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Start with your display’s native resolution and a frame-rate goal that fits how you play. Then test a representative game scene, change one setting at a time, and keep changes that deliver a visible improvement without pushing performance below your target. No preset—including Ultra—is right for every game, PC, or player.
Set a resolution and performance goal
Use your monitor’s native resolution as the baseline, then choose a frame-rate goal that suits its refresh range and your priorities. Resolution determines how many pixels the GPU must render: NVIDIA notes that 2560×1440 has 77% more pixels than 1920×1080. That comparison describes pixel count, not a guaranteed frame-rate difference; the actual impact depends on the game and hardware. It does help explain why demanding effects such as ray tracing can be harder to run at a higher resolution. NVIDIA’s Control graphics guide illustrates the relationship in that game.
Decide what matters most before changing settings: stable responsiveness for competitive play, image quality for slower-paced play, or a balance between them. Consider image clarity and consistency as well as the peak frame rate. A setting that raises the average but causes distracting dips may not suit your goal.
Establish a reliable baseline
Choose a built-in benchmark or a repeatable gameplay section that includes demanding action. Record the current resolution, graphics preset, and performance. Use the same section to compare each change; menus and easy scenes can make a configuration look better than it performs in demanding gameplay.
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A preset is a convenient starting point, not a verdict. After selecting one, tune individual options and judge both the image and performance. NVIDIA’s Control guide compares settings such as reflections, shadows, texture resolution, and volumetric lighting, but its observations are specific to Control and its test scenes. They do not establish a universal ranking of which settings cost the most in other games.
Adjust demanding effects one at a time
If performance misses your target, change a single option, replay the same scene, and keep the change only if the trade-off is worthwhile. Resolution and ray tracing are sensible early items to test because they can substantially affect workload, but the result varies with the game, hardware, and scene. Do not assume shadows, volumetrics, or any other setting is always the most expensive.
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Ray tracing
Ray tracing can alter reflections, contact shadows, indirect diffuse lighting, and other effects. In Control, NVIDIA describes options including ray-traced reflections, transparent reflections, contact shadows, indirect diffuse lighting, and debris. The visual effect and performance cost depend on what is visible in a particular scene; there is no reliable fixed frame-rate penalty to apply to every game. Establish your baseline first, then compare the effect on and off in representative gameplay.
Other detail options
Use the game’s descriptions and your own comparisons to decide whether each option is worth its cost. Look closely at the parts of the image it changes, rather than choosing solely by the label or preset. Keep notes if you are testing several options so you can restore a change that made the image worse or performance less consistent.
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Try an upscaler if native rendering falls short
If native-resolution performance is below your goal, check whether the game offers a supported upscaler. Upscaling renders the scene internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs an image at the selected output resolution. Modes generally trade image quality against performance, so inspect fine detail and motion in the same gameplay section you used for baseline testing.
NVIDIA’s 2019 Control guide reported up to 89% higher frame rates with its high-fidelity DLSS mode and up to 197% with lower-resolution performance modes in its stated game and hardware tests. These are vendor results for that particular game and test setup—not expected gains for another title or PC. Read NVIDIA’s test context before comparing those figures with your own results.
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AMD distinguishes upscaling from frame generation on its FSR feature page. They are separate features, and support depends on the game, version, and product. Check the game’s graphics menu and current vendor compatibility information rather than assuming a feature works on every system.
When a game supports FSR directly, AMD recommends using the game-integrated option instead of Radeon Super Resolution, its driver-level alternative, because game-specific integration may provide better upscaling. Radeon Super Resolution can be a fallback, but its behavior and compatibility depend on the system and driver. See AMD’s Radeon Super Resolution guidance and check whether the feature is available in your current software.
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Decide whether to cap the frame rate
A frame-rate cap can be useful when a game regularly runs above the range that matters to your display or when you prefer a limit. AMD says its Frame Rate Target Control feature can reduce GPU power consumption, heat, and fan noise when games run far above display refresh; it can also keep output within a compatible FreeSync display’s maximum range. The appropriate limit depends on the display, game, sync setup, and your preference for responsiveness. AMD’s documentation covers legacy feature scope, so verify whether your current graphics software and hardware expose a supported limiter. AMD’s Frame Rate Target Control guidance provides the vendor details.
Use this repeatable tuning sequence
- Match output resolution to the display. Start at the monitor’s native resolution and note its refresh range.
- Pick a goal. Decide whether responsiveness, image quality, or a balance is most important.
- Set a baseline. Choose a preset, then run a repeatable benchmark or demanding gameplay section and note performance.
- Test individual options. Change one setting at a time—begin with resolution or demanding effects if performance is short—and compare the same scene.
- Try supported upscaling if needed. Compare available modes for both performance and image quality; treat frame generation as a distinct feature.
- Consider a frame cap. Set one only if it suits your display and preference and the feature is supported on your system.
- Recheck real gameplay. Play a demanding section after tuning, since one benchmark or easy scene may not represent the whole game.
The best configuration is the one that meets your chosen goal while preserving image details you care about. If the game cannot reach that goal after reasonable tuning, you have a clearer basis for deciding whether the remaining limitation is acceptable or whether your hardware needs to change.
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