How To Increase Fps In Valorant Without Upgrading Your Entire Pc

Valorant is designed to run on a wide range of systems, but that doesn’t mean every player enjoys buttery-smooth performance out of the box. If you're struggling with stuttering, frame drops, or low FPS despite owning a capable rig, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need to buy a new GPU or CPU to see dramatic improvements. With strategic tweaks to your game settings, operating system, and hardware configuration, you can significantly boost your frames per second—often doubling or even tripling your current performance.

This guide walks through real, tested methods used by competitive players and tech-savvy gamers to squeeze every last frame from their existing setup. Whether you're running an older laptop or a budget desktop, these optimizations will help you achieve smoother aim, faster reactions, and a more responsive experience in one of the most precise shooters on the market.

Optimize In-Game Video Settings

The most immediate way to increase FPS in Valorant is adjusting its built-in graphics settings. Unlike many modern games, Valorant prioritizes performance over visual fidelity, meaning nearly all graphical features can be reduced or disabled with minimal impact on gameplay clarity.

Here’s what to change in the Settings > Video menu:

• Display Mode: Set to Fullscreen (Exclusive). This reduces input lag and gives Valorant priority access to your GPU.
• Resolution: Stick to native resolution unless you have a very weak GPU. Lowering resolution increases FPS but hurts target precision.
• Texture Quality: Low. Textures are simple in Valorant; high settings offer no tactical advantage.
• Detail Quality: Low. Reduces shadow and environmental detail with noticeable FPS gains.
• Shadows: Disabled. One of the heaviest settings. Turning this off removes enemy silhouettes behind smoke but boosts FPS dramatically.
• Anti-Aliasing: None or FXAA. MSAA is resource-heavy; FXAA is lightweight and sufficient.
• Particle Density: Low. Reduces visual clutter during ultimates and ability spam.
• View Distance: Low. Enemies remain clearly visible regardless of setting.
• V-Sync: Off. Prevents screen tearing but introduces input lag.
• Vertical FOV: Keep at default unless you have specific ergonomic needs.

Tip: After changing settings, restart Valorant completely. Some changes only apply after a full reload.

Adjust Windows and Background System Performance

Your operating system plays a bigger role in gaming performance than most realize. Windows runs dozens of background processes that consume CPU cycles, memory, and disk bandwidth—resources your game needs to maintain high FPS.

Follow these steps to prioritize gaming performance:

1. Enable Game Mode: Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and turn it on. This tells Windows to limit background tasks when a game is active.
2. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations: Right-click the Valorant shortcut > Properties > Compatibility > Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations.” This bypasses unnecessary Windows rendering layers.
3. Set Power Plan to High Performance: Navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options and select “High performance.” Prevents CPU throttling during extended sessions.
4. Close Unnecessary Applications: Browsers (especially Chrome), Discord overlays, RGB control software, and cloud storage apps like Dropbox eat up RAM and CPU. Shut them down before launching Valorant.
5. Stop Startup Programs: Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, go to Startup tab, and disable non-essential apps (e.g., Spotify, Steam overlay, printer utilities).

“Over 60% of low-FPS complaints in esports titles stem from OS-level inefficiencies, not hardware limits.” — David Lin, Senior Systems Engineer at ESL Tech Labs

Hardware Tweaks That Don’t Require Upgrades

You don’t need new parts to get better performance. Sometimes, small physical adjustments make a surprising difference.

Clean Your PC Internally

Dust buildup restricts airflow and causes thermal throttling. A CPU or GPU running too hot will automatically reduce clock speeds, lowering FPS. Open your case (or laptop panel if accessible) and use compressed air to clean fans, heatsinks, and vents. Do this every 3–6 months.

Improve Cooling and Ventilation

Place your PC in a well-ventilated area. Avoid enclosing it in cabinets. For laptops, use a cooling pad or elevate the back with stand-offs to improve airflow. Cooler components perform better and sustain higher boost clocks.

Upgrade RAM Timings (Advanced)

If your motherboard supports XMP (Extreme Memory Profile), enable it in BIOS. This allows your RAM to run at its advertised speed instead of default JEDEC rates. Faster RAM improves frame pacing and reduces stutters, especially on AMD Ryzen or Intel 10th-gen and older CPUs.

Switch to an SSD (If Still Using HDD)

While this involves a minor upgrade, a $25 SATA SSD drastically improves system responsiveness and reduces hitching during map loads. Install Windows and Valorant on the SSD even if your GPU remains unchanged.

Tip: Use free tools like CrystalDiskInfo to check your drive health and type. If your boot drive shows as \"HDD,\" consider an SSD swap.

Network and Peripheral Optimization

FPS isn’t just about how many frames your monitor displays—it's also about consistency and responsiveness. Network hiccups and input lag can make a high-FPS game feel sluggish.

Reduce Network Latency

Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi whenever possible. Wireless networks introduce jitter and packet loss, causing rubberbanding and inconsistent hit registration. If you must use Wi-Fi, ensure you're on a 5GHz band with minimal interference.

Update Drivers and Firmware

Outdated network drivers, mouse firmware, or GPU drivers can bottleneck performance. Visit your motherboard manufacturer’s site to download the latest LAN driver. Update your graphics driver via NVIDIA GeForce Experience, AMD Adrenalin, or Intel Driver & Support Assistant.

Lower Mouse Polling Rate

A 1000Hz polling rate (1ms response) is standard, but it increases USB overhead. Try reducing to 500Hz in your mouse software. Most players won’t notice a difference, and it frees up CPU cycles.

Disable RGB and Overclocking Software

Apps like iCUE, Armoury Crate, or MSI Dragon Center run in the background and consume RAM and CPU. Disable them pre-game. Similarly, remove any CPU/GPU overclocks unless professionally stress-tested—unstable OCs cause crashes and frame drops.

Step-by-Step Optimization Timeline

Follow this sequence over 30 minutes to maximize FPS without spending money:

1. Minute 0–5: Close all non-essential programs (Discord, Chrome, Spotify).
2. Minute 5–8: Set Windows Power Plan to “High Performance.”
3. Minute 8–10: Disable fullscreen optimizations for Valorant.exe.
4. Minute 10–15: Launch Valorant and set all video options to Low/Off as outlined earlier.
5. Minute 15–20: Ensure Game Mode is enabled in Windows Settings.
6. Minute 20–25: Update GPU drivers and reboot.
7. Minute 25–30: Clean desktop icons and temporary files using Disk Cleanup or CCleaner (optional).

After completing these steps, launch Valorant and monitor FPS using the built-in net graph (cl_showfps 1 in console) or third-party tools like MSI Afterburner.

Real-World Example: Boosting FPS on a Budget Laptop

Take Mark, a college student playing Valorant on a 2018 Dell Inspiron 15 with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 and 8GB RAM. Initially, he averaged 28–34 FPS on medium settings, making flick shots nearly impossible.

He applied the following changes:

• Switched to Fullscreen Exclusive mode
• Turned off shadows, lowered textures and effects
• Disabled Chrome extensions and Discord overlay
• Enabled High Performance power plan
• Cleaned dust from fan exhaust using compressed air

Result: His average FPS jumped to 58–65, with minimal dips below 50. He didn’t upgrade a single component—just optimized what he had. Within two weeks, his K/D ratio improved by 40%, largely due to smoother tracking and reduced input lag.

Do’s and Don’ts Summary Table

Do	Don’t
Use Fullscreen Exclusive mode	Run multiple browsers while gaming
Disable shadows and anti-aliasing	Leave V-Sync on with G-Sync/FreeSync
Enable Game Mode in Windows	Ignore overheating signs (thermal throttling)
Update GPU and network drivers	Use outdated or pirated drivers
Clean internal dust regularly	Overclock without proper cooling
Play on wired Ethernet	Stream or download in the background

Frequently Asked Questions

Will lowering resolution significantly increase FPS?

Yes, but with trade-offs. Dropping from 1080p to 720p can boost FPS by 20–40%, especially on integrated graphics. However, lower resolution spreads pixels over fewer areas, making targets appear larger and potentially affecting muscle memory. Competitive players often prefer 1080p with maxed FPS over 720p with blurry scaling.

Can I increase FPS without affecting visibility?

Absolutely. Settings like shadows, particle density, and texture quality have negligible impact on spotting enemies. Valorant’s character models and gun skins remain clearly visible even at minimum settings. Focus on disabling heavy-rendering features rather than visibility-critical ones.

Why does my FPS drop during gunfights?

This is typically due to particle overload. When multiple agents use ultimates (e.g., Phoenix’s blaze, Brimstone’s orbital strike), the number of visual effects spikes. Lowering “Particle Density” and “Effect Quality” mitigates this. Also ensure your CPU isn’t bottlenecking—older dual-core processors struggle during intense scenes.

Final Checklist: Maximize FPS in 10 Steps

1. Set display mode to Fullscreen (Exclusive)
2. Turn off Shadows and Anti-Aliasing
3. Lower Texture, Detail, and Particle settings
4. Disable V-Sync and Motion Blur
5. Enable Windows Game Mode
6. Switch to High Performance power plan
7. Close background apps (Discord, Chrome, etc.)
8. Update GPU and network drivers
9. Clean internal dust and ensure proper cooling
10. Use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi

Conclusion

Increasing FPS in Valorant doesn’t require deep pockets—just smart optimization. By fine-tuning in-game settings, streamlining your operating system, and maintaining your hardware, you can unlock smooth, responsive gameplay even on modest equipment. The difference between 40 FPS and 120 FPS isn’t just visual; it affects reaction time, tracking accuracy, and overall confidence in firefights.

Start applying these techniques today. Test each change individually, track your FPS, and find the sweet spot between performance and visual comfort. Once you experience consistent high frame rates, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to optimize.

🚀 Ready to dominate with buttery-smooth gameplay? Implement one tip now, then share your FPS gains in the comments below!