A
Administrator Privileges
Elevated permissions in Windows that allow applications to modify system settings, registry values, and protected files. Frameshift requires administrator access to apply optimizations.
Analytics
Historical performance data collected and stored by Frameshift. Includes CPU, GPU, RAM, and VRAM usage over time, with retention periods up to 30 days.
Anti-cheat
Software used by games to detect and prevent cheating. Some invasive anti-cheat systems (Valorant, FACEIT) may block overlays or system modifications, limiting Frameshift's overlay functionality.
Auto-tuning
Automatic application of game optimizations when Frameshift detects a supported game. Includes memory clearing, process priority elevation, and service management.
B
Benchmarking
Performance testing that measures CPU, GPU, memory, and storage speed. Frameshift includes built-in benchmarks for quantifying system performance before and after optimizations.
Bottleneck
A system component that limits overall performance. Common bottlenecks include maxed-out CPU (100% usage), GPU, or insufficient RAM causing page file usage.
C
CPU Parking
A Windows power-saving feature that disables unused CPU cores. Frameshift disables CPU parking to keep all cores active for maximum performance in games.
CPU Spike
Sudden increase in CPU usage, typically above 90%. Detected and logged by Frameshift's event system. May indicate background processes consuming resources.
F
FPS (Frames Per Second)
The number of frames rendered per second in a game or application. Higher FPS results in smoother gameplay. Typical targets: 60 FPS (minimum), 144 FPS (competitive gaming), 240 FPS (high-end).
Frame Pacing
Consistency of frame delivery timing. Good frame pacing means frames are delivered at regular intervals. Poor pacing causes micro-stuttering even with high average FPS.
Frame Time
The duration in milliseconds required to render a single frame. Calculated as 1000ms ÷ FPS. Example: 60 FPS = 16.67ms frame time, 144 FPS = 6.94ms frame time.
G
Game Detection
Frameshift's system for automatically identifying running games by matching executable names against a database of 100+ supported titles.
GPU Preemption
The ability for Windows to interrupt GPU tasks to schedule higher-priority work. Frameshift disables preemption for reduced frame time variance and lower latency.
H
HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
Traditional mechanical storage device using spinning platters. Slower than SSD/NVMe but offers larger capacities at lower cost. Typical speeds: 80-160 MB/s.
High Precision Timer
A Windows timer resolution setting that increases timing accuracy to 1ms or better. Frameshift enables this during gaming for reduced input lag and smoother frame pacing.
I
Input Lag
The delay between a physical input (mouse click, key press) and the corresponding action appearing on screen. Measured in milliseconds. Lower is better for competitive gaming.
IPC (Inter-Process Communication)
Communication mechanism between different processes. Frameshift uses Electron IPC for communication between the main process and renderer for metrics, optimizations, and settings.
L
Latency
Delay between an action and its result. In networking: time for data to travel from source to destination (ping). In system performance: delay in input processing or frame rendering.
1% Low FPS / 0.1% Low FPS
The average FPS of the worst-performing 1% and 0.1% of frames, respectively. More important than average FPS for measuring stuttering and frame drops. Higher lows = smoother gameplay.
M
Memory Compression
Windows feature that compresses inactive memory pages instead of writing them to disk (page file). Frameshift optimizes compression settings based on available RAM.
MMCSS (Multimedia Class Scheduler Service)
Windows service that manages CPU priorities for multimedia tasks (audio, video, games). Frameshift optimizes MMCSS priorities for low-latency gaming performance.
N
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)
Modern storage interface using PCIe connection for extremely fast data transfer. Significantly faster than SATA SSDs. Typical speeds: 1000-7000 MB/s (Gen3-Gen5).
Network Throttling
Windows feature that limits network bandwidth to prevent network-intensive tasks from consuming all available bandwidth. Frameshift disables throttling for reduced latency in online games.
O
Overlay
A transparent window displayed on top of games showing real-time performance metrics (FPS, CPU, GPU, RAM). Frameshift Pro feature using native C++ for minimal performance impact.
P
Page File
A file on disk used as virtual memory when physical RAM is full. Significantly slower than RAM, causing stuttering when accessed. Frameshift optimizes page file settings and clears standby memory to reduce usage.
Percentile (P95, P99)
Statistical measure indicating the value below which a percentage of observations fall. P95 = 95th percentile, P99 = 99th percentile. Used in analytics to identify worst-case performance scenarios.
Process Priority
Windows CPU scheduling priority level. Ranges from -2 (lowest) to 3 (realtime). Frameshift sets game processes to HIGH (2) priority to ensure the CPU prioritizes game tasks over background processes.
R
Registry
Windows database storing system and application configuration settings. Frameshift modifies registry values to apply optimizations and stores user settings at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Frameshift.
Restore Point
A snapshot of Windows system files and registry at a specific point in time. Frameshift automatically creates restore points before applying optimizations, allowing safe rollback if issues occur.
Round-robin Polling
A scheduling method that rotates through tasks in a fixed order. Frameshift uses round-robin to collect metrics (CPU → GPU → Memory → repeat) to prevent measurement spikes and reduce overhead.
RSS (Receive Side Scaling)
Network feature that distributes network packet processing across multiple CPU cores. Frameshift enables RSS for improved multi-core network performance and reduced latency.
S
SSD (Solid State Drive)
Storage device using flash memory instead of mechanical parts. Faster and more reliable than HDD. SATA SSDs: 500-600 MB/s. NVMe SSDs: 1000-7000 MB/s.
Standby Memory
Windows cached memory containing data that's no longer actively used but kept in RAM for faster access if needed again. Frameshift can empty standby memory to free RAM for games.
Stutter
Brief freeze or frame skip during gameplay, caused by sudden frame time spikes. Measured by 0.1% low FPS. Often caused by background processes, memory issues, or CPU/GPU throttling.
System Restore
Windows feature that reverts system files, registry, and settings to a previous restore point. Used to undo problematic changes without affecting personal files.
T
TCP/IP
Core internet protocols for data transmission. Frameshift optimizes TCP/IP settings including wait time delays, port allocation, and throttling for reduced network latency.
Throttling
Intentional performance reduction to save power, reduce heat, or limit resource usage. Frameshift disables various throttling mechanisms (network, GPU, CPU) for maximum gaming performance.
Turbo Boost
Intel's technology for dynamically increasing CPU clock speed above base frequency when thermal and power limits allow. AMD equivalent: Precision Boost. Frameshift ensures turbo modes are enabled.
V
VRAM (Video RAM)
Dedicated memory on the graphics card used for storing textures, frame buffers, and other graphics data. Running out of VRAM causes texture quality reduction and stuttering.
W
Win32 Priority Separation
Windows setting controlling how CPU time is divided between foreground and background processes. Frameshift optimizes this for maximum foreground (game) responsiveness.
WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation)
Windows API for accessing system information and management data. Frameshift uses WMI to gather CPU, GPU, storage, and system details for the dashboard.