Low frame rates usually have a few common causes, and most of them can be fixed without buying anything. Work through the steps below in order: the first ones bring the biggest gains for the least effort.
Check the basics
Before touching any settings, rule out the mistakes that cost the most performance:
- The monitor cable must be plugged into the graphics card, not the motherboard’s video output.
- In Windows display settings, the refresh rate should match your monitor (144 Hz, for example), not the default 60 Hz.
- On laptops, the game should run on the dedicated graphics card and the laptop should be plugged in, with a performance power mode selected.
- RAM should run at its rated speed, with XMP or EXPO enabled in the BIOS.
Update drivers
Graphics drivers often include performance fixes for recent games. Install the latest version from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel. If a new driver causes problems, the manufacturer’s tools let you roll back.
Adjust the right in-game settings
Some settings cost far more than others. Lowering these usually gives the biggest gains with the smallest visual loss:
- Shadows and volumetric effects (fog, clouds, lighting).
- Ray tracing, which can halve frame rates on many cards.
- Ambient occlusion and screen-space reflections.
- Anti-aliasing: heavy MSAA is expensive; temporal methods are cheaper.
Texture quality depends mainly on video memory: if your card has enough VRAM, keep it high, as it costs little performance. Resolution has the largest effect of all, which is where upscaling comes in.
Use upscaling
DLSS (NVIDIA), FSR (AMD) and XeSS (Intel) render the game at a lower resolution and reconstruct a sharp image. In “Quality” mode, the result is often hard to tell apart from native resolution, with a large frame rate gain. Frame generation, where available, adds more smoothness, though it slightly increases input lag; it suits single-player games better than competitive shooters.
Windows and background apps
- Turn on Game Mode in Windows settings; it limits background activity while you play.
- Close heavy background programs: browsers with many tabs, cloud sync clients, and recording software you are not using.
- Keep Windows updated, but schedule updates outside your play time.
- Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, in the Windows graphics settings, can help on some systems. Test with and without it.
Avoid “PC booster” and “registry cleaner” apps: they rarely help and sometimes cause problems.
Heat and dust
If frame rates start fine and drop after a few minutes, the PC may be overheating and throttling. Monitor temperatures with a tool like HWiNFO, clean dust from filters and fans, and make sure the case has enough airflow.
When settings are not enough
If your graphics card runs at close to 100% with everything on low, it has reached its limit and only an upgrade will help. If it is well below 100% and frame rates are still low, the processor is likely the bottleneck. Either way, a performance overlay showing GPU and CPU usage tells you where to look before spending money.
