A new Engadget guide explains that PC gamers don't need to spend on a new GPU or RAM to get smoother frame rates. The article walks through a series of software and settings adjustments that can improve performance on existing hardware, a useful option for budget-conscious players. The author notes that even high-end cards like the RTX 5090 suffer major frame rate drops when ray tracing is maxed out, so turning it off is the first step for older or mid-range systems.
The guide recommends starting with basics: closing background applications and cleaning dust from the PC case, since cooling overhead can otherwise eat into performance. It then suggests lowering in-game settings such as texture quality, shadows, and ambient occlusion, and disabling motion blur and V-sync to reduce input lag. On the OS side, enabling Game Mode and switching Windows 11's power mode to 'Best Performance' can also help, especially on gaming laptops.
For more significant gains, Engadget points to AI-based upscaling technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR 4, and Intel XeSS, which render at lower internal resolutions and upscale the image, boosting frame rates substantially. The article cautions that frame generation can add input lag, and advises experimenting with it only in specific titles. Overall, the source presents these as low-cost, high-impact tweaks, though it notes results vary by game and hardware. No other sources were provided for comparison.