AI-powered image upscaling technologies and frame generators – such as NVIDIA DLSS 3 / Frame Generation, AMD FSR 3 / Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) and Intel XeSS – have completely taken over modern video games. All it takes is a single slide of a slider in the menu for the counter in the corner of the screen to shoot up from 60 to 130 FPS. Adverts promise a free boost in smoothness without having to spend thousands of zlotys on a new processor or a flagship graphics card.
Despite the frame rate doubling, many gamers immediately disable these features. The reason is simple: whilst the image on the screen looks smooth, the mouse feels as though it’s submerged in thick butter. Aiming becomes sluggish, hitting moving targets is next to impossible, and quick camera movements reveal blurred edges and distortions (artifacts).
Below, we analyse in detail why generated frames do not provide an advantage in arcade games and how to configure a Windows system with SmoothWizard to achieve genuine, native responsiveness without fake frames.
What are artificial frames and why do they increase input lag?
To understand this issue, you need to distinguish between traditionally rendered frames and frames generated by AI interpolation:
Native frame (Rendered Frame): The game engine retrieves information about your mouse position, calculates projectile physics, generates the geometry and immediately sends it to the monitor. Each such frame carries fresh information about the state of the game.
Generated Frame (Frame Gen): A neural network compares two rendered frames (the previous one and the next one) and creates a mathematical prediction of what might lie between them. This artificial frame contains no new data on mouse movements or hits.
[Klatka 1: Realny strzał] ──> [Klatka AI: Interpolowany obraz (Brak inputu)] ──> [Klatka 2: Pozycja wroga]
In order for the algorithm to generate an intermediate frame, the engine must first wait for the next real frame to be rendered. As a result, the graphics card deliberately holds back the display of the image in the buffer, which dramatically increases the overall response time to hand movement.
The maths of latency: 120 ‘artificial’ FPS vs 60 real frames
Many users fall for a marketing illusion, equating the number of frames displayed with control response time:
| Type of frames on screen | Visual smoothness to the eye | Response to mouse movement (Input Lag) | Aiming stability |
| 60 FPS (Native, without a frame generator) | Average, with slight stuttering visible | Moderate (~35-45 ms) | Fully predictable |
| 120 FPS (with Frame Gen enabled) | High (Smooth camera movement) | Very poor (~60-85 ms) | The crosshairs ‘float’ with a delay |
| 120 FPS (Clean, native frames) | Very high | Instantaneous (~15-25 ms) | Perfect, consistent precision |
Enabling the frame generator at a low base frame rate (e.g. an output of 40-50 FPS) is the worst-case scenario: the image looks smoothed out, but the controls respond as if the game were running at 35 frames per second. For this reason, these technologies are not used in esports (CS2, Valorant, Apex Legends), and in fast-paced action games they often get in the way rather than helping.
3 technical pitfalls of AI upscaling in games
Apart from the latency itself, frame generation and aggressive upscalers come with significant technical trade-offs:
1. Blurring and distortion of the user interface (HUD ghosting)
Frame generators have a huge problem separating elements of the two-dimensional interface (crosshairs, radar, health bar) from the three-dimensional game world. The result is a flickering crosshair, a split radar image during rapid camera rotation, and blurring of fine environmental details.
2. Enormous strain on VRAM and the system buffer
Interpolation algorithms require between 1 and even 2 GB of additional video memory to be reserved for motion vectors and frame buffers alone. If your graphics card has 8 GB of VRAM, enabling Frame Generation can exceed the graphics memory limit. The excess data is offloaded to RAM, causing severe stuttering.
3. Dependence on CPU performance
Contrary to popular belief, Frame Generation does not take the strain off the CPU. The generator merely masks the CPU bottleneck from the player’s view, but if the processor is struggling with interrupts from Windows, the fake frames will start to lose synchronisation with the monitor, exacerbating screen tearing.
How can you achieve a stable, high FPS without artificial latency from SmoothWizard?
Rather than masking hardware shortcomings with artificial frames that introduce latency, the key to success lies in optimising the operating environment to squeeze out the maximum number of clean, native frames. SmoothWizard achieves this directly within the Windows architecture:
1. Enforcing Legacy Flip Mode for DWM
The standard Desktop Window Manager in Windows 11 adds its own frame buffering. SmoothWizard switches the rendering model to Legacy Flip, eliminating the intermediate stages of the compositor. Frames are sent directly from the GPU driver to the display, ensuring native responsiveness without the need to enable compositors.
2. CPU core isolation (CPU Affinity)
Frame Generation is sometimes used when a weak processor cannot keep up with sending instructions to the graphics card (CPU bottleneck). SmoothWizard solves this problem at source: it assigns the game to the fastest physical cores (P-cores) and cuts off CPU thread 0 from background applications. The processor gains free processing power, which automatically increases the native frame rate and stabilises the 1% Low FPS metric.
3. A clean RAM bus thanks to the Swapfile method
To prevent the graphics card from stalling whilst loading textures, the system memory buffer must remain clear. SmoothWizard constantly frees up unused Standby List memory, preventing textures from being dumped into free partitions and eliminating screen freezes lasting a few seconds.
4. Kernel Timer optimisation and 1:1 Raw Input reading
The SmoothWizard PRO module reduces the Windows kernel clock response time to minimal levels and enforces raw reading from the mouse sensor. This means that even at 80-90 pure, native frames, the game is significantly more responsive and direct when firing than at 150 artificial frames generated by the AI.
Comparison: Frame generation vs native optimisation
| Gameplay parameter | Frame Generation (DLSS 3 / AFMF) | Native optimisation with SmoothWizard |
| Visual smoothness | Very high (interpolated) | High, 100% natural |
| Input lag | Significantly increased | Reduced to an absolute minimum |
| VRAM usage | An additional 1-2 GB for buffers | Zero impact on video memory |
| Sight and radar accuracy | Possible artefacts and streaks | Crystal-clear image with no distortion |
| Compatibility with e-sports anti-cheat systems | Often blocked or not recommended | 100% safe, with no interference with game files |
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
When should you enable Frame Generation?
Frame generators are mainly useful in slow-paced single-player games (flight simulators, laid-back RPGs) where you play with a controller and the base frame rate without assist features is a stable 60-70 FPS. In online shooters and arcade games, this technology reduces aiming precision.
Does enabling NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag eliminate the latency caused by the frame generator?
Reflex and Anti-Lag technologies help to reduce the GPU driver’s rendering queue, but they only partially alleviate the problem. Ultimately, a game played with the frame generator enabled always has higher input lag than the same title running at a stable, native frame rate.
Does clearing the Shader Cache in SmoothWizard improve the performance of AI scalers?
Yes. Scaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS make extensive use of the shader cache. Removing corrupted or outdated cache files via the SmoothWizard dashboard eliminates texture flickering and edge reconstruction errors.
