Pre-rendered frames (the render queue)
Also searched as: pre-rendered frames · render queue · flip queue · max prerendered frames · render ahead
What it means
The pre-rendered frame queue is the short stack of frames your CPU prepares in advance for the GPU to display. A deeper queue smooths delivery but adds delay; a shallower one cuts delay.
More detail
To keep the GPU fed, the CPU works a frame or two ahead and parks the results in a small queue. Hold more frames in that queue and output stays steady if the CPU briefly stumbles — but every frame waiting in line is a frame of extra delay between your mouse and the screen. Hold fewer and the picture answers your hand sooner, at the cost of a little steadiness. This one trade is what NVIDIA Reflex, 'Low Latency Mode', and AMD Anti-Lag actually adjust — they shrink that queue so input feels tighter. It is also why a runaway, uncapped frame rate can pile up lag: capping frames just under your refresh keeps the queue short. More frames waiting is not more responsiveness — often the opposite.
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