How to optimize your PC for gaming
You can get more from the PC you already own. Here is how to optimize your PC for gaming without buying new parts. If you looked up how to optimize PC for gaming, these are the steps: eight changes, all free, about 30 minutes, and a restore point so you can undo them.
- Update your graphics driver
- Turn on Windows Game Mode
- Set the power mode to Best performance
- Make games use your graphics card
- Turn on hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling
- Stop startup and background apps
- Check your monitor's refresh rate
- Set each game's graphics settings
Faster memory and overclocking are optional. They are under Advanced, after the eight steps.
At a glance
- Time: about 30 minutes, plus one restart.
- Cost: free. Everything here is built into Windows or your graphics driver.
- You need: Windows 10 or 11, and an administrator account.
- To undo: the restore point from Before you start puts these Windows changes back in one go.
Before you start
Measure first, so you can see what changed. Press Windows + G to open Game Bar, open the Performance widget, and note your FPS in the same spot in a game you play often. Do the same after step 8.
Close your games, then create a restore point so you can undo everything in one go.
Search the Start menu for Create a restore point and open it. On the System Protection tab, select Create, name it "Before gaming tweaks" and select Create again. If Create is grayed out, system protection is off: select Configure, choose Turn on system protection, then Apply. To go back later, use System Restore.
1. Update your graphics driver
New drivers fix performance problems in recent games, so start here.
- NVIDIA: open the NVIDIA App, go to the Drivers tab, and install the latest Game Ready driver.
- AMD: open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, go to System (or type "System" in the app's search box), and install any update listed under Manage Updates.
- Intel Arc: download and run Intel Driver & Support Assistant, which finds and installs the latest Intel graphics driver.
How to tell it worked: the driver version in the app matches the latest on the maker's site.
2. Turn on Windows Game Mode
Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and make sure it is on. It is on by default, so this step is usually a check.
3. Set the power mode to Best performance
On Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Power & battery, and under Power mode choose Best performance (for Plugged in, if your PC shows both options). On Windows 10, select the battery icon on the taskbar and drag the slider to Best performance. This slider is not on every Windows 10 PC.
If you can't change the power mode, a custom power plan may be selected. Open Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options, select Balanced, then try again.
This uses more power and can make the fans louder. Switch back when you are not gaming if that matters to you.
4. Make games use your graphics card
If your PC has both a built-in and a separate graphics card, Windows can pick the weaker one. Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics. Under Custom options for apps, select your game (or add its .exe file), select Options, choose High performance under Graphics preference, then select Save and restart the game. On Windows 10 the page is called Graphics settings.
5. Turn on hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling
Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics, then select Change default graphics settings. On some Windows 11 versions this link is called Advanced graphics settings. On Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings. Turn on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, then restart. If you can't find the switch, your graphics card or driver doesn't support it. If a game stutters afterwards, turn it off again.
6. Stop startup and background apps
Apps that start with Windows keep using memory and processor time while you play.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, select Startup apps, then right-click anything you don't need the moment Windows starts (chat apps, launchers you rarely use, updaters) and select Disable. On Windows 11 the same list is in Settings > Apps > Startup. On Windows 10 the Task Manager tab is called Startup.
- Before a gaming session, close browser tabs, video calls and file syncing.
Keep your antivirus and your graphics driver app running.
7. Check your monitor's refresh rate
A high-refresh-rate monitor is not always set to its highest rate. On Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and pick the highest value next to Choose a refresh rate. On Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings and pick it under Refresh rate.
If Dynamic refresh rate is on and a game seems capped, turn it off. It can limit games that are not built for a variable refresh rate. Plug the monitor into the graphics card, not the motherboard, and use DisplayPort or the cable that came with the monitor.
8. Set each game's graphics settings
In each game, set the display mode to fullscreen and the resolution to your monitor's native one. Then lower the settings that cost the most frames first: shadows, volumetric effects and anti-aliasing. Turn on NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR or Intel XeSS if the game offers them.
What to change first, by type of game:
| Type of game | Games | What to change first |
|---|---|---|
| Fast arena shooters | Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals, Overwatch, The Finals | Aim for a frame rate at or above your monitor's refresh rate (step 7). Set shadows and effects low, and turn on NVIDIA Reflex where the game offers it. |
| Large-map shooters | Call of Duty: Warzone, Rust, Escape from Tarkov | Big maps lean on your processor and memory as well as your graphics card. Close background apps (step 6), check memory use while you play (see Does more RAM increase FPS?), and lower view distance and shadows. |
Our game pages list the exact settings for each game.
Then note your FPS again, in the same spot you used before you started.
How to optimize Windows 11 for gaming
Steps 2 to 7 are how to optimize Windows 11 for gaming: Game Mode, the Best performance power mode, the graphics preference for each game, hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, startup apps, and your monitor's refresh rate. Update your graphics driver first (step 1). The same clicks work on Windows 10. Each step above names the Windows 10 path where it differs.
On a laptop
Plug the laptop in before you start. On battery, many laptops limit the processor and the graphics card, so step 3 does little until you are plugged in. A thin laptop also has less room to cool itself. If the fans are already loud, or the frame rate falls after a few minutes of play, skip overclocking in Advanced and stay with the eight steps. Steps 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 still apply on battery.
Advanced (optional)
Do these only after the eight steps, and only if you still want more.
Online games. Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi, and pause downloads and cloud syncing while you play.
Storage and heat. Install games on an SSD rather than a hard drive. If FPS drops after a few minutes of play, the PC may be too hot. Clean dust from the fans and filters, and check that air can flow through the case.
Faster memory (XMP or EXPO). Most RAM runs slower than its rated speed until you turn on its profile in the BIOS. Follow the guide for Intel and most boards (XMP) or for AMD (EXPO). If the PC fails to start afterwards, clear the CMOS as the board's manual describes.
Overclocking. Raising your processor or graphics card above its stock speed can add frames, and it adds heat. Pushed too far, it crashes. Change one thing at a time and test in a demanding game, or let Hypertune test it for you, below.
Let Hypertune do it
The eight steps above are ones you do yourself. Hypertune is the app for the part that is slow to do by hand.
Hypertune exists to make PC optimization accessible to everyone. Hypertune reads your CPU, GPU, memory and storage once, then applies only the features you turn on: CPU Overclocking, GPU Overclocking, Windows Debloating, Network Optimizations, Memory Optimizations and Game Hub.
On Intel processors, CPU tuning is built on Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility. Hypertune is our product, not an Intel product. CPU Overclocking also works on AMD processors. GPU Overclocking works on NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards.
Before it keeps an overclock, Hypertune stress-tests it on your hardware and skips it if your cooling can't hold it.
Game Hub profiles change in-game settings through each game's config files, which is the only way to change them, and that is all they change. Hypertune makes no unsafe changes. Read the safety page.
You can undo any change. Hypertune creates a Windows restore point automatically. Open the Restore tab, select the most recent restore point, and select Restore.
Up to 60% higher FPS; results vary by hardware and game.
See how Hypertune works. See pricing.
Questions
How much FPS will these steps add?
It depends on how the PC was set up. Work through the free steps in order: update the graphics driver, check Game Mode and the power mode, make sure games use your graphics card, and lower the heaviest in-game settings. If the PC was already set up well, these make little difference, and the bigger gains come from faster memory settings and overclocking.
What does Game Mode do, and should it be on?
While you play, it stops Windows Update from installing drivers and sending restart notifications, and it can help keep your frame rate steadier. Leave it on for most games. If one game stutters with it on, test that game with it off.
What is hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, and should I turn it on?
It hands most of the job of scheduling graphics work to a dedicated processor on your graphics card, instead of Windows doing that job on your CPU. It only appears if your card and driver support it, and it may be off on your PC. Try it. Keep it if games run the same or smoother, and turn it off if one stutters.
What is XMP, and should I turn it on?
XMP (Intel) and EXPO (AMD) are profiles stored on your RAM. They run it at the speed it is rated for, instead of a slower default. They are usually safe to turn on, because the memory maker rated and tested the kit at those speeds. Rarely, a board and a kit don't run stably together. If that happens, the PC resets to safe settings, or you turn the profile off again.
Does more RAM increase FPS?
Only if your games are running out of memory. Open Task Manager while a game is running and check Performance > Memory. If it is close to full, more RAM helps. If not, turning on XMP or EXPO is the free thing to try first.
Does DLSS increase FPS?
Yes, in games that support it. DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS render the game at a lower resolution and upscale the image, so your graphics card does less work for each frame. The image can look slightly softer. Quality modes keep more detail than performance modes.