If you’re a gamer, you know that frame rates are key. Higher frame rates mean smoother gameplay, and less lag. But how do you set a maximum frame rate in NVIDIA’s drivers? There are a few ways to do this. The easiest way is to open the NVIDIA Control Panel and click on the “Manage 3D Settings” button. From here, you can select your graphics card and click on the “Performance” tab. Under the “Maximum Frame Rate” heading, you can set a limit for how many frames per second your graphics card can output. If you don’t have access to the NVIDIA Control Panel, you can also set a maximum frame rate by using third-party software. For example, Radeon Pro Software offers a “Radeon ProRender Maximum Render Output Quality” setting that allows users to set a limit for how many frames per second their graphics card can output. ..
Why Would You Want to Cap Your FPS?
This feature is particularly useful on Windows gaming laptops with NVIDIA hardware, as you can stop your GPU from running as fast as it can. This will save battery power and reduce heat consumption, letting you game for longer when you’re away from a power outlet.
You might also find the cap useful to reduce screen tearing in games. You can try setting the maximum FPS to your display’s refresh rate if you don’t have a G-Sync or FreeSync-enabled monitor with variable refresh rates. The NVIDIA Control Panel also says this feature can “[reduce] system latency in certain scenarios.”
How to Set a Maximum FPS for All Games
This feature is built into the NVIDIA Control Panel. To open it, right-click your Windows desktop and select “NVIDIA Control Panel.”
(If you don’t see this menu option, you likely don’t have NVIDIA’s drivers installed.)
Select “Manage 3D Settings” under 3D Settings at the left side of the NVIDIA Control Panel window.
To control the maximum frame rate for all applications on your PC, ensure the “Global Settings” tab is selected.
In the list of settings, click the box to the right of “Max Frame Rate.” By default, this option is disabled, and there is no maximum frame rate.
To set a maximum frame rate, select “On” and choose your maximum frames per second (FPS.)
Click “Apply” at the bottom of the window to save your settings.
How to Control Max Frame Rate for Specific Games
You can also control the maximum frame rate setting for individual applications. Click the “Program Settings” tab at the top of the list of settings. Under “Select a program to customize,” choose the app you want to control.
If a game doesn’t appear in the list, you can click “Add” and specify its .exe file.
Look for the “Max Frame Rate” option, click it, and select your desired setting. By default, each game is set to “Use global setting”—it’ll use whatever setting you chose on the Global Settings tab.
However, you can select different settings here. For example, you might leave the maximum frame rate option disabled on the “Global Settings” tab and configure a different maximum frame rate for each game you want to cap. Or, you might set a maximum frame rate globally and exempt individual games from the cap. It’s up to you.
Be sure to click “Apply” to save your settings.
If you don’t see this option, be sure to update your NVIDIA drivers. You can update your drivers in the GeForce Experience application if it’s installed or by downloading the latest drivers from NVIDIA’s website.
This feature was added in version 441.87 of the NVIDIA GeForce drivers, which were released on January 6, 2020.
