Yes—sometimes. Windows’ High performance graphics preference can improve a game’s performance if a PC has multiple GPUs and the game would otherwise use a lower-performance one. It only tells Windows which GPU to prefer; it does not make a GPU faster or guarantee higher FPS. If the game already uses the intended GPU, changing the preference may make no difference.
What Windows’ High performance preference does
In Windows 11, per-app graphics preferences are under Settings > System > Display > Graphics. For PCs with more than one GPU, Windows offers Let Windows decide, Power saving, and High performance. Microsoft defines High performance as a preference for the highest-performing GPU, such as a discrete or external GPU; Power saving prefers the minimum-power GPU, such as integrated graphics. These are preferences, not promises of a particular frame rate or identical behavior on every system. Microsoft’s DXGI GPU preference definitions explain the distinction.
Microsoft says an app-specific choice takes precedence over the system-wide preference, and that preferences apply only to eligible games and apps. For details on the Windows 11 controls and their behavior, see Microsoft DirectX’s guide to the redesigned Graphics settings page.
When changing it can help
The setting is most useful on a system with integrated and discrete graphics when a game is using the integrated GPU despite a more capable discrete GPU being available. Choosing High performance may direct that game to the stronger adapter and remove a GPU-selection bottleneck. That outcome depends on the system and game; Microsoft does not publish a typical FPS gain or a controlled benchmark for changing this preference alone.
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If the game already uses the intended discrete GPU, expect little or no change from this setting by itself. On a PC with only one GPU, there is no alternate adapter to select. A GPU preference also cannot resolve CPU, thermal, memory, game-engine, or driver limitations.
How to set a game to High performance
- Open Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
- Select the game under the app list. If it is not listed, add it as a desktop app and browse to its executable; wording and available options may vary by Windows build.
- Open Options, select High performance, and save. If Windows shows adapter names, check that the selected option identifies the GPU you intend to use.
- Close and restart the game so the new preference takes effect. Microsoft’s Windows 11 graphics settings guidance gives the setting path and restart instruction.
- Check which GPU is active while the game runs. If it was already using the high-performance adapter, the preference alone is not a reason to expect more FPS.
Check the hardware and driver setup if needed
If the game still does not use the expected GPU or graphics features do not work correctly, check that the graphics driver is current. Intel’s GPU selection guidance notes that some gaming functionality may require the latest graphics driver. Its desktop-specific advice also includes confirming that the discrete card is enabled and connecting the display cable to that card rather than the motherboard output. Those checks apply to relevant desktop configurations, not universally to laptops or every display setup.
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Do not confuse GPU preference with windowed-game optimizations
Optimizations for windowed games is a separate Windows 11 feature, not another name for High performance. Microsoft says it targets eligible DirectX 10 and 11 games running in windowed or borderless-windowed modes. It can move compatible games from the legacy blt presentation model to the newer flip model to reduce frame latency and enable features such as Auto HDR and variable refresh rate on supported displays. Restart the game after changing that setting as well. Its purpose is presentation behavior for eligible windowed games, whereas the per-app GPU preference tells Windows which GPU to prefer.
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There is no reliable universal FPS figure for this setting. To assess it on your own system, compare the same game and repeatable scene before and after changing only the GPU preference. Keep resolution, graphics options, display mode, power state, and driver version consistent; verify which GPU the game uses; and record both average frame rate and frame-time consistency. Treat the result as a measurement for that PC and workload, not a general percentage claim. On a portable system, also consider power use or battery impact: official documentation defines the preference choices but does not provide comparative measurements for specific hardware.
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