10 Ways to Boost Your FPS in Windows Games

Boosting your FPS (frames per second) in Windows games is sometimes more difficult than it may seem, especially if you have an older PC or laptop computer with limited processing power. But don’t let that get you down! Follow these 10 tips to increase your FPS in Windows games and take your gameplay to the next level!

1) Update Windows

Microsoft regularly releases updates for its operating system, and most users are quick to install them. But if you want your games to run as smoothly as possible, it’s best not to mess with these automatic updates. Automatic updates download while you play games on your computer, which can interfere with performance and lags during gameplay. To get rid of these update alerts when gaming, you can turn off Automatic Updates through Microsoft’s Control Panel.

2) Disable VSync

VSync is a setting that can help you minimize screen tearing, but it’s a double-edged sword. If you enable VSync and set your frame rate cap at 60 fps, your GPU will render as fast as possible to deliver more frames per second—but that comes at a cost. By capping frame rates at 60 instead of letting them climb into potentially dangerous territory, you’re leaving performance on the table.

3) CPU Bottleneck? Upgrade!

Depending on how old your computer is, it might be struggling to handle games because it isn’t powerful enough. If that’s true for you, upgrading your processor (the brains of your computer) can do wonders for gaming performance. It doesn’t matter how expensive a graphics card is; without a powerful CPU, you won’t see an improvement—though upgrading both may have diminishing returns.

4) GPU Bottleneck? Upgrade!

If you’re using an integrated GPU, such as Intel HD Graphics, or an older entry-level graphics card that has served you well for some time now, an upgrade may not give you a significant performance boost. On top of that, those cards have historically offered worse performance at higher resolutions and with more detail settings enabled. An Nvidia GTX 1060 might be able to play most games at 1080p on medium-to-high settings, but it won't provide much more than 30 fps if you want to use the game's ultra graphical features.

5) Run at a lower resolution

If you’re experiencing low frame rates, especially during action-packed moments, consider lowering your resolution. The easiest way to do so is by adjusting a slider in your game settings menu; however, some games may have settings that allow you to change resolution on-the-fly from inside of the game. In these cases, it’s worth taking a few minutes to learn how to manually adjust your resolution as it can really help with framerate issues. 

If all else fails and your graphics card isn't up for the task, see if there's an option in the settings menu for hardware acceleration or 3D rendering and turn those off.

6) Clean Up After Yourself

Close background applications, web browsers, and other apps you’re not using. Not only will they drain resources while they’re running but they can also eat up RAM, which slows down your computer’s performance. There are ways to adjust your system settings so that all background apps shut down when you close your main programs, too—but it might not be worth it if you tend to use them frequently throughout your gaming session.

7) Run on battery power when possible

Turn off your computer when it’s not being used. Turn off power-hungry hardware like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and unplug any devices that draw a large amount of power from your USB ports. The less electricity you consume, and the more energy you save, directly translates into better frame rates for you. Not only will you enjoy a lighter load on your computer, but also longer battery life for whatever portable device is connected to it.

8) Learn how to optimize your graphics settings

Before you start tweaking your graphics settings, it’s important to understand what a frame rate actually is. Frame rate refers to how many images (or frames) are being shown per second on your screen. The more frames per second you have, the smoother and more natural your game will appear. A higher frame rate allows for faster response times and better gameplay mechanics. It also makes games less likely to crash due to technical problems like lag or lagging textures.

9) Experiment with windowed vs. full-screen modes

If you’re running a game in full screen mode and your frame rate is lagging, try switching to windowed mode. Windowed modes often run better than full screen modes for three reasons: 1) It puts less strain on your graphics card; 2) It doesn’t have as many processes running; 3) You can multitask while playing. Note that some games will only let you play at specific resolutions when played in a window—so keep that in mind before experimenting with windowed mode.

10) Monitor temps

The temperature of your PC can influence performance. Check your temps, and if they’re running high, tweak your cooling settings or add a new fan. If you don’t have a thermometer handy, you can use Speccy or SpeedFan to keep tabs on how hot things are getting. You might also want to check the fans themselves, as they can start sounding bad before they actually stop working. If all else fails, take it in for service—they'll be able to tell you exactly what's going on with your hardware and fix any problems that arise.