FPS (frames per second) is how many images your GPU draws each second. Higher FPS means smoother gameplay. Most people can tell the difference between 30, 60, and 120 FPS. Below 30, games feel sluggish and unresponsive. At 60, things are smooth. Above 120, competitive gamers notice a real edge.

If your FPS is lower than you want, the fix is almost always adjusting the right graphics settings. You do not need to turn everything to Low — a few targeted changes can double your frame rate while keeping the game looking good.

You can test your GPU performance and see what it is capable of at thetest.com/gpu.

How to Check Your FPS

Most games and platforms have built-in FPS counters:

• Steam: go to Settings > In Game > In-game FPS Counter and pick a screen corner
• NVIDIA: press Alt + R to toggle the NVIDIA App performance overlay (shows FPS, GPU temp, usage)
• AMD: press Ctrl + Shift + O to toggle the AMD Software performance overlay
• In-game: many games have an FPS counter in their settings under Display or Video — look for "Show FPS" or "Performance Stats"
• Xbox Game Bar (Windows): press Win + G, click Performance, and pin the widget

Settings That Impact FPS the Most

Not all settings are equal. Lowering these has the biggest impact on performance, listed from most to least effect:

1. Resolution — the single biggest factor. Dropping from 4K to 1440p, or from 1440p to 1080p, can nearly double your FPS. This is the first thing to lower if you need a big performance boost
2. Shadows — shadow quality is consistently one of the most demanding settings. Dropping from Ultra to Medium is often barely noticeable visually but saves significant GPU time
3. Anti-aliasing — smooths jagged edges. TAA is cheap, MSAA is expensive. If the game offers FXAA or TAA, use those. Turn off MSAA if performance is tight
4. Draw distance / View distance — how far the game renders objects. Lowering this reduces the GPU workload, especially in open-world games
5. Volumetric effects — fog, clouds, god rays. These look nice but are GPU-intensive. Medium or Low is fine for most games
6. Ray tracing — realistic lighting and reflections, but extremely demanding. Turn this off first if you need more FPS. Even high-end GPUs take a significant hit with ray tracing enabled

Resolution Scaling (DLSS, FSR, XeSS)

Resolution scaling technologies render the game at a lower internal resolution and use AI or algorithms to upscale the image to your display resolution. The result looks close to native resolution but runs much faster. These are some of the most impactful performance settings available.

• NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) — uses AI and dedicated hardware on RTX GPUs to upscale. Available on NVIDIA RTX cards only. DLSS 4 is the latest version, adding multi frame generation on RTX 50 series. Quality modes from highest to lowest quality: DLAA (no upscaling, just anti-aliasing), Quality, Balanced, Performance, Ultra Performance
• AMD FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) — works on most GPUs from any brand (AMD, NVIDIA, Intel). Does not require special hardware. Quality modes similar to DLSS. The latest version uses machine learning for improved image quality
• Intel XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) — Intel's upscaling technology. Works best on Intel Arc GPUs (uses dedicated hardware), but also runs on other GPUs via a fallback mode

If your game supports any of these, turn it on. Start with the Quality preset. If you need more FPS, try Balanced. Performance mode gives the biggest boost but the image gets softer. These technologies are genuinely impressive — the FPS gain is often 40-80% with minimal visual loss on Quality mode.

V-Sync Explained

V-Sync (vertical sync) locks your FPS to your monitor's refresh rate (usually 60 Hz) to prevent screen tearing — horizontal lines where the image looks split. The tradeoff is added input lag, which competitive gamers dislike.

• Turn V-Sync on if screen tearing bothers you and you do not play competitive games
• Turn V-Sync off if you want the lowest possible input lag
• Better alternative: if your monitor supports G-Sync (NVIDIA) or FreeSync (AMD), use that instead. Variable refresh rate eliminates tearing without the input lag of V-Sync. See monitor refresh rate and calibration for setup instructions

Frame Rate Caps

Capping your frame rate can actually improve your experience. If your FPS swings between 45 and 75, it feels worse than a stable 60. Capping at 60 gives smooth, consistent frame delivery.

• Most games have a frame rate cap in their settings under Display or Video
• Set the cap to your monitor's refresh rate or just below it
• If you cannot maintain 60 FPS consistently, cap at 30 — a stable 30 feels better than a choppy 40-55

Graphics Presets: Where to Start

Do not start on Ultra and work down. Start on Medium and work up. Medium in modern games usually looks very close to High but runs significantly better.

1. Set everything to Medium
2. Check your FPS — if it is well above your target (say 80+ when you want 60), bump individual settings up
3. Raise Texture Quality first — this is the most visible improvement and mostly depends on your GPU's VRAM rather than raw performance
4. Raise Lighting and Post-processing next
5. Leave Shadows and Volumetric Effects on Medium unless you have headroom

CPU-Bound vs GPU-Bound

If your GPU is at 99% usage and your CPU is at 50%, you are GPU-bound — lowering graphics settings will help. If your CPU is at 99% and your GPU is at 60%, you are CPU-bound — lowering graphics settings will not help much. Instead:

• Check GPU and CPU usage with the NVIDIA App overlay (Alt + R), AMD Software overlay (Ctrl + Shift + O), or Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc on Windows)
• GPU-bound (GPU at high usage, CPU low): lower resolution, shadows, anti-aliasing, effects, ray tracing, or use DLSS/FSR
• CPU-bound (CPU at high usage, GPU low): lower draw distance, NPC count, physics quality, or simulation settings. These are the settings that make the CPU work harder

Monitor Temps While Gaming

If your FPS drops during long gaming sessions but is fine at first, your GPU or CPU may be thermal throttling — slowing down to avoid overheating. Use the performance overlay (Alt + R for NVIDIA, Ctrl + Shift + O for AMD) to watch temperatures. If your GPU goes above 85-90 degrees C or your CPU above 95 degrees C, check out the overheating guide for solutions.

The 5 Settings to Lower First

If you just want more FPS and do not want to think about it too much:

1. Turn on DLSS, FSR, or XeSS if available (Quality mode)
2. Lower resolution if needed (try one step down from native)
3. Shadows to Medium
4. Turn off ray tracing
5. Anti-aliasing to TAA or FXAA (turn off MSAA)

This combination gives the biggest performance improvement with the least visual impact for most games.