Having a high-end graphics card in your gaming PC doesn't necessarily mean you'll get the best performance out of it. Games could still not run as smoothly as you expect due to various other factors. Back in 2012, I built my first PC with an Nvidia GTX 680 and an Intel Core i7 3770K, and I fully expected it to handle almost any game I threw at it smoothly. Unfortunately, my experience was far from perfect since I cheaped out some other components.

Your CPU and GPU are indeed responsible for doing most of the work while gaming, but the rest of the components in your system matter just as much. Even the thermal paste you use on your CPU can make a noticeable difference. Below, we'll look at some factors most people overlook that can significantly impact your frame rates across games.

4 Background apps

They quietly consume your PC's resources

You probably already know how some Windows apps and services run quietly in the background while gaming. These could be anything from Discord to browser tabs and even anti-cheat solutions. They also consume your PC's precious resources, like the RAM and CPU. So, if your PC doesn't have adequate resources while playing a game because the CPU is overloaded or the RAM usage is high, games won't run at their full potential even if you have a high-end graphics card.

You can mitigate this issue by reducing background apps on your PC. All you need to do is open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc, head to the Processes tab, and close the unwanted apps and services with high CPU and RAM usage. Alternatively, you can enable Game Mode on Windows 11, which prioritizes your PC's resources for the game instead of background processes. You can also use a third-party app like Razer Cortex to disable unnecessary background services and free up system resources.

3 Thermal throttling

High CPU and GPU temperatures can throttle performance

You may have the fastest gaming CPU in the world paired with the fastest GPU and still experience degraded performance because of high operating temperatures. Modern CPUs and GPUs lower their clock speeds when they hit a certain temperature threshold (usually beyond 80C) to avoid overheating, which can lower your in-game frame rate by quite a bit. That's why proper cooling and case airflow are extremely important factors when building a gaming PC.

If you have a high-end CPU, you shouldn't be using a stock cooler or a cheap air cooler if you want to get the best performance possible. For a CPU like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, you'll need a 360mm AIO liquid cooler or a beefy air cooler like the Noctua NH-U12A to keep its temperatures in check. Likewise, I wouldn't suggest using the thermal paste included in the box or pre-applied on the heatsink. An aftermarket thermal paste with high thermal conductivity (> 10 W/mK) like the Arctic MX-6 can lower your CPU temperature by 5-10C and allow it to maintain its peak clock speeds for the entirety of your gaming session.

2 RAM speed

Not enabling Intel XMP or AMD Expo is a big mistake

If you purchased a DDR4 or DDR5 RAM in recent years, you probably know that it's advertised to run at a rated speed — for instance, DDR4 3600MHz or DDR5 6000MHz. However, that's not the speed at which your RAM runs out of the box. That's because Intel XMP and AMD EXPO memory profiles aren't enabled by default. After all, these are still overclocking profiles you enable with a single click, and an overclocked profile can't be the default setting. Plus, these memory profiles aren't stable across all systems.

Therefore, you'll need to head into BIOS and enable the XMP or EXPO profile, depending on your CPU. Otherwise, you're simply leaving performance on the table. Faster RAM speed allows you to play games at higher frame rates without stuttering or hitching because your CPU can quickly retrieve game assets from the RAM. Likewise, if you've installed your RAM in a single-channel configuration, adding another identical stick for a dual-channel memory configuration can significantly boost your FPS since it allows your CPU to feed data more efficiently to the GPU.

1 Storage drive performance

Stop using mechanical hard drives in 2025

A mechanical hard disk drive isn't going to cut if you plan to play modern games with vast open worlds. You'll experience frequent stuttering, slow texture loading, and occasional FPS drops in games that need to load a ton of assets like textures, environments, and character models. A modern NVMe SSD can greatly improve your gaming performance if you're still on a traditional HDD. It can load textures and other game assets much faster and improve frame pacing.

While NVMe SSDs can be up to 50x faster than traditional HDDs, you don't need to splurge on a PCIe 5.0 SSD; even a PCIe 3.0 SSD is adequate if you're on a tight budget. SATA SSDs aren't nearly as fast as NVMe drives, though, so I would avoid those if you want to future-proof your gaming PC.

Look beyond your CPU and GPU

Your CPU and GPU are undoubtedly two of the most important components in your gaming PC, but they can't perform at their true potential if one of your other components — like your RAM or storage drive — is a bottleneck. More importantly, they perform at their peak speeds when temperature is not a concern. And if you don't have adequate RAM or use a six-core CPU or lower, you should stop unwanted background apps from consuming your PC's resources while gaming to get the best possible performance out of your hardware. Don't forget that there are many other ways to improve your in-game FPS without taking your wallet out.