Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe reliable way to answer this is a controlled before-and-after test: measure the old build, repeat the same workload after the engine update, keep the PC and settings unchanged, and compare average FPS together with frame-time behavior. The result shows how the updated build performs under your tested conditions; it does not, by itself, prove that the engine was the only cause of any change.
What your test can—and cannot—prove
A new engine may change rendering, streaming, simulation, shader work, or how the game uses your CPU and GPU. You can verify whether the game behaves differently on your computer, but only by comparing like with like. A quiet menu, a different save, a changed graphics preset, or a new driver can overwhelm the effect you are trying to measure.
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A sound conclusion is deliberately narrow: “In repeated runs on this PC, with these settings and this route, the updated build measured a different average FPS and frame-time pattern.” That is evidence of a difference between two builds under defined conditions. It is not proof that the engine alone caused it. Game content, a patch bundled with the engine change, graphics-driver or operating-system changes, shader-cache state, and background activity may also contribute.
If you did not capture the old build before it updated, you can still measure the current version and compare it with an archived or separately installed older build when that is legitimately available. Record every difference instead of presenting the result as a perfectly controlled test.
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1. Capture the baseline before updating
Do this while the old build is still installed. Write the information down or save screenshots so you can reproduce it later. The baseline is useful only if the post-update run uses the same conditions.
Record the software and hardware state
- Game build number or version and the date of the test.
- Operating-system version.
- Graphics-driver version.
- CPU and GPU models.
- Any system power mode or performance profile that affects clocks or power limits.
Record every performance-relevant game setting
- Display resolution and display mode.
- Overall graphics preset.
- Individual settings you changed from that preset.
- Upscaling technology and its quality mode.
- Frame generation state (on or off, and the selected mode if the game exposes one).
- V-sync state.
- Frame-rate cap and where that cap is applied.
Do not rely on “High” or “Ultra” as a complete description. Two builds can attach different values to the same preset, so list the individual settings that matter to your test.
Choose and document the route
Save the game at a location you can reach again, then describe the exact route: starting position, actions, camera direction, combat or traversal sequence, and the demanding section you intend to include. A representative heavy scene is more useful than an empty corridor or a static menu. If the game has a built-in benchmark, record its name and all benchmark options; that is generally easier to repeat than free-form play.
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2. Select a workload that can be repeated
Prefer a built-in benchmark when it runs the same sequence every time. Note whether it reports a result only at the end or whether it exposes a live overlay, because your measurement method must remain the same for both builds.
Without a benchmark, use a repeatable saved location and route. Reproduce the same camera movement and actions as closely as practical. Include a section that represents the load you care about: a busy city, a large view, an effects-heavy fight, or another scene where you normally notice slowdowns. Avoid comparing a calm exploration segment in one build with a crowded encounter in the other.
Keep the route long enough to expose traversal and stutters, but do not change it between builds. If an event, enemy spawn, weather state, or streaming trigger is random, make several passes and record the spread rather than selecting the most favorable run.
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3. Keep the test conditions identical
The game build should be the principal variable. Hold these conditions steady:
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- V-sync and frame-rate limit.
- Operating-system power mode and any game-specific performance profile.
- Background applications, downloads, recording, overlays, and browser activity.
- Display and input configuration when it affects the game’s presentation or timing.
If practical, use the same operating-system and graphics-driver versions for the direct build comparison. If the update requires a newer driver or the driver changed automatically, note that fact beside the results. A newer driver may improve or reduce performance independently of the engine.
Keep the same resolution even when a new build offers a different default. Confirm the actual resolution and upscaler mode in the game after updating; patches sometimes reset settings or create a new graphics profile.
4. Let one-time work finish before measuring
After installing the update, allow downloads and obvious first-run shader compilation to complete. Starting a timed run while the game is compiling shaders or while Steam is still downloading can make the updated build look worse for a reason that will not persist during normal play.
Warm the game with a run before recording. Use the same warm-up approach for the old build if you still have it. The purpose is to avoid comparing a freshly initialized session with a session that has already performed one-time work. Note anything unavoidable, such as a shader compilation pass that occurs only after visiting a particular area.
5. Configure Steam’s performance monitor
Steam’s In-Game Overlay Performance Monitor is the simplest starting point. Open the Steam overlay while the game is running and select the Performance Monitor. Choose a detail level that exposes the readings you need. Depending on your operating system and hardware, some readings may not be available.
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The monitor can display FPS, CPU and GPU performance, and system-memory information. At its full detail level it can distinguish generated-frame FPS from actual game FPS and show per-second minimum and maximum single-game frame performance. Use the same monitor detail level in both builds.
Do not switch measurement tools halfway through. Different tools may define or sample frames differently, so a number from one tool is not automatically interchangeable with a number from another.
6. Understand the readings before comparing them
| Reading | What it tells you | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | Steam describes FPS as the average frames per second. | Use it as a broad measure of throughput, not as a complete description of smoothness. |
| Frame time | The elapsed time between successive presented frames. Steam’s guidance exposes the maximum, or slowest, frame time over a recent window. | Look for spikes that an average can hide; a brief slow frame can be visible as a hitch. |
| Minimum and maximum single-game frame performance | Per-second minimum and maximum values available at the monitor’s detailed level. | Use them to see whether performance collapses briefly during a demanding part of the route. |
| Generated-frame FPS | Frames produced by a frame-generation system rather than by the game’s ordinary rendering loop. | Keep generation consistent and do not substitute this number for actual game FPS when judging engine rendering or responsiveness. |
| CPU, GPU, and memory readings | Indicators of load and possible limits. | Use them as clues about where a constraint may lie, not as a diagnosis from one counter. |
FPS and frame time are related but not interchangeable summaries. Steam notes that its FPS value is an average, while the frame-time value is the slowest frame in a recent window; frame durations vary, so those values need not be mathematical reciprocals. A higher average can coexist with disruptive spikes.
7. Run a controlled before-and-after test
- Close or pause unrelated work. Stop downloads and unnecessary applications. Leave the same essential services running in both tests.
- Launch the baseline build. Confirm the recorded resolution, preset, individual settings, upscaler, frame generation, V-sync, and frame cap.
- Warm up using the documented route. Make the same preliminary pass you will use after the update.
- Start the performance monitor. Use the same Steam monitor detail level and make sure you know which field is actual game FPS if frame generation is enabled.
- Perform the route exactly. Start and stop at the same points, follow the same actions, and include the demanding section.
- Record the run. Capture average FPS, the available minimum and maximum behavior, notable frame-time spikes, and any unusual event.
- Repeat the route. Make multiple comparable passes instead of reporting the single best result. Keep the run count and warm-up method the same for the updated build.
- Update the game. Wait for downloads and first-run shader compilation to settle, then verify that the patch did not reset your settings.
- Repeat the warm-up and passes. Use the same route, monitor, settings, and number of runs.
- Record differences and exceptions. Note a driver or OS change, a changed scene, a background task, a crash, a compilation pause, or any other condition that was not shared by both builds.
8. Use a results sheet instead of memory
A simple table prevents selective reporting. Create one row per pass and retain the settings alongside the measurements.
| Field | Old build | Updated build |
|---|---|---|
| Build and test date | Record the exact version and date. | Record the exact version and date. |
| OS and graphics driver | Record versions. | Record versions and flag changes. |
| Resolution and display mode | Record values. | Confirm values after the update. |
| Graphics settings and upscaler | List the preset and overrides. | List the preset and overrides. |
| Frame generation, V-sync, and cap | Record each state. | Record each state. |
| Route and warm-up | Describe the saved location and procedure. | Use the identical description. |
| Average FPS per pass | Enter every pass. | Enter every pass. |
| Frame-time spikes or maximum frame time | Describe when they occurred. | Describe when they occurred. |
| Minimum/maximum or percentile readings | Enter only readings exposed by the chosen monitor. | Enter the same readings. |
| Exceptions | Note background activity or unusual behavior. | Note background activity or unusual behavior. |
9. Analyze smoothness, not just the average
Average FPS shows throughput
Compare the average across comparable passes, preferably as a range rather than a single winning run. If the updated build is faster in every comparable pass, that is stronger evidence than one unusually high reading. If the ranges overlap substantially, describe the result as variable or inconclusive under the tested workload.
Frame-time spikes show interruptions
Inspect the slowest-frame or maximum-frame-time behavior and when spikes occurred. A build can raise average FPS while adding hitches during traversal, streaming, or combat. Conversely, a similar average with fewer severe spikes can feel smoother. Report both observations instead of collapsing them into the word “performance.”
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Use minimum, maximum, and percentile data when available
Per-second minimum and maximum single-game frame performance can expose brief collapses that a run-wide average hides. An optional tool such as NVIDIA’s FrameView can add frame-time percentile and power measurements when you need more detail. Use it consistently across both builds and state the metric definitions; do not merge its readings with Steam’s as though they were identical.
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Frame generation can make the displayed rate look higher without increasing the rate of actual game frames. Steam’s monitor can distinguish generated frames from actual game FPS in its detailed view. Leave frame generation on in both tests or off in both tests, and report the state clearly.
When the question is whether the engine’s rendering or simulation work improved, compare actual game FPS and frame-time behavior. Generated-frame FPS is still relevant to the displayed output, but it answers a different question and should not replace the actual-game measurement.
11. Interpret CPU, GPU, and memory counters cautiously
Steam presents CPU, GPU, and system-memory information to help you understand load and possible constraints related to the processor, graphics processor, graphics settings, or memory. These counters are clues, not a diagnosis.
- A high GPU reading may indicate that the selected resolution or graphics settings are limiting throughput, but it does not prove the engine is inefficient.
- A high CPU reading may indicate a processor or simulation limit, but a single aggregate percentage can hide work concentrated on one thread.
- Memory readings can reveal pressure or unusual consumption, but they do not by themselves establish a hardware defect or justify a purchase.
- Temperature, power behavior, and background activity can alter clocks and results between runs.
Use these readings to decide what to investigate next, while keeping the published conclusion tied to the measured FPS and frame-time results.
12. Troubleshoot inconsistent results
The updated build is slower only on the first run
Check whether shader compilation, asset preparation, downloads, or a newly built cache was still running. Warm up both builds using the same procedure, then repeat the recorded passes.
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Runs vary widely
Look for background downloads, recording software, changing power behavior, temperature-related clock changes, random encounters, or a route that is not truly repeatable. Stop the interfering task, let the system return to a stable state, and run the same sequence again. Report the spread if natural scene variation remains.
Settings changed after the patch
Recheck resolution, preset overrides, upscaler, frame generation, V-sync, and frame cap. A reset profile invalidates a direct comparison until the old settings are restored.
Steam does not show every reading
Some monitor readings depend on operating system and hardware. Use the fields that are available, keep the tool and detail level consistent, and do not invent missing values. If you need frame-time percentiles or power data, use one additional measurement tool for both builds and explain that its definitions may differ from Steam’s.
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Do not reconstruct an old result from memory. State that no pre-update measurement was captured, or compare a legitimately available older build while documenting driver, OS, settings, and cache differences. The more conditions differ, the narrower your conclusion must be.
13. State the conclusion at the right level
Use the evidence your runs actually support:
- Clear improvement: repeated comparable passes show a higher average and no new material frame-time spikes.
- Smoother but not faster: average FPS is similar, while slowest-frame behavior or visible hitches improve.
- Faster average with worse hitching: throughput rises, but frame-time spikes become more severe or frequent.
- No established change: the run ranges overlap, conditions changed, or the route was too inconsistent to separate builds.
- Unresolved cause: the updated build differs alongside a driver, OS, settings, shader-cache, or content change, so the test shows a difference without isolating the engine.
Report the number of passes, route, settings, monitor, average-FPS range, and frame-time behavior. A useful sentence names the conditions: “Across the repeated route at the recorded resolution and settings, the updated build measured [the observed difference], while [the observed frame-time behavior].” Keep any variable or unmeasured factor visible instead of turning a local result into a universal claim about every PC.
Quick Recap
14. A compact pre-publication checklist for your own test notes
- Old and updated build versions and test dates are recorded.
- CPU, GPU, OS, and graphics-driver versions are recorded.
- Resolution, preset overrides, upscaler, frame generation, V-sync, and frame cap match.
- The route includes the same demanding section in every pass.
- Downloads and first-run shader work have settled.
- The same Steam monitor detail level and metric definitions are used.
- Average FPS and frame-time spikes are both recorded.
- Actual game FPS is separated from generated-frame FPS.
- Multiple passes and their range are reported.
- Background activity, temperature or power changes, and unavoidable differences are disclosed.
- The conclusion says what changed on this PC and does not claim the engine alone was responsible without stronger controlled evidence.
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