Gaming is a world unto itself, with its own jargon, acronyms, and language. This can be a bit off-putting if you’re just starting out. FPS? GHz? NPC? What does all this mean? And why is it so important? Don’t worry though; help is at hand. With the Samsung Community guide to gaming, you’ll be up and running in no time.
Technical terms
Let’s start at the beginning and look at some of the terms related to setting up your gaming PC.
CPU and GPU
The central processing unit (CPU) is basically the brains of the operation, making your computer run. The higher the CPU speed – measured in GHz – the more calculations your computer can do at once, which means that your games will run smoothly. The graphics processing unit (GPU) renders pictures, animations, and videos on the screen
Role playing games like Elden Rings require a faster CPU and a more powerful GPU to keep up with all the different elements, characters, and landscapes that appear on screen.
RAM
Random access memory (RAM) gives your computer space to think. For gaming, the more RAM the better, since it will allow your computer to deal with multiple processes at the same time and load everything faster.
Again, this is important for big games like Horizon Forbidden West where there are huge worlds to explore on screen.
FPS, refresh rate, and response time
Frames per second, refresh rate, and response time are all parameters to bear in mind when you’re choosing a gaming monitor. FPS is the number of frames – the still images that make up videos – that appear every second to make up moving pictures. Refresh rate is the number of times the monitor will refresh each second and is measured in hertz (Hz). Response time, measured in milliseconds, is how long it takes each pixel to change from one setting to the next.
All of these different factors are important when it comes to gaming. With higher frames per second and refresh rates, your games will be more responsive, you’ll have a more fluid experience, and what you’re seeing on screen will match up with what is happening on the computer.
For high-paced games like FIFA or Call of Duty, having higher fps and refresh rates will give you a real edge; you’ll be able to see exactly where other players are and where you need to be to take the winning shot.
Lower response times will ensure that you don’t get motion blur or ghosting on the screen. This is when your monitor can’t keep up with the action and you see a trail of pixels on the screen when you move within a game.
Online chat terms
Once you’ve got your computer up and running, you’ll want to join in conversations with other players. You might notice them using some unfamiliar slang terms, which can be a bit daunting. We’ve gathered a few key terms to help you get started.
- AFK – Away from keyboard. If you’ve got to dash away from the game, use this to let other players know
- NPC – Non-player character. This is a character controlled by the game, not by a real player
- MOB – Monster or beast. This is normally a boss or a monster that you need to defeat
- FPS – First person shooter. This is a game that involves shooting enemies or other targets, where you see through the eyes of your character
- DPS – Damage per second. How much damage an enemy or another player can cause you, well, per second
- Grinding – This is the time you need to gain character experience, power, strength, items…
- Farming – Gathering the items and supplies you need to progress in the game. This could be anything from weapons to armour and potions
If you’re looking for a top of the range gaming monitor that fits all these specs, look no further than the Odyssey Neo G8. With a whopping 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, the Odyssey Neo G8 is the ultimate gaming monitor.
We hope that all this information has been useful to help you get started in the world of gaming. If you’re still a bit lost, you can head over to Gaming Club, our dedicated Gaming space on the Community. There, you’ll be able to ask other gamers in the Community for advice on where to get started, what the best games are, or any other gaming question you might have!
Do you have any tips for gamers who are starting out? Let us know in the comments!
The Community Team
Discover more:
Samsung’s 2022 monitor line-up
