There is no officially verified “best” preset for every PC in Company of Heroes 3. Relic publishes minimum and recommended hardware, but the available official material does not compare individual settings, upscaling modes, resolutions or presets on current hardware. The most reliable approach is therefore to start from the game’s default or recommended configuration, create a repeatable baseline, then lower one demanding option at a time while checking the in-game benchmark or the same gameplay scene. This produces a setting that is appropriate for your monitor and hardware without pretending that an untested preset guarantees a particular frame rate.
What “smooth” should mean on your PC
Smooth performance is not a single number. A configuration can show a high average frame rate and still feel uneven when the camera moves over a large battle, when explosions fill the screen or when many units act simultaneously. Conversely, a lower but consistent frame rate may feel better than a higher average with severe dips.
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Choose a practical target before changing anything. Use the refresh rate you actually play at as context, but do not treat it as a requirement that the game must always match. Record whether your problem is delayed input, visible hitching, long pauses when the camera moves, or simply an average frame rate below your preference. The same graphics setting can be acceptable for one player and unsuitable for another because resolution, monitor refresh, battle size and CPU differ.
Relic’s patch archive includes references to visual-state interpolation at up to 30, 60, 144 frames per second or more. That describes engine processing in version-specific notes; it is not a promise that a particular computer will reach or sustain any of those rates.
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Check the official requirements first
Relic’s requirements page, updated February 20, 2025, gives the following baseline. These are published specifications, not independent frame-rate tests. Meeting the recommended line does not establish that your system will deliver a chosen frame rate.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel i5 6th-generation or AMD Ryzen desktop processor, 4 cores at 3 GHz or equivalent | Intel i7 8th-generation or AMD Ryzen desktop processor, 8 cores at 3 GHz or equivalent |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, AMD Radeon R9 370, or equivalent performance | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, AMD Radeon RX 5600, or equivalent performance |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 40 GB | 40 GB |
The Steam listing repeats these requirements and describes the game as “Optimized for DirectX 12 and multi-core CPUs.” That wording matters: a slowdown can be limited by processor work, not only by the graphics card.
- Below minimum: Expect that some combinations of resolution, image quality and battle load may remain difficult even after lowering settings. The requirements do not define a guaranteed playable frame rate.
- Between minimum and recommended: Use the self-benchmarking process below and prioritize consistency over a visually ambitious preset.
- At or above recommended: You have the published recommended class, but still need to test your own resolution, patch version and gameplay scenes.
Prepare a trustworthy baseline
Changing several options at once makes it impossible to know what helped. Establish a baseline that you can reproduce after every change.
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- Record the game version. Patch notes are version-specific, and Relic has documented fixes for graphics settings, DirectX 12 crashes and benchmark-result presentation. Write down the patch shown by your installation before comparing results.
- Choose one display mode and resolution. Keep them unchanged while tuning. A result at one resolution cannot be used as a direct ranking of settings at another.
- Use a repeatable scene. If the game’s benchmark is available in your PC interface, run it consistently. Otherwise, use the same saved battle or a repeatable sequence: identical camera position, zoom, unit concentration and movement whenever possible.
- Capture more than an average. Note visible hitching and the lowest or worst-feeling portion that your capture method exposes, not just an average number. Also record image clarity, shimmering, unreadable unit silhouettes and any crashes.
Relic’s archive confirms that benchmark results are part of the PC interface, but it does not publish a universal test route or a setting-by-setting ranking. Your notes are therefore for your machine, resolution and current build rather than a claim about every PC.
A safe order for changing graphics options
The official material does not establish which named option has the largest performance impact. Do not assume that a particular shadow, effects, foliage or quality-scaling control is universally the best first sacrifice. Use this controlled order instead.
1. Start with the default or recommended configuration
Apply the game’s own default or recommended configuration, then restart or reload if the interface requests it. Run your baseline test without making additional changes. This gives you a reference for both performance and image quality.
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2. Change one visual control
Select one setting that is available in your build, lower it by one step, and leave every other control alone. Avoid changing resolution, display mode and several quality categories in the same trial. Give the game enough time to load the same scene again, then run the identical benchmark or sequence.
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3. Keep only measurable improvements
Keep the change if it reduces the hitch or improves the worst section without making the picture unacceptably soft or noisy. If the result is indistinguishable, restore the previous value. A setting that appears to help once but not on a repeat run is not a dependable fix.
4. Continue until the problem is solved or the visual cost is too high
Repeat the one-change cycle. Stop when performance is stable enough for your target, or when further reductions damage readability more than they improve play. There is no requirement to use the lowest possible preset.
5. Recheck after a major patch
A patch can alter rendering, crash behavior or benchmark presentation. Re-run your baseline after updates instead of assuming old measurements still apply. Keep the previous notes so you can identify a real change rather than relying on memory.
How to tell whether the GPU or CPU is limiting you
Lowering image quality mainly addresses work done by the graphics processor. Large battles, simulation activity and many units can instead expose processor limits. The requirements’ separate CPU recommendations and the Steam description’s multi-core emphasis make this distinction important.
Signs that graphics work may be the limit
- Performance worsens substantially when you raise the chosen resolution or other image-quality controls.
- The same scene becomes steadier after a single visual reduction, while unit counts and simulation conditions remain identical.
- The problem appears most strongly during visually dense effects or camera views that cover a large portion of the battlefield.
These signs are diagnostic clues, not measurements supplied by Relic. Confirm them by changing one control and repeating the scene.
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Signs that processor or simulation work may be the limit
- Frame pacing remains poor after several visual reductions.
- The worst slowdown occurs when many units are issuing orders or fighting, even if the camera is aimed at a relatively simple area.
- Changing resolution produces little improvement in the same test.
If the second pattern matches your system, endlessly lowering image quality may offer little benefit. Close unnecessary background work, check that the processor is not throttling, and compare a quiet scene with a large engagement. Do not claim that a graphics preset fixed a CPU-bound slowdown unless your repeatable test shows it.
Resolution, scaling and image quality
Resolution changes the amount of image data the GPU must process, but Relic’s official material does not establish a universal resolution or a best quality/performance scaling mode for Company of Heroes 3. Treat any resolution-scale or upscaling choice offered by your version as an experiment, not a guaranteed recommendation.
- Test the game at your monitor’s normal resolution using the baseline configuration.
- If performance is inadequate, test the next available resolution or scaling step while leaving other settings unchanged.
- Compare the same scene for frame pacing and strategic readability. Check small unit models, text, terrain edges and distant objects, not only the opening camera view.
- Keep the lowest change that meets your visual and performance requirements. Restore it if the image becomes too soft or introduces distracting artifacts.
Do not describe a particular FSR mode, percentage or preset as the best choice for all systems. Relic’s official sources do not contain controlled comparisons that would support that claim.
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Use the benchmark as a decision tool, not a promise
A benchmark is useful because it makes each trial comparable. It does not turn an average result into a guarantee for every multiplayer map or late-game battle.
What to record
- Patch or build number.
- Resolution and display mode.
- Every changed graphics control and its exact value.
- Benchmark result or the scene used.
- Average behavior and the worst visible or recorded section.
- Image-quality observations, including softness, flicker or loss of detail.
- Crashes, driver resets, long pauses or other instability.
How to compare two configurations
Use the same PC, resolution, game scene or benchmark and patch version. Compare average and low-end behavior when your game or capture method exposes it, alongside clarity and stability. If you cannot reproduce the same scene, label the comparison as uncertain rather than ranking the settings.
Why one run is not enough
Loading and background activity can vary. Repeat a promising configuration and a failed configuration under similar conditions. A setting that only improves one run should not replace a stable baseline.
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Practical troubleshooting branches
The game is below your preferred frame rate from the first minute
- Confirm the active graphics device, Windows version, DirectX 12 capability and available memory against the official table.
- Run the default or recommended configuration once and record the result.
- Lower one visual control, repeat the same test and keep the change only if the improvement is repeatable.
- Test a lower resolution or scaling value separately, recording the clarity trade-off.
- If none of the visual changes matter, investigate CPU load, thermal throttling and background processes rather than continuing to lower image quality.
The game is smooth in small skirmishes but stutters in large battles
Repeat the test with the same large engagement. Because the official material does not identify a single setting responsible for this behavior, change one control at a time and watch whether the worst section changes. If resolution reductions have little effect, the workload may involve simulation or processor limits; a lower preset is not proven to solve it.
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Prioritize frame pacing and the worst part of the run over the headline average. Re-run the same camera movement and battle action. Check for background tasks, thermal changes and patch differences before concluding that a graphics option is responsible.
Changing settings causes a crash or DirectX 12 instability
Restore the last known configuration, note the exact change and patch, and test again. Relic’s patch archive contains version-specific DirectX 12 crash fixes, so confirm that the game is current before treating the behavior as a universal limitation. Do not infer that a setting is unsafe for every player from one configuration.
The benchmark result changed after an update
Keep the old result labeled with its previous version and establish a new baseline. Relic has documented benchmark-result presentation changes; a different display of the result is not automatically evidence that your hardware changed performance.
When hardware is below the recommended class
The recommended graphics class listed by Relic is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 5600, with 16 GB of memory. Those models are reference points for the published requirement, not a statement that either is the best current-value purchase, that either is required for smooth play, or that either guarantees a frame rate. Relic does not publish a current retail-value comparison.
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A compact repeatable checklist
- Verify Windows 10, DirectX 12, storage and the active graphics device.
- Compare your processor, memory and graphics card with Relic’s minimum and recommended table.
- Record the patch version, resolution and display mode.
- Run the default or recommended configuration in the benchmark or a repeatable scene.
- Write down average behavior, the worst section, image clarity and any instability.
- Change exactly one visual control.
- Repeat the same test and keep the change only when the benefit is reproducible.
- Test resolution or scaling separately from other quality controls.
- If visual reductions do little, investigate CPU, thermals and background activity.
- Re-test after major patches, especially when notes mention graphics, DirectX 12 or benchmark changes.
What can and cannot be concluded
The official evidence supports a method, not a universal recipe. It establishes the Windows 10, DirectX 12, 40 GB storage, processor, memory and graphics classes listed above. It also establishes that Relic has shipped version-specific fixes touching graphics settings, DirectX 12 crashes and benchmark-result presentation. It does not establish which individual option gives the largest performance gain, which upscaling mode is best, or what frame rate a recommended PC will achieve.
For that reason, the most defensible answer to “what settings should I lower?” is: lower one available visual control at a time, measure the same workload, and stop when the result is stable and readable. Your final configuration is a documented result for your PC, resolution and game version—not a promise that the same values are optimal for everyone.
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