Improve Frame Rate [FPS] and Performance For Gaming

This detailed guide will aid you in your venture to improve frame rate with your gaming rig. We’re going to be talking about ways of getting the most out of your system and ensure you hit the highest [FPS] possible.

Let alone are there a tonne of Software upgrades and improvements you can make. We will also be talking about certain hardware upgrades that you can purchase to make your games run silky smooth.

How Smooth Do You want it?

Before we begin it’s important to understand what Frame Rate, otherwise known as FPS actually does.

Frame Rate or Frames Per Second is the quantifiable amount of images per second that your eyes perceive while playing a game. The higher the frame rate the smoother the transition will appear during you’re gameplay.

Does a high frame rate mean better looking games?

Not necessarily, although your games will appear smoother and less sluggish. FPS has no effect on the quality settings of your game. For example:

Some competitive gamers will drastically reduce their graphic settings to ensure that they get a higher frame rate for gaming. This allows them to be a lot more versatile on the battlefield with aiming and movement.

Does Graphic Settings effect Frame Rate?

The short answer : Yes! Heavily!

When you’re playing a game and for example it is running at 30FPS. This means that your Gaming Rig or Games console has to render 30 different images per second to provide that smooth transition.

If you amp up your graphic settings in terms of resolution, HDR enabled, anti-aliasing and much more. Your Hardware has to work that much harder which may cause your Gaming Rig to drop frames.

Dropped frames will break the smoothness of your gameplay and will create that ‘Stuttering’ ‘Sluggish’ vibe.

The Difference Between 24FPS / 30FPS / 60FPS / 120FPS+

24 Frames Per Second

Most Gaming Consoles and budget Gaming PC’s may only be able to pump out roughly 24 FPS while gaming. To most users this is a perfectly acceptable speed and in some situations may even contribute to the astehetic of the gameplay.

However the hardcore gaming audience will most likely insist their Games run smoother.

30 Frames Per Second

This is the industry standard when it comes to gaming and at Chaos Hour we recommend that if your Gaming Rig or Console is running 30FPS then great!

30FPS is also ideal when it comes to streaming content online for other viewers.

Guide : Can your PC Run Games at 30-60FPS? Check Today!

60 Frames Per Second

60FPS can be notoriously hard for some Gaming Consoles or Gaming Rigs to produce. Also some games are not optimised to run faster than 30FPS. A current argument exists that there is no visible difference between 60FPS to 30FPS.

However we can assure you when using larger displays and on certain fast motion games there is a clear difference.

120 Frames Per Second

We strongly encourage users to dis-regard any FPS above 60FPS as the difference in gameplay is negligible vs the hardware requirements to reach such a standard.

However some enthusiasts will push their Gaming PC’s to the max to ensure they reach this benchmark. If this is what you’re into! Then you do you!

Ways To Boost Performance On Windows 10

Okay let’s get down to the fun part. We’ve got a handful of ways in which we can improve your Frame Rate regardless of the game you’re playing. The great thing is some of these changes are simple software changes.

Others may require a little more work.

Software Changes to Improve FPS

1: Reduce Graphic Settings

A great way to improving your frame rate is to actually reduce the expectations of your Gaming Rig. Pretty much all games will have the ability to alter the Video settings or Display Settings.

More often than not this needs to be done within the game-settings and not during gameplay.

Once you have found your video settings some key things that you can alter and reduce without dramatically effecting gameplay are the following.

Shadow Textures
Shadow Quality
Turn Shadows Off
View Distance
Vertical Sync
Anti-Aliasing
Resolution

Bumping these settings down will dramatically improve your frame rate within the game. There are other settings that you can alter but changing the following may simply spoil your gaming experience.

Texture Quality
Environment Quality
Effects Quality

The Next step is to ensure that you’re running the Latest Graphics Drivers for your Graphics Card.

2: Download the Latest Graphics Drivers for your Graphics Card.

Your Graphics Card is the primary weapon when it comes to getting incredible visual quality. So it’s important to fine tune our tools to ensure your hardware is ready for the fight.

Regardless of which Graphics Card you’re using you will need to download the latest drivers. To do this simply visit your Graphics Card Developer and download the necessary files from the support menus.

AMD Radeon Drivers
NVIDIA Geforce Drivers

Guide : Download Latest Graphics Drivers

Once installed re-launch the game and hopefully you will be granted a performance upgrade. We have got a complete guide featuring how to identify your graphics card which may help you.. Check it out!

3: Disable Windows 10 Transparency

Windows 10 has some pretty cool features. This includes Transparency for your operating system. Sure it makes the desktop look cool but does it really provide anything really spectacular for you’re gaming experience?

Probably not.

Guide : Install the Latest Windows 10 to Boost Performance.

To Disable Windows 10 Transparency.

1: Go to Personalise in Windows 10
2: Choose Colors Tab
3: Turn off TaskBar Transparency

Once disabled you may notice a slight improvement to your frame rate. Especially when going from game-play to desktop.

4: Disable Windows Animations and Effects

Bravo to Microsoft for creating such a gorgeous operating System. However the animations and effects within it do create additional task for your Processor.

You can easily fade out these features which should significantly improve performance.

How To Disable Windows 10 Animation Effects:

1: Visit System Settings
2: Toggle ‘Advanced System Settings’
3: Toggle “Advanced”

You will now see a performance Tab.

4: Click ‘Settings’
5: Here you can see a list of different effects – disable all of them.

5: Uninstall and Disable Unused Software.

Overtime you may fill your Gaming PC with one-time software that you may need then never use again. This may consist of bench marking software, removal tools, malware kits, video editing software and more.

Be sure to seek out and uninstall or turn off services that you no longer need while you’re playing games. This includes services such as Internet Browsers, Spotify and other software.

That concludes some of our options when it comes to altering, removing or upgrading software to improve performance on your Gaming Rig.

Now let’s Look at some Hardware Changes.

Hardware Changes to Improve FPS.

It’s now time to look at the engine which is pushing your performance. For a Gaming Rig you need to ensure that the available hardware that you have is recommended by the game developer.

Guide : Does your Gaming Rig Match The Specifications? How To Check!

You can do this by checking if you match the Games Recommended Specifications List.

1: Upgrade your Processor to Boost Frame Rate

The Processor is the Brain behind your Gaming Rig. Investing in a quality Processor will go a very long way. Not only in the Life Cycle of your Gaming Rig but also the ability to provide quality performance.

Bolster your Performance with your Processor.

It’s important to note though – before changing your processor ensure that it is currently supported by your motherboard. You need to identify if the Processor socket matches your motherboard or it will simply not fit in.

Processors that We Recommend at Chaos Hour.

I9-7980XE	I9-7960X	I9-7940X	I9-7920X	I9-7900X
Ryzen 1950X	I7-6950X	I7-7820X	I7-7900X	RYZEN 1920X
I7-6900K	RYZEN 2700X	I7-8700K	RYZEN 7 2700	RYZEN 7 1800X
RYZEN 1900X	I7-8700	RYZEN 7 PRO 1700X	RYZEN 7 PRO 1700	RYZEN 5 2600X
RYZEN 7 1700X	I7-7800X	I7-6850K	RYZEN 7 1700	I7-6800K
I7-8700T	RYZEN 5 2600	RYZEN 5 1600	I5-8500	I7-7740X
RYZEN 5 PRO 1600	I7-7700K	I5-8400	I7-6700K	I5-8600T
I7-5775C	I7-5775R	RYZEN 5 PRO	I7-7700	RYZEN 5 1500X
I5-8500T	I7-6700	I5-7640X	RYZEN 5 2400G	I7-7700T
I3-8350K	I5-7600K	I7-6700T	I7-6700TE	I5-7600
RYZEN 5 1400	RYZEN 3 PRO 1300	I7-5675C	I5-7600T	I5-5675R
I5-6600K	I5-6600	RYZEN 3 1300X	I5-5575R	I5-7400
I5-6402P	RYZEN 3 2200G	I5-6600T	I5-6500	I5-7500T
RYZEN 3 PRO 1200	AMD FX 6330	RYZEN 3 1200	I5-6400	I3-7350

One last thing – When installing a brand new Processor be sure to apply Thermal paste safely to reduce temperatures and generally improve longevity of the component.

2: Upgrading Graphics Card to Boost Frame Rate.

There are a tonne of mid-range and high-end Graphics Cards available on the Market. However due to bit-coin mining and other trends they have become notoriously expensive.

It is still important to invest in a sturdy Graphics Card if you’re interested in great results when it comes to Frame Rate.

Improve FPS and Performance with Your Graphic Card.

There are two major brands which are AMD and NVIDIA. Some users argue that NVIDIA are able to generate better results however at Chaos Hour we let the benchmarks speak for themselves.

Here’s a List of the more Recent Graphics Cards that may suit your needs.

GeForce 1080 TI	GeForce 1080	GeForce 1070 TI	GeForce 1070	GeForce 1060
Geforce 1050 Ti	Geforce 1050	GeForce 1030

Radeon RX 5xx Series	Radeon RX 4xx series
Radeon Pro Duo	Radeon R9 Fury	Radeon R9 Nano	Radeon R9 3xx	Radeon R9 2xx
Radeon R9 290x	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 285	Radeon R9 270x	Radeon R9 270

Some retailers do part-ex graphics cards so you may be able to find websites similar to Webuy.com. These websites will allow you to trade in your older graphics cards towards a newer model helping with costs.

3 : Change From HDD to SSD to Improve Performance.

Changing the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that you’re using in your Gaming Rig can have some pretty big benefits. Those benefits are not restricted to Frame-Rate alone. If you’re Game is running on a SSD (Solid State Drive) you will experience much faster loading times.

Reduce Loading times with a SSD Today.

This can generally improve gameplay and enjoyment.

In terms of Improving Frame-Rate. SSD’s suffer less time required to load hefty texture maps which will improve frame-rate.

4: Upgrade your Memory. Upgrade your Frame-Rate.

Memory Sticks within your Gaming Rig are necessary – especially when playing games which require a tonne of RAM. In the modern day of gaming we highly recommend users to get at least 8GB of Ram for any Game.

Improve FPS and Performance With Memory Today.

Some users may argue and will suggest for you to upgrade to 16GB or 32GB.

Guide : Does your PC Have the Sufficient Memory for the Game?

Although you will see an improvement. The performance upgrade will be negligable due to the price of the Memory Sticks. Especially DDR 4 currently.

If you’re Rocking 8GB of Memory – You’re doing great.

5: Ensure your Desktop is not over-heating.

Excessive Temperatures can throttle components and may effect your game-play. If you’re Gaming rig is placed in an area where ventilation is not great then you may experience overheating.

Also poor cleaning of your Gaming Rig may cause overheating due to excessive dust. We have created a guide which focuses on ways of cleaning your Gaming Rig and the Ideal area to ensure cool air-flow.

If you feel that your Desktop is overheating it may be an idea to invest in some benchmark software which will indicate this. Additional Fans may benefit your performance. If you have the budget then also Liquid cooling may also be an option.