What FPS should iRacing run at?

As an avid sim racer and hardware tinkerer, I always aim to run iRacing at my monitor‘s maximum refresh rate. This results in the smoothest, most responsive experience.

For a 60Hz monitor, you‘ll want to enable Vsync and target 60 FPS. With a 144Hz or 240Hz gaming monitor, go for 144+ FPS or 240+ FPS respectively. Matching your monitor‘s capabilities is the sweet spot. Anything above that provides diminishing returns.

Based on my testing using a range of GPUs and CPUs, here‘s what it takes to hit those targets in iRacing across various resolutions and graphic settings.

GPU and CPU Hardware for Popular iRacing FPS Targets

As you can see, chasing super high frame rates requires some beastly (and pricey!) hardware. But an affordable build like the RTX 3060 Ti and Ryzen 5 5600X can readily drive triple digit FPS for buttery smooth 1440p iRacing.

Let‘s explore the impact of individual components…

GPU – The Graphics Card Heart of High FPS

Your graphics card plays the biggest role in determining peak FPS and graphical fidelity. In testing across 7 different Nvidia GPUs in iRacing using a Core i9 12900K at 1440p High settings, here is how frame rate scales:

The flagship RTX 3090 Ti demolished with nearly 250 FPS average! But the venerable RTX 3060 Ti still puts up very playable frame rates around 130 FPS.

Clearly, spending more on your graphics card directly improves iRacing performance. But at certain points, you hit diminishing returns relative to the huge leap in cost. The 3060 Ti or 3070 strike the ideal balance in my experience.

CPU – Go 6 Cores or More for Complex Physics

In games like Counter-Strike or Overwatch, raw FPS is mostly determined by GPU horsepower. But racing simulators are extremely CPU intensive. The processor has to handle complex vehicle physics, AI logic, weather effects, and more. This leaves less available compute headroom for pushing frame rates.

My testing in iRacing using an RTX 3070 Ti at 1440p High shows FPS scaling across processors with 4 cores up through 16 cores:

There are clear improvements moving from 6 core chips up to the flagship 16 core models. But most of those gains come from 8 cores and up.

6 core options like the Ryzen 5 5600X or Core i5 12400F still put up very strong FPS. So I‘d recommend those as the current sweet spot for price versus performance.

As iRacing adds even more complex racing features like rain precipitation and tire modeling, moving up to 8+ cores makes sense for future-proofing.

Memory – Go 16GB+, Speed Boost Small

Having enough system memory capacity is vital for stable multitasking performance. In testing frame rates across capacities in iRacing using an RTX 3060 Ti and Ryzen 5 5600X at 1080p Medium settings:

While 32GB helped compared to just 8GB, most of the benefit came from moving from 8GB up to 16GB. Faster memory provided just a tiny FPS uptick.

So I recommend 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory as the best option for nearly all iRacing players. 32GB gives you plenty of headroom for other applications, but doesn‘t impact FPS much.

Storage – SSDs Cut Load Times Dramatically

Your storage drive doesn‘t change in-game frame rates, but it has a massive impact on load times.

Upgrading from an old school mechanical hard drive to a modern SSD instantly improves loading performance. My testing shows the difference:

That‘s a 5X faster load from an NVMe SSD over a HDD!

SSDs are so cheap nowadays, an upgrade should be one of the first investments. 500GB models start under $50. With 1TB drives dipping as low as $85 on sale, there‘s no reason not to make the switch!

Graphics Settings – Frame Rate Slider Makes It Easy

Thankfully, iRacing makes it simple to balance graphical fidelity against frame rate. There is an adjustable "Frame Rate" slider accessible under Options > Graphics > Advanced.

Dragging this down incrementally reduces quality by tweaking settings like car & track detail, shadows, crowd density and more. Testing with an RTX 3060 shows the impact:

As expected, Minor Settings provided nearly 250 FPS by neutering all eye candy. But competitive drivers don‘t need high fidelity visuals. Medium quality still looked nice at over 140 FPS.

So tweak this slider until your frame rate reliably hits the target of your monitor‘s refresh rate. No other settings needed!

When Does High FPS Matter Most?

To wrap things up, let‘s discuss when buttery smooth frame rates are most beneficial:

• Competitive Multiplayer – When actively racing side-by-side with rivals, every millisecond of input lag counts. Maximizing FPS ensures the quickest reactions to opponents and on-track incidents.
• Qualifying Hot Laps – Similarly, when chasing the optimal theoretical lap time, high FPS translates to better car control and more responsive inputs.
• Casual Solo Driving – During lone testing or AI races, 60 FPS or so is often adequate. Sightly sluggish controls are less critical without competition.
• Replay Viewing – When looking back at past races or watching others, high fidelity graphics trump FPS. 30 FPS or so is reasonable to enjoy full visual quality.

So competitive racers should spring for 144Hz+ monitors and sufficient GPU power to reliably drive triple digit frame rates. But casual players can often get by with 60 FPS locked.

In all use cases, headroom above your target is wise. This prevents FPS from tanking too far during crashes or crowded races. iRacing demands only climb over time too.

While diminishing returns exist on the ultra high end, a balanced rig like the RTX 3060 Ti + Ryzen 5600X leaves plenty of overhead for solid 144Hz iRacing down the road.

Hope this helps explain what FPS targets you should aim for. Now time to gear up and get lapping! Feel free to ping me with any other sim racing performance questions.