reducing the amount of visible polygons would increase some peformance but might not be visible on your system because:
if your model files are very large in polys, it would be still keeping the framerate down.
if your model files are DBO they will load a whole lot faster as well.
if your texture files are too large
if your coding is stupid and spaghetti coded
your video card probably plays a big role in performance.
do a test adding one polygon to the screen at a time and watch the fps until it starts to drop. this will give you a little insight to your machines performance. factor in a few extra loops for your game and you will see a result.
If no-one gives your an answer to a question you have asked, consider:- Is your question clear.- Did you ask nicely.- Are you showing any effort to solve the problem yourself 