FrameMaster

Stop guessing at graphics sliders. Tell FrameMaster the frame rate you want, and it measures which settings really get you there.

Poor performance in the WoW: Forever beta usually comes down to a few expensive settings, and the expensive ones differ from PC to PC. FrameMaster finds yours. It tries each graphics setting on its own, measures how much frame time it really saves, and keeps only what is needed to reach your target. Settings that change nothing on your machine are left exactly as they are.

How to use it

1. Stand still somewhere typical, out of combat.
2. Type /fm to open the window.
3. Enter the frame rate you want and press Start.
4. Leave the camera alone for a few minutes. The result appears in the window.

A run tests around a dozen settings and takes about three minutes. Tick Precise for longer, steadier measurements.

What makes it different

• It measures, it does not guess. Every setting is lowered alone, timed, and put back. The baseline is measured again in between, so drift and noise cancel out.
• Least visual loss. Among settings that save the same time, the one that looks least different is lowered first. If a combination overshoots your target, quality is given back.
• Leaves the rest alone. A setting that saves less than the measurement noise is never touched, and is listed as "no measurable effect".
• Secondary lighting is always set to Fair. Community testing points to it as a common cause of low frame rates and crashes in the beta, so it is lowered to Fair first, if it is higher, and stays there through every attempt. It is never raised.
• Knows your profile. The game keeps a separate profile for raids and battlegrounds. FrameMaster tunes the one you are using right now.
• Tells you the truth. If your CPU is the limit, it says so instead of degrading your picture for nothing. If vertical sync or a frame limiter hides the gains, it says that too.

Safe by design

• If combat starts, you press Stop, or the game reloads or loads a new area, every setting goes back to what it was.
• Restore previous settings undoes a finished run in one click, or with /fm undo.
• The exact setting names and original values are printed in chat, so anything can be undone by hand.
• Vertical sync and the frame limiters are switched off only while measuring and restored afterwards.
• No data is collected, nothing is sent anywhere, and no saved variables are used. The game keeps the result itself.

What it can change

Only graphics settings, and only lowering them, with one exception: variable rate shading is a performance option, so it can be raised. The list, with the raid profile copies in brackets:

Settings your client does not have, or does not support, are skipped automatically.

Commands

• /fm opens or closes the window.
• /fm start 60 starts a run for 60 FPS without opening the window.
• /fm stop stops a run and restores everything.
• /fm undo restores your previous settings after a finished run.

Good to know

• The result fits the spot where you measured. A busy city or a raid needs more than an empty field, so run it again there. In a raid or battleground it tunes the raid profile.
• Do not move or turn the camera while it runs. If you do, the measurement is repeated.
• This is an early release for a beta client. Blizzard may change the settings it relies on. Feedback and bug reports are welcome in the comments.

FrameMaster is not affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment.