Have you ever lost a 1v1 duel because all of a sudden your frames dropped or you stuttered? I sure have in my 15 years of playing Minecraft. Having these kinds of performance issues is a nightmare, especially if you’re a competitive player.
Due to this, I’ve decided to test Vanilla and Lunar Client to see the FPS stats. In this Apex Hosting article, I will be comparing the benchmarks between both and determine the best for performance. This is only the surface, as you can further optimize your setup to meet crazy numbers.
As the exclusive hosting partner for Lunar Client, let’s put them to the test 👏
Testing Methodology
Most testing environments have no background apps running, but we all know that when you play Minecraft – you have at least a few programs running. To make this as real as it can be, I’ve kept Discord, Steam, Spotify, and Chrome running in the background.
I used CapFrameX to record all the data on my computer, Intel Core i9 9900K with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. It’s not the best setup, but not the worst. I captured the exact millisecond delay between every rendered frame, including the 1% low FPS data.
Uncapped Performance Benchmarks
Both Vanilla Minecraft and Lunar Client were using unlimited frame rates with no V-Sync. Render distance was set at 16 chunks with all other default settings being untouched.
| Client | Average FPS | 1% Low FPS | Peak FPS | Average Frametime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Minecraft | 348.9 | 74.4 | 764.6 | 2.87 ms |
| Lunar Client | 455.9 | 166.3 | 1118.2 | 2.19 ms |
Here’s that all of that means:
- Average FPS: This establishes your baseline rendering capacity. It basically represents your overall frame rate throughout a play session.
- 1% Low FPS: This is the average speed of your worst 1% of frames. It reveals stutters from chunk loading or entities, with higher numbers being good since you aren’t having issues normally.
- Peak FPS: This is the highest instance of your frame rate. It shows the maximum capacity of your system, but isn’t considered a good metric for performance since you can achieve this by looking at the sky.
- Average Frametime: This is the delay in milliseconds to render one frame. It determines input lag and render speed, so lower numbers are good for achieving high responsiveness in-game.
Benchmarks Explained
Vanilla Minecraft
On average, the performance is alright and sufficient to play the game. However, the 1% Low FPS (74.4) means that I typically run into problems when fighting, loading new chunks, and other in-game actions. If you were going for a casual session with minor interruptions, this is okay.
Lunar Client
On average, the performance is great and feels smooth when playing the game. The 1% Low FPS (166.3) means that chunks loading and combat aren’t having issues. That’s a 123.52% increase from the Vanilla version. The average frametime is even better, outputting a more seamless response.
Is the Lunar Client Actually Worth it?
Yes – in my opinion, the Lunar Client greatly improved my performance and overall experience in Minecraft. With a massive boost in FPS, even at the lowest point, everything ran perfectly on my system. Remember, I only uncapped the frame rate and turned off V-Sync. You could push the performance even more with other adjustments.
My Conclusion
Lunar Client clearly outclasses Vanilla Minecraft by eliminating stutters and breaking the 1,000 FPS threshold.
- 123.5% Higher 1% Lows: Boosted stability from 74.4 to 166.3 FPS, stopping frame drops during fights and chunk loading.
- Lower Input Lag: Reduced average frametimes to 2.19 ms for a faster, more responsive feel.
- 1,118 Peak FPS: Maximized my system’s output far beyond Vanilla’s 764 FPS limit.
If you want smooth, competitive gameplay without paying for hardware upgrades, switching to Lunar Client is an easy win.
