Quick wins for a faster PC:
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There is no universal best preset: the game engine, graphics card, processor, VRAM capacity, monitor and selected features all change the result. Use the following as a controlled starting point, then change one setting at a time in a repeatable scene.
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Start with a sensible baseline
The table gives starting points rather than guaranteed performance figures. A 1080p-capable card may struggle with the same ray-traced effects that are practical at 4K on a faster card, while a CPU-limited game may gain little from lowering GPU-heavy options.
| Display output | Upscaling | Textures | Shadows | Ray tracing | Other effects | Frame-rate target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | Native or Quality mode | High when VRAM allows | Medium | Off or Low when chasing stable frames | Leave geometry high; lower volumetrics or reflections only if needed | Cap at the display refresh or VRR limit |
| 1440p | Quality or Balanced | High when VRAM allows | Medium to High | Reduce before textures | Lower volumetrics and reflections after ray tracing | Cap inside the monitor’s VRR range |
| 4K | Quality or Balanced is often necessary | High if streaming is stable | Medium to High | Selective; disable the most expensive effects first | Use Performance mode only if the quality modes miss the target | Cap to the refresh or VRR range |
MSI’s Jerry James guide, published July 30, 2026, identifies resolution and ray tracing as the largest performance categories and summarizes the first three useful changes as matching resolution to the GPU tier, enabling an available upscaler and reducing shadow quality. Those are good first moves, but validate them in the particular game.
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How to tune the game without making it look bad
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Confirm the display and rendering mode
Set the game’s output resolution to the monitor’s native resolution when practical. Exclusive fullscreen, borderless and windowed modes can behave differently, so keep the mode you actually intend to use while testing. If the native image is too demanding, reduce the internal render resolution with an upscaler rather than immediately lowering the monitor output resolution.
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Record a baseline
Choose a repeatable scene: a busy city street, combat encounter or area with the same weather and lighting. Watch average frame rate, the lowest sustained moments, frame-time consistency, GPU utilization, CPU utilization, VRAM use and visible artifacts. The official guidance used here publishes no universal FPS benchmark, so your own scene is the meaningful reference.
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Choose an upscaler quality mode
Start with Quality. If the target is still missed, try Balanced, then Performance. Stop at the highest-quality mode that delivers the required frame rate; a sharper but less stable image is usually preferable to an aggressive mode that produces shimmering or ghosting. DLSS Super Resolution, Intel XeSS and AMD FSR reconstruct a higher-resolution output from a lower-resolution render. Quality modes preserve more detail, while Performance modes trade image quality for speed.
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Reduce ray tracing before broadly lowering image quality
Ray-traced reflections and global illumination can consume a large amount of GPU time. Disable the feature or reduce its quality first when the GPU is saturated. If the game separates reflections, lighting and shadows, turn down the most expensive ray-traced category rather than removing every effect automatically.
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Lower shadows, volumetrics and reflections in that order
After ray tracing, shadows are a practical lever. Move Shadow Quality down one step and retest. Volumetric fog, clouds, smoke and reflections can also be expensive, especially in scenes with many light sources or transparent surfaces. Reduce only the category that fixes the frame-time spike; leaving geometry and textures higher usually preserves more perceived detail.
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Keep textures high until VRAM or streaming becomes a problem
Texture resolution primarily consumes VRAM and storage bandwidth rather than shader time. If the game reports VRAM exhaustion, shows late-loading surfaces or stutters while turning the camera, lower texture quality one step. Otherwise, keep it high. AMD’s current support guidance says texture filtering has a small impact on performance and image quality and identifies Standard as the preferred default, so anisotropic or texture-filtering changes should not be your first performance fix.
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Add frame generation only after the base image feels responsive
Frame generation inserts generated frames between traditionally rendered frames. It can make motion appear smoother, but it does not replace the responsiveness of the underlying frame rate. Enable it only after the game feels responsive without it, and use a latency feature such as NVIDIA Reflex where the game supports one. Check fast camera pans, foliage, particles, subtitles and thin geometry for interpolation artifacts.
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Set a frame cap and configure variable refresh
Use the in-game limiter when it is stable and set it near, but inside, the monitor’s refresh or variable-refresh range. A cap prevents the GPU from rendering unnecessary frames, reduces heat and power use, and helps avoid leaving the FreeSync or other VRR window. AMD documents Frame Rate Target Control for this purpose. If the game limiter produces uneven frame times, compare it with the driver limiter and keep the smoother option.
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Apply operating-system options last
On Windows 11, compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games running windowed or borderless can use Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Optimizations for windowed games. Restart the game after changing the option. Microsoft says this path transitions compatible titles from the legacy blt-model presentation to the flip model, reducing frame latency and enabling features such as Auto HDR and variable refresh on supported displays.
DLSS, FSR or XeSS: which upscaler should you use?
Use the upscaler that the game implements well and that your graphics hardware supports. Vendor branding alone does not guarantee a better image: implementation version, motion vectors, sharpening and the game’s anti-aliasing integration matter.
| Technology | What it does | How to select a mode | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution | Reconstructs a higher-resolution frame from a lower-resolution input. | Begin with Quality; move toward Balanced or Performance only when needed. | Use the game’s supported version and pair frame generation with a responsive base frame. |
| AMD FSR | Reconstructs output from a lower internal resolution, with quality modes trading detail for speed. | Choose the highest-quality mode that meets the target and inspect motion for shimmer or ghosting. | Results vary with the game’s FSR implementation and anti-aliasing. |
| Intel XeSS | Offers Native AA, Ultra Quality Plus, Ultra Quality, Quality, Balanced, Performance and Ultra Performance presets. | Intel describes Balanced as the best balance and lists Performance for 1440p and higher when more speed is required. | Intel’s developer guide gives scaling examples rather than game-FPS claims: XeSS 1.3 Performance uses 2.3x scaling and Ultra Performance uses 3.0x. |
Native AA or a native-resolution option can look best when the GPU has headroom, but it may cost substantially more than reconstruction. Conversely, Ultra Performance can make fine text, foliage and distant geometry visibly unstable. Compare a still image and a moving camera; artifacts that are invisible in a screenshot often appear during motion.
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Which settings cost the most?
| Setting category | GPU workload | Image-quality loss when reduced | VRAM effect | Typical symptom when too high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output or internal resolution | Very high | High if the output becomes soft; lower with a good upscaler | Can rise with larger render targets | Low frame rate everywhere |
| Ray tracing | Very high in supported scenes | Usually noticeable in reflections and lighting, but less than a low frame rate | Varies by implementation | Large GPU-time spikes in reflective or heavily lit areas |
| Shadows | High to moderate | Lower contact detail and shadow distance | Usually modest | Improvement in outdoor or crowded scenes after one quality-step reduction |
| Volumetrics | Moderate to high | Less detailed fog, smoke, clouds or light shafts | Usually modest | Slowdowns in foggy, smoky or storm scenes |
| Reflections | Moderate to high | Less accurate water, glass and polished-surface detail | Varies | GPU spikes near water, mirrors or dense interiors |
| Geometry and draw distance | Moderate; can expose CPU limits | Pop-in and less distant detail | Usually modest | Little benefit when the processor, rather than GPU, is limiting |
| Textures | Usually small once assets fit in VRAM | Blurrier surfaces | High | Stutter, texture pop-in or streaming failures when VRAM is insufficient |
| Texture filtering | Small according to AMD support guidance | Small changes in distant surface clarity | Small | Rarely a worthwhile first adjustment |
The order is a diagnostic tool, not a law. If the frame rate is stable but VRAM is full, texture quality is the appropriate change. If GPU utilization is low while one or more CPU threads are saturated, lowering shadows or resolution may not solve the stutter; reduce simulation-heavy options, crowd density or view distance if the game provides them.
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Ray tracing: when should you turn it off?
Turn ray tracing off when it prevents the game from sustaining your target or makes frame times erratic. Keep it when you have headroom and value its lighting, reflection or shadow improvements more than additional frames. A selective approach often works: retain a lower-cost ray-traced effect, such as a limited reflection mode, while disabling global illumination or high-quality ray-traced shadows.
Judge the setting in the scenes that matter. A menu benchmark or empty hallway may hide the cost of ray-traced effects that appears during rain, combat, crowds or reflective interiors. Make one change, repeat the same route and record whether the worst moments improve; do not infer the result from average FPS alone.
Frame generation, latency and the frame cap
Frame generation is supplemental rendering. It can increase the displayed frame count, but input is still sampled primarily from traditionally rendered frames. If the base rate is unstable, generated frames can make a game look smoother while controls remain sluggish or uneven. Establish a responsive base first, then enable the feature and test aiming, rapid turns, driving and menus.
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- Inspect thin wires, foliage, particle effects, HUD elements and fast-moving characters for ghosting or double images.
- Keep the frame cap compatible with the generated output and the display’s VRR range rather than allowing unlimited rendering.
- NVIDIA documents DLSS Frame Generation and Multi Frame Generation; availability depends on the game, driver and GPU generation.
Windows 11 options and Auto SR
Optimizations for windowed games are not a universal performance switch. They apply to compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 titles using windowed or borderless presentation. Enable the option at Settings > System > Display > Graphics, restart the game and compare frame-time consistency. Supported displays may also gain variable-refresh and Auto HDR behavior through the newer presentation model.
Microsoft’s Automatic Super Resolution, or Auto SR, has narrower requirements. Microsoft limits it to supported Copilot+ PCs and the ROG Xbox Ally X, Windows 11 version 24H2 or later, compatible DirectX 10 or newer games and supported resolutions. Treat it as a platform-specific option, not a replacement for the upscaler built into every game. When available, it renders at a lower resolution and upscales to a higher one to trade some internal detail for smoother performance.
How to diagnose common problems
The game is slow everywhere
- Check that the selected output resolution is appropriate for the GPU.
- Switch from Native AA to the highest practical Quality upscaling mode.
- Disable or reduce ray tracing, then retest shadows.
- If GPU utilization remains low, investigate a CPU limit, background process or power-management setting instead of lowering every visual option.
Only certain locations stutter
- Repeat the same route and watch frame time rather than average FPS.
- Lower volumetrics, reflections or ray-traced lighting if the locations contain fog, smoke, water or many light sources.
- Check VRAM and texture streaming. Lower textures only when the evidence points to memory pressure.
The image looks blurry or shimmers
- Move from Performance to Balanced or Quality upscaling.
- Check the game’s sharpening control and disable excessive sharpening that creates halos.
- Compare Native AA with Quality mode in motion, not only in a still screenshot.
Controls feel delayed after enabling frame generation
- Disable frame generation and verify that the base frame rate is responsive.
- Enable the supported latency-reduction feature.
- Use a stable cap inside the VRR range and reassess fast camera movement.
Textures pop in or surfaces remain blurry
- Confirm that the graphics card has enough free VRAM and that the game is not reporting allocation failures.
- Lower texture quality one step and allow the game to rebuild or reload its streaming cache if it offers that option.
- Do not expect lower texture filtering to solve a VRAM shortage; AMD classifies its performance impact as small.
A repeatable tuning checklist
- Write down the monitor’s native resolution, refresh rate and VRR range.
- Choose fullscreen, borderless or windowed mode and keep it unchanged during the comparison.
- Run the same scene for each test and record frame time, GPU load, CPU load, VRAM use and visible artifacts.
- Set native output resolution and begin with the highest-quality available upscaler mode.
- Change ray tracing first, then shadows, volumetrics and reflections, one category at a time.
- Keep textures high unless VRAM or streaming behavior shows a problem.
- Test frame generation only after the base presentation is responsive, then check latency and motion artifacts.
- Set an in-game frame cap within the monitor’s refresh or VRR range.
- Apply Windows 11 windowed-game optimization or Auto SR only when the game’s API, operating-system version, device and display meet the stated requirements.
- Save the configuration that gives consistent frame times in the hardest scene you actually play, not the highest number in an easy corridor.
These choices balance GPU workload, image quality, VRAM use, latency, motion artifacts and hardware compatibility. Because engines and patches differ, the best final preset is the one that remains stable in your game’s most demanding repeatable scene while preserving the settings you notice most.
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