Good GPU and game benchmarks report more than average FPS — they list "1% lows" and "0.1% lows," and those numbers tell you more about how a game actually feels than the average ever could. They're how reviewers quantify the worst moments, the dips and hitches that you notice far more than a high average. Once you can read them, you'll never judge a build on average FPS alone again. This article decodes percentile lows and why minimums matter most.
It completes the frame-metrics trio with what FPS is and frame time vs FPS.
What the Percentile Lows Mean
- 1% low: roughly the frame rate of your worst 1% of frames. It captures the regular dips — the slowdowns that happen often enough to define how smooth the experience feels.
- 0.1% low: the worst 0.1% of frames — the rarest, sharpest hitches. These are the big stutters that jolt you out of the moment, even if they're infrequent.
- The average vs the lows: the average smooths over everything; the lows isolate the worst, which is exactly what your perception latches onto.
Why a Higher Average Can Feel Worse
Consider two systems: one averages 100 FPS but has 1% lows of 45 FPS (frequent dips); another averages 80 FPS with 1% lows of 70 FPS (very consistent). The second feels noticeably smoother despite the lower average, because its worst moments are far better. This is the same truth as frame-time consistency expressed as percentiles — the lows are essentially the worst frame times reported as a frame rate. A high average with poor lows is the signature of a stuttery experience.
How to Use Them
When comparing builds or GPUs, look at the 1% and 0.1% lows alongside the average — a card with slightly lower average FPS but much stronger lows is often the better gaming experience. Pair this with your monitor's refresh rate: consistent frames near your refresh rate beat a spiky higher average. If your own system has good average FPS but weak lows, that's a stutter problem to chase, not a reason to buy a faster GPU.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are 1% and 0.1% lows? They're percentile frame rates: the 1% low is roughly the frame rate of your worst 1% of frames (the regular dips), and the 0.1% low is the worst 0.1% (the rarest, sharpest hitches). They quantify the worst moments that the average FPS hides.
Why do minimums matter more than average FPS? Because your perception latches onto the worst moments — dips and stutters — not the average. A system with a high average but poor lows feels stuttery, while a slightly lower average with strong, consistent lows feels noticeably smoother.
Can a lower average FPS feel smoother? Yes — a build averaging 80 FPS with strong 1% lows (consistent frames) feels smoother than one averaging 100 FPS with weak lows (frequent dips). Consistency, captured by the lows, matters more to felt smoothness than the average.
The One Thing to Remember
The 1% and 0.1% lows are the frame rates of your worst frames — the regular dips and the sharp hitches — and they predict felt smoothness far better than the average FPS, which hides them. A lower average with strong lows beats a higher average with weak ones. When comparing builds, read the lows alongside the average, against your monitor's refresh rate.
Want a build that's smooth where it counts — strong lows, not just a high average? Configure a gaming PC online → or talk to our team → and we'll build for frame consistency.