How to get the most out of your graphics card without overclocking

If you ask an average PC gamer how to get extra FPS in modern titles, they may recommend speeding up your graphics card with free apps and other tools, such as MSI Afterburner. Fair suggestion – this would probably result in a modest, single-digit improvement in FPS in many games. But guess what? This would also increase your card’s power consumption, slightly increasing its temperature by a few degrees Celsius, which could cause thermal stress over time. So how do you get an FPS boost without overclocking your GPU?

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to improving FPS, trying a few known tweaks can help improve the performance of your games. Removing debris from inside your PC is a quick and easy place to start, alongside updating your GPU drivers and enabling performance-enhancing features like Nvidia G-Sync. Once you’ve made these simple adjustments, you can then use more advanced troubleshooting techniques, such as experimenting with AI-based scaling tools to generate additional frames and enabling resizable BAR support in your system’s BIOS to minimize VRAM-related bottlenecks.

If you go down a GPU overclocking rabbit hole before checking to see if your PC is covered in dust, you might skip the plunge. There’s no shame in forgetting to clean your PC, but if your machine starts to struggle mid-game because layers of dust are causing your hardware to overheat, then it’s time for a cleaning. Before trying more advanced tricks to improve performance, make sure to remove all dirt from your computer first. It’s quite possible that this alone will help your games run smoother.

Next on your to-do list should be updating your graphics card drivers. This one is pretty easy to forget, especially if you’ve turned off automatic driver updates. Check your graphics card utility tool; if the last update was several months ago, that could explain why your gameplay is starting to feel like an old Flash game. You can use these same GPU application interfaces or Windows Device Manager to update your graphics card drivers, but you can also download driver updates directly from your GPU manufacturer’s website.

Whether you’re using an Nvidia or AMD card, you can also sync your GPU’s frame rate with your monitor’s to avoid latency and screen tearing. If you are an Nvidia user, navigate to the “Configure G-Sync” tab under the Display section of the NVIDIA Control Panel. There you can enable G-Sync, select your preferred screen mode, and choose the monitor you want to apply these settings to. To enable the equivalent AMD feature, FreeSync, start by launching your monitor’s On-Screen Display settings. There, enable the Adaptive Sync or FreeSync option. After that, launch your AMD application and enable the AMD FreeSync option under the “Display” tab.

If these basic tweaks got you a single-frame FPS increase, don’t look for a new GPU just yet. After all, it’s the new Roaring Twenties, many cards today support AI scaling and frame generation. If you can overlook some of the technology’s visual flaws, enabling Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR algorithms would be a safe bet to get a significant performance boost without much hassle. Nvidia GPU users can also use the free DLSS Swapper app to improve the look of a game beyond what can be done in its vanilla display settings, although the app is also compatible with AMD cards as it also supports FSR updates.

But what happens if your card is old? What happens if you play an older game without AI scaling or frame generation support? In that case, it might be worth spending $6.99 for the Lossless Scaling app, available on Steam. This tool applies AI-powered features to almost any hardware and game, regardless of age, to smooth out your experience through frame generation and graphics scaling, even in games with pixel art.

If you’re the proud owner of an Nvidia RTX 30 series card (or newer) or an RX 6000 series card (or newer), your BIOS also has a trick up its sleeve: Resizable BAR support. This hidden feature allows your CPU to access your card’s full VRAM buffer so your rig can manage graphics resources more efficiently. After updating your GPU drivers, restart your PC, then press Delete or F2 (depending on what your splash screen says) to access your motherboard BIOS settings. There, hidden in the Advanced Settings tab, you should see an option called “Resizable BAR Support.” Enable it, press the Save button, then exit BIOS. Once your PC boots normally, run a benchmark test on a game. Chances are you’ll notice a significant improvement in FPS, all without having to overclock your hardware or purchase a new GPU.