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There is no universal “best” ray-tracing preset: the right balance depends on the game, scene, output resolution, GPU, and which visual effects matter to you. Start with the game’s ray-tracing settings at your target resolution, measure a representative scene, then adjust one demanding option at a time. If performance falls short, try a supported upscaler in a quality-focused mode before lowering image settings more aggressively.
How to tune ray-traced settings without guessing
- Set your target first. Choose the resolution you actually play at and a frame-rate range that feels responsive for the game. Record the current graphics settings and use the game’s benchmark or a repeatable, representative scene if available.
- Enable the ray-tracing effects you want to evaluate. Ray tracing is not a single uniform feature: games may offer separate controls for reflections, shadows, indirect lighting, or other effects. Start with the effects that contribute most to the look you want.
- Change one setting at a time. Compare the same scene before and after each change, watching both image quality and performance. A setting’s cost and visual contribution can vary between games and even between scenes within one game.
- Try an upscaler before making broad cuts. If the game and GPU support one, begin with a quality-oriented mode at your chosen output resolution. Move to a more performance-oriented mode only if needed, and check fine detail, motion stability, and responsiveness.
- Reduce individual costs if necessary. If upscaling is not enough, lower the ray-traced effect with the least value to you, then consider other demanding settings. Recheck the same scene after each change.
This approach follows the options-and-tradeoffs described in vendor guidance; it is not a promise of a particular performance gain. NVIDIA’s Control graphics and performance guide discusses separate controls including ray-traced reflections, transparent reflections, contact shadows, indirect diffuse lighting, debris, resolution, textures, and volumetric lighting. Those examples show why it is useful to tune individual controls, but they do not establish a best setting order for other games.
Which ray-tracing settings should you lower first?
There is no reliable cross-game ranking. Decide by comparing the effect’s visible contribution in your game with its performance cost in the scene you care about. If reflections define the look of a game, you may prefer to keep them and reduce a different effect; if subtle indirect lighting matters less to you, you may make the opposite choice.
- Prioritize by what you notice. Compare the same view with an effect on and off, especially in scenes where it is meant to matter.
- Use the game’s own granularity. Some titles expose multiple ray-tracing options or quality levels; others offer only a preset or toggle.
- Do not assume non-ray-tracing settings are free. Resolution, volumetric lighting, and other demanding options can also affect performance, as the Control-specific guide illustrates.
Change one option per comparison. That makes it easier to tell whether an improvement comes from a real tradeoff you prefer rather than from several simultaneous changes.
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How upscaling affects image quality and performance
An upscaler renders the game from a lower-resolution input and reconstructs an image for the selected output resolution. NVIDIA describes DLSS Super Resolution in these terms. It can improve performance, but the output is reconstructed rather than identical to rendering every pixel at native resolution, so assess the result in motion as well as in a still image.
Start with the most quality-focused mode available, then step toward Balanced or Performance only as far as your performance target requires. Inspect thin details, foliage, edges, and moving objects for softness, flicker, or other instability. The labels and results vary by game and implementation; there is no guaranteed visual equivalence between modes or across different upscalers.
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DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS are not interchangeable in support or feature coverage. Check the game’s menu and current vendor compatibility information for your specific GPU and title. AMD’s FSR technologies page describes a suite that includes FSR Upscaling, FSR Frame Generation, FSR Ray Regeneration, and FSR Radiance Caching, with compatibility distinctions by feature and GPU generation. Intel’s XeSS Super Resolution developer guide lists modes from Native Anti-Aliasing through Performance and Ultra Performance, with recommendations that depend on output resolution. Its guidance about avoiding combinations with other upscalers or TAA concerns game integration, not a general instruction to disable TAA in every game.
What DLSS features do—and do not do
NVIDIA’s DLSS documentation distinguishes several functions: Super Resolution reconstructs output frames from lower-resolution input; Frame Generation generates additional frames; Ray Reconstruction uses an AI network to produce pixels between sampled rays in ray-traced scenes; and DLAA provides anti-aliasing at native resolution rather than acting as a performance upscaler. Whether a feature is available or beneficial depends on game integration and supported hardware.
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NVIDIA describes its feature as follows: “DLSS Ray Reconstruction enhances image quality for intensive ray-traced scenes.” That is NVIDIA’s product description, not an independent test result. A game may expose only some DLSS features, and implementation details can vary substantially by title.
When frame generation helps—and when to be cautious
Frame generation creates additional displayed frames; it is separate from upscaling and does not mean the game is rendering its underlying frames at the displayed rate. It may make motion look smoother, but judge responsiveness as well as the FPS counter. The game’s implementation and its baseline performance matter, so do not treat frame generation as a substitute for making the game responsive through sensible settings and an appropriate upscaling mode.
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NVIDIA’s driver guide notes that game-specific DLSS options vary and warns against using native DLSS Frame Generation together with Smooth Motion: the combination can reduce performance and cause visual artifacts. Do not assume this warning or the feature’s availability applies identically to every game or hardware configuration.
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Performance changes depend on the title, GPU, resolution, settings, and scene. NVIDIA’s historical, vendor-published Control guide reported “up to 89%” for its higher-fidelity DLSS mode and “up to 197%” for lower-resolution performance modes in its tested heavy-GPU-load situations. Those figures describe that guide’s game and test conditions, not expected gains for another system or a general ray-tracing result.
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For a specific recommendation, the relevant details are your game, GPU, output resolution, desired frame-rate range, and tolerance for latency or visible reconstruction artifacts. Feature support and vendor guidance can change as games, drivers, and products are updated.
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