How to fix low FPS problem when playing games on Windows

If you encounter low FPS issues when playing games on Windows, follow these ways to troubleshoot and return to a high quality game experience.

How to fix low FPS issues

First, consider a few basic remedies.

1. Update drivers

Driver is a special software that deals with the interface between software and hardware. Conventional computer users are not interested in updating them, but running old drivers can reduce game performance.

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Follow the instructions in lesson 5 basic ways to update, update drivers for computers to make sure everything in the system is updated. In particular, you should make sure the graphics drivers and chipsets are up to date.

To update the GPU driver, visit the Nvidia driver page or the AMD driver page. If playing on integrated graphics, run Intel driver update tool.

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Instead of manual download, Nvidia and Intel will provide a software utility, which makes it easy to download the latest driver. You can download them on the manufacturer's website. In addition to notifying when new updates are available, these tools also provide features to help you manage drivers.

2. Close unnecessary background programs

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When playing games, especially modern games, it is best to close unnecessary processes to free up resources.

You can do this quickly by closing all open programs on the Taskbar. You should also check the System Tray to the right of the Taskbar to see background processes.

To see which programs use multiple processes, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Click More details if you need to expand, then you will see the programs are using resources on the Processes tab. Programs that use a significant amount of CPU, memory, or GPU can all affect performance. Close all those programs before playing the game.

3. Defragment the HDD hard drive

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Most gamers have probably upgraded to a solid state drive (SSD). But if you still use the HDD, you should defragment it. If an SSD is used, there is no need to defragment this type of hard drive because it can shorten the life of the hard drive.

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To defragment the hard drive, type defrag in the Start menu and click on Defragment and Optimize Drives .

Windows 10 performs automatic defragmentation, so users don't need to manually defragment. You can adjust the time if desired.

How to fix low FPS with tweaks to Windows

Make a few adjustments to your Windows settings to improve gaming performance.

4. Adjust power options

Power options in Windows allow you to change settings related to power consumption. On default settings, Windows will try to balance power consumption with performance. Sometimes, especially on laptops, this setting can reduce performance in games.

Therefore, you should switch to High performance settings by going to Settings> System> Power and clicking on Additional power settings on the right. You will be redirected to the Power Options section of Control Panel. Select Show additional plans if needed, then select the High performance option.

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However, selecting this option will increase power consumption. On desktop, this is not a problem but on a laptop will reduce battery life.

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5. Turn off Windows Visual effects

By default, Windows uses a lot of nice visual effects on the operating system, making menus and other elements look smoother and they use a few resources to accomplish that.

You can disable these effects to slightly increase performance. To disable visual effects in Windows 10, type performance on the Start menu and select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows . On the Visual Effects tab, you will see a list of graphical features that can be turned on or off.

Click the Adjust for best performance button to disable all effects, then click OK .

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6. Disable Game bar and background video recording

Windows 10 includes a Game bar feature, which allows you to record videos while playing games, taking photos and even streaming games. While this feature is handy, it also affects game performance.

Unless you need to use this feature, you should disable it to avoid affecting performance. Go to Settings> Gaming> Game bar and turn off the slider at the top to prevent the Game bar from running.

Next, switch to the Capture tab and make sure to turn off Record in the background while I'm playing a game . This is another feature for games on Windows 10 to easily capture moments in the game but use a lot of system resources.

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Finally, switch to the Game Mode tab and turn it on. According to Microsoft, when playing games in this mode, Windows will prioritize the gaming experience because it helps achieve a stable frame rate depending on the specific game and system. It also prevents Windows Update from disturbing while playing games.

Fix low FPS with game options

Next, you can change some in-game settings to fix the low FPS problem.

7. Change the graphics settings in the game

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Most PC games allow to change the graphics options, the exact option depends on the game you are playing. Typically, you can reduce Graphics Quality because this helps the game run faster.

You can also turn off fancy effects like reflections and fog. Although these effects make the game more beautiful, it stresses the GPU. To improve frame rate, you should turn off these options.

In addition, players should consider options that allow for a limited FPS. This can be helpful if the GPU sends more frames than the monitor can keep up but it is clear that limiting the FPS may lead to a lower than average frame rate.

If the game does not run smoothly, consider reducing the resolution, such as reducing from 1920 × 1080 to 1080 × 720, which will have a positive impact on FPS.

8. Use full screen mode

Most games allow playing in full screen, windowed or borderless mode. For maximum performance, you should choose full screen.

This is because apps and games running in this mode have full control over the screen output.

9. Repair or reinstall the game

If you only experience FPS problems with a specific game, it may be because the corrupted file is causing the problem.

Specific games have a Repair option (on Steam, you'll find it when right-clicking, selecting Properties and choosing Verify Integrity of Game Files on the Local Files tab) can help solve the problem. Alternatively, you can try to uninstall and reinstall the game.

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10. Consider overclocking computer components

If none of the above fixes the problem, you need to consider hardware overclocking. Overclocking may seem dangerous, but it's safe if done correctly. Follow our Graphics Card Overclocking Guide for better gaming performance.

11. Upgrade hardware

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Although the above tweaks are quite useful, there are limitations of them. If the computer has outdated hardware, you will experience low FPS problems.

In this case, you should consider hardware upgrades. You may need more powerful video cards to be able to handle higher quality games, more RAM to run games smoothly, or a more powerful CPU.

1. Which upgrade will improve your computer performance the most?

Do not forget that heat can also affect your hardware. If the FPS problem is low after running the game for some time, the system may become overheated. Open the device and remove the dirt inside. You should also make sure your computer has enough airflow.

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The difference between low FPS and network lag

It is important that you distinguish between low FPS and network lag. Low FPS is caused by computer error as discussed above. If the game is jerky like watching sideshow, even when playing offline game, this is a FPS problem.

On the other hand, lag is a network problem. You can have super high FPS but still lag. This happens when online gaming players are frozen and jerky.

If you have problems with network lag, you should use a wired network, close applications that use multiple networks running on your computer.

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FPS issues belong to system resources. This is the case when the computer is wasting resources for other processes or unnecessary features. The article came up with some low FPS remedies on PC. Hopefully, these solutions will help increase your frame rate back to acceptable levels.

I wish you successful implementation!