FRAPS for Windows

Quick summary

Fraps is a lightweight utility for capturing video and still images from your desktop, with a focus on recording gameplay. It can run hidden while you play, offers an on-screen frame-rate readout, and uses hotkeys to begin and end captures without interrupting your session.

Limits of the unregistered build

• The free/unlicensed build restricts recorded clips to 30 seconds each and stamps them with a FRAPS watermark.
• Screenshot output for unregistered users is limited to the BMP format; paying customers can save shots in JPG, TGA, or PNG.
• The paid version removes time and watermark restrictions, allowing uninterrupted recording sessions.

Taking screenshots

Fraps assigns a hotkey for snapshots so you can capture frames with a single press. You may choose between a one-off shot or repeated captures at a set interval when documenting progress or testing visuals.

Compatibility and resource use

• The program runs on older Windows releases (Windows XP and later) and supports DirectX 11, making it compatible with many games and legacy systems.
• It is designed to be unobtrusive: on most machines it doesn’t noticeably affect frame rates or gameplay performance while capturing.

Frame-rate display

Fraps includes a built-in FPS counter that can be shown on-screen. You can position this overlay in any of the four corners so it remains visible without blocking important HUD elements.

Audio recording

When you record video, Fraps can capture both system/game audio and input from a connected microphone. No separate audio-muxing tool is required to combine sound with the captured footage.

Recording size and post-processing

One major downside is the size of raw recordings: footage produced by Fraps tends to be very large until it’s converted into a more compressed format. To manage storage and produce web-friendly files you’ll typically need a secondary converter or editor to transcode the output.

Popular alternatives

• Nvidia GeForce ShadowPlay — a lightweight recorder that integrates with GeForce drivers to minimize impact while capturing gameplay.
• Bandicam Screen Recorder — captures high-detail game graphics using DirectX and lets you save either video or stills.
• OBS Studio — open-source and free, offering powerful streaming and recording tools with extensive customization.
• GeForce Experience — provides performance tweaks for games plus built-in capture and sharing features for Nvidia GPU owners.

Final assessment

Fraps remains a straightforward option for quick benchmarking (thanks to its FPS overlay) and basic capture needs, especially on older machines. However, its shortfalls — notably large raw file sizes and time-limited unregistered recordings — make modern alternatives (many of which offer better compression and more flexible streaming features) worth considering. Recent updates have addressed intermittent recording glitches and some crash issues, and the app continues to receive maintenance fixes.