Versus Boost Windows Guide: Import PresentMon Captures and Compare Before/After Runs

Direct answer: Versus Boost on Windows does not record gameplay for you. You capture with the official PresentMon console collector, import the CSV into Benchmarks, label a Before changes baseline and an After changes run with matching conditions, then Compare runs. Boost reports average FPS, 1% and 0.1% lows, frame time percentiles, and stutters from *your* captures — not a published score invented for your PC. One pair is an observed difference, not proof that Boost caused the change.

This is the measure-after-a-change lane. It is not the day-one scan, review one Safe Boost control, keep the restore walkthrough.

What this post is for (vs scan / review / restore)

The first-session Boost guide gets you to: know the PC, review one supported setting with its tradeoff, and keep a path back to the original state.

This post assumes you already have (or will apply) one reviewed change and want evidence from your own machine:

1. Capture a warmed-up, repeatable scene.
2. Import the CSV as baseline.
3. Apply that one change (restart the game if Boost asks).
4. Capture the same scene again.
5. Import after, compare, and — when you care about noise — repeat the pair several times.

Boost’s product line is blunt: same game, same scene; results come from your captures without generated performance scores. Help #boost-benchmarks is the full workflow below.

Prerequisites before you open Benchmarks

You need three things ready:

1. A warmed-up, repeatable game scene — same map corner, same lobby idle, same graphics path. Random fights teach you nothing about settings.
2. The official PresentMon console collector — Boost imports its CSV output. Boost does not record the session for you, and live Help does not walk PresentMon install steps here. Use the official collector you already trust for frame-time captures.
3. One reviewed Boost change ready to apply — Safe Boost review → Confirm apply, or a supported per-game preference you already understand. If you have never scanned or restored, finish the Scan → review one change → keep restore path first, then come back.

Windows. Free app. One Versus account. You do not need a paid Remap or VPN plan.

Step 1: Baseline — Before changes + every condition field

Apri Benchmarks in Versus Boost.

1. Choose Before changes (baseline).
2. Complete every condition field before you import:

• Game
• Build
• Scene
• Resolution
• Graphics settings
• Driver
• Power source
• Capture setup

1. Select Choose CSV and import and pick the PresentMon capture for that baseline scene.

Skip a field and you hand Compare a mismatch later. Boost refuses mismatched conditions or capture durations — fill them once, honestly, so the compare can stand.

Step 2: One change, same scene, After changes

1. Applica one reviewed change in Boost (or the supported preference you already reviewed).
2. Restart the game if the warning requests it.
3. Capture the same warmed-up scene again with PresentMon — same route, same length habit, same graphics path.
4. Back in Benchmarks, import that CSV as After changes.

Do not stack five unknown toggles between captures. One deliberate change is the only way a before/after pair can mean anything.

Step 3: Compare runs — what the numbers mean

Select both runs under Compare runs.

Boost reports what your captures show:

• Average FPS — central tendency across the capture.
• 1% and 0.1% lows — the painful tail, not just the peak average.
• Frame time percentiles — how frame times distribute, not a single marketing number.
• Stutters — hitch-style behavior visible in the capture.

The result is labeled an observed difference. That wording matters: Boost is showing what changed between *your* matching CSVs, not awarding a trophy for applying a setting.

Step 4: Normal variation — three before, three after

Games breathe. Background tasks, shader compile, thermal state, and match-to-match noise move the needle even when settings stay still.

For normal variation:

1. Apri Compare repeated runs & normal variation.
2. Select at least three before and three after captures that share the same condition fields.

One pair can look like a win and still be noise. Three-and-three lets you see whether the after cluster actually moved relative to the before cluster. Help is explicit: one pair is not proof that Boost caused a change.

Honesty limits and light troubleshooting

What Boost will not do for you:

• Record gameplay automatically — import only.
• Invent a published performance score for your PC.
• Accept mismatched conditions or mismatched capture durations — those compares are refused.
• Turn a single lucky pair into causal proof.

If import or compare fails:

1. Re-check every condition field on both runs (game, build, scene, resolution, graphics, driver, power, capture setup).
2. Confirm capture durations match what Compare expects.
3. Re-export a clean PresentMon CSV from the official collector and import again.
4. If the underlying setting conflicted or restore needs attention, handle that in History & Restore first — measurement does not fix a broken recovery record.

Unavailable hardware readings on Scan stay unavailable. That honesty still applies; Benchmarks does not invent missing frame data either.

FAQ

Does Versus Boost record my gameplay for PresentMon?

No. Boost imports PresentMon captures. It does not record gameplay automatically. You run the official PresentMon console collector, then choose the CSV in Benchmarks.

Which condition fields do I have to fill?

All of them on the baseline and after runs: game, build, scene, resolution, graphics settings, driver, power source, and capture setup. Incomplete or mismatched conditions get refused at compare time.

What numbers does Compare show?

Average FPS, 1% and 0.1% lows, frame time percentiles, and stutters — from your imported captures. Results are labeled as an observed difference, not a published Boost score.

Is one before/after pair enough?

It is enough to *see* an observed difference. It is not proof that Boost caused the change. Use Compare repeated runs & normal variation with at least three before and three after captures when you care about normal variation.

Do I need a paid plan for Benchmarks?

No. Versus Boost is free for Windows with one Versus account. You do not need a paid Remap or VPN plan.

Where does the reviewed change come from?

From Safe Boost (or another supported Boost control you already reviewed). Scan still only reads; nothing applies until you confirm. Soft path: scan, review one change, keep restore, then measure here.

Soft next step

Warm the scene. Capture with PresentMon. Import Before changes with every condition field filled. Apply one reviewed change. Capture again. Import After changes. Compare — then repeat the pair when you want the noise floor, not a single lucky spike.

• Product: Versus Boost
• Docs: Import and compare PresentMon captures
• First-session path: Scan the PC, review one change, keep the restore