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The reliable way to increase FPS without making a game look bad is to find the current bottleneck, keep the monitor’s output resolution native, use the game’s own upscaler, and reduce only the settings that consume the most time in your scenes. Change one option at a time, replay the same demanding section, and judge both frame-time data and image quality. This avoids the blunt “everything on Low” approach and works across most modern PC games.
Start with the bottleneck, not the graphics menu
FPS is limited by the part of the system that takes longest to produce each frame. A graphics card can be waiting for the processor, or a processor can be waiting for the graphics card. Lowering the wrong settings produces little or no improvement, while still making the picture worse.
Check utilization in the demanding scene
Use the game’s performance overlay, a driver overlay, or another monitoring tool while playing the section where frame rate drops. Watch GPU utilization, CPU utilization, frame rate, and, if available, frame-time graphs. Test the actual mission, area, race, battle, or traversal sequence that causes the problem; a quiet benchmark scene can hide the real limit.
| What you observe | Most useful first tests | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GPU load stays high and the CPU is not the limiting factor | Use the game’s upscaler; then test shadows, reflections, global illumination, foliage, and ray tracing one at a time. | These options can reduce GPU work without changing every asset or the output resolution. |
| CPU use is high while GPU use is comparatively low | Test CPU-heavy options such as crowd density and the game’s ray-tracing options. Check simulation, streaming, and background processes. | Reducing GPU-only quality will not remove a processor bottleneck. |
| Both fluctuate, or neither is consistently saturated | Repeat the same scene with an identical frame-rate cap and check for thermal throttling, background activity, or a scene-specific spike. | A mixed or inconsistent limit needs repeatable measurements before tuning. |
Do not treat a particular utilization percentage as a universal rule. The useful clue is whether one component remains the limiting worker during the drops. Obsidian Entertainment gives the same practical distinction in its performance guidance for The Outer Worlds 2: when CPU use is high and GPU use is low, test CPU-heavy settings rather than assuming every visual option is responsible.
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Keep native output resolution and use the built-in upscaler
The biggest quality-preserving performance lever is usually the game’s integrated super-resolution option. Leave the display or output resolution at the monitor’s native setting, then select the game’s supported upscaler and adjust its quality preset. The renderer draws fewer pixels internally and reconstructs the image to the chosen output resolution. Obsidian summarizes the trade-off this way: “Fewer pixels drawn means less work for your graphics card, so dropping resolution can give FPS boosts with a small hit to image sharpness.” An integrated upscaler lets you make that internal-resolution trade without changing the output mode and desktop scaling.
A practical preset order
- Start with Quality or the quality-oriented preset. Inspect foliage, thin geometry, text, hair, shadows, and distant detail while moving the camera.
- Move to Balanced if the GPU is still limiting. Look for shimmering, ghosting, crawling edges, and loss of fine texture during motion, not only in a static screenshot.
- Try Performance only when the frame-time improvement is worth the visible change. Measure the same scene again instead of assuming a preset’s name predicts your result.
- Use Ultra Performance cautiously. It is intended for very demanding output resolutions and can show obvious reconstruction artifacts at lower outputs.
Upscaling is not a universal image-quality ranking. The game’s implementation, anti-aliasing, camera motion, output resolution, and graphics hardware all affect the result. Preserve the native output resolution first; tune the upscaler’s internal quality before lowering the monitor mode.
How XeSS labels its choices
Intel’s XeSS Super Resolution Developer Guide 2.0 labels modes from Native Anti-Aliasing and Ultra Quality through Balanced, Performance, and Ultra Performance. The guide’s resolution-specific default guidance assigns Balanced to 1080p and lower and Performance to 1440p and higher. Its preset table also lists Performance and Ultra Performance as performance-oriented choices for 1440p and above. These are developer implementation recommendations for a game menu, not guaranteed FPS or image-quality outcomes on every GPU.
Frame generation is a separate decision
Frame generation creates additional displayed frames from rendered frames; it is not the same as rendering more native frames. It can improve displayed smoothness, but its latency, artifacting, and responsiveness depend on the game and hardware. Test it separately after establishing a stable base frame rate, and compare camera pans, fast objects, HUD elements, and input response. No universal frame-generation recommendation follows from the available evidence.
Lower expensive settings selectively
Once the upscaler is configured, change one expensive option at a time. Record the original value so you can restore it if the visual loss is larger than the performance gain. The cost of each setting varies by engine, scene, resolution, and hardware.
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Shadows
Shadow quality can affect the number and resolution of shadow maps, filtering, and the distance at which shadows are drawn. Test one step below the current value and inspect contact shadows, foliage shadows, and moving lights. A modest reduction is often less noticeable than a broad preset change, but the gain must be measured in the scene that caused the slowdown.
Reflections
Reflections can require additional scene information, especially on wet floors, glass, and water. Compare the same camera angle with reflections reduced, then check whether important surfaces still read correctly. If a game offers separate screen-space and ray-traced reflection controls, test them independently.
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Global illumination affects indirect light and can be costly in interiors, densely lit areas, and scenes with many dynamic lights. Lowering it may change the mood or shadow fill more than it changes object detail, so inspect dark corners and light transitions while moving through the affected area.
Foliage and view distance
Foliage density and draw distance can add both rendering and CPU submission work. Test a small reduction and watch for sudden pop-in, thin vegetation shimmer, and changes to traversal smoothness. If the GPU is already saturated, foliage quality is a logical candidate; if the CPU is the limit, density and draw-distance changes may matter more than texture or anti-aliasing options.
Ray tracing
Toggle ray tracing on and off as a controlled experiment rather than assuming the answer. Its cost changes substantially with the scene and hardware. In some areas, a ray-traced path can even improve performance relative to a costly alternative implementation, so measure the actual title. If the CPU is the bottleneck, Obsidian specifically suggests testing CPU-heavy ray-tracing and crowd-density settings in its The Outer Worlds 2 support guidance.
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Anti-aliasing and sharpening
Driver and in-game anti-aliasing options can trade edge stability for performance. Prefer the game’s own implementation when it is available, because it is tuned for that engine’s motion vectors and reconstruction path. If you lower anti-aliasing, check thin geometry and camera movement for crawling edges; a sharpening slider can make a softer upscaled image clearer but cannot restore detail that was never rendered.
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A driver upscaler is useful when a game lacks a suitable integrated option. AMD Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) is an in-driver spatial upscaler for compatible systems and games. AMD’s support documentation, updated June 25, 2025, describes its compatibility requirements and uses Adrenalin 25.6.1 with an RX 9070 as an example setup; those details are version- and hardware-specific, not a universal requirement for every Radeon installation.
When a title supports FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) in its own menu, AMD recommends using the in-game implementation because game-specific integration and tuning can produce better results. Do not enable both an in-game temporal upscaler and a driver spatial upscaler for the same render path unless the game documentation explicitly calls for it; double scaling generally adds blur or artifacts.
Driver settings worth leaving alone initially
AMD states that, for most users, default driver settings provide the best mix of visual quality and FPS. Start from defaults, then change a driver option only when you can identify the problem it addresses. Global overrides can conflict with a game’s own anti-aliasing, shader compilation, or latency settings and make diagnosis harder.
Cap FPS to the experience you actually want
A frame-rate cap cannot create performance that the hardware does not have. It can prevent the system from rendering unnecessarily high frame rates when the display cannot show them, and AMD says its supported frame-rate target control can reduce power use, heat, and fan noise in suitable cases. The feature depends on API, display, and hardware conditions specified by AMD, so availability and behavior vary.
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Choose a cap that your system can sustain in the demanding scene and that fits the monitor’s refresh rate. A stable cap with consistent frame times can feel smoother than an uncapped rate that repeatedly swings between high and low values. After setting the cap, retest the same sequence; if the machine cannot reach the target, lower the target or continue tuning rather than expecting the cap to raise FPS.
A repeatable tuning procedure
- Record the baseline. Note output resolution, current preset, upscaler mode, ray tracing state, cap, average FPS, and the lowest observed behavior in the problem scene.
- Choose a repeatable route. Use the same save, camera path, benchmark, or 30-to-60-second gameplay segment each time. Avoid comparing a quiet hallway with a crowded outdoor scene.
- Identify the limiting component. Monitor CPU and GPU load during the drop. If GPU load is high, begin with upscaling and GPU-heavy options. If CPU use is high while GPU load falls, test CPU-heavy options.
- Enable the integrated upscaler. Keep the output resolution native and start with the quality-oriented preset.
- Change one setting. Test shadows, reflections, global illumination, foliage, or ray tracing individually. Write down the new value and the measured result.
- Inspect motion quality. Check fine detail, foliage, wires, particles, reflections, subtitles, and fast camera pans for shimmer, ghosting, blur, or pop-in.
- Keep only worthwhile changes. If the gain is small and the image is visibly worse, restore the previous value. A setting that helps one scene may hurt another.
- Set a sustainable cap. Pick a target the system can hold in the worst regular scene, then verify frame-time consistency.
- Save a profile if the game supports it. Different resolutions, patches, and ray-tracing modes can need different settings; keep a named profile or written record.
What vendor examples can—and cannot—tell you
Control and DLSS figures
NVIDIA’s Control graphics guide reports DLSS frame-rate increases of “as much as 89%” in a higher-fidelity mode and “up to 197%” in lower-resolution performance modes under the guide’s heavy-GPU-load test conditions. These are vendor-reported results for that game, hardware, resolution, and settings; they are not typical or guaranteed gains for another title.
The same guide describes a CPU bottleneck at about 80 FPS at 1920×1080 in its tested Control scenario. That example demonstrates why lowering internal resolution may stop helping once the processor becomes the limit. It should not be used as a universal CPU threshold.
Why your result can differ
- A GPU-heavy outdoor scene can respond strongly to upscaling, while a CPU-heavy city or simulation scene may barely change.
- Temporal reconstruction quality depends on motion vectors, anti-aliasing, and the game’s implementation.
- Ray-tracing cost changes with reflections, lighting density, geometry, and the selected ray count or quality mode.
- Driver version, game patch, monitor refresh rate, and background activity can change both FPS and frame-time consistency.
Troubleshoot common disappointments
FPS did not improve after lowering resolution
Check GPU and CPU utilization again. If GPU load fell but FPS stayed almost unchanged, the game may be CPU-bound, capped, or limited by streaming or simulation. Restore the image setting and test CPU-heavy options instead.
The image looks soft or shimmers in motion
Move one step toward a quality-oriented upscaler preset, reduce sharpening if halos appear, or restore the previous anti-aliasing mode. Judge the result while moving; a static screenshot can hide temporal artifacts.
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The game stutters after changing settings
Repeat the route after shaders finish compiling, then compare frame-time behavior rather than only the average FPS. If the new setting made traversal worse, restore it and test another option. Keep driver changes minimal while diagnosing.
Ray tracing off made little difference
Confirm whether the tested scene was CPU-bound or whether another reflection or lighting path remained expensive. Test the individual ray-tracing options and the same camera route; a menu-wide switch may change more than one workload.
A driver upscaler is unavailable
Check whether the GPU, driver version, API, and game meet the feature’s current compatibility requirements. If the title offers integrated FSR or another supported upscaler, use that first. Driver support and labels can change between software releases.
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When an upgrade is justified
Do not buy hardware before diagnosing the limit. A graphics-card upgrade makes sense when the GPU remains the sustained bottleneck at your chosen output resolution and the game’s upscaler and selective settings no longer provide acceptable image quality. The right choice depends on budget, target resolution, games, power supply, case clearance, and the rest of the system.
If the processor is limiting performance, a faster GPU may produce little improvement. A CPU, memory, cooling, or platform upgrade may be more relevant, but the decision still depends on the specific game and workload. A monitor, peripheral, repair utility, or manual is not required for the tuning workflow itself.
Quick Recap
Quality-first checklist
- Measure the demanding scene before changing settings.
- Determine whether the CPU or GPU is limiting frame time.
- Keep the monitor’s output resolution native when using an integrated upscaler.
- Test quality, balanced, and performance presets while moving the camera.
- Adjust shadows, reflections, global illumination, foliage, and ray tracing one at a time.
- Use driver-level upscaling only when the game lacks a suitable integrated option.
- Remember that frame generation is separate from rendering native frames.
- Cap FPS only to a rate the system can sustain; a cap does not raise maximum performance.
- Record every change and restore defaults when visual quality or frame pacing gets worse.
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