Fixing low FPS and stuttering starts with identifying which problem you actually have. A low average frame rate means the game is consistently rendering too slowly; stuttering means frame times are uneven, so motion pauses or hitches even when the average FPS looks acceptable. Measure both average FPS and 1% lows, reproduce the problem in the same scene, then change one variable at a time. Check the game’s official requirements, reduce the settings that create the most work, verify Windows 11 is using the intended GPU, and investigate storage only when pauses line up with loading or asset streaming.
First, separate low FPS from stuttering
Fast-paced horror shooters make frame pacing obvious. A steady 45 FPS can feel more playable than an unstable 90 FPS that repeatedly drops to very low frame rates. Before changing settings, decide whether you are dealing with a low average, intermittent FPS drops, or poor frame consistency.
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Low average FPS
If the counter remains below your display’s refresh target in ordinary gameplay, the system is consistently struggling to render the scene. Lowering demanding graphics options or reducing output resolution can reduce the work each frame requires, although the effective settings differ by game.
Stuttering and micro-stutters
Stuttering appears as uneven frame delivery: a brief pause, hitch, or judder followed by normal motion. It can occur with a reasonable average FPS when a small number of frames take much longer than the rest. Those long frames pull down the 1% low result and are usually more useful than the average for describing the experience.
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FPS drops tied to an event
Note whether the hitch occurs when entering a new room, during a fight, when effects appear, or only while loading. A repeatable event gives you a controlled test. Use the same route or scene after each change so that you are comparing like with like.
Build a baseline before changing anything
Write down the conditions under which the problem occurs. This prevents a setting change from being mistaken for a fix and gives official support enough information to investigate the exact game.
- Game title and version or patch shown by the launcher.
- Distribution platform and whether the game is installed locally.
- Windows edition and version; mark whether the directions below apply to Windows 11.
- CPU model, GPU model, installed memory, and whether the computer has more than one GPU.
- Display resolution, refresh rate, and whether the game is fullscreen, windowed, or borderless.
- Every current graphics setting that affects resolution, lighting, shadows, effects, textures, anti-aliasing, or synchronization.
- The exact scene or action that triggers the hitch, and whether it happens every time.
Do not alter resolution, several quality settings, and display mode simultaneously. A controlled baseline is the only way to know which change helped frame consistency and which merely changed the scene being measured.
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Measure average FPS, 1% lows, and frame pacing
A frame counter alone cannot explain a hitch. NVIDIA FrameView can record average FPS, 1% low FPS, latency, CPU and GPU clocks, utilization, temperatures, and power. It is a measurement option, not a required purchase; use any trustworthy telemetry already available on your system if it reports comparable data.
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What to record
| Metric | What it tells you | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | Typical rendering rate over the test run. | Shows whether the game is generally too demanding for the chosen resolution and settings. |
| 1% low FPS | Performance during the slowest one percent of frames. | Highlights dips that an average can hide; compare it after each single-setting change. |
| Frame-time consistency | Whether frames arrive at regular intervals. | Use it to distinguish smooth but modest FPS from visible hitching. |
| GPU utilization and clocks | How heavily the selected GPU is working and whether it is maintaining expected clocks. | Helps identify whether the game is actually using the intended adapter. |
| CPU utilization and clocks | Processor load and operating frequency during the same scene. | Provides context when lowering visual quality does not change the result. |
| Temperature and power | Thermal and power behavior while reproducing the issue. | Record the values with the scene and settings; do not infer a fault from one number without the rest of the telemetry. |
| Latency | Delay associated with the rendered frame path. | Useful when the complaint is sluggish input as well as uneven motion. |
Run a repeatable test
- Choose a representative section of the game that normally produces the problem.
- Stand in the same location or follow the same short route for each run.
- Record average FPS, 1% lows, and the telemetry available during that run.
- Repeat after exactly one change, keeping resolution, display mode, and other settings constant.
- Keep a change only if it improves the relevant symptom without making image quality or input behavior unacceptable.
If the average is low and the 1% low is proportionally similar, the game is likely consistently demanding. If the average is high but the 1% low collapses, concentrate on frame pacing and the event that causes the long frames rather than chasing a higher average.
Check the exact game’s official system requirements
Do not infer a shooter’s requirements from its genre, visual style, or another horror game. Find the exact title’s official minimum and recommended specifications on the game’s own support page or its distribution platform, then compare them with the PC used for testing. MSI’s general performance guidance also recommends checking the game or distribution platform for these requirements.
Compare the parts that are actually listed
- Compare the named CPU and GPU classes, not just a generic claim that the computer is a gaming PC.
- Check the required memory amount against installed memory.
- Compare the stated storage requirement and the game’s installation location.
- Match the requirement’s operating-system and graphics-API assumptions to the current setup.
Meeting a minimum requirement does not establish a particular FPS target; it only indicates that the publisher considers the configuration supportable under its stated conditions. If the PC falls below the requirement, prioritize realistic settings and consult the game’s official support information before assuming a hardware purchase is the answer.
Reduce graphics workload one setting at a time
Graphics options change how much detail the PC must render, but their impact varies among games. Riot’s support guidance describes settings as requests for different levels of detail and advises testing high-impact options rather than applying a universal preset. Use that principle for this shooter: lower one demanding option, repeat the same scene, and compare frame consistency.
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A controlled graphics-setting procedure
- Record the current setting and baseline average FPS, 1% low, and frame-time behavior.
- Choose one demanding option that the game exposes, such as a lighting, shadow, effects, or resolution control.
- Lower it by one quality step, leaving all other options unchanged.
- Replay the same scene and record the same metrics.
- Keep the change only when it improves the symptom enough to justify its image-quality cost; otherwise restore it and test a different option.
Do not copy a generic best-settings list. Two games can assign very different workloads to the same label, and a setting that improves average FPS may not correct a streaming-related hitch or a poor 1% low.
Resolution and image quality
Output resolution changes the number of pixels rendered and can be a useful diagnostic. If lowering resolution produces a clear increase in average FPS and 1% lows, rendering workload is contributing to the problem. If the hitch remains in the same moments despite a large resolution change, investigate the event and system path instead of lowering every visual option.
Synchronization and display behavior
VSync synchronizes the game’s frame delivery with the display’s refresh cycle and may prevent visible tearing. Test it as a display-behavior setting, not as a universal FPS boost. Record whether it changes tearing, input feel, average FPS, or the severity of the hitch, then choose the behavior you prefer for this game and display.
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These directions are conditional: they apply to Windows 11 systems with more than one GPU, such as a laptop with integrated and discrete graphics. An incorrect per-app assignment can leave a game running on an adapter that is not intended for demanding 3D work.
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- Open Settings.
- Go to System > Display > Graphics.
- Find the game in the app list. If it is not listed, use the option to add the game’s executable.
- Open the game’s graphics preference and choose High performance when that is the appropriate adapter for your system.
- Save the preference, then fully restart the game.
Measure the same scene after restarting. A change in GPU utilization, clocks, or frame rate confirms that the app assignment mattered; if telemetry and performance are unchanged, continue with the other diagnostic branches.
Test Windows 11 optimizations for windowed games when applicable
Windows 11’s Optimizations for windowed games applies to compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games running in windowed or borderless modes. Microsoft describes the feature as moving compatible games to a newer presentation model intended to reduce frame latency. It is not a guaranteed fix and does not apply to every API or display mode.
- Open Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
- Find the game in the app list and open its graphics options.
- Enable Optimizations for windowed games if the title uses DirectX 10 or DirectX 11 and runs windowed or borderless.
- Restart the game before comparing results.
If the game uses another graphics API, runs exclusive fullscreen, or does not expose a compatible path, this setting may not apply. Record the mode and API before attributing any improvement to the toggle.
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An SSD is a narrow, symptom-dependent consideration. MSI says storing games on an SSD usually improves the gaming experience and may increase FPS in some demanding AAA games. That guidance does not establish that an SSD fixes general frame-time stutter or low FPS in every shooter.
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When storage deserves investigation
- Pauses occur while a level, room, or checkpoint is loading.
- Hitches correlate with asset streaming as you enter a new area.
- The game is installed on an HDD and the same event is repeatable during reads.
- The current drive has little free capacity or its interface does not match the system’s supported storage options.
Storage comparison
| Question | What to check | What a positive result means |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the game installed? | Identify the drive and whether it is an HDD or SSD. | Moving the game is worth testing when the hitch aligns with loading or streaming. |
| Does the pause have a loading pattern? | Compare a loading screen or new-area transition with ordinary combat. | A repeatable loading-only pause supports a storage-related hypothesis; combat-only drops point elsewhere. |
| Is there enough capacity? | Check available space and the storage interface supported by the PC. | Confirms whether an installation change is practical; it does not predict a specific FPS gain. |
Only recommend an SSD after this check points toward storage. Treat any FPS increase reported for a particular demanding game as conditional, not as evidence that an SSD is a universal frame-rate or stutter solution.
Use symptom branches instead of random tweaks
Average FPS is low everywhere
- Confirm the game meets its official requirements.
- Lower one high-impact graphics setting and retest the same scene.
- Test output resolution as a separate variable.
- Use telemetry to verify that the intended GPU is active on Windows 11 multi-GPU systems.
Average FPS is acceptable but 1% lows are poor
- Capture the exact action that produces the long frame.
- Compare frame-time consistency before and after one graphics change.
- Check whether the event is a loading or asset-streaming transition; only then investigate storage.
- Test applicable Windows 11 windowed-game optimizations and restart before measuring.
Hitches happen only in windowed or borderless mode
- Confirm whether the game uses DirectX 10 or DirectX 11.
- Enable Windows 11’s windowed-game optimization for the game if the API and mode qualify.
- Restart the game and compare latency and frame pacing with the same scene.
The game appears to use the wrong adapter
- Open the Windows 11 per-app graphics preference.
- Select High performance when the discrete or intended adapter is identified.
- Restart and verify the change through GPU utilization and clock telemetry.
Only loading or new-area transitions hitch
- Record whether the game is on an HDD or SSD.
- Compare the transition with ordinary gameplay to avoid blaming storage for every dip.
- Consult the game’s official support information for title-specific streaming issues; the available evidence does not identify a universal repair.
Common mistakes that hide the real cause
- Changing several settings at once: you lose the ability to identify which change affected FPS or frame pacing.
- Using only average FPS: a high average can hide a poor 1% low and visible long frames.
- Assuming every horror shooter has the same requirements: requirements and high-impact settings are game-specific.
- Promising an SSD fix: storage can help loading and may help some demanding games, but it is not established as a general stutter cure.
- Skipping the restart: Windows graphics-preference and windowed-optimization changes should be tested after restarting the game.
- Calling an option a universal boost: VSync and Windows windowed optimizations change display or presentation behavior and may not improve every title.
When to contact the game’s official support
Escalate with a concise reproduction record when the PC meets the exact requirements, the intended GPU is selected, and a controlled graphics test does not change a repeatable hitch. Include the game and patch, operating system, CPU, GPU, memory, display mode and resolution, current settings, the scene that triggers the problem, and your average FPS, 1% lows, and available telemetry. The game’s official support channel is the right place for current patch-specific bugs or repair instructions that cannot be established from general PC guidance.
Because the title, patch, hardware, and symptom pattern are unspecified here, no single setting or hardware upgrade can be guaranteed. A measured baseline and one-variable tests will tell you whether the limiting factor is rendering workload, GPU selection, presentation mode, or storage-related loading.
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