Is Your PC Optimized for Gaming?
Tier1Suite scans nine real settings — timer resolution, DPC latency, power plan, VBS, memory profile (XMP/EXPO), storage type, driver version, HAGS and refresh rate — and turns them into a single Tier1 Score from 0 to 100, so you know exactly how far from "optimized" your PC actually is, instead of guessing from a forum thread.
Stock Windows, basically
This is a sample score to show what the scan produces — not a reading from your PC. Run the free scan to get your own.
Free scan, no account, no card. Windows 10/11.
Why is my PC slow for gaming?
Most gaming PCs are slower than they should be because Windows ships with defaults tuned for battery life and broad compatibility, not for a game that needs every frame delivered on time. A fresh install — even on expensive hardware — typically leaves the CPU idling down between frames on a balanced power plan, memory running at a slow JEDEC speed instead of its rated XMP/EXPO profile, and a timer resolution of 15.6 ms doing the scheduling instead of something tighter. None of that shows up as a missing part or a broken driver. It shows up as input lag and inconsistent frame pacing that nothing in Windows tells you about — which is exactly what "check PC performance settings" by hand is hard to do: there is no single screen that lists all of it together.
How the Tier1 Score works
The scan reads the settings listed below and weighs each one by how much it typically matters for input lag and frame pacing — timer resolution and memory profile move the score the most, cosmetic checks move it the least. Two rules keep it honest:
- Same scan, same score, every time. The score is computed the same way on every run, so it has to be defensible, not vibes-based.
- A setting the scan can't read is left out entirely — not scored as a failure. If part of your hardware can't be detected, that check is excluded from both sides of the maths. A machine with an unreadable component gets an honest "couldn't fully read this system," never a fake low score.
What your score means
| Score | Band | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0–49 | Leaving performance on the table | Several settings that matter for input lag or frame pacing are still sitting on their Windows defaults. |
| 50–74 | Stock Windows, basically | A mostly-untouched install. Most PCs that have never been tuned land somewhere in this band — it is the default, not a verdict on the hardware. |
| 75–89 | Tuned | Most of what the scan checks for has already been addressed, with a handful of settings left. |
| 90–100 | Dialled in | Close to everything the scan can see is already set the way it should be. |
50–74 is where most never-tuned machines land — "Stock Windows, basically" reframes an average score as the default, not a verdict on the hardware. It's fixable, not permanent.
What the free scan actually reads
Nine real, documented checks — the same ones the score is built from. Every one is read-only until you choose to apply a fix.
- Timer resolution Whether Windows is still ticking at its 15.6 ms default or locked tighter for input lag and frame pacing.
- DPC latency Whether a driver is quietly stealing scheduling time from the game.
- Power plan Whether the active plan lets the CPU idle down between frames instead of staying responsive.
- VBS (Virtualization-Based Security) On by default on most new Windows 11 installs, and one of the larger single latency costs the scan looks for.
- Memory profile (XMP/EXPO) Whether RAM is actually running at its rated speed or has silently fallen back to a slow JEDEC default.
- Storage type NVMe, SATA SSD, or a spinning hard drive still holding the OS and game library.
- GPU driver version Current, or several versions behind.
- HAGS (Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling) On or off, and whether that's actually the right call for the installed GPU and driver.
- Refresh rate Whether the display is actually running at its maximum supported Hz, or has silently dropped to 60.
See exactly what left your PC
When the AI Coach explains your score, it works from a fixed, allow-listed set of values — process names only, never file paths, window titles, command lines, your machine name, or your username. Under every explanation is a "what this was based on" panel that shows the exact scan values sent, plus which model wrote the explanation. Nothing is hidden behind the summary.
That is a deliberate choice, not a compliance footnote: most "AI PC optimizer" tools cannot tell you what data they collected or sent anywhere, because showing you would mean admitting how much they take. Tier1Suite shows the receipt instead of asking you to trust the summary.
The Pro check happens on our server, not in the app
Most "Pro" gates in desktop software are a local check a patched binary can defeat. The AI Coach's licence check happens server-side, before a single request is answered — there is no local flag to flip and no cracked build that unlocks it. It is the one part of Tier1Suite that genuinely cannot be pirated by editing a file.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PC optimization score free?
Yes. Running the scan and seeing your Tier1 Score, band, and full diagnostic breakdown costs nothing — no trial, no account, no card. Tier1Suite is a free download, and the score is computed locally from a real scan of your machine, not a lead-generation number behind a paywall.
Does scanning my PC change my registry or settings?
No. The scan itself is read-only — it reads current values (timer resolution, power plan, driver version, and the rest) and computes your score from them; nothing on your PC is changed by scanning. Only applying an individual fix changes anything, and each one shows exactly what it will change and its risk level before you apply it.
Can I undo the changes if something goes wrong?
Yes, and that is built into every entry rather than bolted on. Tier1Suite takes a system restore point before applying changes, each tweak has a working one-click revert, and there is a revert-all button for undoing everything at once. Nothing it applies is one-way.
Does checking my score need administrator rights?
No. Tier1Suite launches without admin rights, and every read-only check that feeds the score — timer resolution, DPC latency, power plan, VBS, XMP/EXPO, storage type, driver version, HAGS, refresh rate — runs with no UAC prompt. Administrator rights are only requested at the moment you choose to apply a specific fix that needs them.