Fps Booster Guide More Fps

The fastest fps booster method is lowering shadows and anti-aliasing – two settings that eat 15-30% of your frame rate while barely changing how your game looks. Most players leave every graphics option on Ultra and wonder why their system stutters. The fix takes five minutes and zero dollars. This guide covers every free optimization first, then moves to overclocking and hardware upgrades for when software tweaks hit their limit. For a broader overview, see our complete guide to fixing gaming PC problems.

Every tip here works on any game. The specific menu labels change between Unreal Engine 5 and Unity titles, but the underlying GPU workload stays the same. Shadows are expensive everywhere. Anti-aliasing taxes your GPU in every engine. And a clean driver install fixes stuttering regardless of what you play.

FPS Impact by Graphics Setting

Not all settings are created equal. Some murder your frame rate while adding barely perceptible visual improvements. Others look dramatic but cost almost nothing. This chart shows the typical FPS cost of each common graphics setting when set to Ultra versus Medium, based on aggregated benchmark data across popular titles.

The takeaway: start with ray tracing, shadows, and anti-aliasing. These three settings alone can recover 30-50% of your frame rate. Texture quality and anisotropic filtering barely affect FPS – leave those on high since they have the biggest visual impact per GPU cycle spent.

Step 1: In-Game Graphics Settings That Matter Most

Open your game’s graphics menu. You will see 15-20 settings. Only about half of them matter for FPS. Here is the order to adjust them, from biggest impact to smallest.

Ray Tracing – Turn It Off (or Set to Low)

Ray tracing is the single most expensive graphics feature in modern games. Enabling ray-traced reflections, shadows, or global illumination in Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, or any Unreal Engine 5 title can cut your frame rate by 40-50%. Even “Medium” ray tracing costs 20-30% FPS on most hardware.

The exception: if you own an RTX 4070 or higher and play at 1080p, you can keep ray tracing on Low with DLSS Performance mode. Below that GPU tier, turn it off entirely. The rasterized alternatives look 80% as good at a fraction of the rendering cost.

Shadows – Drop from Ultra to Medium

Shadow quality is the silent FPS killer. The difference between Ultra and Medium shadows is barely visible during gameplay – you might notice slightly softer shadow edges if you stop moving and stare at the ground. But the FPS cost is 15-25% in most titles.

Ultra shadows calculate multiple shadow maps at high resolution with additional filtering passes. Medium uses fewer cascades and lower resolution maps. Your eye adapts almost instantly. Your frame rate does not.

Before and after: In Fortnite at 1080p on a mid-range GPU, changing only shadows from Epic to Medium typically recovers 18-22 FPS. In Cyberpunk 2077, the same change adds 12-18 FPS. The visual difference? You need screenshots side-by-side to spot it.

Anti-Aliasing – Switch from MSAA to TAA or FXAA

MSAA (Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing) at 4x or 8x is expensive. It renders geometry edges at multiple samples per pixel, which eats GPU memory bandwidth. TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) achieves similar smoothing by blending data across frames, costing far less performance. FXAA costs almost nothing but adds slight blur.

The smart move: use TAA where available. It handles both geometry and shader aliasing. If the game only offers MSAA or FXAA, pick FXAA. The slight softness is worth the 10-20% FPS recovery compared to MSAA 4x.

Volumetric Fog and Lighting – Set to Low or Off

Volumetric effects create those atmospheric light shafts streaming through windows and the dense fog rolling across open terrain. They look gorgeous in screenshots. During fast-paced gameplay, you barely notice them. Disabling volumetric effects recovers 10-15% FPS in most engines.

Draw Distance and LOD – Drop One Notch

Draw distance controls how far away the game renders detailed objects. In open-world titles like Elden Ring or GTA Online, Ultra draw distance renders trees and buildings at full detail kilometers away. Dropping to High or Medium reduces distant detail that you rarely focus on, recovering 8-12% FPS.

What to Keep on High

Texture quality barely affects FPS as long as your GPU has enough VRAM. A card with 8GB VRAM handles Ultra textures fine at 1080p and 1440p. Only lower textures if you see stuttering from VRAM overflow. Anisotropic filtering (set to 16x) costs 1-2% FPS but makes textures at oblique angles look dramatically sharper.

Step 2: Resolution Scale and Upscaling Technology

If tweaking individual settings is not enough, resolution scaling is your next move. This renders the game at a lower internal resolution and upscales the image to your monitor’s native resolution.

Native Upscaling: DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS

All three technologies render at a lower resolution and reconstruct the image using different methods. The performance gain and visual quality depend on which technology your GPU supports.

Which to pick: If your game supports DLSS and you own an RTX card, use DLSS. If not, FSR 3.1 works on everything and the Quality mode looks close to native. Start with Quality mode. Only drop to Balanced or Performance if you still need more frames.

Manual Resolution Scale

Some games offer a render scale slider instead of named presets. Setting it to 80% renders at 80% of your display resolution. At 1080p, that means rendering at 864p and upscaling. You lose some sharpness, but gain 25-40% FPS. At 1440p, dropping to 80% render scale often looks better than native 1080p because the upscale target is higher resolution.

FPS Troubleshooting Flowchart

Low FPS has different causes – and the fix depends on which component is the bottleneck. Use this flowchart to diagnose your specific issue before changing settings randomly.

Start at the top. Install MSI Afterburner (free) with the RivaTuner Statistics Server overlay. Play your game for 5 minutes and watch the numbers. The overlay tells you exactly where the problem is – no guessing needed.

Step 3: Windows Optimizations

Windows 10 and 11 ship with several gaming-related features buried in settings menus. None of these are silver bullets, but stacking them together can add 5-10% FPS and reduce frame time spikes.

Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)

This feature lets your GPU manage its own VRAM scheduling instead of routing everything through the Windows kernel. It reduces CPU overhead for GPU command processing.

How to enable: Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Change default graphics settings > Toggle “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling” on. Restart your PC.

Real-world impact varies. Some games see a 2-5% FPS boost and noticeably fewer micro-stutters. Others show no change. The one downside: some screen recording software and older games have compatibility issues with HAGS enabled. If a specific game crashes after enabling it, turn it off.

Game Mode

Windows Game Mode does two things: it prevents Windows Update from installing drivers during gameplay and blocks some background notifications. The FPS gain is small (1-3%) but the real benefit is fewer random frame drops caused by Windows services interrupting your game.

How to enable: Settings > Gaming > Game Mode > Toggle on.

Power Plan: High Performance

The default “Balanced” power plan lets your CPU idle at lower clock speeds to save energy. “High Performance” keeps clocks high at all times. On a desktop, there is no reason to use Balanced while gaming.

How to set it: Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > High Performance. If you do not see it, click “Show additional plans.”

On laptops, this drains battery faster. Switch to High Performance only when plugged in.

Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Windows 10/11 runs most games in a “borderless fullscreen” mode by default, even when you select “Fullscreen” in-game. This adds a layer of composition that costs 1-3% FPS and introduces slight input lag.

How to disable: Right-click the game’s .exe file > Properties > Compatibility > Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations.” Some players also check “Run this program as an administrator” to prevent permission-related hitches.

Step 4: GPU Driver Updates (The Right Way)

Updating your GPU driver sounds obvious. Doing it correctly is what most players skip. A “clean install” using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) removes all traces of the old driver before installing the new one. This eliminates leftover registry entries, shader caches, and configuration files that cause conflicts.

How to DDU Clean Install

1. Download the latest driver from NVIDIA or AMD. Save the installer to your desktop.
2. Download DDU from Guru3D.
3. Boot into Safe Mode (hold Shift while clicking Restart, then Troubleshoot > Advanced > Startup Settings > Restart > press 4).
4. Run DDU. Select “Clean and restart.” This removes every trace of the old driver.
5. After restart, install the new driver from the file you downloaded. Choose “Custom” install and check “Perform a clean installation.”

This process takes 10 minutes and fixes an enormous number of stuttering, crashing, and low FPS issues. New driver versions often include game-specific optimizations that add 5-15% FPS in recently released titles. NVIDIA’s “Game Ready” drivers and AMD’s “Adrenalin” releases are timed to major game launches for this reason.

When to Skip a Driver Update

Not every new driver is an improvement. Check the release notes before updating. If the new driver targets games you do not play and your current setup runs fine, there is no rush. Driver forums on Reddit (r/nvidia, r/amd) surface issues within hours of new releases. Wait 2-3 days after release to see if problems emerge.

Step 5: Kill Background Apps

Your PC is doing more than running your game. Browser tabs, Discord, RGB software, hardware monitors, cloud sync services – each one eats CPU cycles and RAM that your game could use instead.

The Biggest Offenders

Quick cleanup process: Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Sort by CPU usage. Anything above 1% that is not your game or essential Windows services can go. Pay special attention to RGB control software – iCUE, Synapse, and Armory Crate are notorious for hogging resources in the background.

The Startup tab in Task Manager shows what runs automatically when Windows boots. Disable anything you do not need immediately. You can always launch these apps manually when needed.

Step 5.5: Enable XMP/EXPO for Your RAM

If you bought DDR4 or DDR5 RAM rated above the base JEDEC speed (2133MHz for DDR4, 4800MHz for DDR5), your RAM is probably running slower than you paid for. Out of the box, most motherboards default to the JEDEC standard speed, not the advertised speed on your RAM’s packaging.

XMP (Intel Extreme Memory Profile) and EXPO (AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking) are one-click BIOS settings that load the manufacturer’s tested overclock profile for your specific RAM kit.

How to enable: Enter BIOS (press Delete or F2 during boot), find the XMP/EXPO option (usually on the main page or under overclocking settings), set it to Profile 1, save and exit. Your RAM will now run at its rated speed.

FPS impact: Going from 2133MHz to 3600MHz DDR4 can add 5-15% FPS in CPU-bound games. The difference is even larger on AMD Ryzen processors, which scale directly with memory speed due to the Infinity Fabric architecture. This is free performance that roughly 40% of PC gamers leave on the table because they never checked their BIOS.

Step 5.6: Lossless Scaling (Frame Generation for Any Game)

Lossless Scaling is a paid app on Steam that adds frame generation to any game, regardless of whether the game supports DLSS or FSR natively. It sits between your game and your display, generating interpolated frames to double or triple your perceived frame rate.

How it works: You launch Lossless Scaling, configure it for 2x frame generation, then launch your game in borderless windowed mode. The app intercepts the rendered frames and inserts AI-generated intermediate frames. A game running at 60 FPS appears to run at 120 FPS.

The catch: Generated frames add 10-15ms of display latency because the app needs to buffer the previous and current frame to interpolate the in-between frame. For single-player and casual games, this is acceptable. For competitive FPS, the added input lag makes it a bad trade. Think of it as a tool for getting buttery-smooth 120Hz from 60 FPS in games like Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077, not for getting a competitive edge in Valorant.

Step 6: Overclocking Basics

Free performance from hardware you already own. Overclocking pushes your GPU or CPU beyond factory clock speeds for more FPS. Modern hardware makes this safer and easier than it used to be.

GPU Overclocking with MSI Afterburner

GPU overclocking is the best starting point. It is safer than CPU overclocking, easier to test, and directly affects FPS in GPU-bound games.

1. Download MSI Afterburner (free, works on all GPU brands).
2. Increase core clock by 25MHz. Run a benchmark (Unigine Superposition or a demanding game). If stable, add another 25MHz. Repeat until you see visual artifacts (flickering, colored pixels) or crashes.
3. Back off 25MHz from the crash point. That is your stable overclock.
4. Increase memory clock by 50MHz. Same process – bump until unstable, back off 50MHz.
5. Monitor temperatures. Keep the GPU under 85C. If it runs hotter, increase the fan curve in Afterburner.

Typical results: 5-12% more FPS from a stable GPU overclock. Some GPUs overclock better than others due to the “silicon lottery” – your specific chip may handle more or less than average.

Warning signs to stop: artifacts on screen, driver crashes, black screens, or temperatures above 90C. None of these damage your card permanently – the GPU’s built-in thermal protection shuts it down before damage occurs. Just reduce your overclock.

CPU Overclocking (Brief Overview)

CPU overclocking is more involved and varies heavily by platform. The short version:

• Intel K-series CPUs (like i5-14600K): Unlock multiplier in BIOS, increase by 1x at a time, stress test with Cinebench R23 or Prime95 for 30 minutes between each increase.
• AMD Ryzen: Use Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) in BIOS instead of manual overclocking. PBO lets the CPU automatically boost higher within safe power and thermal limits. Less risky, less effort, 90% of the performance gain.

CPU overclocking helps most in CPU-bound games: strategy titles, city builders, MMOs with crowded scenes, and games running at very high frame rates (240+ FPS) where the CPU must feed frames to the GPU faster.

Which Settings to Lower First

When you need more FPS, lower settings in this order. The top row gives the most FPS per visual quality lost. The bottom row should stay on High – lowering them hurts image quality more than it helps frame rate.

The tier system works for any game. Start at Tier 1 and stop as soon as you hit your target frame rate. Most players can get playable FPS by adjusting only Tier 1 settings without touching anything else.

Step 7: Hardware Upgrades That Give the Most FPS

If every software optimization is maxed out and you still want more frames, hardware is the next step. But not all upgrades give equal returns. Here is where your money makes the biggest difference.

GPU Upgrade – The Biggest FPS Jump

The GPU determines frame rate in 90% of gaming scenarios. Moving up one generation – say, from an RTX 3060 to an RTX 4060 Ti – typically adds 40-60% more FPS at the same settings. Moving up two tiers within a generation (RTX 4060 to RTX 4070 Super) adds 30-50%.

The best FPS-per-dollar GPU upgrades sit in the mid-range tier. The jump from budget to mid-range delivers 50-80% more FPS. The jump from mid-range to flagship adds 20-30% for twice the money. Diminishing returns hit hard at the top.

Browse current GPU deals on Amazon

RAM – From 8GB to 16GB

If you are still on 8GB of RAM, upgrading to 16GB is the single best upgrade you can make. Modern games routinely use 10-14GB of system memory. At 8GB, your system swaps data to the SSD constantly, causing stutters and frame drops.

Going from 16GB to 32GB? That only helps if you run heavy multitasking while gaming – streaming with OBS, 20 browser tabs open, Discord with a screen share. For pure gaming, 16GB is the sweet spot in 2026.

Also check if your RAM’s XMP or EXPO profile is enabled in BIOS. Many players buy fast DDR4-3600 or DDR5-6000 memory but never activate the XMP profile, so it runs at the slower default speed. Enabling XMP takes 30 seconds in BIOS and can add 5-10% FPS on Ryzen systems.

SSD vs HDD – Not FPS, But Stutter

An SSD will not raise your average FPS number. What it does fix is texture pop-in and micro-stuttering caused by the game loading assets from a slow hard drive. If you see objects popping into existence or brief freezes when entering new areas, moving the game to an SSD fixes it.

NVMe SSDs load games faster than SATA SSDs, but both eliminate the stuttering that mechanical hard drives cause. If you must pick one upgrade for game feel, an SSD makes everything smoother even if the FPS counter stays the same.

CPU Upgrade – When It Actually Matters

CPU upgrades are worth it only if you have a CPU bottleneck (check the flowchart above). Games that benefit most from a faster CPU: competitive shooters at 240+ FPS targets, strategy games with hundreds of units, open-world games in crowded cities, and any game on a CPU older than 4 generations.

If your GPU sits at 60-80% usage while gaming but your FPS is still low, that is the CPU holding you back. A new CPU often means a new motherboard and new RAM too, making it the most expensive upgrade path.

Which FPS Fix Should You Try First?

Stop scrolling and use this decision tree based on your situation:

• If you just want quick gains and zero risk: Lower shadows, AA, and volumetric effects to Medium. This takes 2 minutes and recovers 20-40% FPS in most games. Start here before doing anything else.
• If your game stutters but average FPS looks fine: Do a DDU clean driver install. Stuttering with acceptable average FPS usually means driver conflicts or background app interference.
• If you have an NVIDIA RTX card: Enable DLSS in every game that supports it. Free 30-50% FPS with Quality mode looking nearly identical to native resolution.
• If you have an older GPU with no DLSS support: Enable FSR 3.1 (works on any GPU). Quality mode recovers 25-40% FPS. Also lower render scale to 80-85% in games without FSR.
• If you have done everything above and still need more FPS: Overclock your GPU with MSI Afterburner. Free 5-12% FPS from hardware you already own. Takes 20 minutes to find your stable clock.
• If software fixes are not enough: Check whether your GPU or CPU is the bottleneck using MSI Afterburner overlay. Upgrade whichever one maxes out first. GPU upgrades give the most FPS-per-dollar in most games.

Common Mistakes When Trying to Boost FPS

• Lowering texture quality first. Texture quality barely affects FPS unless your GPU runs out of VRAM. It is one of the cheapest settings to render but has the biggest visual impact. Lower shadows and effects first – leave textures on High.
• Using “Optimize” buttons in GeForce Experience or AMD Software. These auto-optimization tools often set bizarre configurations – maxing some settings while lowering others randomly. They do not know your FPS target or which visual tradeoffs you care about. Manual tuning takes 5 more minutes and gives better results.
• Overclocking without monitoring temperatures. A GPU running at 95C will thermal throttle and perform worse than stock clocks at 75C. Always check temps with MSI Afterburner before and after overclocking. If temps spike above 85C, increase fan speed or reduce the overclock.
• Assuming more RAM always means more FPS. Going from 16GB to 32GB does almost nothing for gaming FPS. The jump from 8GB to 16GB is the one that matters. Spend that money on a GPU instead.
• Ignoring background apps. Chrome with 15 tabs open can eat 2-4GB of RAM and 5% CPU. RGB software, hardware monitors, cloud sync – they all add up. Close everything you are not using before gaming.
• Leaving V-Sync on instead of using FreeSync or G-Sync. V-Sync caps your frame rate to your monitor’s refresh rate and adds input lag. If your monitor supports FreeSync or G-Sync, use that instead for tear-free gaming without the FPS cap or input delay. Turn V-Sync off in-game and enable FreeSync/G-Sync in your GPU control panel.

Do FPS Booster Apps Actually Work?

Short answer: no. Tools like Razer Cortex, Hone, and BoosterX promise “instant FPS gains” by closing background processes and tweaking Windows settings. In reality, they do things you can do yourself in 2 minutes (disable startup apps, set power plan to High Performance) and wrap it in a flashy UI.

Worse, some “optimizer” tools install background services that consume more resources than they free up. Others modify registry keys that can cause instability. If you have followed the steps in this guide, you have already done everything these apps claim to do – without the bloatware.

The only “FPS booster” that works: lowering your in-game settings, updating your GPU drivers, and upgrading your hardware. Everything else is marketing.

2026 update: Gaming hardware evolves quickly. For the latest recommendations across mice, keyboards, monitors, and more, browse our interactive tools and hardware databases which are updated regularly with new releases and price changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides

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• Best Budget Gaming Mouse Under $30 – A fast mouse to match your faster frame rate.
• How to Overclock Mouse Polling Rate – Reduce input lag to complement your higher FPS.
• Best Gaming Keyboard for Typing – Responsive keyboards for gaming and productivity.