Low FPS and stutters in games: a checklist of what to check

Low FPS (the game is slow) and stutters (the game freezes for a moment) are different problems. Go through the steps in order: each one rules out one common cause.

1. Find the bottleneck

Install MSI Afterburner (with its overlay) or HWiNFO and look at the load during the game:

• GPU at 95–100%: the graphics card is the limit. Lower the graphics settings or resolution, or enable DLSS/FSR.
• GPU well below 90% and one CPU core at 100%: the processor is the limit. Lower CPU-heavy settings (view distance, crowds, physics).
• Both are low: look at memory, drive, frame limiter or settings below.

2. Temperatures and throttling

• Watch the CPU and GPU temperature in HWiNFO. Above about 85–90 °C the chip lowers its frequency and FPS drops.
• Dust is the first cause: clean the PC from dust.
• If it is still hot after cleaning, replace the thermal paste.

3. Memory

• Turn on XMP/EXPO so the memory runs at its rated speed and in dual channel (two sticks in slots A2 and B2).
• 16 GB is the minimum for modern games, 32 GB is comfortable. When RAM is full, Windows uses the drive and the game stutters.

4. Drive

• Install games on an SSD. On a hard drive, textures load late and cause stutters.
• Keep at least 15–20% of the SSD free.

5. Drivers

• Update the drivers, first of all the graphics driver and the chipset driver.
• If problems started after an update or the driver is broken, remove the old one completely with DDU (see the DDU section in the drivers guide) and install a clean one.

6. Monitor and graphics features

• Check that the monitor really runs at its maximum refresh rate: how to enable 144 Hz and G-Sync / FreeSync.
• Enable Resizable BAR if your hardware supports it.

7. Windows settings

• Power plan: Settings → System → Power → Power mode → Best performance (on a laptop, plug in the charger).
• Game Mode should be on: Settings → Gaming → Game Mode.
• Close heavy background programs: browsers with many tabs, launchers, recording and overlay programs. Check Task Manager → Startup apps and turn off what you do not need.
• If the system is old and messy, a clean install of Windows 11 often helps more than any tweak.

8. In-game settings

• The settings that cost the most FPS are usually shadows, volumetric effects, ray tracing, anti-aliasing and view distance.
• Use DLSS (NVIDIA) or FSR (AMD) in quality mode: it gives FPS with little loss in picture.
• Limit FPS slightly below the monitor refresh rate. A stable frame rate feels smoother than a jumping one.
• Stutters in the first minutes of a new game or after an update can be shader compilation. Let it finish and restart the game.

9. If nothing helped

• Check the integrity of the game files in Steam or the launcher.
• Test the PC for stability with a stress test and check the memory (MemTest86).
• Check that no program is using the CPU or drive in the background (Task Manager → Performance).