Typically, gaming PCs cost more than consoles because they can do more. You can increase graphical fidelity and frame rate beyond what an Xbox or PlayStation 5 can do. While PC gaming has many other benefits, such as free online multiplayer, your mileage depends on the specifications of your individual computer. Some companies offer simple solutions, but you know what they say about shortcuts.
You’ve probably heard of FPS Boosters, also called Game Boosters. These programs would suspend applications and clear caches so that your computer can allocate more RAM and processing power to games. However, people who have tested these programs claim that they generally do not work or at least do not work as advertised. More often than not, these programs either don’t free up enough RAM to make a tangible difference in game performance or outright lie about how much RAM they make available. In some cases, these apps close programs you want to keep running (like OBS Studio, a popular recording suite for gamers and streamers) or even limit frame rates. Then there are boosters like Game Fire and Hone.gg, which many users say are spyware at best and malware at worst. This is not the kind of thing you want on your PC.
One potential exception is Razer Cortex, but not in the way you think. When people like RGT Productions tested the program, it didn’t improve frame rate, but rather frame time, or the time it takes for a computer to render an image. However, the improvements are so tiny that they are barely visible to the naked eye.
Only you can improve your computer’s performance
Nine times out of ten, any improvement made by an FPS booster is the product of the placebo effect: you want the program to improve performance, that’s what you think (from experience). However, just because these programs can’t squeeze out a few extra frames per second doesn’t mean you need an RTX 5070 to do it.
If you’re really pressed for frame rates (or just want to play at 120 FPS), turn off programs you don’t need before starting a game. Ideally, you should stop their background services, but just close them so they use minimal RAM. However, some optional programs can improve game performance, but bundling them with FPS booster apps is like comparing a tiger to a house cat.
Gaming PC manufacturers often ship computers with built-in software designed to customize the PC’s capabilities. Applications such as ASUS GPU Tweak III and MSI Afterburner allow you to improve gaming performance by modifying various components. You can overclock your GPU, increase fan speed and increase your GPU voltage. Unlike FPS boosters, these programs actually work and you can download them for free even if you don’t have an ASUS or MSI GPU, respectively. But be careful; you don’t want to accidentally fry your GPU.
It’s all in the engine
Modern computers require a lot of RAM and powerful CPUs and GPUs to run games. Or do they? Shouldn’t all games running on a certain graphics card offer the same performance? Optimization is the real deciding factor in frame rates.
Above all, the best way to improve game performance is to update your graphics card driver. Although a GPU renders a game regardless of driver version, updates often improve the efficiency with which it performs this task, which can result in higher frame rates. Additionally, graphics cards use optional rendering features that further improve efficiency. For example, Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) leverages the power of AI to improve graphics fidelity without significantly impacting frame rates. In fact, some games run better with DLSS than without. Alternatively, switching between graphics driver APIs such as DX11, DX12, and Vulkan (if available) can also increase frame rates and performance.
Unfortunately, sometimes the number of frames per second your PC can display is beyond your control. If a game is poorly optimized, even the most powerful GPUs will struggle to render it and might even give up trying and crash (“Batman: Arkham Knight” is one of the most infamous examples). Sometimes developers offer a PC game with built-in DRM, like Denuvo, to scare away potential cheaters and pirates. However, these programs only increase loading times, bloat file sizes, and slow frame rates. Sometimes all you can do is wait and hope that a developer will fix the problem they unintentionally created by fixing performance issues or removing DRM.
