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CPU affinity and core parking: do they help?

February 17, 2025 · 4 min read

We measured this on mid and high-end rigs and only kept the tweaks that moved 1% lows, not just the average FPS counter. Here's what survived testing.

Start with a clean Windows baseline

Before touching anything game-side, get the OS out of the way. A bloated startup and aggressive background services steal CPU time exactly when you're mid-fight.

Set the power plan to High Performance (or Ultimate), disable startup apps you don't need, and turn off Memory Integrity if you're chasing every last frame — re-test after each change.

  • Power plan → High Performance / Ultimate
  • Disable non-essential startup apps in Task Manager
  • Turn off Game Bar + background recording
  • Set Graphics preference → High Performance for the game's .exe

Verify it actually worked

Never trust the average FPS number alone. Watch 1% and 0.1% lows and frame-time consistency — that's what 'smooth' really means.

Run the same replay or aim-trainer routine before and after, capture with a frame-time overlay, and only keep changes that flatten the graph.

  • Benchmark the same scene before/after
  • Track 1% lows, not just average FPS
  • Watch the frame-time line — flatter is better
  • Change one thing at a time so you know what moved the needle
// The TL;DR
  • Power plan → High Performance / Ultimate
  • Benchmark the same scene before/after
#cpu#affinity

Skip the manual work

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