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To get more FPS without making a game look needlessly worse, measure performance first, identify whether the limit is the GPU, CPU, memory, or cooling, then adjust the settings that affect that bottleneck. For most GPU-limited games, test an upscaler and reduce ray tracing, shadows, volumetrics, and reflections before lowering textures. Make one or two changes at a time and compare the same scene.
Start by finding what is limiting performance
There is no universally best graphics preset. Lowering resolution can help a GPU-bound game, but may do little if the CPU, an FPS cap, heat, or a background task is the limit. Establish a baseline before changing settings.
Use the game’s built-in benchmark if it has one. Otherwise, repeat the same 30–60-second route or scene under the same conditions. Record the output resolution, preset, upscaler and mode, frame-generation status, V-Sync, frame cap, average FPS, frame-time graph or 1% lows, GPU utilization, CPU activity, VRAM use, GPU temperature, and clocks. Repeat the test after each meaningful change.
- Likely GPU-bound: GPU utilization stays near its limit, and reducing resolution scale gives a noticeable FPS increase. Ray tracing, shadows, volumetrics, or reflections may also be costly.
- Likely CPU-bound: FPS remains low while GPU utilization is well below its usual maximum; lowering resolution changes little. Crowds, simulation, view distance, physics, and world detail may matter more.
- Possible VRAM pressure: Stutters when entering areas, texture pop-in, delayed texture loading, or a sharp performance problem after raising texture quality can point to insufficient video memory.
- Possible thermal or power limit: Performance falls after several minutes, clocks drop as the system heats up, or a laptop performs differently on battery and wall power.
- Uneven performance despite a good average: Check frame-time spikes, shader compilation, asset streaming, VRAM pressure, background recording, and overlays.
PresentMon can capture frame durations and related CPU, GPU, and display metrics across DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan applications; its Capture Application also offers an overlay. NVIDIA FrameView is another option for FPS, frame-time, latency-related, and power data on supported systems. Treat telemetry as evidence, not perfect truth: PresentMon notes that some GPU-execution measurements can be less accurate with Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling enabled.
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Average FPS is not the whole experience
Average FPS describes throughput over a period, while 1% lows and frame-time consistency help reveal dips and stutter. Approximate frame times are 33.3 ms at 30 FPS, 16.7 ms at 60, 11.1 ms at 90, 8.3 ms at 120, 6.9 ms at 144, 6.1 ms at 165, and 4.2 ms at 240. These are conversions, not complete latency measurements. A high average can still feel uneven if frames arrive inconsistently.
Also distinguish rendered frames from generated frames. Higher rendered FPS often means less time between frames, but queueing, synchronization, CPU limits, and frame generation can change the relationship between displayed FPS and input responsiveness.
Change the settings most likely to matter
For a GPU-bound game, work down this list rather than switching the entire preset to Low. The impact of any setting depends on the game, scene, hardware, resolution, and implementation, so test your own workload.
- Render resolution or resolution scale: Lower internal resolution can produce a large GPU-side gain. If the game supports an upscaler, try its Quality mode before lowering the output resolution.
- Path tracing and ray tracing: Disable path tracing first if performance is the priority. If you want to retain some effects, reduce them selectively—such as reflections or lighting—rather than assuming every ray-traced effect costs the same.
- Shadows: Reduce shadow quality or resolution by one step, or shorten shadow distance, before turning shadows off entirely.
- Volumetrics and lighting: Lower volumetric fog, clouds, smoke, god rays, or global illumination if GPU load is high. Their cost can vary significantly between scenes.
- Reflections and ambient occlusion: Try reducing screen-space reflections or reflection quality before sacrificing texture detail. Lower ambient occlusion if the visual difference is acceptable.
- CPU-heavy world settings: If lowering resolution has little effect, test view distance, foliage density, object detail, crowd density, or simulation quality.
- Anti-aliasing and effects: Lowering anti-aliasing can improve performance but may add jagged edges or shimmer. Disable motion blur, depth of field, film grain, chromatic aberration, lens distortion, or vignette if you prefer a cleaner image; these are often visual-preference changes, not guaranteed FPS fixes.
Judge settings in more than one scene. A crowded outdoor area, an interior, and a scene with reflections may place very different demands on the system.
Keep textures high—until VRAM becomes a problem
Texture quality often uses video memory (VRAM) more directly than it taxes rendering calculations. If the game remains smooth and its texture budget fits comfortably in available VRAM, High textures can be a good choice even while other settings are reduced. If stutter, pop-in, or delayed loading appears, step down from Ultra to High or lower the game’s texture-streaming budget if it exposes one.
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System RAM is not a simple substitute for insufficient VRAM. Texture resolution, streaming budgets, and shader compilation caches are different things; increasing textures beyond what the GPU can accommodate can turn a seemingly harmless setting into severe hitching.
Use resolution scaling and upscaling carefully
Output resolution is what the game sends to the display. Internal render resolution is the resolution used to render the scene before any reconstruction. Resolution scale changes that internal resolution; an upscaler reconstructs an output image from a lower-resolution render. Dynamic resolution adjusts internal resolution during play to aim at a selected performance target.
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- DLSS Super Resolution, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS are upscaling technologies, but their image quality depends on the game’s implementation, mode, motion, and hardware. There is no universal winner for every game.
- DLAA is NVIDIA’s native-resolution anti-aliasing option, not a performance upscaling mode.
- Dynamic resolution can hold a target more consistently, but may visibly change sharpness during play.
NVIDIA describes DLSS Super Resolution as reconstructing a higher-resolution image from a lower-resolution render; AMD describes FSR as upscaling lower-resolution input. AMD’s documented FSR SDK modes include Native AA, Quality, Balanced, Performance, and Ultra Performance, though availability and names vary by game and version (FSR SDK documentation). Intel XeSS support likewise depends on the game, GPU, driver, operating system, and graphics API (XeSS Unreal plugin documentation).
Check fine geometry, foliage, hair, thin wires, distant objects, particles, and moving scenes—not just a paused image. If the picture looks too soft, move up from Performance to Balanced or Quality, check whether dynamic resolution is active, and use sharpening sparingly. Restore native resolution if the game’s reconstruction does not suit you.
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Frame generation: smoother display, not the same as faster base rendering
DLSS Frame Generation, FSR Frame Generation, XeSS Frame Generation, and AMD Fluid Motion Frames create additional displayed frames from rendered frames. They can make motion appear smoother, but generated FPS is not equivalent to rendering that many frames natively, and it does not automatically make controls as responsive as the displayed number suggests.
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First get a reasonably stable base frame rate. Intel’s XeSS Frame Generation guide recommends about 40 FPS as a minimum and 60 FPS as a target for better reconstruction and latency behavior; that is Intel’s guidance, not a guarantee for every game or system (XeSS Frame Generation guide). At a low or unstable base rate, generated frames may not make the game feel good to play.
Look for artifacts around UI elements, particles, fast movement, thin geometry, disocclusion, or camera cuts. Competitive players may prefer a stable rendered frame rate and responsiveness over a larger displayed number. If frame generation raises FPS but the game feels laggy, check base FPS, try the game’s latency option, set a sensible cap, or turn frame generation off. Do not stack competing frame-generation systems: NVIDIA specifically warns against using DLSS Frame Generation and Smooth Motion together (NVIDIA technology guidance).
Improve responsiveness with the right latency and display settings
Latency features are primarily for responsiveness, not a promise of higher FPS. Prefer the game’s own option when available: NVIDIA Reflex synchronizes CPU and GPU work to reduce system latency (NVIDIA latency guidance). AMD Radeon Anti-Lag is available on supported Radeon systems, while Anti-Lag 2 requires game-developer integration and is limited to supported games and hardware (AMD Anti-Lag details). Avoid forcing multiple latency overrides at once without testing.
- V-Sync prevents tearing, but can add latency and may produce synchronized stutter when FPS falls below the display refresh rate.
- VRR, including G-SYNC or FreeSync on compatible hardware, lets the display adjust refresh within its supported range and can make presentation smoother.
- A frame cap can reduce power, heat, fan noise, and queueing. Choose it for your display, VRR range, game, and responsiveness goal; there is no universal cap that suits everyone.
Some players test a cap a few frames below their display’s refresh ceiling when using VRR, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. Compare frame pacing and latency with the game’s cap, driver cap, and V-Sync options. Prefer per-game driver settings over global overrides. NVIDIA Control Panel, for example, offers Max Frame Rate and power-management controls (NVIDIA setting reference).
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Windows, laptops, and GPU-driver settings
Check system configuration when game settings do not explain the results:
- On a gaming laptop, plug in for performance testing and check the manufacturer’s power or thermal profile. Battery modes often prioritize efficiency, and sustained heat can reduce clocks.
- In Windows 11, open Settings → System → Display → Graphics and set the game to High performance if the PC has integrated and discrete GPUs. Confirm the game is actually using the discrete GPU.
- Enable Windows Game Mode and test Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling rather than assuming it always improves performance. Keep test conditions consistent when comparing results.
- Windows 11’s Optimizations for windowed games apply to compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games in windowed or borderless modes. See Microsoft’s instructions and scope.
- Close overlays, capture tools, and background recording software while diagnosing stutter. If disabling them changes performance, re-enable tools selectively.
- Use a current stable GPU driver, but roll back if a particular game regresses. Reset driver overrides when troubleshooting.
NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel utilities can manage drivers, per-game profiles, overlays, and supported features. Automatic optimization is a starting recommendation, not proof of the best configuration: inspect what it changes and compare it with your target FPS and image-quality needs. AMD documents per-game profiles and automatic configuration; AMD’s HYPR-RX feature set can include FSR, Radeon Super Resolution, Radeon Boost, Anti-Lag, and Fluid Motion Frames depending on supported hardware, software, and game behavior.
Microsoft Automatic Super Resolution is not a general feature for every gaming PC; it is limited to supported Copilot+ PCs and the ROG Xbox Ally X (Microsoft’s device and feature details).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A repeatable optimization workflow
- Save a baseline. Record settings and performance in a repeatable benchmark or scene, including average FPS and frame-time behavior.
- Check for caps and system limits. Verify refresh rate, V-Sync, any in-game or driver FPS cap, GPU selection, laptop power, temperatures, clocks, and background activity.
- Test resolution scaling. If lower render resolution improves FPS substantially, the game is likely GPU-limited. Try the available upscaler in Quality mode.
- Reduce expensive GPU effects. Test path tracing or ray tracing, shadows, volumetrics, reflections, and global illumination one or two changes at a time.
- If scaling barely helps, test CPU-heavy settings. Reduce crowds, simulation, view distance, or foliage and compare the same scene.
- Change textures only when memory is the issue. Step down a level if stutters, streaming problems, or VRAM pressure indicate it is needed.
- Validate image and stability. Inspect motion, foliage, fine details, dark scenes, and UI; then play long enough to reveal streaming, shader, heat, or memory issues.
- Add frame generation only after base performance is stable. Compare both smoothness and control response, and disable it if artifacts or lag outweigh the benefit.
- Save the known-good result. Note the final settings or use a game profile. Keep a quality and performance profile if the game supports them.
Quick profiles by goal
| Goal | Starting point | Trade-off to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Best image quality | Native resolution, high textures within VRAM, moderate anti-aliasing; use ray tracing only if performance permits. | Aggressive upscaling can soften detail; ray tracing may sharply raise GPU load. |
| Balanced | Quality upscaling if needed; reduce the most expensive shadows, volumetrics, reflections, or RT effects selectively. | Check moving details and frame pacing, not just average FPS. |
| Competitive responsiveness | Stable rendered FPS, game-native Reflex or supported Anti-Lag, VRR where available, and a tested cap. | Generated FPS alone does not establish responsive controls. |
| Older or lower-end hardware | Reduce render scale or use a supported upscaler, lower costly GPU effects, then test CPU-heavy settings if FPS barely changes. | Performance modes can be visibly soft, especially at 1080p. |
| Laptop heat, noise, or battery | Use a suitable power mode and frame cap; lower expensive effects and test on the intended power source. | Unlimited FPS and maximum-power modes can increase heat, noise, and battery drain. |
Troubleshooting when a change goes wrong
The image looks blurry
Move from Performance to Balanced or Quality, check dynamic resolution, and compare at the same output resolution. Use sharpening moderately; if reconstruction quality remains poor, restore native resolution or another anti-aliasing option.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesLowering graphics settings barely changes FPS
Check CPU activity per core, GPU utilization, an unintended cap or V-Sync limit, discrete-GPU selection, background processes, and temperature or power throttling. If resolution changes little, stop lowering GPU-only settings and test world simulation, crowds, and view distance.
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Lower texture quality or texture-streaming budget one step, close memory-heavy programs, and verify available VRAM. Do not assume system RAM can replace VRAM.
Frame generation looks fast but feels laggy
Check the underlying rendered FPS, use the game’s supported latency option, try a sensible cap, or disable frame generation—especially in competitive play or when artifacts distract.
A driver update makes a game worse
Revert to the previously stable driver, reset per-game overrides, and compare again. Prefer documented per-game settings to broad global changes; avoid unofficial DLL swaps or undocumented tweaks.
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Use it as a baseline only. Compare its actual settings with your resolution, target FPS, display refresh rate, hardware, and tolerance for image-quality trade-offs.
Quick Recap
Final checklist
- Benchmark the same scene before and after changes.
- Identify whether the limit is GPU, CPU, VRAM, temperature, power, or a cap.
- Try an appropriate upscaler and reduce expensive effects selectively.
- Keep textures high unless VRAM pressure causes problems.
- Judge frame times and 1% lows as well as average FPS.
- Treat generated FPS separately from base rendering and input response.
- Check VRR, V-Sync, latency options, and frame cap together.
- Save and retest a known-good profile after long play, not just a short benchmark.
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