Frequently Asked Questions

What are the system requirements?

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11
• 4 GB RAM
• 500 MB free disk space
• Administrator privileges (for ETW capture)

Recommended:

• Windows 11 with latest updates
• 8 GB RAM or more
• SSD storage

Do I need admin rights to run Arbiter Intelligence?

Yes, administrator privileges are required for two reasons:

• ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) - System-level performance monitoring requires elevated permissions
• PresentMon integration - Frame timing capture needs kernel-level access
• One-Click Fixes - Applying system optimizations requires admin rights

The software will prompt for elevation when you start an analysis session.

How long does an analysis take?

A typical analysis session takes 5-10 minutes:

• 5 minutes of gameplay capture (recommended minimum)
• 30-60 seconds for AI analysis and report generation

You can capture for longer (up to 60 minutes) for more comprehensive data, especially for games with variable performance across different areas.

Will this impact my game performance while capturing?

No. Arbiter Intelligence is designed for minimal overhead:

• ETW capture: <1% CPU usage
• PresentMon: <0.5% performance impact
• No screen overlays or injected DLLs

The analysis happens after you stop capturing, so gameplay is unaffected.

What games are supported?

All DirectX 11, DirectX 12, and Vulkan games are supported.

Arbiter Intelligence recognizes 50+ popular titles with optimized baselines, including:

• Cyberpunk 2077, Valorant, CS2, Fortnite
• Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2
• Elden Ring, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3

Unrecognized games still receive full performance analysis—they just won't have tailored baseline comparisons.

Does this work with anti-cheat software?

Yes. Arbiter Intelligence does not inject into game processes or modify game files, so it's compatible with:

• BattlEye
• Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC)
• Vanguard (Valorant)
• FACEIT Anti-Cheat

We use system-level monitoring (ETW/PresentMon) which operates outside the game process.

Can I use this on a laptop?

Absolutely. Arbiter Intelligence works on both desktops and gaming laptops. In fact, laptops benefit significantly from analysis because they often have:

• Thermal throttling issues (which we detect)
• Power plan misconfigurations (which we fix)
• GPU/CPU switching confusion (which we explain)

What's the difference between recognized and unrecognized games?

Recognized games (50+ titles):

• Tailored baseline comparisons (e.g., "Your RTX 3080 is getting 95 FPS, typical range is 85-110 FPS")
• Game-specific optimization tips
• Expected performance metrics for your hardware

Unrecognized games:

• Full performance analysis (FPS, frame times, bottlenecks)
• Universal optimization recommendations
• AI insights based on your specific hardware

Both receive the same comprehensive analysis—recognized games just get extra context.

What are "One-Click Fixes"?

Automated Windows optimizations powered by our Remediation Engine with 4-phase optimization:

• Phase 1 - Universal Fixes: Game DVR disable, high-performance power plan, GPU scheduling
• Phase 2 - Game-Specific: Tailored settings from 50+ game optimization database
• Phase 3 - Capture-Based: Dynamic recommendations from your actual session data
• Phase 4 - One-Click Apply: Safe automation with rollback support

Each fix shows a risk level (Low/Medium/High) and you can apply them individually or all at once. All fixes can be reverted safely.

Can I compare performance before and after changes?

Yes! Arbiter includes a comprehensive Benchmark Comparison system:

• Save Benchmarks: Press Ctrl+S after any capture to save it as a named baseline
• Compare Side-by-Side: Press Ctrl+B to open the comparison tool
• Visual Diff: See exact FPS gains/losses, stutter reduction, frame time improvements
• Patch Impact: Measure performance changes from driver or game updates
• Hardware Upgrades: Quantify exact improvement from new GPU/CPU
• CSV Export: Export benchmark data to spreadsheets for custom analysis

Perfect for A/B testing optimizations or validating that driver update actually helped.

What is the Experience Score?

A comprehensive 0-100 system health rating with 7-category breakdown:

• Playability (25%): Frame pacing smoothness - the most important metric
• Driver Health (15%): DPC latency, bad driver detection, kernel overhead
• Background Load (15%): CPU stolen by non-game processes
• Thermal Score (10%): Temperature and throttling detection
• Latency Score (15%): Interrupt latency and system responsiveness
• Memory Score (10%): RAM pressure, page faults
• Storage Score (10%): Disk I/O bottleneck analysis

Each category shows what's working well and what needs attention. A score of 85+ means excellent gaming readiness.

Can I export my reports?

Yes. Multiple export formats are supported:

• HTML - Interactive report with charts (default)
• Beautiful Discord Export - ASCII box art with PresentMon analysis, GPU telemetry, perfect for r/buildapc
• Reddit-Ready Format - Formatted for tech support threads
• JSON - Raw data for advanced users
• CSV - Frame-by-frame data for Excel/Python analysis
• Benchmark CSV - Export saved benchmarks with full metrics

What is the Pre-Game Health Check?

A comprehensive system scan that runs BEFORE gaming to catch issues proactively:

• GPU Driver Validation: Checks for known-bad driver versions
• Pending Restart Detection: Alerts if Windows Update needs reboot
• Background Process Scan: Identifies CPU/disk hogs before they cause problems
• Thermal Baseline: Ensures system isn't already overheating
• RAM Availability: Verifies sufficient memory for game + OS
• 0-100 Readiness Score: Single number showing if you're ready to game

Run it before launching competitive matches to avoid mid-game surprises.

How does the Advanced Intelligence Engine work?

Multi-layer AI system that goes far beyond basic metrics:

• Cross-Metric Correlation: Links DPC spikes to specific drivers/processes causing them
• Causal Chain Analysis: Traces cascading issues (e.g., memory leak → paging → disk I/O → stuttering)
• Pattern Recognition: Detects malware signatures, telemetry storms, Windows Update interference
• Root Cause Graphing: Visual Mermaid.js diagrams showing dependency chains
• Predictive Analytics: Forecasts performance degradation before it impacts gameplay
• Per-Core CPU Analysis: Identifies which specific cores are bottlenecked or parked
• Forensic Deep Dive: Kernel-level ETW tracing with microsecond precision

This is what separates Arbiter from simple FPS counters—we find the WHY, not just the WHAT.

What metrics does Arbiter Intelligence track?

Frame Performance:

• Average FPS, 1% Low, 0.1% Low
• Frame time variance and stutters
• GPU render time per frame
• Display latency breakdown

Hardware Utilization:

• CPU utilization per core
• GPU utilization and temperature
• VRAM and RAM usage
• Disk I/O (for loading stutter detection)

AI Analysis:

• Bottleneck detection (GPU-bound vs CPU-bound)
• Thermal throttling warnings
• Power limit issues
• Root cause analysis for stutters

Can I use Arbiter Intelligence commercially?

Yes. All licenses permit commercial use, including:

• Content creation (YouTube, Twitch, TikTok)
• Tech support services
• PC building/repair businesses

You can share reports with clients, use charts in videos, and provide analysis as part of paid services.

How many devices can I install on?

License details will be announced at launch. Check the Steam store page for the most current information.

The software won't start / shows "Access Denied"

Solution: Right-click ArbiterGaming.exe and select "Run as Administrator"

ETW capture requires elevated permissions. If the problem persists:

• Check that Windows Defender hasn't quarantined files
• Temporarily disable third-party antivirus
• Verify your Windows user account has admin rights

Capture starts but no data is collected

Possible causes:

• Game not detected - Make sure the game is running in fullscreen or borderless windowed mode
• Capture too short - Capture for at least 2-3 minutes for reliable data
• ETW disabled - Check if group policy or enterprise tools have disabled ETW

Try running wevtutil gl Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Process/Analytic in an admin command prompt to verify ETW is working.

"PresentMon failed to start" error

This typically means PresentMon couldn't hook into the graphics pipeline:

• Ensure you're running as Administrator
• Update your GPU drivers to the latest version
• Some games need to be launched AFTER starting the capture

Note: PresentMon only works with DirectX 11/12 and Vulkan. OpenGL games are not supported.