How to Reduce Input Lag on PC:
The Free Step-by-Step Guide

Step-by-step

1. 1.Record a baseline

   Without numbers you cannot tell a real improvement from placebo.

   1. Run your test scene 3 times and write down average FPS, 1% lows and PC latency (FrameView or the in-game Reflex stats).
   2. Run LatencyMon for 5 minutes while the game is open and note the highest reported DPC routine and which driver caused it.

2. 2.Run your monitor at its real refresh rate

   Many PCs stay at 60 Hz after a new install or driver update. This is the most common cause of "floaty" input.

   1. Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and pick the highest refresh rate in Choose a refresh rate.
   2. Plug the display cable into the graphics card, not the motherboard.
   3. Check the monitor's on-screen menu shows the same resolution as Windows. If it does, no scaling is being applied.

3. 3.Turn on Reflex or Anti-Lag 2 in every game that has it

   When the GPU is fully loaded, finished frames wait in a queue before they are drawn. Reflex and Anti-Lag 2 keep that queue empty, which is the biggest single latency win on most PCs.

   1. NVIDIA: set NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency to On, or On + Boost if your GPU sits at full load. Boost keeps GPU clocks high at the cost of a little more power.
   2. AMD: enable Anti-Lag 2 in games that support it. Otherwise use Radeon Anti-Lag in AMD Software.
   3. For games without Reflex, set Low Latency Mode to On in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

   Reflex has three modes: Off, On and On + Boost. There is no "Reflex Ultra". If a game stutters with Reflex on, test it off; PC-Tuning notes it can add stutter in some cases.

4. 4.Cap your frame rate when the GPU is maxed out

   A GPU running at 99% builds a queue. A cap a few frames below what it can sustain in heavy fights keeps latency low and frametimes steady.

   1. Use the in-game limiter or the Reflex limiter first. RTSS gives the smoothest pacing but adds noticeably more latency.
   2. With G-SYNC or FreeSync: G-SYNC on, V-Sync On in the NVIDIA Control Panel, Reflex on, and a cap below your refresh rate. Avoid V-Sync on its own without VRR.
   3. Without VRR in competitive games: V-Sync off.

5. 5.Use fullscreen and check the presentation mode

   The lowest-latency path is when the game gets the screen directly (Independent Flip). Some windowed setups add a composition step.

   1. Use exclusive fullscreen, or borderless in games that support the flip model.
   2. Keep Optimizations for windowed games on (Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Change default graphics settings).
   3. To check: PresentMon or FrameView shows the mode. You want "Hardware: Independent Flip" or "Hardware Composed: Independent Flip".

6. 6.Set up your mouse and USB ports

   1. Use a wired mouse, or a wireless one with its receiver close by on a rear port.
   2. 1000 Hz is the safe default. 4000-8000 Hz only helps if your CPU has headroom, and 8000 Hz needs a mouse that runs as a high-speed USB device.
   3. Plug the mouse into a rear motherboard port. Keep busy devices (webcams, audio interfaces, USB hubs) on a different USB controller if you can.
   4. Turn off Enhance pointer precision: Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings > Pointer Options.

   Windows already sets USB interrupt moderation to 50 µs. For a mouse alone on its controller that adds no delay, so you do not need IMOD tools.

7. 7.Find and fix driver latency

   A driver that holds the CPU for too long (high DPC or ISR time) delays input processing and causes stutter.

   1. In LatencyMon, open the Drivers tab and sort by highest execution time.
   2. Update or clean-install the driver at the top: GPU (nvlddmkm.sys, amdkmdag.sys), network (ndis.sys and your adapter driver), storage (storport.sys), audio.
   3. In Device Manager, open the device > Power Management and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power for your network adapter and USB root hubs.
   4. Disable audio outputs you never use (Sound settings > More sound settings).

8. 8.Remove old tweak-pack settings

   Old ".bat" packs often force boot timer settings that can make things worse on current Windows.

   1. Open Terminal as administrator and run bcdedit /enum {current}.
   2. If you see useplatformclock, useplatformtick, disabledynamictick or tscsyncpolicy, remove them with bcdedit /deletevalue <name> and restart.
   3. Set the page file back to "Automatically manage paging file size" if a tweak disabled it.

Check that it worked

• ✓PC latency in FrameView or the Reflex overlay is lower than your baseline in the same scene.
• ✓1% and 0.1% lows in CapFrameX are higher or the frametime graph is flatter.
• ✓LatencyMon shows no driver with a red or very high highest-execution time while gaming.
• ✓PresentMon shows Independent Flip in your game.

What does not work (and why)

// SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• valleyofdoom/PC-Tuning — evidence-based Windows tuning guide
• PC-Tuning research notes — timer resolution, TSC sync, RSS and scaling measurements
• Noverse win-config: xHCI IMOD — USB interrupt moderation defaults
• NVIDIA Reflex
• LatencyMon (Resplendence)
• CapFrameX

// FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS