The 5 Best Software You can Use to Monitor a Game’s FPS in Windows
By Kamil Anwar November 21, 2022
6 minutes read
Kamil is a certified Systems Analyst
FPS which is the acronym for Frames Per Second refers to the number of images that a display can render in one second and is an important aspect that every gamer has to consider. Basically, the higher the frame rate the smoother the game experience. Which is why gamers are always in a constant pursuit to increase their screen’s FPS. This could be through simple tweaks of the graphics settings or upgrading the GPU.
Either way, you will need to view the FPS that your game is running on at any particular moment to determine whether you are making any progress or if you need to take more actions. There are many ways you can view your game’s FPS and in this post, we will be focusing on one in particular. The use of dedicated software. However, it’s still nice to know what options you have so we will first look at some other ways you can check the FPS before resorting to the use of a software.
Using Steam’s In-Game overlay to Check FPS
If you are using Steam, then you probably don’t need a special software because it now includes an FPS counter in its In-Game overlay options. The only downside is that you cannot activate the feature while in mid-game. All games have to be closed.
Steam FPS Counter
But since it does not involve installation of an external file then it means less load on your CPU. To access the FPS counter in Steam, go to settings, navigate to the In-Game section and you will see the FPS Counter menu. Here you will choose the position on the screen where you want the FPS displayed and you are done.
Note that you can also use this feature for games that you did not buy through Steam so long as you have the steam application. To do this, go to the Games Menu and click on ‘Add a non-steam game to my library.’ Once the game has been added, done launch it through steam and you can now view the FPS.
Using the Game’s Built-in options to Check FPS
Destiny 2 Built-in FPS Counter
Again, before you can download a software check to see if the particular game has a built-in feature that lets you view the frame rate.
This option is usually a bit hard to find and may probably take a while going through the settings before you can stumble on it. Alternatively, you can search the game name followed by “Built-in FPS.” Chances are that if it has an integrated FPS counter then there is a post outlining the process of activating it.
But now to our method of focus. The main reason why people resort to using a software is because of its ease of use. The FPS counter option is easily accessible and better yet, the software usually come loaded with other features that you can find useful.
Here is a list of 5 of the best software you can use to show your game’s frame rate.
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Fraps is probably the most popular software in this list. It was there before the alternatives methods I mentioned above and for this reason, it still remains my top recommendation. It is compatible with all versions of Windows and supports games using DirectX and also those running on Open GL Graphic Technology.
FRAPS
Fraps has 3 main uses and the first is to display FPS. This is the functionality we are interested in. You can choose between any of the four corners of your screen to view the FPS. This software can measure the frame rates between two intervals of time which makes it an excellent benchmarking software. Additionally, it also saves the statistics on your computer so that you can view them later for further analysis.
The second functionality is the screen capture that allows you to take a screenshot of your gameplay at any instance through the use of a keyboard shortcut. The screenshots are named and saved automatically.
Then the last feature is video capture that allows you to record your gameplay in resolutions of up to 7680×4800 and frame rates ranging from 1-120 FPS. Fraps is a premium software but unless you are using its video capture functionality, then there is no limitation to how you use it.
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FPS Monitor is an excellent software that not only displays your game’s frame rate but also other aspects of your game that affect performance.
Yes, it will also show you the CPU usage, GPU performance, RAM utilization and many other performance aspects. In this picture, I’m using overclocked Core i9-9900k on MSI MPG Z390.
FPS Monitor
Moreover, you will be able to customize the overlay in several ways. For instance, you can change the style, size and colour of the font to something that matches your desktop background. Also, the number of aspects displayed on the screen is up to you. You can have it so that you are only able to view the FPS counter or add any number of the other performance aspects.
This software also saves the game data collected so that you can use it later for further analysis. If you have been meaning to try overclocking your GPU and was afraid then this tool will be of help to you. The secret behind successful overclocking is the ability to increase the GPU speed without overheating it. Which is where this tool comes in. It has an alert feature to notify you when the GPU maximum temperature is reached.
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MSI Afterburner is a software that is largely known as a graphics card overclocking utility. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that it has an FPS counter. After all what better way to confirm overclocking than to check the change in game FPS. And the best part is that this software is completely free.
MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner enables you to display your FPS at any corner of your screen along with other performance aspects like temperature, clock speed, and voltage which help you know the effects of your overclocking action. It also allows numerous customizations such determining which aspects appear on your screen and also includes skins that you can use to change its overall appearance.
To activate the FPS counter in MSI Afterburner, go to settings and click on the monitoring tab. Click on Frame rate then select it to show in the overlay screen display. The frame rate will be displayed on the top left corner of your screen.
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If you are using a Ge-Force graphics card then GeForce Experience is a software that you will find extremely useful.
And not just for showing FPS. It’s a full-featured management program that gives you access to your card’s settings and will also be used in searching for updates of your graphics card.
GeForce Experience
To enable FPS display, go to the program settings and look for Shadowplay References tab. Once you are there click on FPS Counter button and select the desired position you want it displayed on the screen. You can also assign a custom shortcut for activating the display although the default button is alt+f12.
This software will also be a great tool for capturing images and videos of your gameplay. Some other functions you can perform using Ge-Force Experience include adding filters to your games and boosting game performance by reducing the graphics settings.
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Dxtory is another FPS counter program that also allows you to capture screenshots and videos of your gameplay. Similar to Fraps, this software can be used on both Direct X games and those using OpenGL.
DirectDraw and Vulkan are also some of the other API supported. It is also compatible with all versions of Windows.
Dxtory
Dxtory does not allow you to customize the position of the FPS counter but there are other ways you can customize the overlay like changing the colour of the font. The frame rate is displayed on the top left corner by default.
Although DXtory is a premium feature you will be able to use most of its features for free. The only limitation is that their logo will be displayed in all your screen and video captures. You will also have to deal with a constant licence purchase site that pops up every time you close the program.
This software also has a number of filters that you can apply over your screenshots, game and movies.
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Top 5 Best FPS Counter Apps for Windows 10 (in 2022)
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Can MSI Afterburner be used with non-MSI graphics cards?
Can MSI Afterburner be used with non-MSI graphics cards? If so, how? Does it have exclusive features for MSI graphics cards?
I want to answer these and other basic questions about MSI Afterburner in this article, so by the end of it you should have a pretty good idea of how to get the most out of Afterburner with your particular PC setup .
Let’s go deeper into this.
What is MSI Afterburner
First, let’s start with what MSI Afterburner actually is.
MSI Afterburner is used for GPU control and graphics card monitoring, including overclocking and performance testing functions.
Notably, it is supported by the video card manufacturer MSI, which leads to the question posed in the title of this article: can it be used with non-MSI graphics cards? nine0026
Can MSI Afterburner be used with video cards from other manufacturers
Yes! MSI Afterburner works with almost any graphics card, not just MSI graphics cards.
In addition to Afterburner, MSI has its own dedicated software solutions specific to its hardware (eg Dragon Software). Afterburner can be used along with MSI tools on MSI graphics cards or just people who need is a great tool for monitoring and overclocking the GPU.
What is the RivaTuner statistics server
When installing MSI Afterburner, you will also be prompted to install the RivaTuner statistics server.
If you want to get the most out of Afterburner’s built-in benchmarking and overlay features, I recommend installing the RivaTuner statistics server with Afterburner, as this will allow you to use the full range of Afterburner features. nine0003
Aside from the Afterburner functionality, the RivaTuner statistics server also serves quite well on its own as a tool to control and limit the in-game frames per second (FPS) or frame rate. This feature can be applied globally or on a per-application basis.
RivaTuner also offers something called Scanline Sync , which is intended to be used as an alternative to hardware FreeSync/G-Sync, causing all frame tearing to occur on a single, controlled scan line. nine0003
Does MSI Afterburner have MSI exclusive features
You can find MSI exclusive features in MSI Afterburner, but it’s not very important.
Almost all of the major overclocking, cooling and monitoring features offered for MSI graphics cards are offered for every GPU running MSI Afterburner.
You won’t start noticing anything particularly MSI-specific until you dig deeper into the settings, specifically the voltage control. nine0003
MSI Afterburner has the ability to unlock voltage control. This option includes a drop-down box with four different voltage control options, two of which only work on MSI graphics cards.
The «Reference» option is for reference cards ( also known as Founders Edition cards) or partner cards that have the same PCB design, while «Third Party» is supported by the community for other designs. nine0003
MSI Standard Voltage Control and MSI Advanced Voltage Control are the MSI settings for the GPU in MSI Afterburner, but also the only MSI exclusive setting I could find. Practically everything else does not depend on the brand of the video card .
To make really answer the question: MSI Afterburner can be used with 3rd party graphics cards without any real compromises .
In some cases, you can use software to tweak your GPU instead, but Afterburner is the industry’s leading overclocking tool for a very good reason.
Let’s take a look at how MSI Afterburner actually works, starting with how to install it.
How to install MSI Afterburner
Fortunately, the process of installing MSI Afterburner is as simple as possible.
- Go to the landing page of MSI Afterburner and click Download Afterburner to quickly install the latest version of Afterburner. nine0006
- You will receive a file MSIAfterburnerSetup.zip , which you need to unpack and open to get the actual installer executable.
- Run the executable and walk through the entire process by selecting the desired language and deciding whether to install the Riva Tuner Statistics Server (RTSS) along with Afterburner.
I recommend installing RTSS with Afterburner to get the most out of Afterburner’s monitoring and testing features, but it’s not required for overclocking or other GPU management features.
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- Once you’ve gone through the basic installation process, it’s time to use MSI Afterburner.
Fire it up and let’s get down to the basics before we start summarizing.
How to use MSI Afterburner
Luckily, MSI Afterburner introduces itself and its controls right away.
Even without leaving the main screen, you can adjust your GPU core clock, memory clock, power limit, temperature limit, fan speed and even voltage. nine0003
You will also see real-time readings of current clock speeds and GPU temperatures.
On the right side you will see special buttons with numbers, which are switches for the corresponding GPU profiles.
GPU profiles store clock speeds, fan curves, or both depending on your settings. Be sure to use this feature to make it as easy as possible to test and save various settings. nine0003
Clicking on the monitor in the lower left corner opens the active monitoring window , a screenshot of which is shown separately below, but usually it is attached directly to the main window.
By default, it will list the base GPU temperature and GPU usage level, as well as some other statistics. You can configure the number of metrics that this window will monitor in the Properties window — more on this in the «Parameters to check» section. nine0003
While the fan speed, temperature limit, and power limit are self-explanatory, GPU core and video memory clock speeds may require a bit more explanation.
GPU core frequency refers to the clock speed supported by GPU compute cores, it has the most direct impact on graphics card performance.
Video memory clock speed refers to the clock speed supported by your GPU’s dedicated video memory (video random access memory), usually something like GDDR6 or HBM2 memory. This doesn’t always have an obvious direct impact on graphics performance on its own, but increasing it along with core clock speed helps stabilize performance for both.
When adjusting the clock frequency and voltage of the GPU, it is very important to check its stability.
nine0003 Overclockers and undervolters should always test for repetitive core and clock spikes with software such as OCCT or Furmark, along with Afterburner’s profile features to easily make and undo changes.
MSI Afterburner Other Settings
Click the gear icon on the left to open the deeper Settings and Properties menus.
Most of the options are self-explanatory or explained with tooltips, but I’ll still break down each of the categories below:
- General — most of the general settings, including the above voltage related settings and settings that control other basic functions.
- Fan – fan curve control window.
- Monitoring — Select various monitoring options, including what to monitor on the graph and overlay on the OSD if enabled.
- OSD — OSD overlay configuration, namely toggle hotkeys for OSD related functions…
and for some reason frame rate limiters. Go to RTSS to learn more about OSD options. nine0006
- Benchmark – benchmark configuration settings.
- Screen capture — Screen capture settings.
- Video capture — video capture settings — I would not use Afterburner to capture video.
- Profiles – defining profile hotkeys, which settings are saved by profiles, etc.
- User interface — various settings and interface options, including skin selection. If you prefer the old MSI Afterburner interface or just want to try a different look, this is the place for you. nine0006
How to use RivaTuner statistics server with MSI Afterburner
Once you have installed MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner statistics server, you can start using them together! By itself, the RivaTuner stats server can be used to apply a global or in-game FPS limit, as well as a unique alternative to V-Sync and other synchronization technologies called Scanline Sync.
Any of these technologies serve as a direct method to control or improve the smoothness of any games you run under RivaTuner. nine0003
What is the purpose of RTSS in Afterburner?
Basically, it helps control the on-screen display (OSD) overlay that you may have noticed in the settings of MSI Afterburner . In RTSS, you’ll see more options for customizing the OSD, but now you can also set these options globally or change them on a per-game basis.
In the Monitoring Options tab of MSI Afterburner, you can change most of the OSD settings, especially with regard to what metrics are actually displayed in the OSD. RTSS by itself only reports the frame rate.\
OSD options you can change in RTSS:
- OSD support — self-explanatory.
- OSD rendering mode — 3D vector or raster. Shouldn’t matter, but bitmap is recommended.
- OSD Coordinate Space — Irrelevant.
Use Framebuffer if Viewport is down. - OSD Shadow — shadow under the active OSD. Remove if you want a clearer image in the game. nine0006
- OSD Fill — Fills the OSD with a background color.
- Show custom statistics — Requires all your MSI Afterburner diagnostics to also be displayed in the OSD. Turn it on!
- OSD palette and scaling speak for themselves. Scale is a slider that you can use to adjust the relative size of your performance metrics.
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OSD Preview and Setup . At the bottom of the RTSS window, you will see a rectangle with the number 60 in the upper left corner. This is actually a rough preview of your OSD including all of the above settings. Here you can also choose which of the four corners of your monitor your readings will come from, with the top left corner being the default. Click the desired corner to change it.
Related questions
How can I lower the GPU temperature?
The first and most obvious step, since you’re in an article about Afterburner, is to recommend that you disable overclocking if it works for you.
But, that’s not the only way to lower the GPU temperature, and ideally you’d still want to lower the temperature at which GPU overclocking is stable.
How can you do this?
I’ve already written a more detailed guide to reducing GPU temperatures, but in short my advice is to improve case airflow, clean the graphics card with compressed air, and even consider replacing thermal paste if enough years have passed since initial use. . nine0003
All these steps will help to improve the temperature of the GPU even with active overclocking.
Is it possible to lower the GPU temperature in MSI Afterburner?
Yes indeed, and you don’t even have to touch the GPU core and memory clock.
The easiest way to do this is to simply adjust the fan curve to improve temperatures, albeit at the cost of a louder graphics card.
However, a deeper solution to reduce GPU temperature in Afterburner can be found in the Undervolting process. nine0003
Undervoltage is when you keep your GPU’s clock speed at the same level, but find a safe, lower voltage to work with while still maintaining clock speeds.
This will keep the performance at about the same level, perhaps even improve its consistency, as well as reduce power consumption and heat dissipation.
Lower voltage will help to slightly reduce GPU temperature and usage across the board while maintaining consistent performance, but requires some tweaking to work properly. nine0003
Why use frame rate limiting in RTSS?
Since MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner statistics server are directly related to GPU performance and overall performance, you may have some unresolved issues related to the RTSS frame rate limiting feature.
RTSS Frame Limit is used to limit the frame rate globally or per application according to your preferences.