lag for gaming here can be less than 15ms.
With that being said, there are a lot of other games as well, which have more input lag. However, the overall performance is bearable, and thus high input lag gets acceptable in that regard.
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Does FPS decrease input lag?
Without any doubt, increasing FPS can have a vivid impact on the input lag. So much so, that input lag can be decreased to the level of acceptance by increasing the frames per second rate.
In addition to that, with more FPS, you can not only have low input lag but also the overall graphics experience gets enhanced, as there is a much faster refresh rate and less delay in processing the input.
Final Thoughts
Here comes the final point of what is input lag and how does it impact the overall performance. By now, you must have learned that input lag is a usual and natural aspect of any device. However, they are different in every other device or type of monitor.
That being said, if the latency gets severe, then you can try different methods as well, in order to lessen the overall impact. And one of those methods is to increase the FPS value.