These tools allow us to measure performance in games, and also See other essential features, such as the usage rates recorded by the CPU and GPU, temperature, consumption and working speeds. However, we can also resort to other free programs such as MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics. This allows us to choose the metrics we want to see on the screen, it is efficient, fast and also very easy to use.

We must take into account that, in each and every one of these tools, it is necessary to take a previous step to activate the overlay of the cover that will show the performance data, and that in order for it to be displayed we must press a button, or a combination of buttons specifically. For example, in the case of NVIDIA it is activated by pressing «Alt + Z» and accessing the "performance" menu, while with MSI Afterburner We can choose which key we want to activate it with. If we have an AMD Radeon graphics card, we will have to press «Alt + R».

Using a tool to measure performance in games is very simple, that much was clear, but carrying it out like a professional and understand and interpret the data that it teaches us It's a bit more difficult. Yes, I know now that you don't have to be a genius to understand that more FPS means more performance, but the information that a complete measurement of gaming performance can offer us goes beyond frames per second, and it can contain data that is really useful to the specialist eye.

Besides, There are several things that can influence the results achieved when measuring performance in games and which should be avoided, whenever possible, if we want to achieve realistic and firm results. It is a very interesting topic on which I have wanted to reinforce reality for some time, and today I have decided to give shape to this guide that, I hope, will be a tool for you to measure performance in games like true "pros". You can enlarge each and every one of the images by clicking on them.

Keys to properly measuring game performance

The first thing you have to take into consideration is that there are several things that can affect the result you are going to get, and that finding 2 identical measurements is almost impossible. With this I do not mean that measuring the performance of a game consistently is a pipe dream, but simply It is common to obtain changing results, although always within a reasonable limit. So, for example, it would be reasonable to get an average of 65 FPS in one round of testing and 61 FPS in a second round of testing (average values in a single region), but it would not be reasonable to get 65 FPS and 35 FPS.

The list of things that can affect the results obtained when measuring performance in games is quite extensive, but These are the most essential keys that you must keep in mind at all times:

1.-The game configuration, including each and every point related to graphic quality, effects, screen resolution and anything that increases the load that both the processor and the graphics card have to assume, and other elements that play a vital role in the performance of the device.

If we want to get firm and realistic results to measure the capacity of 2 teams, we must use the same resolution and exactly the same graphical changes.

2.-The region where the tests are done, and even the actions we take can influence the results. For example, if we test leaving the character motionless in a fairly empty area, the graphical load will be much smaller than in another area full of buildings and NPCs, and if we are also attacking and causing effects and explosions, the story tells itself. In the second case, the performance will be lower, but much more realistic.

Therefore, I suggest you do the same thing I do in my tests, measure performance in at least three different areas of the game, with different graphical loads and doing different actions. I'll give you an example: in Cyberpunk 2077 I have fixed saved games that allow me to measure performance in a very busy area during the day, another area at night also in the city, but a bit quieter, and another indoors.

3.-Caution with background processes, as they can consume items that, in the end, will produce disagreements among results that can give you that feeling that "something is not right." Imagine, for example, what can happen if the antivirus performs a spontaneous scan while we are doing a performance test.

The ideal is Disable those processes that may interfere with performance, and also those that consume elements in the background that can make a noticeable difference, such as applications that consume CPU resources even if they are in the background.

4.-Program and drivers, It is essential that you have your device properly updated, both at the OS and driver level, and that you do not suffer from any kind of conflict. It may seem like an obvious thing, but more than once I have been told that a game does not perform as it should on their device, and in the end it was all due to the fact that I hadn't updated the drivers for a year of the graphics card.

Please note that in addition to this, a driver-level clash can cause serious problems when measuring performance in games, and produce abnormal outcomes that will not make any sense. Do not leave your device unupdated, it will be counterproductive.

5.-General condition of the device, And by this I mean points such as cleaning and the cooling system. The same configuration that is well monitored and the thermal paste has been changed in the correct cycles can end up giving quite a lot more performance than another one that is eaten by dust and with the thermal paste made of sand.

Keeping your PC in good condition will allow you to measure gaming performance in a professional and true way. Keep in mind that old thermal paste will make your CPU run hotter, and if this problem extends to the GPU, neither of them will be able to reach their maximum performance because will suffer from thermal throttling.

How to interpret the results obtained when measuring performance in games

Now you have the five most important keys you need to take into account to measure gaming performance like a "pro", but do you know how to interpret the results? I'm sure more than one of you will have told me yes, so I will give you three tests: What does rendering latency mean? Does low CPU usage always indicate a bottleneck? And finally, what does it mean when memory usage increases as we play?

It wasn't that simple, was it? But relax, I won't leave you wondering. Now I'll specify the most essential points., how we should interpret them and what problems they can indicate when they show anomalous results. As always, if you have any questions you can leave them in the comments.

1-FPS and FPS 99%

They are 2 different values that are intensely linked. The first one exhibits the rate of frames per second that is being recorded at the same instant, and it is a value that is based on a traditional rule: the higher, the better. Thus, if we have a value of 120 FPS, it means that at that moment 120 frames per second are being produced, a perfect number for a 120 Hz monitor. It is very normal for the rate to change depending on what we do in the game, although always within a reasonable range.

The FPS value 99% is related to a minimum recorded, something like the lowest frame rate recorded by the performance measurement, and it means that 99% of the frames achieved are greater than that amount. Therefore, it is also known as "1%". For example, if the FPS 99% note is 62, it means that 99% of the frames per second achieved in the performance test are over that amount.

2.-Rendering latency

This is a more important metric than it sounds, as it measures the time required to produce a frame. I've already explained in previous articles that in order to maintain a specific frame rate, each frame must be rendered in a specific amount of time. So, for example, To achieve a 60 FPS rate, a rendering latency of 16.67 ms is required.The lower this last number is, the higher the frame rate per second will be.

Abnormal rendering latency that does not match the FPS rate will result in stuttering issues of greater or lesser severity. If this happens, we will have that annoying sensation generated by spontaneous micro-jerks that are not really associated with a performance problem, but rather with optimization and development problems inherent to the game.

3.- Use of the central processing unit

It points out to us the percentage of total cores and also threads of the processor that is used. It is essential that you keep in mind that even though low values such as a 20% or a 15% are indicated, and alsoThis does not mean that there is only one or two active cores. and that the rest are idle, but the load has not been distributed until a certain proportion of each core is occupied, and what we observe is the total average.

Thus, for example, when we use a game like Far Cry 6 on a Ryzen 7 5800X processor, this title tends to maximize the utilization of a core, uses between 2 and 3 cores on the 30%-40%, and leaves the rest of the cores with a practically zero utilization level. For this reason, the overall average utilization of the central processing unit is very low.

It is essential to keep in mind that a low CPU utilization rate achieved when measuring gaming performance does not, by itself, indicate that this ingredient is creating a bottleneck. It simply indicates that the game is not enhanced to parallelize the workload it represents on each and every thread of our processor, and that therefore we cannot take full advantage of it.

4.-Using the GPU

As in the previous situation, it indicates the load to which our graphics card is subjected. Ideally, we should find values of between a 97% and a 100%, as this will indicate that there is no serious bottleneck. When we have a GPU utilization rate below the 90% it means that a bottleneck has occurred, and that the GPU cannot develop its full potential.

If we are in that situation, We must make this note in relation to the employment rate of the central processing unit.. If this is also low, we will have a fairly clear bottleneck. In games like Battlefield 2042, this bottleneck is serious even using processors as powerful as the Ryzen 7 5800X, and playing at 1440p resolution with ray tracing active. The main culprit is, as always, optimization.

On the other hand, if we count a low GPU employment rate and observe that The processor employment rate is at 100% We would also have a bottleneck produced not by the poor optimization of the game, but rather by the fact that Our central processing unit is not up to the task.

5.-Working speeds

They indicate the speed at which key elements such as the GPU, central processing unit, RAM and graphics memory work. They are expressed in MHz, and the higher the values, the better the performance. Don't be alarmed if you see that the speeds fluctuate between higher and lower values, this is normal, and you have to use dynamic turbo mode that use these elements, and that allow the speeds to be changed depending on the state and needs of the system.

In case you notice that the speeds are very low when they should not be, and you have ruled out a temperature problem, you should check the nutrition, since it can be a clear symptom that something is not right.

6.-RAM and VRAM memory consumption

When measuring gaming performance, the two values are key to knowing their demands in a much more true way. For example, there are games that have a requirement of 8 GB of RAM, but if we have 16 GB of free RAM end up consuming between 9 and 12 GB of memory. That is, something normal, so we have nothing to worry about, since many games tend to occupy much more memory even if they do not need it because they work in the form of a "precautionary cache".

The same thing happens with the graphic memory. Little by little more games They fill up much more graphics memory than they actually need., which is why it is essential to distinguish between consumed memory and used memory. The first is what a game really needs, and the second is what it has used in a "precautionary" manner.

Excessive memory consumption that is not accompanied by performance problems does not have to cause us any alarm. However, if when carrying out performance tests in games we observe that RAM consumption is gradually and uncontrollably increasing, it is very possible that this title has what is known as a memory leak issue.

7.-Consumption and temperature

These are two fundamental pieces of data that are commonly associated with the central processing unit and the GPU. They indicate the consumption, expressed in watts, and the temperature, expressed in degrees C, that the two elements reach. They are important when measuring performance in games because they allow us to Check that there are no problems with excess temperature, nor abnormally high or low consumption.

Keep in mind that the working temperatures that a processor will reach at 20% in use will not be exactly the same as those that it will have at 100% in use, so do not be scared if in the first case you see excellent temperatures and in the second you find values that exceed 80 or 90 degrees. You have to understand how to contextualize these two values, and in that sense the percentage of employment, or workload, is essential.

Read also: How to build a gaming PC.