Game Mode, Windowed Optimizations, HAGS and GPU Preference

Game Mode

Settings → Gaming → Game Mode. Game Mode is a supported Windows gaming feature designed to prioritize the game experience and reduce interruptions. Keep it on as the baseline. If an old peripheral or title behaves differently, capture matched runs before deciding.

Optimizations for windowed games

Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Default graphics settings. This feature improves compatible DirectX 10 and 11 games in windowed and borderless modes by moving from the legacy blt presentation model to flip model. It can reduce presentation latency and enables Auto HDR and variable refresh rate paths.

You can override it for one game: add the executable under custom graphics options, select Options and change the windowed optimization choice. Restart the game after changing it.

Graphics processor preference

On multi-GPU PCs, add the game executable under Graphics and select High performance to request the discrete GPU. Confirm in Task Manager’s GPU engine column or the vendor overlay. Some laptops also have a hardware MUX or “dGPU only” mode that requires a restart and consumes more battery.

Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling

HAGS lets the GPU’s scheduling hardware take a larger role in managing its queue. It requires compatible Windows, hardware and drivers. Results can be positive, neutral or negative depending on the title and capture/overlay stack. Toggle it only as an A/B experiment, restart and compare frame-time distributions.

Auto HDR and HDR calibration

Auto HDR can expand supported SDR games on an HDR display and automatically enables windowed optimizations. It is a visual feature, not an FPS tweak. Use the Windows HDR Calibration app on supported displays, set SDR brightness appropriately and compare tone mapping rather than assuming “HDR on” is always more accurate.