Optimize Windows 11 for Gaming: What Works and What's a Myth
Most “speed up Windows for gaming” lists are full of tweaks that change nothing, and some do harm. Here are the settings with measured effect on Windows 11, in order of impact, followed by the popular tweaks we recommend leaving alone.
Last updated: October 2026
The basics most people miss
- 01
Set your refresh rate
Many monitors run at 60Hz even though they support 144Hz or more. Pick the highest value available.
Settings › System › Display › Advanced display › Choose a refresh rate
- 02
Update the graphics driver from the vendor
Recent drivers carry fixes for new games. Get them from the vendor's app, not random sites.
NVIDIA App · AMD Adrenalin · Intel Arc Control
- 03
Install games on an SSD
It cuts stutter while maps and effects load, especially in modern games.
Windows settings with measured effect
- 04
Turn on Game Mode
It barely moves average FPS, but it improves the worst moments (1% lows) when other apps run in the background.
Settings › Gaming › Game Mode
- 05
Turn on GPU scheduling (HAGS)
A small FPS effect and slightly lower latency, and it's required for NVIDIA Frame Generation.
Settings › System › Display › Graphics › Change default graphics settings
- 06
Leave fullscreen optimizations on
Modern games in optimized mode match exclusive fullscreen. Turning it off system-wide is outdated advice.
- 07
Trim startup apps
Background apps compete with the game for CPU and memory. Disable what you don't need at startup.
Task Manager › Startup apps
Memory Integrity: a real gain, with care
Microsoft itself notes that turning off Memory Integrity and Virtual Machine Platform while gaming can improve performance, and independent tests found 4–10% in CPU-bound games.
But it's a security feature, and some games and competitive platforms now require it, such as FACEIT and Battlefield 6, so turning it off can stop them launching. If you try it, turn it off for play only and back on afterwards.
- 08
Where to find it
Restart after any change.
Windows Security › Device security › Core isolation › Memory integrity
Power plan: highest isn't always best
On a desktop, “Best performance” suits most PCs. But dual-CCD AMD X3D chips (such as the 7950X3D and 9950X3D) run better on Balanced, because the driver steers games to the faster CCD by itself.
On a laptop, play plugged in. Maximum plans raise heat, and high heat lowers performance within minutes.
- 09
Power mode
Choose based on your PC as above.
Settings › System › Power & battery › Power mode
Popular tweaks we recommend leaving alone
- Raising timer resolution system-wide: since Windows 10 (2004) it's per-process, so global tools do nothing.
- HPET and bcdedit commands: meant for debugging, and they can slow timing on modern CPUs.
- Nagle and network-adapter tweaks: shooters use a protocol these don't affect.
- “Ultimate Performance” and core unparking: usually no difference, and they hurt X3D chips.
- Mass-disabling Windows services: breaks updates and the Store, and sometimes anti-cheat.
Measure before you believe
Run the same scene three times before a change and three times after, and compare the worst moments (1% lows), not just the average. If the gap is smaller than the spread between your own runs, there's no real difference.
Questions gamers ask
Mostly no. Recent tests show small differences, and some games run faster on Windows 11 thanks to scheduling for hybrid CPUs.
All of this, measured on your PC
X TWEAKS PRO tunes Windows for gaming, measures your FPS stability while you play, and undoes any change in one click.