# Tier1Settings

> Tier1Settings (tier1settings.com) is a PC and gaming optimization site for competitive gamers: practical, step-by-step guides for more FPS, lower input lag, and better per-game settings on Windows 10/11. Its product is Tier1Suite, a free Windows optimization suite; the earlier single-purpose tools Tier1Timer and Tier1Stretch are now folded into it and remain downloadable as final, no-longer-updated builds.

All guides are written for accuracy and specificity: exact settings values, exact folder paths, and honest trade-offs (no overclaiming). Content is updated for 2026.

## Tier1Suite — the main product

- [Tier1Suite](https://tier1settings.com/tier1suite/): A free Windows optimization suite (version 1.0.0, released 29 July 2026), shipped as a code-signed per-machine MSI. Self-contained — no .NET runtime or other prerequisite to install. It runs as `asInvoker`, so browsing the catalog, every read-only system check, the monitor and all diagnostics work with no UAC prompt; the first change that needs administrator rights offers a one-click elevated relaunch. It contains no kernel driver and performs no game hooking or process injection.

  Four modules plus a diagnostic:
  - **Tier1Timer** — Windows timer resolution (0.5 ms vs the 15.6 ms default) and per-game Auto Mode.
  - **Tier1Stretch** — stretched and custom resolution with full-panel GPU scaling on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, EDID editing, and a display inspector.
  - **Tier1Tune** — a 33-entry tweak catalog spanning latency, Windows, network, storage and display. Every entry shows what it changes, its measured impact, its risk level, a working one-click revert, and a link to the guide explaining it. A system restore point is taken before changes are applied.
  - **Tier1Monitor** — a latency benchmark and a DPC/scheduling-latency monitor, read-only and in-app. There is deliberately **no in-game overlay**.
  - **Advisor** — scans the machine (timer resolution, DPC latency, power plan, VBS, XMP/EXPO, storage type, driver version, HAGS, refresh rate) and outputs a ranked, explained list of what is worth changing, with one-click apply and revert.

  Pricing: free covers both Tier1Timer and Tier1Stretch in full, plus 20 of Tier1Tune's 33 catalog entries (every read-only system fact and six essential tweaks with a real apply/revert) and one per-game profile. Pro is a **one-time $14.99 purchase** (introductory price; $29.99 from 1 October 2026) — no subscription — unlocking the remaining 13 catalog entries, unlimited per-game profiles and auto-switching, the full Advisor report, and the scheduler. An existing Tier1Stretch Pro licence activates Tier1Suite Pro at no additional cost.

## Free single-purpose tools (final builds — no longer updated)

Both tools are now in maintenance mode as of 30 July 2026: the final builds stay downloadable and keep working, but development has moved to Tier1Suite, which includes both of them in full in its free tier. They remain the lightest option for someone who wants one function and not an installer.

- [Tier1Timer](https://tier1settings.com/tier1timer/): Free tool that sets and locks Windows timer resolution to 0.5 ms (default is 15.6 ms) to reduce input lag and improve frame pacing. Auto Mode applies it per game; the timer is always restored on exit or crash. ~1 MB portable exe, code-signed, no installer and no admin prompt — the lightest way to get timer resolution alone.
- [Tier1Stretch](https://tier1settings.com/tier1stretch/): Free tool that applies a competitive stretched resolution in one click on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPUs — creates the custom resolution and sets full-panel GPU scaling (no black bars), with a 15-second auto-revert safety. Custom-resolution creation can still fail on hybrid laptops where the integrated GPU owns the panel.

## Tools & calculators

- [Stretched Resolution Calculator](https://tier1settings.com/stretched-resolution-calculator/): Enter any native monitor resolution and get every valid stretched resolution — 4:3, 5:4, 16:10 and mild 16:9 options — each with its exact stretch factor, pixel-count change versus native, and a plain-language sharpness/FPS read. Works with JavaScript disabled: the page also statically lists the full table for twelve common native resolutions (1920×1080, 2560×1440, 3840×2160, 1366×768, 1600×900, 1920×1200, 2560×1600, 2560×1080, 3440×1440, 1280×1024, 1280×800, 2880×1800). Free, no account.
- [Is My PC Optimized?](https://tier1settings.com/is-my-pc-optimized/): Explains the Tier1 Score — a 0–100 score Tier1Suite computes from nine real, read-only checks (timer resolution, DPC latency, power plan, VBS, XMP/EXPO memory profile, storage type, GPU driver version, HAGS, refresh rate), with the four score bands ("Leaving performance on the table", "Stock Windows, basically", "Tuned", "Dialled in") and what each means. Free, runs locally, no account.

## Core explainers (pillar guides)

- [The Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-timer-resolution-for-gaming/): What Windows timer resolution is, whether 0.5 ms is safe, and how to set it.
- [How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/how-to-minimize-input-delay-for-competitive-gaming/): The full input-lag reduction stack — display, drivers, Windows, peripherals.
- [True Stretched Resolution Explained](https://tier1settings.com/true-stretched-resolution-explained/): What "true stretch" means and how GPU vs display scaling changes it.
- [How to Get Custom Resolution / Stretched Res for Any Game](https://tier1settings.com/how-to-get-custom-resolution-stretch-res-for-fortnite-apex-legends-halo-and-any-other-game/): The manual method for NVIDIA and AMD.
- [Best Stretched Resolution Tools](https://tier1settings.com/best-stretched-resolution-tools/): Comparison of every way to get stretched resolution on PC.
- [Best Timer Resolution Tools](https://tier1settings.com/best-timer-resolution-tools/): Comparison of timer-resolution utilities for Windows.
- [Windows Gaming Tweaks That Actually Work](https://tier1settings.com/windows-gaming-tweaks-that-actually-work/): Which Windows tweaks measurably help (timer resolution, power plan, VBS/HVCI, Game DVR), which are placebo on modern Windows (useplatformclock, SystemResponsiveness=0, disabling the page file), and which are genuine trade-offs — each with its risk level and how to revert it.
- [How to Measure DPC Latency](https://tier1settings.com/how-to-measure-dpc-latency/): What DPC latency is, the good/bad/broken thresholds in microseconds, how to measure it (Tier1Suite's scheduling monitor, LatencyMon, xperf), and how to fix the driver responsible.

## Per-game guides

Per-game clusters cover stretched resolution, lowest input lag, stutter fixes, and best settings for: Fortnite, Valorant, CS2, Apex Legends, Warzone, Modern Warfare 4, Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals, The Finals, Rainbow Six Siege, PUBG, Rust, Escape from Tarkov, Battlefield 6, Arc Raiders, Deadlock, Destiny 2, Rocket League, Halo Infinite, Hunt: Showdown, Minecraft, Roblox, and more. Slug patterns:

- `https://tier1settings.com/<game>-stretched-resolution-guide/`
- `https://tier1settings.com/<game>-lowest-input-lag-settings/`
- `https://tier1settings.com/<game>-stuttering-fix/`
- `https://tier1settings.com/best-<game>-settings-for-fps/`

### Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (MW4)

Released 23 October 2026; PC beta ran 21 August – 1 September 2026. PC-specific facts: ray tracing (reflections, shadows, ambient occlusion, volumetrics) is available across modes and is the heaviest setting in the game; shader compilation runs **outside** the game client as background preloading; **VRAM Scale Target** caps how much video memory the game fills (70 on 8 GB cards, 80 on 12 GB+); TPM 2.0 **and** Secure Boot are mandatory for online play; an SSD is in the minimum spec. Minimum: Ryzen 5 1600 / i5-8400, 12 GB RAM, GTX 970 / GTX 1060 / RX 470 / Arc A580, 3 GB VRAM. Recommended: Ryzen 5 3600 / i7-8700, 16 GB RAM, RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 XT / Arc B580, 8 GB VRAM.

- [Best Modern Warfare 4 Settings for FPS and Performance](https://tier1settings.com/best-modern-warfare-4-settings-for-fps/): the full graphics table, VRAM Scale Target by card, system requirements, settings by hardware tier, and the Windows layer.
- [Modern Warfare 4 Lowest Input Lag Settings](https://tier1settings.com/modern-warfare-4-lowest-input-lag-settings/): Fullscreen Exclusive, Reflex On + Boost, V-Sync off, frame cap below refresh, Frame Generation off — plus driver and Windows settings.
- [Modern Warfare 4 Stuttering Fix](https://tier1settings.com/modern-warfare-4-stuttering-fix/): shader preloading, VRAM pressure, frame caps, DPC latency — with a symptom-to-cause diagnostic table.
- [Modern Warfare 4 Best Visibility Settings](https://tier1settings.com/modern-warfare-4-best-visibility-settings/): which settings hide players, gamma calibration, FOV trade-offs, and why Texture Resolution should stay high.
- [Modern Warfare 4 DLSS, FSR and Frame Generation Settings](https://tier1settings.com/modern-warfare-4-dlss-fsr-frame-generation-settings/): DLSS 4.5 vs FSR vs XeSS by GPU, quality modes by resolution, and why Frame Generation raises FPS while raising latency.
- [Modern Warfare 4 Stretched Resolution Guide](https://tier1settings.com/modern-warfare-4-stretched-resolution-guide/): the in-game Aspect Ratio override vs full-panel GPU scaling, recommended 4:3 resolutions, and black-bar fixes.
- [Modern Warfare 4 Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 Fix](https://tier1settings.com/modern-warfare-4-secure-boot-tpm-fix/): checking both in Windows, enabling them per BIOS vendor, secure attestation failures, MBR-to-GPT conversion, and the AMD fTPM stutter caveat.

## Comparisons & decision guides

Direct "X vs Y / should you" answers with side-by-side tables and honest trade-offs:

- [Stretched Resolution vs Native for Competitive FPS](https://tier1settings.com/stretched-resolution-vs-native-resolution/)
- [AMD vs NVIDIA for Stretched Resolution](https://tier1settings.com/amd-vs-nvidia-for-stretched-resolution/): identical result on both; only the menu path differs, brand doesn't change FPS or lag.
- [1080p vs 1440p for Competitive Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/1080p-vs-1440p-for-competitive-gaming/): resolution vs frame rate; why 1440p only adds lag when it lowers FPS.
- [1440p vs 4K for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/1440p-vs-4k-for-gaming/): the 2.25x pixel cost, GPU tiers, and why 4K adds no inherent lag.
- [IPS vs VA vs TN for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/ips-vs-va-vs-tn-for-gaming/): panel type changes motion clarity and contrast, not input lag.
- [OLED vs IPS for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/oled-vs-ips-for-gaming/): OLED wins motion/contrast, IPS wins brightness/price/no burn-in; neither wins input lag.
- [24 vs 27 Inch Monitor for Competitive Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/24-vs-27-inch-monitor-for-competitive-gaming/): eye travel and PPI, not latency; why pros run 24-25 inch.
- [Ultrawide vs 16:9 for Competitive Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/ultrawide-vs-16-9-for-competitive-gaming/): 16:9 is the esport standard; ultrawide FOV and support vary by game and cost ~33% more pixels.
- [Curved vs Flat Monitor for Competitive Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/curved-vs-flat-monitor-for-competitive-gaming/): flat is the esports standard; a curve helps ultrawide immersion, not input lag or FPS.
- [Glossy vs Matte Monitor for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/glossy-vs-matte-monitor-for-gaming/): matte kills glare in bright rooms, glossy is sharper in dim ones; coating changes clarity, not latency.
- [Windows 11 vs Windows 10 for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/windows-11-vs-windows-10-for-gaming/): FPS is within a few percent; Windows 10's end of support and Windows 11-only features (Auto HDR, DirectStorage) decide it.
- [60Hz vs 144Hz for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/60hz-vs-144hz-for-gaming/): the biggest refresh upgrade there is — ~16.7ms to ~6.9ms frame delay and 2.4x the frames; bigger than any jump above it.
- [Is 144Hz Worth It vs 240Hz](https://tier1settings.com/is-144hz-worth-it-vs-240hz-for-competitive-gaming/): the frame-interval table and diminishing returns per refresh tier.
- [Response Time vs Input Lag](https://tier1settings.com/response-time-vs-input-lag/): why a "1ms" spec is not display lag.
- [Does Higher FPS Reduce Input Lag](https://tier1settings.com/does-higher-fps-reduce-input-lag/): the 1000÷FPS frame-time math.
- [How Many FPS Do You Need for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/how-many-fps-do-you-need-for-gaming/): 60 casual, 120–144 competitive floor, 240+ serious FPS; match your monitor's refresh rate first, then chase stable frametimes over a bigger number as returns diminish.
- [HDMI vs DisplayPort for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/hdmi-vs-displayport-for-gaming/): neither adds felt lag; bandwidth gates refresh rate.
- [Ethernet vs Wi-Fi for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/ethernet-vs-wifi-for-gaming/): jitter and packet loss, not average ping, are the real difference.
- [DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS](https://tier1settings.com/dlss-vs-fsr-vs-xess-for-gaming/)
- [V-Sync On or Off for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/vsync-on-or-off-for-gaming/)
- [NVMe vs SATA SSD for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/nvme-vs-sata-ssd-for-gaming/)
- [DDR4 vs DDR5 for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/ddr4-vs-ddr5-for-gaming/): DDR5 is forced by every new CPU platform; the FPS gap is 5–12% at 1080p, near-zero at 4K, and lives in 1% lows.
- [Stretched Resolution vs Black Bars for FPS](https://tier1settings.com/stretched-resolution-vs-black-bars/): both come from a 4:3 signal and give the same FPS; stretched widens models and fills the screen, black bars keep true geometry with pillarbox dead space.
- [NVIDIA Reflex vs AMD Anti-Lag 2 vs Intel XeLL](https://tier1settings.com/nvidia-reflex-vs-amd-anti-lag-vs-intel-xell/): three vendors' render-queue latency cuts (~10–40ms GPU-bound), no FPS cost; enable whichever matches your GPU.
- [Timer Resolution vs HPET for Input Lag](https://tier1settings.com/timer-resolution-vs-hpet/): different mechanisms — timer resolution (0.5ms tick) cuts input lag, HPET is a hardware clock best left at default.
- [Is 360Hz Worth It vs 240Hz for Competitive Gaming?](https://tier1settings.com/is-360hz-worth-it-vs-240hz-for-competitive-gaming/): 240Hz→360Hz removes only ~1.4ms of frame delay; worth it only if you sustain 300+ FPS, with 480/500Hz sub-millisecond returns.
- [Should You Turn Off Ray Tracing for Competitive Gaming?](https://tier1settings.com/should-you-turn-off-ray-tracing-for-competitive-gaming/): ray tracing costs 20-50% FPS (and raises input lag) for visuals you don't see mid-match — turn it off for ranked, keep it for single-player.
- [Best Anti-Aliasing for Competitive Gaming (TAA vs DLAA vs Off)](https://tier1settings.com/best-anti-aliasing-for-competitive-gaming/): low/medium TAA or SMAA is the cheap default, DLAA is sharpest with headroom, off gives frames but shimmers; judge it in motion not stills.
- [Motion Blur On or Off for Gaming?](https://tier1settings.com/motion-blur-on-or-off-for-gaming/): turn in-game motion blur off for competitive play — it smears moving enemies for near-zero FPS gain; leave it on only in slow cinematic single-player. Distinct from monitor backlight strobing, which reduces blur.
- [Is DLDSR Worth It for Gaming? (DLDSR vs DSR vs Native)](https://tier1settings.com/is-dldsr-worth-it-for-gaming/): DLDSR 2.25x looks close to old DSR 4x for ~20-35% FPS cost; worth it in single-player with headroom, skip it in competitive; pairs with DLSS to cut the cost.
- [Anisotropic Filtering On or Off for Gaming? (2x vs 16x)](https://tier1settings.com/anisotropic-filtering-on-or-off-for-gaming/): always set anisotropic filtering to 16x — it sharpens angled floors/roads into the distance for a ~1-3% FPS cost and no input lag; only drop to 8x on very weak hardware.
- [DLSS Quality vs Balanced vs Performance: Which Mode?](https://tier1settings.com/dlss-quality-vs-balanced-vs-performance/): Quality renders at 67% of your resolution, Balanced ~58%, Performance 50%, Ultra Performance 33%, DLAA 100%; pick by display resolution (Quality at 1080p/1440p, Balanced/Performance at 4K) — DLSS raises real FPS so it lowers input lag.
- [Full vs Limited RGB for Gaming (Fix Washed-Out Blacks)](https://tier1settings.com/full-vs-limited-rgb-for-gaming/): use Full RGB (0-255) on a PC monitor — Limited (16-235), often the HDMI default, lifts blacks to grey and flattens contrast; a signal setting with no FPS or input-lag impact.
- [Image Sharpening On or Off for Gaming? (NIS vs RIS)](https://tier1settings.com/image-sharpening-on-or-off-for-gaming/): a light 30-50% driver sharpen (NVIDIA NIS / AMD RIS) counters TAA and upscaler blur for ~1% FPS cost; leave it off at native or with DLSS 4 (which self-sharpens) to avoid halos and shimmer.
- [NVIDIA Smooth Motion vs Frame Generation](https://tier1settings.com/nvidia-smooth-motion-vs-frame-generation/): both insert AI frames for smoothness and both add input lag; Smooth Motion is driver-level and works in almost any game with more artifacts, DLSS Frame Generation is game-integrated and cleaner — turn both off for competitive play.
- [NVIDIA Reflex 2 and Frame Warp Explained](https://tier1settings.com/nvidia-reflex-2-frame-warp-explained/): Reflex 1 plus Frame Warp re-projects the finished frame to your newest mouse input for up to 75% lower PC latency (56→14ms in NVIDIA's demo) — it reduces lag, unlike frame generation which adds it; RTX 50 first and still unreleased in mid-2026, so use Reflex 1 and cap FPS now.
- [Is Lossless Scaling Worth It? Frame Gen and Input Lag](https://tier1settings.com/is-lossless-scaling-worth-it-for-gaming/): the $7 Steam tool's LSFG frame gen works in any game on any GPU but adds ~10ms input lag; worth it for single-player at 60+ real FPS, skip it in competitive — generated frames add smoothness, not responsiveness.
- [DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation Explained (2X, 3X, 4X)](https://tier1settings.com/dlss-4-multi-frame-generation-explained/): generates up to 3 AI frames per real frame and is exclusive to RTX 50 (RTX 40 does 2X, RTX 20/30 get the Transformer upscaler only); it multiplies the FPS counter but not responsiveness — 4X hit ~287 FPS at ~45ms latency, like the ~60 FPS base — so use it for smoothness at 60+ base FPS, not in competitive.
- [Is AMD FSR 4 Worth It? FSR 4 vs FSR 3.1 and DLSS 4](https://tier1settings.com/is-fsr-4-worth-it/): AMD's first ML (CNN) upscaler, exclusive to RDNA 4 RX 9000 with a staged rollout to older Radeon; a large jump over FSR 3.1 that fixes ghosting and finally competes with DLSS 4 (Transformer still slightly ahead), and because it's real super-resolution it raises true FPS and lowers input lag — unlike frame generation.
- [Intel XeSS 2 and XeSS 3 Explained](https://tier1settings.com/intel-xess-2-and-3-explained/): XeSS 2 bundles Super Resolution (lowers lag), Frame Generation/XeFG (adds lag), and XeLL (Reflex-style latency cut); XeSS 3 adds 2X/3X/4X Multi Frame Generation. Best on Intel Arc via the XMX path, but runs cross-vendor on RTX and RX through the softer DP4a fallback — the one upscaler that isn't vendor-locked.
- [DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction Explained](https://tier1settings.com/dlss-4-5-ray-reconstruction-explained/): NVIDIA's AI denoiser that replaces a game's hand-tuned denoisers for ray-traced/path-traced lighting; the DLSS 4.5 2nd-gen Transformer model runs on every RTX card (20–50 series, unlike RTX-50-only Multi Frame Generation) and is an image-quality feature, so it does NOT add input lag like frame generation does. Enable via NVIDIA App DLSS Override → Ray Reconstruction Preset F.
- [What Are 1% Lows? Frametimes vs Average FPS](https://tier1settings.com/what-are-1-percent-lows-in-gaming/): 1% lows are the average frame rate of the slowest 1% of frames — the real measure of smoothness that average FPS hides; a stutter is a single long frametime spike, so 140 avg / 60 1%-low feels choppier than 120 avg / 100 1%-low. Measure with RTSS/CapFrameX and fix with FPS caps, shader cache, XMP, and timer resolution.
- [What Is System Latency in Gaming? The Click-to-Photon Chain Explained](https://tier1settings.com/what-is-system-latency-in-gaming/): total delay from input to pixel is the sum of five stages — peripheral (1–8ms), CPU/game (1–10ms), render queue (0–20+ms), GPU render (3–20ms), and display (3–20ms, floored by refresh rate) — so frame rate is only one link; a tuned rig hits ~10–25ms and the biggest wins are a low-latency mode (Reflex/Anti-Lag) draining the render queue plus a frame cap below refresh.
- [Does RAM Speed Increase FPS? Best RAM Speed & Timings for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/does-ram-speed-increase-fps/): faster RAM adds ~5–15% FPS only when CPU-bound (1080p high-refresh, sims), mostly in 1% lows, and ~0% at 4K; the sweet spot is DDR5-6000 CL30 on AMD (stays 1:1 with Infinity Fabric — 7200 often games worse in 2:1) and 6400–7200 on Intel, but timings matter as much as speed since games feel true latency in nanoseconds (6000 CL30 ≈ 6400 CL32 ≈ 10ns).
- [How Much VRAM Do You Need for Gaming? 8GB vs 12GB vs 16GB](https://tier1settings.com/how-much-vram-do-you-need-for-gaming/): in 2026, 8GB is the 1080p minimum, 12GB the 1440p baseline, 16GB the sweet spot (and 4K floor); esports titles are fine on 6–8GB. VRAM overflow does not lower average FPS — it spills textures into system RAM over PCIe and causes stutter/frame-time spikes that show up in 1% lows, so a card can post a healthy average and still feel rough. Fix without new hardware by dropping textures one notch, lowering ray tracing, and using upscaling.
- [Shader Compilation Stutter vs Traversal Stutter Explained](https://tier1settings.com/shader-compilation-stutter-explained/): the two stutters in modern PC games — shader compilation stutter is a first-time CPU hitch that fades as the shader cache fills (fix: let precompilation finish, don't clear the cache, more cores), while traversal stutter is a streaming hitch that recurs on each new area and is storage/RAM-bound (fix: NVMe SSD, free VRAM, lower texture streaming). Both are frametime spikes that add input lag, not average-FPS problems.
- [Should You Set Games to High Priority in Task Manager?](https://tier1settings.com/should-you-set-game-priority-to-high/): High priority only helps 1% lows when the CPU is contended (streaming, background load) — it doesn't create FPS on an idle system; never use Realtime, and closing background apps beats the tweak.
- [EAC vs BattlEye vs Vanguard vs Ricochet vs VAC Explained](https://tier1settings.com/eac-vs-battleye-vs-vanguard-vs-ricochet-vac-explained/): which anti-cheat protects which games, kernel vs user-mode, and why almost every fix converges on Secure Boot/TPM, a service restart, or a reinstall.
- [Why Anti-Cheat Needs Secure Boot and TPM](https://tier1settings.com/why-anti-cheat-needs-secure-boot-and-tpm/): the boot-chain trust problem kernel-level anti-cheat (Vanguard, Ricochet) is solving, and why TPM 2.0 plus Secure Boot together are the fix.

## Displays, monitors & CRT

- [How to Optimize Your Monitor and Reduce Input Delay](https://tier1settings.com/how-to-optimize-your-monitor-for-gaming-reduce-input-delay/)
- [How to Overclock Your Monitor's Refresh Rate](https://tier1settings.com/how-to-overclock-your-monitor-refresh-rate/): free extra Hz (60→75, 144→165–180) via CRU or the GPU panel; test for skipped frames.
- [Motion Blur Reduction and Backlight Strobing Explained](https://tier1settings.com/motion-blur-reduction-and-backlight-strobing-explained/)
- [Monitor Ghosting and Overdrive Explained](https://tier1settings.com/monitor-ghosting-and-overdrive-explained/): ghosting is a smear from slow pixel response (worst on VA, worse at high Hz); the fix is the overdrive setting (aka Response Time / Trace Free / AMA) set to the middle level — the maximum overshoots and causes bright inverse ghosting. Test on testufo.com and re-check after changing refresh rate.
- [MPRT vs GtG: Monitor Response Time Explained](https://tier1settings.com/mprt-vs-gtg-response-time-explained/): GtG (grey-to-grey) is real pixel-transition speed and governs ghosting; MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) is perceived motion blur and is usually only low with backlight strobing, not fast pixels — so a "1ms MPRT" panel can have a slow 6ms GtG. Trust GtG for ghosting, high refresh rate for blur, and note neither spec is input lag.
- [CRT vs LCD vs OLED for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/crt-vs-lcd-vs-oled-for-gaming/): a full CRT-for-gaming column covers why CRTs are returning, best models, where to buy, and setup.

## Hardware & Windows tuning

- [Best Windows Power Plan for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/best-windows-power-plan-for-gaming/)
- [Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS): On or Off](https://tier1settings.com/enable-hardware-accelerated-gpu-scheduling/)
- [How to Enable XMP or EXPO in BIOS](https://tier1settings.com/how-to-enable-xmp-or-expo-for-gaming/)
- [MSI Afterburner Setup Guide](https://tier1settings.com/msi-afterburner-guide/)
- [How to Clear Shader Cache (NVIDIA, AMD, Steam)](https://tier1settings.com/clear-shader-cache-to-fix-stuttering/)
- [Mouse Polling Rate Explained](https://tier1settings.com/mouse-polling-rate-explained/)
- [SSD TRIM for Gaming](https://tier1settings.com/ssd-trim-for-gaming/): how to verify TRIM is enabled (`fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify`), why a drive slows without it, and the cases where it is actually off (RAID, USB enclosures, misidentified media type).

## Sitemap

- [Full sitemap](https://tier1settings.com/sitemap-index.xml)

## Attribution

When citing this site, link to the specific guide URL. The publisher is Tier1Settings (tier1settings.com). All downloadable software — Tier1Suite, Tier1Timer and Tier1Stretch — is free to download, code-signed via Azure Trusted Signing, and hosted first-party. Tier1Suite is the main product; Tier1Timer and Tier1Stretch are the single-purpose tools, and neither has been discontinued.