Improve GPU Performance on PC & Laptops: Updated October 2025

Is your GPU not performing as well as it should? You’re not alone. Many people experience poor GPU performance, leading to laggy games and slow graphics applications. The good news is that you can significantly improve your GPU performance with simple tweaks and optimizations.

This guide will show you how to improve GPU performance using proven methods that work for both desktop and laptop users. We’ll cover everything from driver updates and system optimization to safe overclocking techniques that can give your graphics card a serious boost.

Why Your GPU Might Be Underperforming?

Before we dive into solutions, it’s important to understand why your GPU might not be performing at its best. Several factors can affect GPU performance, and identifying the root cause is the first step toward fixing it.

Common causes of poor GPU performance include outdated drivers, excessive dust buildup, thermal throttling, incorrect power settings, and background processes consuming resources. Your GPU might also be underperforming if it’s being bottlenecked by other components like your CPU or RAM.

To check if your GPU is the bottleneck, you can use monitoring tools like MSI Afterburner or Windows Task Manager to track GPU usage while gaming or running graphics-intensive applications. If your GPU usage is consistently below 90% while your CPU is at 100%, you might have a CPU bottleneck. Conversely, if your GPU is at 100% while your CPU has room to spare, your GPU is indeed the limiting factor.

Temperature is another critical factor. GPUs automatically reduce their performance (thermal throttling) when they get too hot to prevent damage. If your GPU temperatures are consistently above 80°C, cooling improvements should be your priority.

Essential Steps to Improve GPU Performance

Update Your Graphics Drivers

Keeping your graphics drivers up to date is one of the most effective ways to improve GPU performance. Driver updates often include game-specific optimizations, bug fixes, and performance improvements that can significantly boost your frame rates.

For NVIDIA GPUs:

1. Download and install GeForce Experience from NVIDIA’s official website
2. Open the application and navigate to the Drivers tab
3. Click “Check for Updates” and download any available updates
4. Restart your computer after installation

For AMD GPUs:

1. Download and install AMD Radeon Software from AMD’s official website
2. Launch the software and check for updates
3. Install available driver updates
4. Restart your computer to apply changes

For Intel integrated graphics:

1. Visit Intel’s official driver download page
2. Use their driver detection utility or manually select your graphics model
3. Download and install the latest drivers
4. Restart your computer

It’s best to download drivers directly from the manufacturer’s website rather than relying on Windows Update, as manufacturer drivers are typically more current and optimized for performance.

Optimize Your Graphics Settings

Your graphics card’s control panel offers powerful options for optimizing performance. These settings can significantly impact both visual quality and frame rates.

NVIDIA Control Panel settings:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “NVIDIA Control Panel”
2. Navigate to “Manage 3D Settings”
3. Adjust these key settings for better performance:
   • Power Management Mode: Set to “Prefer Maximum Performance”
   • Texture Filtering Quality: Set to “Performance”
   • Vertical Sync: Turn off unless you experience screen tearing
   • Maximum Pre-rendered Frames: Set to 1 for lower input lag
   • Threaded Optimization: Turn on

AMD Radeon Software settings:

1. Right-click your desktop and select “AMD Radeon Software”
2. Go to “Gaming” > “Global Graphics”
3. Optimize these settings:
   • Anti-aliasing Mode: Set to “Override application settings”
   • Texture Filtering Quality: Set to “Performance”
   • Surface Format Optimization: Turn on
   • Wait for Vertical Refresh: Turn off
   • Radeon Anti-Lag: Enable for supported games
   • Radeon Boost: Enable for supported games

Windows graphics settings:

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings
2. Navigate to System > Display > Graphics settings
3. Enable “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling” if you have a modern GPU
4. Restart your computer for changes to take effect

Clean Your PC and Improve Cooling

Dust is your GPU’s worst enemy. Over time, dust accumulates on your graphics card and inside your computer case, blocking airflow and causing temperatures to rise. This leads to thermal throttling, where your GPU automatically reduces its performance to prevent overheating.

To clean your desktop PC:

1. Shut down your computer and unplug it from power
2. Open the case side panel
3. Use compressed air to blow dust off the GPU fans, heatsink, and case fans
4. Pay special attention to the GPU heatsink fins, which easily get clogged
5. Clean dust filters if your case has them
6. Close the case and reconnect power

For laptops:

1. Shut down and unplug your laptop
2. Use compressed air to blow dust out of the vents
3. Consider using a laptop cooling pad for better airflow
4. Avoid using your laptop on soft surfaces like beds or couches that block ventilation

Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean your PC, as static electricity can damage electronic components. Compressed air is the safest and most effective cleaning method.

Improving case airflow can also help keep your GPU cool. Make sure your case has proper intake and exhaust fans, and consider adding more fans if needed. Cable management also plays a role in airflow, so take time to organize cables and keep them out of the way of air paths.

How to Safely Overclock Your GPU?

Understanding GPU Overclocking

GPU overclocking is the process of increasing your graphics card’s clock speed beyond its factory settings to get more performance. But how does overclocking GPU work exactly? When you overclock, you’re essentially making your GPU’s processor run faster than it was designed to, which can result in higher frame rates and better performance in games and applications.

The main benefit of overclocking is free performance. You can often get 10-15% better performance without spending any money on upgrades. However, overclocking also increases power consumption and heat output, which can reduce the lifespan of your GPU if not done properly.

So, can you overclock a GPU? Yes, most modern GPUs can be overclocked to some degree. NVIDIA and AMD even provide tools like MSI Afterburner that make it easy for beginners to safely overclock their graphics cards.

The risks of overclocking include increased heat output, higher power consumption, potential system instability, and in rare cases, permanent damage to your GPU. However, modern GPUs have built-in safety mechanisms that usually prevent catastrophic failure. They’ll typically crash or show visual artifacts before any permanent damage occurs.

How to Properly Overclock Your GPU?

Properly overclocking your GPU requires patience and careful testing. Here’s a step-by-step guide to safely overclock your GPU:

What you’ll need:

• MSI Afterburner (free overclocking software)
• A benchmarking tool like 3DMark or FurMark
• A game to test stability

Step 1: Benchmark your current settings

1. Open MSI Afterburner and note your default GPU clock and memory clock speeds
2. Run a benchmark test and record your scores and temperatures
3. This gives you a baseline to compare against after overclocking

Step 2: Increase the power limit

1. In MSI Afterburner, locate the Power Limit slider
2. Increase it to 110-120% (this allows your GPU to draw more power when needed)
3. Click the checkmark to apply the change

Step 3: Overclock the GPU core

1. Locate the Core Clock slider in MSI Afterburner
2. Increase it by small increments of 10-15 MHz
3. Apply the change and test stability with a benchmark or game
4. If stable, increase by another 10-15 MHz and repeat
5. When you experience crashes or visual artifacts, reduce by 20 MHz for stability

Step 4: Overclock the GPU memory

1. Locate the Memory Clock slider in MSI Afterburner
2. Increase it by small increments of 50-100 MHz
3. Apply the change and test stability
4. Continue increasing until you see issues, then back off for stability

Step 5: Test for long-term stability

1. Run a benchmark or intensive game for at least 30 minutes
2. Monitor temperatures using MSI Afterburner’s on-screen display
3. If temperatures stay below 85°C and there are no crashes, your overclock is stable
4. If temperatures get too high, improve cooling or reduce your overclock

Remember that every GPU is different, even within the same model. Some GPUs can overclock more than others due to manufacturing variations. Start conservatively and gradually increase your overclock while testing stability at each step.

Advanced Overclocking Techniques

Once you’re comfortable with basic overclocking, you can try these advanced techniques to squeeze out even more performance:

Undervolting for better efficiency:

Undervolting involves reducing the voltage to your GPU while maintaining high clock speeds. This can result in lower temperatures and power consumption while maintaining performance. Many GPUs can run at their stock clock speeds with reduced voltage, which improves efficiency and allows for higher overclocks due to lower temperatures.

To undervolt:

1. Use MSI Afterburner to find the highest stable clock speed at stock voltage
2. Gradually reduce the voltage while maintaining that clock speed
3. Test stability at each voltage reduction
4. When you find the lowest stable voltage, you can try increasing the clock speed again

Custom fan curves:

Most GPUs use conservative fan curves that prioritize quiet operation over cooling. Creating a custom fan curve can keep your GPU cooler, allowing for more stable overclocks.

To create a custom fan curve:

1. In MSI Afterburner, click the fan speed curve button
2. Set higher fan speeds at lower temperatures (e.g., 50% fan speed at 60°C)
3. Make sure the fan doesn’t get too loud at full load
4. Apply the curve and monitor temperatures

Memory overclocking for extra performance:

GPU memory often has more overclocking headroom than the core. Memory overclocking can significantly improve performance in games that use lots of textures or run at high resolutions.

For memory overclocking:

1. Start with small increases of 50-100 MHz
2. Test stability with memory-intensive benchmarks or games
3. Memory errors can be subtle, so test thoroughly
4. When you find instability, back off by 100-200 MHz for safety

How to Improve GPU Performance on Laptops?

Laptops present unique challenges for GPU performance due to thermal and power constraints. However, there are several ways to boost laptop performance for gaming and get the most out of your hardware.

Power settings optimization:

1. Plug in your laptop when gaming – most laptops significantly reduce GPU performance when on battery power
2. Go to Control Panel > Power Options
3. Select “High performance” or “Ultimate performance” power plan
4. Click “Change plan settings” > “Change advanced power settings”
5. Set PCI Express to “Maximum performance”
6. Set processor power management to 100%
7. Disable USB selective suspend
8. Set hard disk to never turn off

Thermal management:

1. Use a laptop cooling pad to improve airflow
2. Elevate the back of your laptop to improve ventilation
3. Clean dust from vents regularly with compressed air
4. Consider repasting thermal compound if you’re comfortable with disassembly
5. Use software like MSI Afterburner to create custom fan curves

Manufacturer-specific optimizations:

Many gaming laptops come with their own performance optimization software:

• ASUS: Armoury Crate or Gaming Center
• MSI: Dragon Center or MSI Center
• Dell: Alienware Command Center
• HP: OMEN Command Center
• Lenovo: Vantage or Legion Zone

These tools often allow you to switch between performance modes, control fan speeds, and optimize system settings for gaming.

Laptop-Specific GPU Tweaks

Laptops often have both integrated and dedicated GPUs, and optimizing how they work together can significantly improve performance.

Optimus/Enduro switching:

Most gaming laptops use NVIDIA’s Optimus or AMD’s Enduro technology to switch between integrated and dedicated graphics. This saves power but can sometimes cause performance issues.

To ensure your games use the dedicated GPU:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software
2. Navigate to “Manage 3D settings” or “Gaming” > “Graphics”
3. Set the preferred graphics processor to “High-performance NVIDIA processor” or “High-performance AMD processor”
4. You can also set specific applications to use the dedicated GPU

Disabling integrated graphics:

Some users report better performance when disabling integrated graphics entirely, forcing all applications to use the dedicated GPU. However, this will increase power consumption and reduce battery life.

To disable integrated graphics:

1. Right-click on Start and select “Device Manager”
2. Expand “Display adapters”
3. Right-click on your integrated graphics (Intel HD/UHD Graphics)
4. Select “Disable device”
5. Confirm the warning and restart your computer

BIOS optimizations:

Some laptops allow you to optimize GPU performance through BIOS settings:

1. Restart your laptop and press the BIOS key (usually F2, F10, or Del) during startup
2. Look for graphics-related settings
3. Enable discrete graphics only if available
4. Disable any power-saving features that limit GPU performance
5. Enable resizable BAR if your laptop supports it

Remember that laptop GPUs are more constrained by thermal and power limits than desktop GPUs. While you can still overclock laptop GPUs, the gains are typically smaller, and you need to be more careful about temperatures.

Advanced Optimization Techniques

Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling

Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is a Windows feature that can improve GPU performance by allowing the graphics card to manage its own memory more efficiently. This feature was introduced in Windows 10 May 2020 update and is supported by most modern GPUs.

With hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling enabled, your GPU can directly access its memory without going through the CPU, reducing latency and improving performance in some scenarios.

To enable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling:

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings
2. Navigate to System > Display > Graphics settings
3. Turn on “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling”
4. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect

While this feature can improve performance in some cases, it may not benefit all systems. If you experience any issues after enabling it, you can simply turn it off again.

Upscaling Technologies for Better Performance

Modern upscaling technologies can significantly improve gaming performance by allowing your GPU to render games at lower resolutions and then intelligently upscale them to your monitor’s native resolution.

NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling):

DLSS uses AI to upscale lower-resolution images in real-time, resulting in higher frame rates with minimal loss of visual quality. DLSS is available in many modern games and requires an NVIDIA RTX GPU.

To enable DLSS:

1. In supported games, go to graphics settings
2. Look for the DLSS option
3. Choose between Quality, Balanced, Performance, or Ultra Performance modes
4. Performance mode offers the biggest FPS boost

AMD FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution):

FSR is AMD’s open-source upscaling technology that works on a wide range of GPUs, including NVIDIA and Intel graphics. FSR doesn’t use AI but still provides significant performance improvements.

To enable FSR:

1. In supported games, find the FSR setting
2. Choose between Quality, Balanced, Performance, or Ultra Performance modes
3. Adjust based on your performance needs and visual preferences

Intel XeSS (Xe Super Sampling):

Intel’s upscaling technology works similarly to DLSS and FSR, providing performance improvements across a range of GPUs. It’s relatively new but gaining support in more games.

These upscaling technologies can provide 30-50% or even higher performance improvements in supported games, making them one of the most effective ways to boost gaming performance without upgrading your hardware.

Monitor Optimization for Better Gaming

Your monitor settings can also affect your perceived gaming performance. Optimizing these settings can result in smoother gameplay and reduced input lag.

Refresh rate optimization:

Higher refresh rates allow for smoother motion and can give you a competitive edge in fast-paced games. To ensure you’re getting the most out of your monitor:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Display settings”
2. Scroll down and click “Advanced display settings”
3. Select the highest available refresh rate for your monitor
4. Make sure your GPU can consistently produce frame rates close to your refresh rate

G-Sync/FreeSync configuration:

G-Sync (NVIDIA) and FreeSync (AMD) technologies synchronize your monitor’s refresh rate with your GPU’s frame rate, eliminating screen tearing and reducing stuttering.

To enable G-Sync/FreeSync:

1. Connect your monitor using DisplayPort or HDMI 2.1+
2. Enable G-Sync/FreeSync in your monitor’s on-screen display (OSD) menu
3. Enable it in your GPU control panel:
   • NVIDIA: NVIDIA Control Panel > Set up G-Sync
   • AMD: AMD Radeon Software > Display > Radeon FreeSync

Reducing input lag:

Input lag is the delay between your actions and what you see on screen. To minimize input lag:

1. Enable “Ultra Low Latency Mode” in NVIDIA Control Panel or “Anti-Lag” in AMD Radeon Software
2. Disable vertical sync in games unless you experience screen tearing
3. Use game mode in Windows settings
4. Close background applications that might be consuming resources

Common GPU Performance Issues and How to Fix Them

GPU Showing 0% Usage

If your GPU is showing 0% usage in games or applications, it’s a clear sign that something is wrong. This issue can be frustrating, but it’s usually fixable with some troubleshooting.

Common causes:

• Games or applications running on integrated graphics instead of dedicated GPU
• Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers
• Windows power settings limiting GPU performance
• Hardware issues with the GPU itself

How to fix GPU performance issues when usage is at 0%:

1. First, check which GPU your applications are using:
   • Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
   • Go to the Performance tab
   • Click on GPU 0 and GPU 1 to see which is being used
   • If your dedicated GPU shows 0% usage, applications might be using integrated graphics
2. Set default GPU for applications:
   • For NVIDIA: Right-click desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings > Set preferred graphics processor to “High-performance NVIDIA processor”
   • For AMD: Right-click desktop > AMD Radeon Software > Gaming > Graphics > Set graphics processor to “High-performance AMD processor”
3. Update or reinstall graphics drivers:
   • Download the latest drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel
   • Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove old drivers
   • Install fresh drivers and restart your computer
4. Check Windows power settings:
   • Go to Control Panel > Power Options
   • Select “High performance” or “Ultimate performance”
   • Click “Change plan settings” > “Change advanced power settings”
   • Set PCI Express to “Maximum performance”

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, you might have a hardware problem. Check that your GPU is properly seated in its slot and that all power cables are securely connected. If you’re still having issues, consider testing your GPU in another system or contacting the manufacturer for support.

Thermal Throttling Solutions

Thermal throttling occurs when your GPU gets too hot and automatically reduces its performance to prevent damage. This is one of the most common causes of poor GPU performance, especially in laptops and small form-factor PCs.

Identifying thermal throttling:

1. Use monitoring software like MSI Afterburner to track GPU temperatures and clock speeds
2. If you notice clock speeds dropping as temperatures rise, your GPU is thermal throttling
3. Most GPUs start throttling at around 80-85°C

Improving cooling solutions:

1. Clean your GPU and case fans as described earlier
2. Improve case airflow by adding more fans or reorganizing cables
3. Consider upgrading your CPU cooler if it’s blowing hot air onto your GPU
4. For laptops, use a cooling pad and ensure vents aren’t blocked
5. Replace thermal paste on your GPU if you’re comfortable with disassembly

Undervolting to reduce heat:

As mentioned earlier, undervolting can significantly reduce GPU temperatures without sacrificing performance. Lower temperatures mean less thermal throttling and more consistent performance.

Custom fan curves:

Increasing fan speeds can keep your GPU cooler, but it also makes your system louder. Find a balance between temperature and noise that works for you.

Case airflow optimization:

1. Ensure your case has proper intake and exhaust fans
2. Remove any obstructions blocking air paths
3. Consider using positive air pressure (more intake than exhaust) to reduce dust buildup
4. Use dust filters on intake fans and clean them regularly

If you’ve tried all these solutions and your GPU still thermal throttles, you might need to consider more extreme measures like water cooling or upgrading to a GPU with better cooling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Improving your GPU performance doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can significantly boost your graphics card’s performance and enjoy smoother gaming and better application performance. Remember to start with the basics like updating drivers and optimizing settings before moving on to more advanced techniques like overclocking.

Regular maintenance is key to maintaining good GPU performance over time. Keep your system clean, monitor temperatures, and stay up to date with the latest drivers. If you do decide to overclock, take it slow and test thoroughly at each step to ensure stability.

While these optimizations can provide significant performance improvements, there comes a point when hardware upgrades become necessary. If your GPU is several generations old or can’t handle the games and applications you want to run, it might be time to consider an upgrade.

By combining software optimizations, proper maintenance, and careful overclocking, you can maximize your GPU’s performance and get the most out of your hardware. Whether you’re a casual gamer or a power user, these techniques will help you achieve better performance and a more enjoyable computing experience.