If you are not using Flux then you should be, it has greatly improved my experience when using my laptop and desktop during the evening.
Flux is a lightweight application that softens the blue light that is emitted from your display. The latest version has a wide range of features which can allow you to customise how the software functions.
The folks over at Flux state that ‘you could use f.lux because it makes you sleep better, or you could just use it just because it makes your computer look better’.
If you use Gunnar glasses then you don’t really need to use Flux unless you take off your glasses when you are not gaming.
I use Flux on all of my devices but after playing some games I began to wonder, does Flux affect fps?
I began to notice I was experiencing intermittent frame drops when playing games, Overwatch in particular. This included mouse lag too which felt like my crosshair was stuttering across the display.
It was infuriating.
There are a few settings you can use to stop this though. Overall, Flux is a must have application and is one of the first applications I install on a fresh windows installation so these issues should not stop you using it. They are easily fixed.
Benchmarking FPS With Flux
Long story short, Flux does affect fps, I tested it myself by benchmarking my average fps in Overwatch.
It is important to note that I tested Flux with the ‘slow transition’ setting enabled. This is where the screen gradually changes colour in accordance with when the sun sets. I believe this to be the problem!
To test this I ensured I played during the hour before the sunset so that I could get the most accurate results.
My average FPS (with my frames limited to 143 to avoid tearing):
For more information on why I limit my FPS, check out my article on NVIDIA Gsync
Without Flux – 131
With Flux – 112
It is clear from the results my fps was affected by Flux during the time in which it was transitioning the colours on my monitor.
It also had an impact on the stuttering of my crosshair as explained previously.
How to Stop Flux Stuttering and Lag
Since Flux’s first few versions there has been a lot of notable improvements to the application. To avoid the stuttering and lag I used to have to right-click the application in the system tray and disable it.
Thankfully, Flux has listened and realised that when gaming we probably don’t want to be having our colours skewed or more importantly, our frames affected.
With the more recent versions of Flux, they have implemented a few upgrades. The main one to keep an eye out for is the disabling of Flux for fullscreen apps.
This is a lifesaver when it comes to your fps. You no longer have to manually go and disable Flux every time you launch a game. I often kept forgetting about Flux and had to alt-tab out and disable it.
How to Disable Flux For Fullscreen Apps
To disable Flux for fullscreen applications, navigate to your system tray and find your Flux icon.
Right-click the icon and hover over ‘Disable’.
Select ‘for full-screen apps’.
How to Disable ‘Slow-Transitioning’ In Flux
If you don’t like the sound of the slow-transitioning you could just turn it off altogether. This will stop Flux affecting your fps during the transition period. I would recommend still disabling Flux when gaming, however.
To find the Flux gaming mode setting, navigate to your Flux icon in your system tray.
Right-click the icon and select ‘Options and Smart Lighting’
In the pop-up window select the drop-down ‘How quickly should transitions happen?’
Select ‘Very Fast: Gaming’
Conclusion
Flux does affect fps particularly because of the slow-transitioning setting which seems to have an impact during the time your screen colour is changing. I recommend you follow the steps discussed here and hopefully it makes an impact on your fps. Flux is a fantastic application and I fully recommend you consider picking it up, it is completely free. You can get Flux here.
