15 tweaks for +30 FPS in 10 minutes

1. Turn off Xbox Game Bar

Game Bar captures video in the background even when you are not recording - eats CPU and GPU.

How: Win+I → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar → toggle off.

2. Disable GameDVR

Legacy capture service that stays on even after the Game Bar is off.

How: Regedit → HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore → set GameDVR_Enabled = 0.

Full guide: disable GameDVR guide.

3. Set "High performance" power plan (or Ultimate)

The default "Balanced" plan destabilizes CPU clocks during gaming peaks.

How: Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options → select "High performance". To unlock "Ultimate Performance", open CMD as admin and run powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61.

4. Test HAGS on and off

Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling helps on modern GPUs but hurts some older ones. Do not assume - test.

How: Win+I → System → Display → Graphics settings → toggle HAGS, reboot, measure FPS in the same game/map.

5. Turn off unnecessary animations and visual effects

Frees GPU and UI responsiveness - useful when alt-tabbing between game and Discord/browser.

How: Win+R → sysdm.cpl → Advanced → Performance → Settings → "Adjust for best performance".

6. Disable services you do not use

Common ones: Print Spooler (no printer), Fax, Remote Registry, Connected User Experiences.

How: Win+R → services.msc → double-click → "Startup type: Disabled".

Careful: do not touch services you do not recognize. Create a restore point first. Details in Windows 11 debloat.

7. Clear temp files

Accumulated cache slows down game updates and launches, especially on fuller SSDs.

How: Win+R → run %temp%, temp, and prefetch. Select all in each folder, delete (Windows skips files in use).

8. Disable indexing on game drives

Windows Search scans drives in the background. On a game drive, pure waste.

How: right-click the drive → Properties → uncheck "Allow files to have contents indexed" → apply to subfolders.

9. Prioritize the game executable

Forces Windows to keep the game above Discord, browser, OBS, etc.

How: open game, Ctrl+Shift+Esc → Details tab → right-click the .exe → Set priority → "Above normal" (avoid "Real time").

10. Disable Full Screen Optimizations on the game .exe

In competitive games (CS2, Valorant, Apex), Windows' fullscreen optimizations add a frame of latency.

How: right-click the .exe → Properties → Compatibility → check "Disable fullscreen optimizations".

11. NVIDIA: Power Management = Prefer Maximum Performance

By default the driver saves power by oscillating clocks - bad for frametime consistency.

How: NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D settings → Power management mode → "Prefer maximum performance". Apply globally or per-game.

12. NVIDIA: Low Latency Mode = Ultra

Reduces input lag in games where G-Sync/Reflex is not available.

How: same panel, Low Latency Mode → "Ultra". More settings in NVIDIA Control Panel guide.

13. NVIDIA: Texture Filtering Quality = High Performance

Trades far-away texture quality for +FPS. Visible gain in CS2 and Valorant, minimal visual loss.

14. AMD: Radeon Anti-Lag = On

AMD equivalent of NVIDIA Low Latency Mode. Reduces input lag with no FPS impact.

How: AMD Software → Gaming → Graphics → Anti-Lag → On (or Anti-Lag+ on supported GPUs).

15. Disable Nagle Algorithm

Nagle buffers small TCP packets - fine for downloads, bad for online games. Disabling cuts 5-15ms of ping in many cases.

How: open regedit, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces. Find the subkey with your IP in DhcpIPAddress or IPAddress. Create two DWORDs: TcpAckFrequency = 1 and TCPNoDelay = 1.

Step-by-step with screenshots: lower ping for gaming.