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Why ray tracing can slow a game down
Ray tracing adds rendering work, and higher resolutions generally mean more pixels to process. NVIDIA’s 2019 Control Graphics and Performance Guide notes that 2560×1440 has 77% more pixels than 1920×1080. That is a pixel-count comparison, not a prediction that moving to 1440p will reduce your frame rate by a particular percentage.
The actual cost depends on the game, its implementation, your hardware, and which effects are enabled. A ray-tracing preset can combine several effects, so changing individual options is more informative than assuming one setting is always the best to lower.
Try upscaling before reducing several graphics settings
Upscaling renders the game internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs an image for output at your display resolution. NVIDIA describes DLSS Super Resolution as an upscaling feature, while AMD documents FSR upscaling for supported games. Availability and implementation vary by game and hardware; check the game’s graphics menu and the relevant NVIDIA DLSS documentation or AMD FSR documentation.
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Begin with the mode that prioritizes image quality, if the game offers one. NVIDIA’s 2020 Fortnite guide recommended Quality at 1920×1080, Balanced at 2560×1440, and Performance at 4K. Those were recommendations for Fortnite at that time, not a universal rule for other games or current versions of upscalers. Compare the available modes in your game rather than choosing by name alone.
Look at fine edges, foliage, thin geometry, reflections, and moving objects. Check for ghosting or loss of detail as well as average smoothness. If the quality-oriented mode does not meet your performance target, compare a more performance-oriented mode or a lower internal render resolution. NVIDIA’s Control guide describes render-resolution scaling that lowers graphics rendering resolution while keeping the interface at native display resolution; image quality can decline as internal resolution falls.
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Do not confuse upscaling with DLAA
DLAA uses DLSS technology for anti-aliasing at native resolution. It is not an upscaling mode that renders fewer pixels to improve performance, so it is not the first choice when your aim is to reduce rendering load.
Use Ray Reconstruction only where supported
NVIDIA says Ray Reconstruction replaces hand-tuned denoisers and reconstructs pixels between sampled rays in supported DLSS implementations. It may change the appearance and quality of ray-traced effects, but it is not a general compatibility promise or a setting available in every game. Confirm support in the game and current feature documentation.
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Tune ray-traced effects individually
If upscaling is not enough, open the game’s ray-tracing options and compare effects one at a time. For example, Control exposes settings for reflections, transparent reflections, contact shadows, indirect diffuse lighting, and debris. Which effect offers the best visual-quality-to-performance trade-off depends on the title, the scene, and what you notice during play.
- Choose a representative scene you can revisit, and note your current resolution, ray-tracing options, upscaler mode, and performance.
- Change one ray-traced effect, then revisit the same scene and compare both the image and performance.
- Keep the change only if its performance benefit is worth the visual difference to you. Repeat for another effect if needed.
This is a practical comparison method, not a guarantee that one scene captures every gameplay situation. A reflection setting, for instance, may matter more in some environments than others.
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Consider frame generation separately
Frame generation inserts generated frames between rendered frames in supported games. AMD describes FSR 3 as inserting one frame between existing frames. This can change displayed frame rate and perceived smoothness, but generated frames are not additional natively rendered frames and frame generation does not eliminate the need to choose graphics settings carefully. Check that your game and hardware support the specific option, then decide whether its feel suits you.
Do not enable competing frame-generation methods together. NVIDIA warns that Smooth Motion and native DLSS Frame Generation compete and should not be enabled at the same time. The appropriate option depends on the game and the features it supports.
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Compare settings reliably
- Hold the scene and other settings steady. Compare like-for-like gameplay rather than relying on a different game’s benchmark or a preset label.
- Inspect motion as well as a still image. Watch fine detail, edges, reflections, moving objects, and possible ghosting while testing upscaling.
- Confirm feature support. A feature’s availability depends on the game and GPU/driver combination. Menu names and behavior can also change after game or driver updates.
- Recheck after updates. If an update changes support or image reconstruction behavior, repeat your comparison rather than assuming the previous choice remains best.
NVIDIA’s historical Control guide reported gains of up to 89% for one higher-fidelity DLSS mode and up to 197% for lower-resolution performance modes under heavy GPU load in its tested configurations. Those are vendor-reported results for Control and that test setup—not expected gains for other games or a forecast for your hardware.
When settings are not enough
If the game still misses your performance target after you compare supported upscaling modes and individual ray-tracing effects, the remaining options depend on your hardware, display resolution, and preferred image quality. The available guidance does not establish a best configuration for an unspecified game or GPU. A GPU upgrade may help hardware that cannot meet a particular target, but choosing one requires details such as the game, GPU, resolution, and budget; a monitor alone does not reduce ray-tracing workload.
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