Start with your display’s native resolution and a supported refresh rate, then choose a frame-rate goal that suits the game and how you play. Use a repeatable scene to adjust demanding settings one at a time, checking image quality and frame delivery after each change. No preset or setting is best for every PC.
Set a display target before changing graphics options
Confirm that both Windows and the game are using the display you intend to play on. In the game, begin at the display’s native resolution and select a refresh rate the display supports. NVIDIA documents refresh-rate selection in its Control Panel display instructions; AMD’s Settings Advisor also treats native resolution and peak refresh rate as display settings.
Resolution affects workload as well as sharpness. NVIDIA notes that 2560×1440 has 77% more pixels than 1920×1080 in its Control graphics guide. That exact comparison is a useful reminder that a higher resolution asks the GPU to render more pixels; it is not a prediction of a fixed frame-rate loss. Ray-tracing workload can also rise with resolution, and NVIDIA says the effect depends on hardware and what is visible on screen.
Choose a frame-rate goal based on the game, your display, and your preference for visual detail versus responsiveness. A higher refresh-rate display can show more frames when the PC produces them, but neither a particular target nor a graphics preset is universally right.
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Build a baseline you can compare
- Start with the game’s default or recommended preset, if it offers one. Treat it as a starting point rather than a guarantee that it will suit your PC or priorities.
- Record the current setup. Note resolution, any upscaling mode, synchronization setting, and the scene you will use to compare changes.
- Choose a representative, repeatable scene. A consistent area makes it easier to see whether a setting changed image quality or performance. Avoid comparing unrelated scenes as if they were equivalent.
- Change one setting at a time. Check the picture and frame-rate behavior after each adjustment. This makes cause and effect clearer than changing several options at once.
When measuring performance, keep display mode and synchronization state in mind. NVIDIA’s FrameView guide discusses average and percentile frame-rate reporting and notes that V-Sync can prevent a measurement from showing the hardware’s full frame-rate potential.
Find the settings that are costing performance
If the game is not meeting your chosen goal, test workload-reducing changes before assuming you need new hardware. Lowering resolution or reducing especially demanding effects can help, but their costs vary by game, graphics card, setting, and scene. The NVIDIA Control guide uses interactive comparisons and benchmarks to show specific effects in specific test areas; those results illustrate trade-offs in Control, not a guaranteed saving in another game.
Compare the image at your target display resolution as well as frame-rate behavior. Look at average performance and, where available, low-percentile figures that can reveal dips or unevenness the average may conceal. Do not treat a benchmark from a different game, PC, or test scene as a forecast for your own system.
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Decide whether upscaling fits your game and hardware
An upscaler renders at a lower resolution and reconstructs an image for the display resolution. If the game and hardware offer an upscaler, compare its available modes in the same scene and judge both the performance behavior and the resulting image. A performance improvement is not useful if the image quality is unacceptable to you.
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Test synchronization for your priorities
V-Sync synchronizes the game’s frame rate with the monitor’s refresh rate. It can reduce screen tearing, but it can also limit displayed frames; with it disabled, a performance reading may be higher while tearing becomes visible. Decide using the actual game and setup rather than a benchmark number alone.
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Depending on the GPU, display, and game, other synchronization options may be available. AMD documents settings including Wait for Vertical Refresh and Enhanced Sync, while warning that options can vary with system configuration. Compare the result you see and feel—tearing, smoothness, and responsiveness—rather than assuming similarly named options behave identically across vendors.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use a consistent decision checklist
- Image: Does the game still look good at the target display resolution and chosen effects?
- Frame delivery: Are average performance and dips acceptable in representative scenes?
- Responsiveness and tearing: Does synchronization improve the experience or restrict the frame-rate headroom you want?
- Compatibility: Does the specific game, GPU, operating system, and display support the option?
- Power and heat: If these matter on your system, consider them alongside image quality and smoothness.
AMD notes that its software options may not be available or displayed exactly as documented on every system. NVIDIA’s game-specific guidance likewise shows why scene, resolution, and hardware matter. If settings cannot deliver the experience you want, then consider whether the workload exceeds your GPU’s capability; start with the adjustments above before weighing a graphics-card upgrade.
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