The Steam Deck Can Reach 120 FPS – Here‘s How

As an avid Steam Deck gamer and tech specialist, the most common question I get asked is: what‘s the maximum frame rate possible on the Steam Deck?

The short answer is 120 frames per second (FPS). By connecting the Steam Deck to an external 120Hz or 144Hz monitor via the official Dock, you can achieve FPS up to 120. The integrated LCD display is locked at 60Hz/FPS though.

In this detailed guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about getting the highest frame rates from the Steam Deck, game performance expectations, whether high refresh rates make a difference in mobile gaming, and plenty more benchmarks and data-driven insights along the way. Let‘s dive in!

Steam Deck Tech Breakdown: Achieving High FPS

The Steam Deck is built on impressive custom AMD hardware capable of some serious performance for a handheld. Here are the key specs that allow it to hit 120+ FPS under the right conditions:

• Custom Zen 2 CPU @ up to 3.5GHz (quad core, 8-thread)
• Custom RDNA 2 GPU with 8 RDNA 2 CUs @ up to 1600 MHz (1.0~1.6 TFLOPS performance)
• 16GB LPDDR5 RAM (5500 MT/s quad-channel)
• M.2 NVMe SSD storage

This hardware combination delivers excellent processing power and graphics performance for triple-A gaming in a compact design. The Zen 2 CPU is key – it provides a solid high-frequency base for driving high FPS.

And while the GPU isn‘t as powerful as modern discrete options, AMD‘s RDNA 2 architecture brings major efficiency benefits that extract more performance using advanced features like variable rate shading.

Here‘s how the Steam Deck compares technically to other handhelds and PCs when it comes to max FPS capabilities:

As we can see, the Steam Deck sits in an interesting middle ground – faster than Nintendo‘s offerings but below newer handheld PCs and laptops with high-end discrete graphics. Still, 120 FPS is mightily impressive coming from an integrated chipset!

Real-World Gaming Benchmarks: How Fast is Steam Deck Really?

Of course, specs and theoretical peak performance are one thing – but how does Steam Deck actually perform running real games? Will most titles comfortably hit 120 FPS?

The answer really depends on your graphics settings. I‘ve compiled data from multiple Steam Deck gaming tests across popular titles at different configurations. Take a look:

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And here are the frame rate results connecting the Steam Deck Dock to an external 1080p 144Hz monitor:

We can draw some clear conclusions looking at these real-world gaming tests:

• Older and well-optimized games like Doom Eternal can achieve extremely high FPS – even 120+ on high settings
• More demanding titles like God of War are in the 30-60 FPS range natively
• Connecting to a high refresh monitor raises frame rate headroom significantly
• Running at 720-800p resolutions is key to maximizing FPS on the Steam Deck

So while 120 FPS won‘t be possible in all games, with some tweaking to resolutions and graphics options, very solid if not incredible FPS is achievable in a wide variety of Steam titles. This level of performance shows how far mobile gaming has come!

Optimizing Steam Deck Settings for High FPS Gaming

If you really want to push frame rates to the limit for competitive shooters and fast-paced games on the Steam Deck, follow these tips:

• Lower in-game video settings – Start with textures, shadows and turn off AA
• Set FPS target to max via SteamOS performance settings
• Drop resolution to 720p if needed to increase FPS headroom
• Lock frame rate 3-5 FPS below max refresh to avoid screen tearing
• Use 60 FPS cap for cinematic games where high FPS isn‘t essential

And when outputting over 120Hz/FPS externally, use V-sync and FreeSync if your external monitor supports it – this will prevent ugly screen tearing from fps fluctuations.

Game Genres That Benefit Most From High FPS

While having higher frame rates is great generally for smoother, lag-free gaming, there are certain game genres where it matters much more when considering the Steam Deck and whether a high refresh rate external monitor is worthwhile:

• Competitive shooters – Games like Apex Legends, Valorant where split-second reaction and low input latency gives a real advantage
• Racing/driving simulators – Forza Horizon, Assetto Corsa, etc benefit from 120+ FPS for faster sense of speed
• Fighting games – Fast fighting titles feel amazingly smooth at high frame rates
• RTS/FPS hybrids – Things like the Halo series that involve both strategy and great FPS gameplay
• Roguelikes – When you die from one mistake, high FPS keeps the action crisp

On the flip side, slower paced game genres like turn-based RPGs, point-and-click adventures, and cinematic third person action games often don‘t require high frame rates to enjoy.

So depending what types of games you spend the most time playing on Deck, chasing super high FPS may or may not be worthwhile!

Diminishing Returns: Is 120 FPS Overkill for a 7-Inch Screen?

One question that arises often when discussing chasing maximum frame rates on the Steam Deck – is 120 FPS overkill on a 7-inch handheld?

I‘d argue that once you get used to silky smooth animation at high refresh rates, it‘s hard to go back. Everything feels instantly more responsive in the games that benefit from it. Fast camera movements in fps titles are much more comfortable to track at 120 Hz+.

That said, the smaller physical display size versus a larger external monitor means the gains from 120 FPS are more incremental past 60 FPS. And it comes at a performance cost – dropping some settings may be required depending on the game.

There‘s no definitive right or wrong answer here. Some people are perfectly happy playing at 30 FPS and value higher graphical quality over frame rate. It comes down personal preference!

For competitive multiplayer titles especially, I believe the fluidity gained from maxing out the Steam Deck‘s 120 FPS capabilities makes aiming, reaction times and general gameplay fundamentally better on the handheld.

Closing Thoughts

I hope this detailed Steam Deck frame rate and performance guide has helped explain exactly what kind of FPS you can expect across various games and settings.

While 120 FPS won‘t be possible in all titles, the Steam Deck‘s powerful integrated hardware can still impress in many games – especially when you tweak resolutions and graphics configurations. Connecting to an external high refresh rate monitor opens up even more performance headroom too.

Achieving buttery smooth 120 FPS gameplay truly elevates the experience on such an affordable handheld. It demonstrates how far mobile gaming has come thanks to AMD‘s advanced silicon and innovative designs like the Steam Deck.

Of course, let me know if you have any other questions about getting the best possible frame rates on your Steam Deck! I‘m always happy to chat gaming tech.