Hardware GPU Scheduling (HAGS): What It Is & How to Enable It

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What is Hardware GPU Scheduling?

HAGS lets your Video Card handle its own task scheduling directly. Normally, your Processor acts as the middleman — organizing every frame and visual task before passing them to the Video Card. HAGS removes that middleman, freeing up 5–10% of your Processor power and reducing stuttering.

Does HAGS improve FPS?

Slightly. Don't expect a dramatic jump. As PCWorld's Dominic Bayley notes, testing shows mixed results — some setups see gains in gaming, while others see negligible changes, which highlights the need for individual testing. HAGS typically improves frame pacing — meaning your game feels smoother — rather than giving you 20 more frames per second. The biggest benefit is reduced stuttering and lower input lag, especially in Processor-heavy games.

Is HAGS safe to enable?

Should I enable HAGS?

Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling — or HAGS — is a Windows setting that lets your Video Card manage its own tasks instead of relying on your Processor. It's been around since 2020, but most people have never heard of it. And the ones who have? They're usually confused by the jargon.This guide covers what HAGS actually does, whether it'll help your PC, and exactly how to enable it. No jargon, just clear answers and real numbers.

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What HAGS is and how it works

Think of your Processor as a manager in an office. Every time your Video Card needs to display something — a game frame, a video, a window animation — your Processor organizes the work and hands it over one task at a time. That's how Windows has always worked.HAGS changes that. Your Video Card gets to organize its own workload — it receives the tasks and decides how to handle them. Your Processor is free to do other things. The result: less strain on your Processor, smoother frame delivery, and lower input lag.Under the hood, HAGS uses a newer version of the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM 2.7+) that lets the Video Card's own scheduling hardware take over. In modern games pushing hundreds of draw calls per frame, removing that Processor middleman cuts out micro-latency — tiny delays that show up as stuttering even when your FPS counter looks fine.

How HAGS affects gaming

Smoother frame pacing. Frame pacing is how evenly your game delivers frames. Even at 60 FPS, frames might not arrive at perfectly even intervals — that unevenness is what you feel as stuttering. HAGS helps because the Video Card can organize frame delivery more efficiently when it controls its own schedule. The result is smoother gameplay, especially in Processor-heavy scenes.Lower Processor load. Every frame requires your Processor to do scheduling work. HAGS moves that to the Video Card, freeing up roughly 5–10%. On a mid-range system already busy with a game, Discord, a browser, and background apps — that 5–10% is the difference between smooth gameplay and micro-stutters.Reduced input lag. Less back-and-forth between Processor and Video Card means frames reach your monitor faster. In competitive games where every millisecond counts, this matters.

Who benefits most (and who should be careful)

Mid-range systems. This is where HAGS shines. If you have something like a GTX 1660 / RX 5600 with a 6-core Processor, your Processor is often the bottleneck during complex scenes. HAGS takes scheduling work off its plate. Great for competitive games where input lag matters.High-end systems. If you're running an RTX 3070+ / RX 6800+ with an 8+ core Processor, the improvement is subtle. Still worth enabling — there's no downside.Budget or older systems. Be careful here. Older Video Cards may not have mature scheduling hardware, and HAGS might cause crashes or graphical glitches. Test it — if anything feels off, just toggle it back off and restart.DLSS Frame Generation users. If you use NVIDIA's DLSS Frame Generation, HAGS is required — it won't work without it.

How to enable HAGS

Before you start, make sure you have: Windows 10 version 2004 or later, a Video Card from NVIDIA GTX 10-series or AMD RX 500-series or newer, and the latest drivers from NVIDIA or AMD (not the ones Windows installs automatically).1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.2. Click System → Display → Graphics.3. Click “Change default graphics settings.”4. Toggle “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling” to On.5. Restart your PC.After restarting, go back to the same settings page — the toggle should show “On.” You can also check Task Manager to confirm slightly lower Processor usage during gaming.

Troubleshooting

Toggle doesn't appear? Update your Video Card drivers to the latest version from NVIDIA or AMD's website. Check that you have Windows 10 version 2004 or later (press Windows + R, type “winver”). Integrated graphics like Intel UHD generally don't support HAGS. Restart after driver updates — the toggle sometimes only appears after a fresh restart.Crashes or glitches after enabling? Some older Video Cards don't play well with HAGS. Turn it off the same way you turned it on, restart, and you're back to normal. Nothing is permanent.No noticeable difference? That's normal on high-end systems that are already running lean. HAGS benefits Processor-limited setups the most. If your Processor isn't the bottleneck, the improvement will be subtle — but there's no downside to leaving it on.

Hardware GPU Scheduling (HAGS): What It Is & How to Enable It

Quick Answers

What HAGS is and how it works

How HAGS affects gaming

Who benefits most (and who should be careful)

How to enable HAGS

Troubleshooting

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