Stuttering in Valorant. Frame drops in Warzone. Apex Legends refusing to hit 144fps despite your hardware being capable of it. In competitive games, a stutter at the wrong moment costs you kills and rankings. This guide walks you through every meaningful FPS optimisation technique available in Windows 11 in 2026, with a specific focus on AI upscaling (DLSS 4 and FSR 4), Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling, and the changes that provide the highest real-world gain.
Step 1: Get Your Baseline — Before You Change Anything
Before optimising, you need data. Use MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner Statistics Server (free) or your GPU’s built-in overlay (Alt+R for NVIDIA, Ctrl+Shift+O for AMD Radeon). Record:
- Average FPS (the headline number)
- 1% low FPS (the better indicator of smoothness)
- Frame time (ms) — ideally 16.67ms for 60fps, 6.94ms for 144fps
Step 2: Windows 11 — Critical Settings to Change Now
Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)
HAGS moves GPU memory management from the CPU to the GPU itself, reducing CPU overhead and improving frame time consistency — particularly on RTX 30/40-series and RX 6000/7000/9000 cards.
How to enable: Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Change default graphics settings → Toggle Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling ON. Restart your PC.
Other Essential Windows 11 Settings
- Game Mode: Settings → Gaming → Game Mode → ON. Prioritises CPU and GPU resources, suppresses background Windows Update activity.
- Disable Xbox Game Bar (if not using it): Settings → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar → OFF.
- Power Plan: Search “Power Plan” → select High Performance or Ultimate Performance. Prevents CPU clock throttling between frames.
- Variable Refresh Rate: Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Toggle Variable refresh rate ON (requires G-Sync or FreeSync monitor).
Step 3: NVIDIA Control Panel Optimisations (RTX Cards)
| Setting | Recommended Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Low Latency Mode | Ultra | Minimises render queue; reduces input lag |
| Power Management Mode | Prefer Maximum Performance | Prevents GPU clocks from dropping mid-game |
| Texture Filtering – Quality | High Performance | Minor visual trade-off for FPS gain |
| Vertical Sync | Off (use G-Sync instead) | V-Sync adds latency; G-Sync is better |
Step 4: DLSS 4 and FSR 4 — AI Upscaling for Competitive and Casual Gaming
DLSS 4 is NVIDIA’s fourth-generation Deep Learning Super Sampling. The key advancement is Multi Frame Generation — DLSS 4 can generate up to three additional frames per rendered frame. In practice, a game rendering at 60fps natively can output at 180–240fps to the display.
For competitive games (Valorant, Warzone, Apex): Use DLSS Quality mode at 1440p for ~30–40% FPS gain. Do NOT use Frame Generation in competitive titles — it adds visual latency that hurts reaction time.
For single-player / visual games: Enable DLSS Balanced or Quality + Frame Generation for an outstanding ray-traced experience.
AMD’s FSR 4 image quality in Performance mode now rivals DLSS Quality — a significant improvement over FSR 3. If you’re on an AMD GPU or older NVIDIA card without DLSS 4 support, FSR 4 is your best option. For a hardware guide on which GPU delivers the best DLSS 4 support, see our 2026 gaming PC builds guide.
Step 5: In-Game Settings — What to Lower for Maximum FPS Gain
| Setting | FPS Impact | Visual Impact | Recommendation (Competitive) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Tracing | Very High | High | ❌ OFF — hurts competitive FPS |
| Shadows (Quality) | High | Medium | ⚠️ Medium — visibility trade-off |
| Anti-Aliasing | Medium | High | ✅ Use TAA or DLSS; avoid MSAA |
| Ambient Occlusion | Medium | Low | ❌ OFF in competitive |
| Texture Quality | Low (VRAM-limited) | High | ✅ High or Ultra — minimal FPS cost |
| View Distance | Medium | High (spotting) | ✅ High — helps spot enemies |
| Motion Blur | Low | Hurts clarity | ❌ Always OFF |
| Depth of Field | Low | Hurts clarity | ❌ Always OFF |
Step 6: Fix Stuttering — Specific Causes and Cures
- RAM not running at XMP/EXPO speed: Open BIOS and enable XMP/EXPO profile. Many systems ship with fast RAM running at a slow 4800 MHz default.
- CPU bottleneck at high frame rates: If GPU is <90% utilisation while stuttering, CPU is the bottleneck. Enable HAGS; consider upgrading to a Ryzen 7800X3D.
- Shader compilation stutters: Common in Unreal Engine games. Run through content once to pre-compile.
- Thermal throttling: If CPU hits 100°C, it reduces clock speed. Check temperatures with HWiNFO64; repaste your CPU cooler if throttling occurs.
Game-Specific Quick Wins: Valorant, Warzone & Apex
| Game | Key Settings | Target FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Valorant | All on Low/Off, Material Quality Medium, DLSS off (engine is already lightweight) | 300+ fps on mid-range GPU |
| Warzone | Textures High, Shadows Low, DoF OFF, Upscaling: DLSS Quality | 120–180fps at 1440p |
| Apex Legends | Textures High, Shadows Medium, Ambient Occlusion Off, VSync Off | 144+ fps at 1440p |
If you’re deciding what hardware to pair this guide with, see our 2026 gaming PC builds — both the $800 and $2,000 rigs are optimised to take full advantage of every tip here. Choosing between console and PC? Our PS5 Pro vs Xbox Series X comparison lays out the tradeoffs clearly.
Sources: NVIDIA DLSS 4 official documentation, AMD FSR 4 documentation, Tom’s Hardware Windows 11 gaming optimisation guide, Digital Foundry frame time analysis 2026.
