Boost Gaming Performance: Game Mode, GPU Scheduling & Power Plan
Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 15 minutes**Windows gives gamers a few built-in levers to squeeze smoother framerates and lower latency: Game Mode, hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS), and smart power plans. When tuned correctly, these features can help reduce stuttering and keep games responsive, especially on mid-range systems. This guide walks you through enabling and optimizing these options across Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Introduction
- What you gain: cleaner frame pacing, more consistent performance in CPU- or GPU-bound scenes, and a baseline that helps your system stay ready for gaming sessions.
- What to know: the impact varies by game, hardware, and drivers. Some users notice small gains, others see more tangible improvements. Always test after each change.
- A supported Windows 10 (Version 1809 or newer) or Windows 11 PC.
- A modern GPU with current drivers (NVIDIA, AMD/ Radeon, or Intel). Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling requires compatible GPUs and up-to-date drivers.
- Administrative access to adjust system settings.
1) Update your graphics drivers and system
- Ensure Windows is up to date:
- Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Windows 11: Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Update your GPU drivers from the vendor:
- NVIDIA: GeForce Experience or the NVIDIA driver download page.
- AMD: Radeon Software Adrenalin or AMD driver page.
- Intel: Intel Driver & Support Assistant.
- Why this matters: HAGS and Game Mode work best with recent drivers; some issues are resolved only with the latest software.
- Windows 10/11 path:
- Open Settings.
- Windows 10/11: Go to Gaming.
- Choose Game Mode.
- Turn On Game Mode.
- Optional per-game note:
- Game Mode is a global setting, but some games can opt out or behave differently. If you notice odd behavior in a specific title, you can toggle Game Mode off for that game (via Graphics settings in System/Display if needed).
- Why it helps: Game Mode tries to prioritize CPU/GPU resources for the active game and minimize background activity during gaming.
- Important notes:
- HAGS is available on Windows 10 (from 2004/May 2020 Update onward) and Windows 11, but your GPU and driver must support it.
- A reboot is recommended after enabling.
- Windows 10:
- Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings.
- Turn on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.
- Reboot if prompted.
- Windows 11:
- Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
- Turn on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.
- Reboot if prompted.
- Optional per-app setting:
- In Graphics settings, you can set preferences for individual apps (High performance vs. Power saving) to force discrete GPU usage for games.
- What to watch for:
- Some users report minor instability with certain drivers or titles. If you encounter issues, you can temporarily disable HAGS to compare performance.
- Windows 10/11 default options:
- Windows 10: Balanced, Power saver, High performance. Some systems also show Ultimate Performance (more common on certain Pro/Workstation editions or after manual enablement).
- Windows 11: Similar options, plus a Power mode slider under Settings > System > Power & battery.
- Basic, safe approach:
- Open Control Panel > Power Options.
- If you see High performance, select it. If you don’t, click Show additional plans to reveal it.
- Create a gaming-optimized plan (if you want tighter control):
- In Power Options, choose High performance and click Create a power plan.
- Name it “Gaming Performance” (or similar) and choose High performance as the base.
- Customize advanced settings:
- Processor Power Management > Minimum processor state: 5-10%
- Processor Power Management > Maximum processor state: 100%
- PCI Express > Link State Power Management: Off
- Hard disk > Turn off hard disk after: 20-30 minutes (optional)
- Sleep > Sleep after: Never (for desktop PCs; set to your preference on laptops)
- Save changes.
- Windows 11 tip:
- Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode. Set to Best performance or a custom “Gaming Performance” plan if available.
- Why this matters: a tuned power plan reduces dynamic downclocking and helps maintain consistent clock speeds during gaming.
- To ensure your game uses the right GPU in a multi-GPU setup (e.g., a laptop with iGPU + discrete GPU):
- Windows 10/11: Settings > Apps > Graphics settings.
- Browse to add your game, then set the Graphics preference to High performance (use the discrete GPU).
- For laptops:
- Some laptops offer a vendor-specific control panel (NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Radeon Settings) to force the discrete GPU for specific apps. This can complement Windows’ own settings.
- Launch a few gaming sessions and observe:
- Are there fewer stutters or slower micro-stutters? Any stability issues?
- Use in-game FPS counters or external tools (MSI Afterburner, RivaTuner) to compare before/after.
- If something feels off:
- Temporarily disable HAGS or Game Mode to determine which setting provides the improvement.
- Ensure background tasks are not unduly consuming CPU or I/O by checking Task Manager during gameplay.
- Hardware/Driver compatibility matters:
- HAGS requires supported GPUs and drivers. If you don’t see the toggle or your system behaves oddly after enabling, revert to the prior state and confirm driver support.
- FPS gains vary:
- Some titles benefit more than others. CPU-bound games may see more improvement from Game Mode, while GPU-bound titles may respond better to a higher-performance power plan and HAGS.
- Power settings on laptops:
- Run on AC power if possible. Battery power modes often downclock the CPU and GPU to save energy, which can reduce gaming performance.
- Full-screen optimization:
- If a game is not behaving well with full-screen optimization, right-click the game exe, Properties, Compatibility, and try toggling Full-screen Optimizations off (as a test) to see if visuals improve.
- System stability:
- After enabling HAGS, some users report driver-specific issues. If you encounter crashes or stuttering, revert HAGS and re-test after a driver update.
- Realistic expectations:
- The biggest performance benefits come from a well-balanced system and clean software environment. Don’t expect miracles if your hardware is already at the limit for a given title.
Enabling Game Mode, hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, and a gaming-optimized power plan provides a practical, low-effort way to squeeze more responsiveness from Windows for gaming. While the exact gains depend on your hardware and software environment, these settings work together to reduce background interference, keep GPU/CPU clocks steadier, and ensure your system prioritizes your game during play.
Key takeaways
- Game Mode, HAGS, and a tuned power plan work best when used together on supported hardware and up-to-date drivers.
- HAGS and per-app GPU preferences can help ensure your game uses the most capable GPU for the workload.
- Always test after each change and be prepared to revert if you encounter instability with a particular title or driver.
This tutorial was generated to help WindowsForum.com users get the most out of their Windows experience.
