NVIDIA ShadowPlay vs TargetFPS

NVIDIA ShadowPlay is a free Windows companion app for PC gamers and creators, combining driver updates, game and application optimization, and recording tools in an in-game overlay. Manual recording supports up to 8K HDR at 30 fps or 4K HDR at 120 fps; NVIDIA describes the performance impact as minimal. Automatic Highlights captures key moments, and overlay metrics include FPS, GPU and CPU utilization, FPS 1% Low, and system latency. GeForce RTX 40-series GPU owners can record with AV1 encoding. The app also includes a GPU control center for graphics settings and tuning, Freestyle filters for supported games, and ways to discover and launch selected NVIDIA apps. Requirements include Windows 10 or 11, a GeForce RTX 20, 30, 40, or 50 Series GPU, driver 551.52 or later, 2 GB of system memory, and 600 MB of disk space. Signing in is optional; NVIDIA says login enables users to redeem GPU bundles and rewards.

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.