Draft for review, 25 October 2026. Not the live site. Source: C15-how-to-increase-fps-draft.md.

C15: How to increase FPS (draft)

For: Hoa (hand check), then Bobby (SEO check), Vinny, and the Hypertune reviewer From: Som Tracker step: C15-0, "Draft, with a PC tweaks section (Bobby's F3-3 call)" Calendar: N1 row 11 · Learn · Guides · draft Fri 23 to Mon 26 Oct · goes live week of 9 Nov Draft: Sunday 25 October 2026. Not published, posted or logged anywhere.

Part 1. Brief (V8 section 4)

BRIEF: How to increase FPS                   Type: guide (V8 3.4)
Planned URL: /guides/how-to-increase-fps     Publish week: week of 9 Nov (N1 row 11)
Primary keyword: how to increase fps         volume (US / global): 606 / 1,900 (Ahrefs, 5 Oct; 606 is the
                                             latest month, 700 the average)      difficulty: 0
                                             traffic potential: 450
Secondary keywords (with volumes): see Part 2, Keywords.
Search Console queries already showing for this topic (3 months to 4 Oct, all landing on the homepage):
  fps tweaks: 16 impressions, position 14.6
  pc tweaks for gaming: 12 impressions, position 14.8
  pc tweaks: 37 impressions, position 23.8
  best pc tweaks for gaming: 3 impressions, position 9.0
  fps boost pc: 31 impressions, position 16.6
Search intent (one line): a PC gamer wants more frames from the PC they own, as a list of fixes in order.

WHAT RANKS (top 5, non-forum, measured on 25 Oct 2026; positions from Ahrefs SERP pull of 5 Oct, US):
| # | URL | type | words | what it has that we must match |
| 5 | cyberpowerpc.com/blog/how-to-boost-fps-in-your-gaming-pc/ | guide (PC maker) | 1,792 | 16 numbered tips, Windows clicks for each |
| 6 | intel.com/.../how-to-fix-your-low-frame-rate.html | guide (vendor) | about 1,150 | Which in-game settings cost most (shadows, reflections, lighting); bottleneck explained |
| 9 | virginmedia.com/the-edit/gaming/what-is-fps | guide (ISP blog) | 1,520 | What FPS is, cooling, when to upgrade |
| 11 | redbull.com/us-en/how-to-fix-low-fps | guide (brand blog) | about 1,000 | Basic vs advanced fixes, overclocking with a caution |
| 5th | [to measure] Ahrefs returned only four non-forum results in the top 20 (the rest are Reddit #2,
      Quora #8, Microsoft Q&A #10, plus positions 1, 3, 4 and 7 not returned). Bobby to pull a fresh
      top 10 and measure the fifth.
Counting method: body text only (CyberPowerPC and Virgin Media from the page HTML; Intel and Red Bull
from a clean-text fetch, rounded, so "about").
Median length of top 5: about 1,335 words (median of the four measured) → target 1,350 (range 1,080 to
1,620 for the V8 20% check). The required sections (PC tweaks, laptop, frame generation) push this
draft toward the top of the range.
AI Overview: [to check on the live results]; cited sources: [to check]
Reddit threads in top 10 (titles): "How to increase FPS and general performance?" (r/buildapc, #2)
  → questions to answer: where to start, CPU vs GPU, whether Windows tweaks matter.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER (from People Also Ask, Search Console, Reddit, AEO research E1-5):
1. How do I improve FPS without upgrading hardware? (E1-5 swap question 5; answered in the FAQ)
2. What are the safest PC tweaks for better FPS? (E1-5 swap question 11; answered by the PC tweaks section)
3. Is my game CPU or GPU bound? (Reddit #2; answered in "Find what limits your FPS first")
4. How do I increase FPS on my laptop? (V12 laptop cluster; answered in its own H2)
5. People Also Ask questions for "how to increase fps": [to pull]

SOURCES FOR FACTS AND SETTINGS:
- Official: NVIDIA support, "NVIDIA App In-Game Performance and Latency Overlay" (updated 4 Aug 2025):
  Alt+R toggles the statistics overlay, In-Game Overlay must be on in Settings > Features.
  AMD support DH3-038, "Monitor Performance Metrics with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition"
  (12 Nov 2024): Ctrl+Shift+O toggles the performance overlay.
  Intel, "How to Fix Your Low Frame Rate": settings that cost the most (shadows, reflections,
  volumetric lighting, ambient occlusion, anti-aliasing method).
  Microsoft: Windows Settings paths, as already checked for the gaming guide (C3, 23 Oct).
- Hypertune: the facts given for C15 (features, XTU, stress test, restore point, Restore tab,
  Game Hub line, FPS claim, partners). No Hypertune test data yet.
- Som's own test: none yet. No "tested by us" claims on the page.

UI PATHS: every Windows path is the one used and checked in the gaming guide (C3); new paths on this
page are tagged [to confirm] in the copy.
SCREENSHOTS NEEDED: listed in the page copy as "Screenshot needed: ..."

INTERNAL LINKS OUT: gaming guide, GPU scheduling page, game pages (CS2, Fortnite, Warzone, Valorant),
  XMP and AMD BIOS guides, /technology, trust page, buyer page.
INTERNAL LINKS IN (for Kamil's ticket): see Part 5.
OPEN QUESTIONS FOR AUSTIN: named author line; which steps Windows Debloating and Memory
  Optimizations cover; source and date for the FPS claim; buyer page URL.

Part 2. Title, meta, URL and keywords

Title (55 characters): How to Increase FPS on PC: Fixes and Tweaks | Hypertune

Meta description (151 characters): How to increase FPS on a Windows PC: find your bottleneck, then fix game settings, upscaling, drivers, heat and safe PC tweaks, from quick to advanced.

Planned URL: /guides/how-to-increase-fps [to confirm: Austin's URL pattern for guides]

H1: How to increase FPS in games on a Windows PC

Keywords

Primary: how to increase fps · US 606 / global 1,900 · difficulty 0 · traffic potential 450 (Ahrefs, 5 Oct)

Secondaries:

Not targeted here (owned by other pages): "how to optimize pc for gaming" (gaming guide), "hardware accelerated gpu scheduling" (row 7), "windows game mode" (row 16), "why is my fps so low" (row 18, C5), "fps booster" (later commercial page).

Part 3. Page copy

Schema: Article with headline, author, datePublished, dateModified. No FAQPage (C29), no HowTo.

How to increase FPS in games on a Windows PC

By Austin Copeland, founder of Hypertune [to confirm: author line and one-line bio, V8 rule 9] · Last updated: [publish date]

To increase FPS on a Windows PC, first find out whether your processor or your graphics card is holding the frame rate back, then fix that part, starting with the free changes. Lower the heaviest in-game settings, turn on upscaling, update your graphics driver, close background apps and check temperatures before you move on to faster memory and overclocking.

The order, quickest first:

1. Measure your FPS and find the bottleneck with Game Bar or your graphics overlay.
2. Lower the in-game settings that cost the most FPS.
3. Turn on DLSS, FSR or XeSS upscaling.
4. Use frame generation if your graphics card and game support it.
5. Update your graphics driver.
6. Close background apps and extra overlays.
7. Check temperatures and clear out dust.
8. Apply the safe Windows tweaks in the PC tweaks section.
9. Turn on XMP or EXPO for your memory, then consider overclocking.

For every Windows step click by click, see our guide on how to optimize your PC for gaming.

Find what limits your FPS first

Measuring FPS first tells you which fixes will help. A game's frame rate is limited either by the graphics card (GPU bound) or by the processor (CPU bound), and each has different fixes.

Press Windows + G to open Game Bar and open the Performance widget, which shows CPU, GPU, RAM and FPS. On NVIDIA, turn on In-Game Overlay in the NVIDIA App under Settings > Features, then press Alt + R. On AMD, press Ctrl + Shift + O for the Adrenalin metrics overlay.

Play a familiar spot for a minute and watch GPU usage. GPU usage near its maximum means the graphics card is the limit, so lower settings, upscaling and frame generation help most. GPU usage well below its maximum with low FPS means the processor is the limit, so close background apps, lower view distance and look at faster memory. To confirm, drop the resolution one step: a big FPS gain means GPU bound, almost none means CPU bound.

Screenshot needed: Game Bar Performance widget during a game, showing FPS and GPU usage.

Lower the in-game settings that cost the most FPS

Lowering a few graphics settings increases FPS more than any other free change. Set the game to fullscreen at native resolution, then lower these one at a time and check FPS after each.

Source: Intel, "How to Fix Your Low Frame Rate" (untagged rows). Costs vary by game [to confirm on Som's test PC].

If FPS is stuck exactly at your refresh rate, V-Sync is capping it; turn it off to see the full frame rate. Our game pages list values for Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone and Valorant [to confirm: game page URL pattern].

Turn on upscaling: DLSS, FSR or XeSS

Upscaling increases FPS by rendering at a lower resolution and rebuilding a full-resolution image, so the graphics card does less work per frame. NVIDIA DLSS runs on GeForce RTX cards; AMD FSR and Intel XeSS run on a wide range of cards [to confirm: current FSR and XeSS hardware support]. Start with Quality mode and move to Balanced or Performance only if you need more frames, since lower modes look softer. Upscaling helps most when the game is GPU bound.

Use frame generation when the game already runs smoothly

Frame generation increases FPS by inserting generated frames between the ones your graphics card renders. NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation needs a GeForce RTX 40 Series card or newer. AMD FSR Frame Generation and Intel XeSS Frame Generation work in supported games, and AMD Fluid Motion Frames adds it from the driver on supported Radeon cards [to confirm: hardware support for each].

Generated frames smooth motion, while the game still responds at the rendered frame rate, so frame generation suits single-player games that already run smoothly.

Update your graphics driver

A current graphics driver often raises FPS in recent games, because driver updates carry performance fixes for them. Install it through the NVIDIA App, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or Intel Driver & Support Assistant; the gaming guide has the clicks for each.

Close background apps and extra overlays

Background apps take processor time and memory from the game, which matters most when it is CPU bound. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc for Task Manager, sort Processes by CPU, and close browsers, video calls and downloads before you play.

Keep one overlay for FPS and turn off the rest. To stop Windows recording in the background, go to Settings > Gaming > Captures and turn off Record what happened [to confirm: label on the current Windows 11 build]. For startup apps, follow step 6 of the gaming guide.

Keep your PC cool

A hot processor or graphics card slows itself down, so FPS that falls after a few minutes of play usually points to heat. Task Manager shows the graphics card's temperature under Performance > GPU; for the processor, use the Adrenalin metrics overlay or a free tool such as HWiNFO. Clean dust from fans and filters and keep the case's air paths clear.

Screenshot needed: Task Manager, Performance > GPU, with the temperature visible.

PC tweaks for more FPS

The PC tweaks that increase FPS make Windows give the game full power and the right graphics card. All are built into Windows 10 and 11 and all are reversible; the gaming guide has full steps and the Windows 10 paths.

Windows tweaks that help FPS

Screenshot needed: Settings > System > Display > Graphics, with a game set to High performance.

Tweaks to skip, and what to do instead

Some popular tweaks leave FPS where it was, so put the time into the table above. Let Windows manage memory: RAM cleaner apps empty memory the game then loads again. Keep Windows Security running; it costs little FPS and protects the PC. Leave game priority in Task Manager at its default, since Realtime can starve your mouse, keyboard and audio. Choose registry tweaks only from sources that explain each change and how to undo it [to confirm with the Hypertune reviewer: wording next to Windows Debloating].

Advanced: faster memory and overclocking

Faster memory and overclocking add FPS after the free steps, especially in CPU-bound games. Most RAM runs below its rated speed until you turn on its profile in the BIOS: follow the guide for XMP on Intel and most boards or for EXPO on AMD.

Overclocking runs the processor or graphics card above stock speed. It adds heat and, pushed too far, crashes games, so change one value at a time and test each in a demanding game.

How to increase FPS on a laptop

To increase FPS on a laptop, plug it in first, because many laptops limit the processor and graphics card on battery. Set the power mode to Best performance, pick the maker's performance mode in its app, and check each game uses the dedicated graphics card. If that app offers a dedicated-graphics mode, often called a MUX switch, turn it on and restart [to confirm: wording for common makers]. Keep the vents clear; on a thin laptop, cooling matters more than overclocking.

Let Hypertune do it

Every step above is free. Hypertune is a Windows app for the slow parts, like testing overclocks. Hypertune's features are CPU Overclocking, GPU Overclocking, Windows Debloating, Network Optimizations, Memory Optimizations and Game Hub [to confirm: which steps on this page Windows Debloating and Memory Optimizations cover].

Hypertune stress-tests each overclock on your hardware and skips any your cooling can't hold. On Intel processors, CPU tuning is built on Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility. Hypertune is an Intel and AMD partner and supports NVIDIA graphics cards.

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 how Hypertune keeps your PC safe.

Hypertune creates a Windows restore point, and you can undo changes in the Restore tab.

Up to 60% higher FPS; results vary by hardware and game. [to confirm: source and date for this line, V8 rule 7]

See how Hypertune works. Is Hypertune right for you? [to confirm: buyer page URL, N1 "every guide ends with one link to the buyer page"]

Screenshot needed: Hypertune's Restore tab, showing the most recent restore point.

Questions

How do I improve FPS without upgrading hardware?

You improve FPS without upgrading hardware by lowering the heaviest graphics settings, turning on DLSS, FSR or XeSS, updating your graphics driver, closing background apps and keeping the PC cool. Then XMP or EXPO and overclocking get more from the parts you own.

How much FPS do I need?

Aim for a frame rate at or above your monitor's refresh rate: a 144 Hz monitor shows up to 144 frames a second, a 60 Hz monitor up to 60.

Why is my FPS low on a good PC?

Low FPS on a strong PC usually comes from a setting: the game on the built-in graphics chip, the monitor cable in the motherboard, memory below its rated speed, or heat. Our page on why your FPS is so low [to confirm: C5 URL; link only once C5 is live] walks through each check.

Part 4. Internal links

Out (from this page):

In (for Kamil's ticket): gaming guide (Questions, "How much FPS will these steps add?", and the step 8 settings), the GPU scheduling page, the Windows Game Mode page (row 16), each game page's FPS boost section, and the C5 low-FPS page.

Part 5. Handover note for Hoa

Hoa, this is ready for your hand check. Every Hypertune line uses only the C15 facts; there are no prices, no COMPREADY, no Mac, and Game Hub uses the approved line word for word. The page links to the gaming guide for the full Windows steps instead of repeating them; the PC tweaks table repeats only the paths, which are the ones already checked in C3.

Open tags to clear:

1. [to confirm] Author line for Austin and his one-line bio (V8 rule 9).
2. [to confirm] Guide URL pattern: /guides/how-to-increase-fps and the gaming guide's /guides/how-to-optimize-your-pc-for-gaming.
3. [to confirm] Game page URL pattern (/games/...).
4. [to confirm] Which steps Windows Debloating and Memory Optimizations cover (Austin; also open on C3).
5. [to confirm] Source and date for the FPS claim line (V8 rule 7; also open on C3).
6. [to confirm] Buyer page URL.
7. [to confirm] C5 URL; leave the FAQ link out until C5 is live.
8. [to confirm] FSR and XeSS upscaling hardware support (check AMD and Intel pages on the day).
9. [to confirm] Frame generation hardware support: FSR Frame Generation, XeSS Frame Generation, and the Radeon series for AMD Fluid Motion Frames.
10. [to confirm] "Record what happened" label under Settings > Gaming > Captures on the current Windows 11 build.
11. [to confirm] "Optimizations for windowed games" wording and which Windows 11 builds show it.
12. [to confirm] MUX switch wording in common laptop makers' apps.
13. [to confirm] Registry line in "Tweaks to skip": the Hypertune reviewer checks it sits well next to Windows Debloating.
14. [to confirm] Settings table cost levels, on Som's test PC.
15. [source needed] Ray tracing row, and the view distance, crowds and physics row (Intel's page does not cover them).
16. [to measure] Fifth non-forum result's word count; [to check] AI Overview and its sources; [to pull] People Also Ask, and volumes for the laptop and "without upgrading" keywords. These sit in the brief, not the page copy.

One overlap for Bobby: the gaming guide's FAQ "Does DLSS increase FPS?" and this page's upscaling section answer close questions. The wording differs; Bobby decides whether the guide's FAQ should link here instead.

Checked by web search on 25 Oct: NVIDIA's Alt + R statistics overlay and the In-Game Overlay switch (NVIDIA support, 4 Aug 2025); AMD's Ctrl + Shift + O metrics overlay (AMD support DH3-038).

Part 6. V8 checks (section 6 self-check, plus answer rules and NEVER WRITE)

Counts below are from a script run on this file on 25 Oct.

Answer rules (V8, nine rules):

Hard rules for C15: