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Fix stuttering and low FPS by identifying when the problem happens, checking what the PC is doing at that moment, and changing one setting at a time. A low frame rate throughout play and brief stutters can have different causes, so first determine which pattern you have. Shader compilation, background resource use, display settings and a recent driver change are useful places to investigate—but no single setting is a universal fix.
The goal is to narrow the cause with repeatable tests, not to apply every possible tweak. Start with the same game, scene and settings; record what changes; and keep a fix only if it improves the symptom you are actually trying to solve.
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First, identify what the game is doing
“Low FPS” and “stuttering” describe related but different experiences. A game may run slowly for most of a session, hitch briefly at particular moments, or do both. That distinction is useful because a setting that changes the average frame rate may not address intermittent frame-time spikes, and a first-run hitch may not indicate that the PC is persistently underpowered.
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- Persistent low FPS: performance is below what you expect across much of the same scene or session.
- Intermittent stutter: play is generally smooth but pauses or hitches occur at particular moments.
- Both: the baseline is slow and there are additional hitches.
Before changing anything, record the game, Windows version, GPU, graphics-driver version, display mode, resolution and configured refresh rate. Note when the problem began and whether it happens everywhere, only in newly visited areas, or mainly on the first run after a driver installation. This gives you a baseline to compare against rather than relying on whether a change merely feels better.
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Also note whether you are playing fullscreen, windowed or borderless. That matters because the Windows 11 windowed-game optimization setting has a specific scope: DirectX 10 and 11 games in windowed and borderless modes. Record the display mode rather than assuming a setting applies to every way of running the game.
Use a repeatable test before changing settings
Choose a scene or activity you can reproduce, then observe the game under the same conditions after each troubleshooting change. Avoid changing several options at once: if performance changes, you will not know which change mattered. Keep a short record of the setting changed and the result.
- Run the game and reproduce the symptom in the chosen scene or activity.
- Observe CPU, memory and disk use while the game is running. Note whether any of these appear heavily occupied at the same time as the slowdown; an observation is a clue, not proof of the cause.
- Close applications you do not need and check that the system drive has free space. Retest the same scene.
- Change one relevant graphics, power, display or driver setting, then repeat the same test.
- Compare the pattern—not just a single moment—with your original notes.
Windows identifies resource monitoring, unused applications and low disk space as useful checks when troubleshooting performance. A spike in one resource can help direct the next test, but it does not by itself establish that you need new hardware.
For each run, write down whether the issue was persistent low FPS, isolated hitches, or both. Include whether the test was a first visit to an area or a repeat visit. If you changed a setting, note the old and new state and whether you restarted the game when required. This simple log makes it easier to distinguish a repeatable improvement from a one-off difference in the scene or session.
Check for shader-compilation stutter
Brief hitches that are strongest on the first run after a graphics-driver installation, or when entering scenes you have not visited before, can be consistent with shader compilation. NVIDIA’s Control Panel documentation states: “Shader compiles are normally performed each time a game runs and are a common cause of game-play stuttering.” NVIDIA also explains that its shader cache allows later runs to reuse compiled shaders, while installing a new driver deletes that cache. The first run after that installation may therefore stutter as shaders are rebuilt.
If the timing fits, run the same game and revisit the same areas more than once before deciding that the problem is persistent. Compare the first pass with later passes. Improvement on repeated visits is consistent with cache rebuilding, but it does not prove that shader compilation was the only cause. If the same stutter continues, continue diagnosing rather than assuming that waiting will fix it.
Pay attention to the timing: stutters concentrated in newly visited scenes or immediately after a driver installation are different clues from low FPS that remains throughout familiar areas. Repeated runs are a low-impact first test for the former pattern. If a hitch remains just as severe on later passes, or the entire game remains slow, move on to resource, display and driver checks rather than repeatedly waiting for the cache.
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NVIDIA’s cited Control Panel reference is older documentation, so controls and labels may differ in current driver versions. The documented behavior is a reason to test repeated runs, not a guarantee that every hitch after a driver update has the same explanation.
Check Windows graphics settings for windowed and borderless games
On Windows 11, the windowed-game optimization setting applies to DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games running in windowed or borderless mode. If your game fits those conditions, test the setting as one controlled change. Do not assume it applies to every game or display mode.
On a PC with both integrated and discrete graphics, check the game’s per-app graphics preference as well. A preference change may require restarting the game before it takes effect. Test the same scene after the restart so you can tell whether the change affected the symptom.
- Relevant case: Windows 11, a DirectX 10 or 11 game, and windowed or borderless play.
- Separate check: a system with more than one GPU, where the game’s per-app graphics preference may be relevant.
- Retest requirement: restart the game after changing its per-app graphics preference.
These are targeted checks, not a list of settings to toggle indiscriminately. First verify that the Windows version, game API and display mode match the documented scope. If they do not, the setting is not a useful test for this particular configuration. For a multi-GPU system, make the per-app preference change separately from the windowed-game setting and restart before comparing results.
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Check that Windows is configured to use the refresh rate you intend to use and that the display supports it. A display’s refresh rate is not the same thing as the game’s rendered FPS: selecting a higher supported refresh rate does not guarantee that the game will render more frames per second.
Microsoft notes that Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) can limit the maximum refresh rate in some games. If a favorite game appears to run below its expected refresh rate and DRR is enabled, test with DRR off and compare the same scene. Treat this as a diagnostic test, not as a claim that DRR is responsible for every low-FPS report. Keep the change only if it improves the specific symptom you are measuring.
Separate three observations when you assess this path: the refresh rate configured for the display, the rate the display supports, and the game’s rendered FPS. A mismatch or a DRR-related limit may be relevant to the display experience, but it does not establish that the PC’s rendering performance changed. If disabling DRR makes no observable difference in the same game and scene, restore the preferred setting and continue with another test.
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Review background load, storage and power trade-offs
While the game runs, watch CPU, memory and disk use, and note whether the timing of a slowdown matches a change in one of them. Close unused apps and retest. Also check available disk space: low free space is a useful issue to rule out, but it does not establish that a particular disk upgrade is needed.
Windows’ Best performance power mode is another possible test, not a cost-free default. Microsoft warns that it can increase power use, heat and laptop battery drain. If you try it, compare performance under the same workload and consider whether the additional heat or shorter battery life is acceptable for your use.
On a laptop in particular, account for the trade-off rather than treating Best performance as an automatic permanent setting. A result from one scene is not enough to justify accepting more heat or faster battery drain during every session. Compare the same workload before and after the power-mode change, then decide whether any improvement is meaningful for your use.
Do not infer a hardware purchase from one observation alone. A GPU, RAM or SSD upgrade is only a sensible next step when measurements identify a matching constraint and the replacement is compatible with the PC. A monitor or display cable is not a general remedy for a game that renders too slowly; first verify the display path and configured refresh rate.
Decide whether a graphics-driver change is relevant
Timing matters. If the problem began immediately after a graphics-driver change, a supported rollback is a reasonable troubleshooting step. Microsoft’s display troubleshooting guidance includes rolling back a driver when a display problem follows an update. That guidance concerns display problems, so it supports the rollback procedure as a possibility; it does not prove that a driver update caused game stutter.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf there was no recent driver change that matches the start of the problem, do not update or reinstall drivers on the assumption that this fixes all stuttering. Microsoft’s guidance also includes updating or reinstalling when appropriate. Use a driver route supported by the PC or GPU manufacturer, and make one change at a time so the result remains interpretable.
When testing a rollback, keep the rest of the configuration unchanged and repeat the same workload. If the issue improves, that is useful evidence to report, but it is not definitive proof of cause: the test only supports further investigation of the change. If you update or reinstall instead, treat that as its own test and record the driver version so you can compare the before-and-after state.
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Use Dxdiag for system details, not a standalone DirectX download
Windows 10 and Windows 11 include the latest DirectX version supported by that Windows version, according to Microsoft. Check the game’s own requirements and use Dxdiag to gather system details if you need to report a problem or compare your configuration with those requirements. A purported standalone DirectX update from an unofficial source is not the right troubleshooting shortcut.
Dxdiag is useful for collecting information about the system; it does not diagnose every cause of stuttering by itself. If the controlled tests do not resolve the issue, use those system details when consulting the game publisher’s current support guidance. Because no specific game or PC configuration is identified here, there is no title-specific fix to apply universally.
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Before contacting support, gather the details that make the report actionable: game and Windows version, GPU and driver version, display mode, resolution, configured refresh rate, when the issue began, and whether it is constant or episodic. Include what repeatable tests you tried and what changed. Use the game’s requirements as the reference for your configuration instead of assuming that an unofficial DirectX download or a generic tweak is appropriate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose the next test from the symptom pattern
| What you observe | First useful test | How to interpret the result |
|---|---|---|
| Hitches are strongest on the first run after a graphics-driver installation or in newly visited scenes. | Repeat the same run or revisit the same scene. | Improvement on later passes is consistent with shader-cache rebuilding; continued stutter needs further diagnosis. |
| Slowdowns coincide with high CPU, memory or disk use. | Close unneeded apps, check free disk space and repeat the same workload. | A changed result is a clue to investigate that resource further, not proof that a specific component must be replaced. |
| A Windows 11 game runs windowed or borderless and uses DirectX 10 or 11. | Test the Windows windowed-game optimization setting. | This setting’s documented scope does not cover every Windows version, game API or display mode. |
| The PC has integrated and discrete GPUs. | Check the game’s per-app graphics preference and restart the game. | Compare the same scene after restarting; the setting is a test, not a guaranteed improvement. |
| One game appears below its expected refresh rate while DRR is enabled. | Test with DRR off and compare. | Keep the distinction between display refresh and game-rendered FPS in mind. |
| The problem began immediately after a driver change. | Consider a supported driver rollback. | Improvement would support further investigation of the change; it does not alone prove causation. |
| The problem persists across repeatable tests. | Gather system details with Dxdiag and consult the game publisher’s current support guidance. | A title-specific cause or fix cannot be inferred without that game’s requirements and configuration. |
Use the table as a way to select the next relevant test, not as an instruction to try every row. Match the symptom and timing first. For example, repeated scene visits are most informative for first-run or new-area hitches; a DRR test is relevant when that feature is enabled and the game appears below its expected refresh rate. Keep the comparison controlled so that the result answers one question at a time.
When an upgrade is justified
Consider an upgrade only after repeatable observations point to a specific limitation. For example, a memory or storage change is relevant only if your monitoring and the problem pattern support that component as a constraint; compatibility with the PC must also be confirmed. A GPU upgrade likewise requires evidence that the graphics hardware is the limiting factor for the game and settings in question. The checks above do not establish a universal upgrade, model or expected performance gain.
Do not treat an upgrade as the default next step just because the game feels slow. The possible paths—GPU, RAM, SSD, or display hardware—address different constraints and each requires a matching diagnosis or compatibility check. The steps here do not establish a product, price, performance gain or universal recommendation. A paid PC-cleaning utility is not a substitute for checking resource use, free space, display settings and the timing of the problem.
If no single resource or setting explains the issue, keep the notes you recorded: game and Windows version, GPU and driver version, display mode, resolution, refresh rate, when the problem began, and what tests changed the result. That is more useful to a game’s support team than a list of unrelated settings changed all at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my game stutter more on the first run after a graphics-driver update?
A driver installation deletes NVIDIA’s shader cache, so a first run may hitch while shaders are rebuilt. NVIDIA describes shader compilation as a common cause of gameplay stutter. Repeat the same run or revisit the same scene: improvement on later passes is consistent with cache rebuilding, but persistent stutter needs further diagnosis.
Should I turn off Dynamic Refresh Rate to fix low FPS?
Only treat it as a test when DRR is enabled and a game appears to run below its expected refresh rate. Microsoft notes that DRR can limit the maximum refresh rate in some games. Compare the same scene with DRR off, and remember that display refresh rate and game-rendered FPS are not the same thing.
Does Windows 11 windowed-game optimization work for every PC game?
No. The setting applies to DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games running in windowed or borderless mode. Verify that your game and display mode fit those conditions before testing it; the setting’s documented scope does not cover every game or mode.
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Not automatically. If the problem began immediately after a driver change, a rollback through a supported route is a reasonable test. Otherwise, update or reinstall only when appropriate using a driver route supported by your PC or GPU manufacturer. A driver change is a troubleshooting step, not proof of the cause or a universal fix.
Do I need to download a separate DirectX update?
Microsoft says Windows 10 and Windows 11 include the latest DirectX version supported by that Windows version. Check the game’s requirements and use Dxdiag to collect system details. Avoid purported standalone DirectX updates from unofficial sources.
When should I upgrade my GPU, RAM or SSD?
Only after repeatable observations point to a matching limitation and you have confirmed that a replacement is compatible with your PC. Resource use and available disk space can help guide investigation, but a single slowdown does not establish that a component needs replacing. There is no universal upgrade for stuttering or low FPS.
The Bottom Line
Separate persistent low FPS from episodic stutter, record the conditions, and repeat the same test after each change. Check resource use and free disk space, consider shader-cache rebuilding when hitches cluster on first runs or new scenes, and test only the display, Windows graphics or driver settings that match your setup. Keep changes that measurably help, account for power and heat trade-offs, and consider hardware only when a specific, compatible upgrade addresses an observed constraint.
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