If you play on a PC, you’ve probably already wanted to see the number of frames per second (or frames per second, FPS) a game runs on your machine. However, if you did not find any such option in the game settings, here are some tips on how to get this information.
All in all, there are three different applications you can use – and two of them are very likely you have already installed on your machine, especially if you have the custom of using it for gaming. Come on.
In general, every game fan sooner or later becomes aware of such an indicator as FPS (he usually discovers when the game starts to slow down, freeze, distort the image, contractions, etc.).
FPS is the number of frames per second that is displayed on the screen. The more the frames per second on the screen, the better: the game will become smoother, the movements of the characters will be more natural, you will see them clearly and well and you will be able to react to all the events.
FPS figure most likely reflects the actual performance of its hardware: a video card, processor, and all computers/notebooks as a whole (I do not take cases where FPS influences, for example, viruses …).
In this article, I will try to bring out all the most frequently asked questions about this indicator (including the main one – how I can improve FPS in games ).
Page Contents
How to learn FPS in the game // programs to determine FPS
1. NVIDIA GeForce Experience
If you have an NVIDIA video card on your computer and it has support for ShadowPlay, checking the frame rate for seconds is pretty simple. Go to the official NVIDIA website and download GeForce Experience, a program that will manage ShadowPlay. The main focus of this software is to capture images of your game but displaying how many FPS it runs is also one of its functions.
To do this, open the GeForce Experience application and go to the settings. There, make sure the ShadowPlay menu is available on the left, then access it and click on the “FPS Counter” option. Choose the corner of the screen where it will be displayed and ready.
Note that you can set a keyboard shortcut to display or hide this information while playing a game.
2. Steam
Steam, one of today’s leading gaming digital distribution and distribution platforms, also has a native feature for checking the frame rate per second of a game. That means if you run a game using Steam, you do not need any other program to view this information.
Open Steam, click on the “Steam” menu and access the program settings. There, go to the “In-game” menu and activate the “Frame counter per second (FPS)” option. Click on the cascading menu and define what your location should be.
If desired, activate the high contrast mode by checking the “High Contrast Color” option, which helps make the counter more visible.
3. Fraps
One of the most famous programs to record gaming videos, create screenshots and view FPS. The program is characterized by low system requirements, thanks to which the recording of video games can also be performed on relatively weak machines.
As for FPS, the program has a special tab where you can adjust the angle of the screen where the value will be shown, as well as the shortcut key (see the screenshot below).
Fraps is not so much a program as an add-on that is installed as a widget inside your computer. You’ll see it every time you open a game, and it’s very useful because it lets you know at all times how many FPS a game is running. This number will help you to know if your computer is able to move with all the fluidity that is needed for each game; if it drops below 30 fps, it is that something is not right.
Fraps is an app specialized in capturing images (static or video) of games and other reproductions. It gets paid but offers some features for free – among them the FPS counter. Then go to the official website of the program and download it.
After installation, open the application and go to the “FPS” tab and check the “FPS” option.
On the right side of the screen, it is possible to define which key will be used as a shortcut to display and hide the counter. Also said, you also use this same area to define which corner of the monitor will display the indicator.
Important note: run FRAPS on behalf of the Administrator, otherwise the functionality of the program will be severely limited. You have to click on the icon with the right mouse button and select “Run as administrator” in the shortcut menu – in this case, there should not be any problems.
I think it’s worth starting the game and comparing the results of the integrated benchmark with the results that FRAPS will show us.
4. PlayClaw
A Competitor of Fraps. “The program can: record videos and screenshots from the game, transmit games, determine FPS, support the configuration of hotkeys, select compression codecs (which Fraps does not have).
The main window is made in “tiled” style…
To configure the FPS display – go to the “Plugins” section, then check the “FPS Overlay” box and adjust the display colours (you can leave it and by default – the colours are contrasting).
After starting the game, you do not even need to press any button: the FPS will automatically appear in the left corner of the screen (from the top).
The FPS-PlayClaw definition (see green figures – 62)
5. Overwolf
In general, the Overwolf program – This is an entire gaming world for a player: here and tips for games, video game recording, news, all sorts of recommendations, etc.
As part of this article – this program is interesting as it determines the FPS index in a very qualitative way. To enable the FWPS view in Overwolf, you must go to the Settings, then open the FPS section and check the box “Enable the in-game FPS monitor” (as in the screenshot below).
In fact, now by running the game, you will see the number of frames in any corner of the screen (depending on the settings you have chosen). It works in all modern versions of Windows: 7, 8, 10.
6. MSI Afterburner
Afterburner – the only, at the moment, free program for viewing FPS. Many advise Fraps, which is a bit simpler, but it is not completely free and contains lots of publicity.
If desired, you can change the position, size and colour of the statistics in the RivaTuner settings. And in Afterburner settings, with the exception of FPS, you can activate the display of the CPU temperature, the video card and much more.
If the statistics must constantly enable the “Run with Windows” option from Afterburner. The program is hung in the tray and absolutely does not interfere.
We try to have already chosen the best program to show FPS in games, but to talk about an application not so well known as FRAPS is a necessary and useful thing. The point is that there are many more settings here – this is about the graphics part … MSI Afterburner is the program that collects all the information and provides detailed statistics.
initially, the program was designed as a means of accelerating the graphics card, you can slightly increase the performance of the graphics card for free, but if you do not know what you’re doing – it’s better not to touch anything …)
Open the settings and go to the “Monitoring” tab. Select the “Frame rate” item and select “Show in overlay screen display” and click “OK”. Subsequently, the application must be restarted.
Now after starting the game in the upper left corner, the value of the FPS in the game will be displayed.
FPS improvement: all the main ways // what influences
Undoubtedly, one of the best and most productive ways to increase FPS in games is an update, ie. buy new hardware (for example, by replacing a graphics card with a new production model). But, as I think it’s pretty obvious way and in this article do not consider (even before buying a new graphics card, of course, should be to assess the cause of brakes cannot blame the video card, and, for example, there are were problems with the hard drive)…
When there are brakes in the games – the first thing I recommend doing is to see what is “happening” in the task manager: there is a process that essentially loads the system (in addition to the game itself).
For example, very often many users opened a dozen tabs in browsers (it is possible, it’s causing significant CPU and RAM burden), including a Skype (when talking PC loads the program, sometimes significantly) known by torrents (can have a CPU load on the hard disk), etc.
To access the Task Manager , click – Ctrl + Shift + Esc at the same time.
Then, sort the programs by loading on the CPU (then load the memory, the disk) and check if there is nothing superfluous. For example, I have torrents running – it is recommended to close before starting the game.
Cleaning the operating system from “unwanted” files // system optimization
While working in Windows, whether you like it or not, it accumulates a large number of junk files and records: temporary files, old files from remote programs, incorrect entries in the registry, a number of startup programs (eg including the computer ), browser cache, etc.
Over time, this has all started to affect computer performance (including FPS). For example, on a clean optimized operating system can be 10-15% higher than FPS, than on a “stuffing” under the string with all kinds of “decorations”: gadgets, additions, side menus, etc.
First, remove all unnecessary programs, clean up the boot. All this will help here this utility (in the article it is said how to work on it) –
Configuring video card drivers
Immediately I want to say the following: the FPS indicator can be strongly influenced not only by the video driver settings but also by their version. The fact is that it is not so rare, the new driver versions (for the new version of Windows) are not finalized. Therefore, in many cases, before drawing firm conclusions, I recommend trying different versions of drivers!
And another tip: do not try to switch immediately to the new version of the operating system, at least as soon as it is released.
Customize the graphics of the game
A very strong value on the number of FPS issued is influenced by the graphics settings of the game itself. The more the user needs for the quality of the graphics: the less FPS you will see…
Almost every game has video settings. Particular attention should be given to moments such as resolution, screen and effects (perhaps this is the main thing that loads your system more than everyone).
Very large effect on the image and its realism have effects: flickering and splashing water, dust on the road, wind, shadow effect, etc. All these effects create a big load on the video card and, if they are not particularly productive, process them longer, which means that the number of FPS will be lower. Disabling these effects (or lowering their requirements) can significantly increase the FPS (even if the image in the game gets worse).
Popular FPS questions
What should be the FPS score for a comfortable game?
A normal indicator for all games is FPS at level 60 (well, almost when the problem does not concern games as a “professional” trade). When the figure is less than 30, many games become uncomfortable and sometimes it is impossible to play!
Much depends on the game itself: if this is a turn-based strategy, even 20 FPS may be sufficient for the game, and if a dynamic shooter (shooter) – then 40 FPS can be small…
Of course, in every game, the FPS indicator will be different (even more – in each level of the game (or position, map), FPS can be different, since the graphics of each level can be different).
What does FPS depend on?
- From the performance of your hardware: graphics card, processor and system as a whole;
- From the game you want to run;
- From the parameters of graphics and settings in the game (filters, resolution, etc.);
- The FPS number can also be influenced by the high temperature of the components (the processor, for example); viruses, Windows errors, etc.
Does dust affect the FPS?
Dust can clog processor heat sinks, video cards. As a result, they will not cope with their work (ie with the removal of heat), the temperature of the devices will start to increase, as a result, brakes may appear. ie the powder “indirectly” can influence the FPS…
Does the Windows version affect PC performance (FPS) in games? Immediately after upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10?
Normally not quite much, but sometimes significantly. For example, in the “old” times I had a lot of time on the Windows 2000 disk (even if Windows XP had already been released). The fact that Windows 2000 is much better to work many games: FPS rate was higher (and the video driver, usually for older operating systems have worked and have made all changes to the new operating system still reach hands of developers)… Then, obviously, for Windows XP the service packs came out, and it was brought to the “normal” level of work …
In general, strongly influenced by the optimization of the operating system: it is one thing to play the game on a custom, “garbage” wash and optimized system, rather another – to “cluttered”… The difference can be quite substantial: from the Normal game from first to second terrible brakes (with the same “iron” padding of computers).
Do I have to “do” FPS more than 60?
In general, the more FPS – the better and more comfortable it will be to play. But if the difference between 20 and 60 FPS will be visible to the naked eye, the difference between 60 and 90 FPS will be noticed by not all experienced players.
It’s still in the monitor: the most classic LCD monitor, usually, produces a 60 Hz scanning frequency. As a result, even if you have FPS over 90 – you’ll still see 60 (because the monitor will not show more frames in a second), so it does not need to increase the FPS …
Another thing is that if you have a monitor with a sweep frequency, for example, 100 Hz, then it makes sense to increase FPS to 100.