Gaming Optimizer vs TargetFPS

Gaming Optimizer is a free, MIT-licensed Windows app for managing CPU affinity in games and background processes. It can assign games to fast cores and demote background processes, but CPU pinning is off by default and changes do not occur until it is enabled. The app says it restores altered processes and system settings when a game closes. Its dashboard shows CPU and GPU metrics, network activity, ping and jitter, bottleneck classifications and process zones. It detects game launches through WMI and scans Steam, Epic Games, GOG, Ubisoft Connect and EA App libraries. Per-game reports include average and peak CPU and GPU metrics and bottleneck breakdowns, with a cumulative sessions.csv file. An optional setting locks NVIDIA graphics clocks while a game runs and resets them afterward. The maker says there is no telemetry, analytics or update checking; the only outbound connection is a configurable latency ping. It requires Windows 10 version 1809 or Windows 11, an x64 processor and administrator rights. The README describes ZIP distribution without an installer, while the Releases page lists no releases.

TargetFPS is a free web tool that recommends graphics settings for individual games based on a player's hardware and desired framerate. Enter a GPU, CPU, RAM, resolution, and target framerate to receive settings, estimated FPS, explanations, impact tags, and a callout of major performance gains. The optimizer starts from a high-quality preset and changes individual settings to meet the target, weighing visual quality against each setting's estimated FPS cost. The games directory covers 60 titles with per-setting recommendations, costs, expected results across five hardware tiers, and data-quality notes. Estimates use published benchmark points and interpolation for hardware without direct measurements. Some games use engine-family modelling instead, and the maker says those estimates have a wider confidence band. The optimizer considers DLSS, FSR, and XeSS as primary settings and treats frame generation separately, noting its latency trade-off. JavaScript is required for the interactive optimizer, while static game guides are available without it. The service is free, and optional contributions do not unlock features.