FPS Optimization Guide: How to Get More FPS in Games

Low FPS makes every game feel worse.

Your crosshair feels late. Tracking feels choppy. Flicks feel inconsistent. In fast FPS games, low frame rate can make your setup feel heavier than it really is because the game is showing you less information per second.

The goal is not just “more FPS.” The real goal is smoother, more stable performance. A locked 144 FPS can feel better than a game jumping between 90 and 190 FPS every fight.

This guide shows you how to optimize your game settings, clean up your PC, diagnose bottlenecks, and choose upgrades that actually help.

Why does low FPS hurt gaming performance?

Low FPS reduces how often your game updates visually. That makes motion look less smooth and can make aiming feel less responsive.

In shooters, this matters because you are constantly reacting to enemy movement, recoil, peeks, strafes, and micro-adjustments. When FPS drops during fights, your mouse movement may feel inconsistent even if your sensitivity has not changed.

Low FPS usually comes from one of five problems:

• Your graphics settings are too heavy.
• Your GPU is maxed out.
• Your CPU cannot feed frames fast enough.
• Your RAM or storage is causing stutter.
• Your PC is overheating or running in a limited power state.

Before buying upgrades, fix the free stuff first.

Step 1: Lower the settings that cost the most FPS

Not every graphics setting matters equally. Some settings destroy FPS while barely helping visibility.

Setting	FPS impact	Recommended competitive setting
Resolution	Very high	Native if possible, lower only if needed
Render scale	Very high	100%, then reduce if desperate
Ray tracing	Very high	Off for competitive FPS
Shadows	High	Low or medium
Reflections	High	Low
Volumetrics / fog	High	Low
Anti-aliasing	Medium to high	Low, medium, or upscaling-based
Texture quality	Depends on VRAM	Medium/high if VRAM allows
Motion blur	Visual clarity issue	Off
VSync	Can add latency	Usually off for competitive play

Start by turning off ray tracing, lowering shadows, lowering reflections, and reducing volumetric effects. These usually give better gains than changing tiny settings that barely affect performance.

Should you lower resolution?

Lowering resolution can increase FPS, but it also makes the game less sharp.

1. Keep your monitor’s native resolution.
2. Lower heavy graphics settings first.
3. Use DLSS, FSR, XeSS, or in-game scaling if available.
4. Lower render scale only if your FPS is still too low.
5. Drop full resolution as a last resort.

Step 2: Use upscaling the right way

Upscaling can help you get more FPS by rendering the game at a lower internal resolution, then reconstructing the image to look closer to your display resolution.

• NVIDIA DLSS
• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution
• Intel XeSS
• Game-specific render scaling

Use Quality mode first. If FPS is still too low, try Balanced. Avoid going straight to the most aggressive performance mode unless you need every frame, because image clarity can suffer.

Step 3: Update drivers and use GPU software carefully

Drivers can affect performance, stability, game support, and access to features like DLSS, Reflex, FSR, HYPR-RX, and frame generation.

For NVIDIA GPUs, the NVIDIA App can optimize in-game and GPU settings based on your system’s GPU, CPU, and display. For AMD GPUs, AMD HYPR-RX can enable a group of Radeon performance and latency features from AMD Software.

Use these tools as a starting point, not a final answer. Auto-optimized settings can be helpful, but competitive players should still check visibility, input feel, and FPS stability manually.

Step 4: Turn on the right Windows gaming settings

• Turn on Game Mode.
• Set your game to use the High performance GPU in Windows graphics settings.
• Use Best performance power mode when plugged in.
• Turn on Optimizations for windowed games on Windows 11 if you play DirectX 10 or DirectX 11 games in borderless/windowed mode.
• Disable unnecessary startup apps.
• Close browsers, launchers, capture tools, and background software you do not need.

Windows settings will not magically double your FPS, but they can reduce wasted background activity and help games run in the right performance mode.

Avoid risky “FPS boost” tweaks

Be careful with random optimization packs, registry edits, debloat scripts, and security-disabling guides. Some tweaks can make your PC unstable, break updates, hurt anti-cheat compatibility, or make latency worse.

Step 5: Find your bottleneck before upgrading

A bottleneck is the part of your PC that limits the rest of the system. Use a monitoring overlay while playing your main game.

• GPU usage
• CPU usage per core
• RAM usage
• VRAM usage
• Temperatures
• FPS average
• 1% lows
• Frame-time spikes

Symptom	Likely issue	What to try
GPU usage is near max	GPU bottleneck	Lower resolution, shadows, ray tracing, upscaling, upgrade GPU
GPU usage is low but FPS is low	CPU bottleneck	Lower CPU-heavy settings, close apps, upgrade CPU/platform
FPS average is okay but stutters	RAM, VRAM, storage, temps	Check memory usage, texture quality, SSD, thermals
FPS drops after 20–30 minutes	Heat or power limit	Clean dust, improve cooling, check laptop power mode
Game loads slowly or hitches	Storage issue	Move game to SSD/NVMe
FPS is high but screen feels choppy	Display cap issue	Check refresh rate, frame cap, VRR/G-SYNC/FreeSync

Step 6: Upgrade the part that matches the problem

 

Upgrade your GPU if your graphics card is maxed out

• Your GPU usage is consistently very high.
• Lowering resolution increases FPS a lot.
• You want higher settings at 1440p or 4K.
• Your VRAM is maxed out.
• You play visually heavy games.

Gaming GPU upgrade

Upgrade your CPU if your game is CPU-limited

• Your GPU usage stays low while FPS is low.
• Lowering graphics settings barely improves FPS.
• You play CPU-heavy esports titles.
• You stream, record, or run background apps while gaming.
• Your 1% lows are bad even when average FPS looks fine.

Gaming CPU upgrade

Upgrade RAM if you stutter or multitask

• You only have 8GB.
• You are running single-channel memory.
• Your system memory usage is near max.
• Your game stutters when loading new areas.
• You play modern games while multitasking.

Gaming RAM upgrade

Upgrade storage if load times and hitching are the problem

An SSD will not always raise your average FPS, but it can help with loading times and texture streaming issues.

NVMe SSD for gaming

Upgrade cooling if performance drops over time

• Your CPU or GPU is thermal throttling.
• Your PC case has poor airflow.
• Your laptop gets hot and drops clocks.
• Your fans are clogged with dust.
• Your thermal paste is old.

Gaming PC cooling upgrade

Step 7: Set a smart FPS cap

Uncapped FPS can feel fast, but it can also make performance unstable if your PC is constantly bouncing between high and low frame rates.

Try capping FPS slightly below what your PC can hold consistently. For example, if your game jumps between 130 and 190 FPS, a stable cap around 144 or 160 may feel cleaner than uncapped FPS.

Best quick settings checklist for more FPS

• Update GPU drivers.
• Turn off ray tracing.
• Lower shadows, reflections, and volumetrics.
• Use DLSS/FSR/XeSS Quality or Balanced mode if available.
• Turn off motion blur.
• Check that your monitor is using its highest refresh rate.
• Turn on Windows Game Mode.
• Set the game to High performance GPU.
• Use Best performance power mode when plugged in.
• Close unnecessary background apps.
• Disable unnecessary overlays.
• Check CPU, GPU, RAM, VRAM, and temperatures.
• Cap FPS to a stable number if frame times are inconsistent.

What should you upgrade first for more FPS?

1. Fix settings and drivers.
2. Check temperatures.
3. Monitor CPU/GPU/RAM/VRAM usage.
4. Upgrade GPU if graphics load is the limit.
5. Upgrade CPU/platform if the game is CPU-limited.
6. Upgrade RAM if memory is maxed or single-channel.
7. Upgrade SSD if storage hitching or load times are the problem.
8. Upgrade monitor if your PC already makes more FPS than your display can show.

FAQ

Why is my FPS low even with good PC specs?

Your settings may be too heavy, your game may be CPU-limited, your drivers may be outdated, or your PC may be overheating. Use a monitoring overlay to check GPU usage, CPU usage, RAM, VRAM, and temperatures while playing.

Does lowering graphics settings always increase FPS?

Not always. If your GPU is the bottleneck, lowering graphics settings usually helps. If your CPU is the bottleneck, lowering GPU-heavy settings may barely change FPS.

Does an SSD increase FPS?

An SSD usually helps more with load times, game launching, and texture streaming than raw average FPS. It can still make a game feel smoother if your old drive was causing hitching.

Should I use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS for competitive games?

Yes, if it improves FPS without making enemies harder to see. Start with Quality mode, then test Balanced if you need more performance.

Is uncapped FPS best for gaming?

Uncapped FPS can reduce latency in some cases, but unstable FPS can feel inconsistent. If your frame rate swings hard, a stable cap can make aiming feel smoother.

What PC upgrade gives the biggest FPS boost?

It depends on the bottleneck. GPU upgrades help most when graphics load is the limit. CPU upgrades help most when the game is processor-limited, especially in esports titles at low settings.

Related Guides

• Best FPS Desk Setup for Better Aim Control
• How to Reduce Input Delay in FPS Games
• Why Your Aim Feels Inconsistent Even With Good Sensitivity
• Best Gaming Mouse Settings for FPS Games