How to Reduce System Latency with NVIDIA Reflex (2026)
System latency — the time from your click to the pixel changing on screen — is what makes a game feel crisp or sluggish, and it's separate from raw FPS. NVIDIA Reflex plus a correctly configured display pipeline can cut that latency dramatically without new hardware. This guide explains the full latency chain, how Reflex works, and the exact G-Sync + V-Sync + Reflex + frame-cap combination that gives you tear-free, low-latency gameplay.
The end-to-end latency chain
Click-to-photon latency is the sum of several stages: your mouse polling, the OS and USB handling, the CPU simulation, the render queue (frames waiting to be drawn), the GPU render time, and finally the display's scan-out and pixel response. FPS only measures GPU throughput — you can have high FPS and still feel laggy if the render queue is deep. The biggest, cheapest wins come from shrinking that render queue, which is exactly what Reflex and a proper frame cap do.
How NVIDIA Reflex works
Reflex is built into the game (look for 'NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency' in the video settings) and dynamically keeps the render queue nearly empty by syncing the CPU to the GPU's actual pace. 'Reflex On' shrinks the queue; 'Reflex On + Boost' also keeps GPU clocks high to shave a bit more latency at a small power cost. When a game supports Reflex, it's almost always the single most effective latency setting you can enable, and it also auto-caps your FPS to the ideal point when paired with G-Sync.
The correct pipeline, step by step
- 1
In the game's video settings set NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency to On, or On + Boost if you want the last bit and don't mind the extra power draw. This is the highest-impact single step.
- 2
If you use G-Sync, cap a few frames under refresh (e.g. 138 on 144Hz, 225 on 240Hz). Reflex does this automatically; otherwise use RTSS or the in-game limiter. Staying under refresh keeps G-Sync engaged and V-Sync from adding a queued frame.
- 3
For games without Reflex, open NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings and set 'Low Latency Mode' to Ultra. If a game has Reflex, leave this Off in NVCP and let Reflex handle it — they shouldn't both run.
- 4
In NVCP turn G-Sync on for fullscreen, set V-Sync to On in NVCP (not in-game), and rely on your frame cap to stay below refresh. This combo gives tear-free frames without the input lag traditional V-Sync adds.
- 5
Higher refresh directly lowers latency because frames scan out faster. Going 144Hz to 240Hz or 360Hz shortens the display stage of the chain — pair it with the settings above for the full effect.
Why capping below refresh matters so much
If your GPU renders faster than your monitor refreshes, extra frames pile into a queue and each displayed frame is slightly stale. Traditional V-Sync makes this worse by forcing the GPU to wait. The proven low-latency setup — G-Sync on, V-Sync on in the driver, Reflex or a manual cap holding you just under refresh — keeps the pipeline flowing without tearing and without a backlog, giving you the tear-free look of V-Sync at close to uncapped latency.
Reflex handles the render queue inside supported games, but the input pipeline before the game — mouse polling and how Windows queues render work system-wide — still adds latency, including in titles that don't support Reflex. Wegs Zero Delay tightens exactly that layer at the driver level, and it's fully reversible if you want your defaults back.
Get Wegs Zero Delay — $9.99Don't forget the input side of the chain
Reflex and your display settings optimize everything from the game engine forward, but the front of the chain — polling, timer resolution, and how interrupts are handled — is just as real. Tightening timer resolution and pinning input interrupts to the right CPU cores removes jitter that no in-game setting can touch, and it helps in every game whether or not it supports Reflex.
Wegs Ultra combines the input-latency layer, FPS tuning, and network refinement in one package — so the whole chain from your mouse to the pixel is optimized, not just the parts a single in-game toggle can reach. It's the all-in-one for players chasing the lowest possible click-to-photon time.
Get Wegs Ultra — $29.99Frequently asked questions
Should I use Reflex On or Reflex On + Boost?+
Start with Reflex On — it delivers most of the latency reduction by keeping the render queue empty. Use On + Boost only if you want the last millisecond and don't mind higher GPU clocks and power draw; on some systems the difference is marginal.
What is the best G-Sync, V-Sync, and Reflex combo?+
G-Sync on, V-Sync set to On in the NVIDIA Control Panel (not in-game), Reflex On in-game, and your FPS capped a few frames below refresh. This gives tear-free frames with latency close to an uncapped setup — the widely tested optimal pipeline.
Does capping my FPS reduce input lag?+
Yes, when you're capping below your refresh rate with variable refresh (G-Sync/FreeSync). An uncapped GPU running above refresh queues stale frames; capping just under refresh keeps the pipeline flowing and each shown frame fresh, which lowers perceived latency.
Recommended for this
Every Wegs tweak is safe, reversible, and never touches game files or anti-cheat — read Are PC tweaks safe? for the full breakdown.