How to increase FPS in games

FPS (Frames Per Second) is a measuring unit for counting down the frequency at which consecutive frames are being displayed in a video game. A fast frame rate is usually recommendable, especially if you're the type of user who likes playing multiplayer online games. A low FPS value means that your game will freeze. In one of our previous articles, we told you how to check the FPS while playing games.

As you can see in the aforementioned guide, Fraps is the best FPS checker. This app not only displays accurate FPS data, but it also enables you to run benchmark tests, take snapshots, record video of your game sessions and is even useful for those who are looking for a FPS meter Origin for PC.

In this guide, I will show you how to increase FPS in your favorite games without spending much of your time or large chunks of money in the process.

Tutorial assets

You will need to download the following software to follow along with this tutorial.

Download AVG PC Tuneup

Download Razer Cortex

Update your graphics driver

The graphics card driver plays an important role in your gaming experience. Nvidia and AMD are frequently updating their graphics card drivers, each new version providing you with various performance improvements. So, making sure that it's constantly up-to-date will always be a good idea. Here are the steps you need to complete in order to update your graphics card driver:

Step 1

Go to the Nvidia or AMD websites (depending on your graphics card's manufacturer) and select the specifications that are correspondent to your graphics card.

Selecting Nvidia Driver Specifications

Selecting AMD Driver Specifications

Step 2

Download and install the recommended driver update on your Windows PC. Reboot your computer if requested.

Nvidia and AMD websites provide you with automatic detection tools. These utilities come in handy if you're not sure which are the specifications of your graphics card and help you download the correct driver package.

Optional: If you see a decrease in frame rates after installing a driver update, uninstall the driver from your PC and look for an older version of the driver. Both Nvidia and AMD offer you archived versions of their driver packages.

Change the game’s settings

Sometimes, updating graphics card drivers to their latest versions might not increase the FPS in games. Another solution is to modify the video settings of the game in question. You will surely notice a change after lowering the shadow quality, texture detail, FOV and view distance or removing motion blur, anti-aliasing, and other effects. Programs like Razer Cortex or GeForce Experience provide you with predefined settings for a wide range of popular games.

Here's what you need to do in order to increase FPS in games with Razer Cortex:

Step 1

Download and install the app on your PC. Launch the program and log into your Razer Cortex account (you can create an account directly from the app's interface, but you need to validate the account from your web browser).

Step 2

Go to the Game Booster window and configure the Boost settings according to your needs. You can stop running processes, disable the CPU sleep mode if needed, etc.

Optional: There's an additional option available which, once enabled, will automatically activate the Boost mode as soon as you launch your game. The Boost mode will only stay active for as long as the game is running.

Use PC optimization software

Your Windows gets slower with every application you install on your computer, an aspect that also affects the performance of your games. Razer Cortex provides you with several PC optimization features, but they may not be enough. Luckily, programs like AVG TuneUp help you remove the applications you no longer use on your PC, stop running processes, clean Windows cache data, and so much more. Here's what you need to do to stop running processes on your PC:

Step 1

Download and install the app on your PC. Launch the utility.

AVG TuneUp

Step 2

Click the "Speed Up" button and select the "Show Programs Using CPU" option. The AVG Process Manager window will then be displayed on your screen, and you can choose which processes to terminate.

AVG Process Manager

Optional: AVG TuneUp also provides you with Turbo Mode, a feature that helps you boost the performance of your system and increase FPS in games. With its assistance, you can immediately turn off unnecessary background features.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are various ways to increase the FPS in games, without spending too much money. However, if none of these solutions work for you, you might want to consider buying a new graphics card, replacing your hard-disk with an SSD, or upgrading your PC's CPU and RAM.

Alternative downloads

AVG PC Tuneup $39.99 windows All-in-one system optimization tool. Download
Fraps windows Universal Windows application that can be used with games using DirectX or OpenGL graphic technology. Download
Razer Cortex free windows It can improve gaming performance on supported PCs by optimizing Windows settings... Download