Before you begin
Low FPS means the game is drawing fewer frames each second than you expect. Stuttering is uneven frame delivery, while online lag usually relates to the connection or server. These can feel similar but need different checks.
- Choose one game and a repeatable scene or built-in benchmark. Record the resolution, preset and FPS before making changes.
- Compare like-for-like: hardware, game version, ray tracing, upscaling and frame generation all affect results. An online benchmark is not a guaranteed FPS target.
- If the whole PC shuts down or temperatures rise unusually quickly, use the cooling guide first.
Step-by-step checks
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Confirm the game is using the right GPU
Connect your monitor to the dedicated graphics card. In Windows 11, open Settings → System → Display → Graphics, select or add the game and choose the high-performance GPU in its graphics preference when multiple GPUs are available. Save the change and restart the game. The exact wording can vary by Windows version.
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Check the resolution and any frame-rate limit
A game set to 4K or a render scale above 100% has more work to do than one at 1080p. Check both the displayed resolution and the internal render scale. Look for an in-game FPS cap or V-sync setting if the FPS stops at an exact number such as 60. A deliberate cap can keep performance steady; record it before changing it. The monitor’s refresh rate and the game’s FPS are different measurements.
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Update the graphics driver from its manufacturer
Identify the GPU in Task Manager’s Performance tab or Device Manager’s Display adapters. Use the matching official driver source: NVIDIA, AMD or Intel. Choose your GPU and Windows version, follow the installer and restart if requested. Avoid third-party driver updater utilities. If performance worsened immediately after an update, note the old and new versions for support.
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Reduce the most expensive settings first
Test a lower preset, then adjust one setting at a time. Ray tracing, shadows, reflections and heavy lighting effects are useful places to start. Lower texture quality if the game reports that its video-memory budget is exceeded. Where supported, try an appropriate quality-mode upscaler such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS. Frame generation and upscaling are different features; note which is enabled when comparing results.
Further explanation: Intel’s frame-rate and graphics-settings guide.
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Check what else the PC is doing
Restart Windows, allow updates to finish and pause game downloads before testing. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and look for unusually heavy CPU, memory or disk usage. Close your own unused apps and browser tabs. Do not end unfamiliar system processes or disable security software. Temporarily stop recording or streaming to see whether it changes the result.
Windows reference: Microsoft performance checks.
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Check whether one game or every game is affected
Install the game’s updates and use its launcher’s repair or file-verification option if available. Temporarily remove optional mods or overlays you added, following their removal instructions. If a game is compiling shaders, allow that process to finish before judging performance. Compare a second game: a problem in only one title points you towards its settings, files or a recent update.
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Compare performance at the start and after playing
Record FPS and temperatures in the same scene shortly after launching and again after normal play. A gradual slowdown alongside rising temperatures may need cooling checks. Low GPU usage alone does not prove a fault; a frame cap, a CPU-heavy scene or another limit can leave the GPU waiting. Do not change BIOS voltages or overclocking settings as a first troubleshooting step.
What the symptoms mean
FPS is consistently low
Check the active GPU, resolution, render scale and graphics preset. Test whether a lower preset makes a meaningful difference.
FPS drops only after several minutes
Record temperature and background usage at the moment of the drop. The timing matters more than a single isolated reading.
Online characters jump around but the FPS stays steady
Check the game’s ping and packet-loss indicators, then use the network guide. Lowering graphics settings may not address a connection problem.
The FPS counter is high but movement feels uneven
Check the monitor refresh rate in Windows Advanced display settings and record whether V-sync or variable refresh rate is enabled. Frame-time spikes can occur even when average FPS looks good.
Common questions
Will more RAM always improve FPS?
No. More memory helps when memory capacity is the constraint. It will not automatically resolve a graphics setting, driver or connection problem. Let the checks identify the limit before buying parts.
Is 100% GPU usage a problem?
Not by itself. A demanding game can keep the GPU fully occupied. Consider the frame rate, temperature and stability together rather than treating a usage percentage as a fault.
Should I enable every performance tweak I find?
Make one reversible change at a time and repeat the same test. Registry edits, unofficial “FPS boosters” and disabling protection can add problems and make the original issue harder to diagnose.
Should I reinstall Windows or change BIOS settings?
Speak to support first. A reinstall can remove apps or data, and BIOS changes can affect stability. Neither is needed just to check game settings and driver versions.
Send us a useful performance report
Contact support if the same problem remains after these checks. Include:
- Your order number, CPU, GPU, RAM amount and graphics-driver version.
- The game and version, resolution, preset, ray tracing, upscaling and frame-generation settings.
- Typical FPS, the scene used for testing and whether the issue started recently.
- Screenshots of the settings and readings, plus whether another game behaves the same way.
This lets us compare the same workload and suggest the next check without guessing.