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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Start at your monitor’s native resolution. If your graphics card cannot sustain your target frame rate, select the game’s quality temporal upscaler—TSR, DLSS, FSR, XeSS or a comparable mode—before lowering the output resolution. Keep texture quality and anisotropic filtering high while your VRAM and GPU headroom allow it. Lower ray tracing, volumetric effects, reflections, shadows and expensive post-processing first, then cap frame rate to a value your system can hold inside the display’s adaptive-sync range.
The priority order that usually works
Stylized action games depend on clean silhouettes, readable character outlines, stable cel-shaded gradients, sharp decals and consistent motion. A setting that looks excellent in a paused screenshot can still produce shimmer, ghost trails or distracting flicker during a camera pan. Tune for the worst busy scene rather than the quiet opening area.
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- Output resolution: use the display’s native resolution whenever the GPU can sustain your target frame rate.
- Temporal reconstruction: if native rendering is too slow, use a quality temporal upscaler at the native output resolution.
- Texture detail: keep texture resolution and anisotropic filtering high unless VRAM usage causes streaming problems.
- Heavy lighting effects: reduce ray tracing or path tracing, volumetric lighting and fog, screen-space reflections, shadows and ambient occlusion.
- Post-processing: reduce effects such as depth of field, motion blur, bloom and excessive sharpening when they obscure edges or add noise.
- Frame pacing: cap frame rate to a sustainable value that fits your monitor’s refresh and adaptive-sync range.
Change one control at a time and test the same demanding location after every adjustment. This separates a real performance gain from a setting that merely changes the image.
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Resolution, dynamic resolution and upscaling
Native output resolution
Native rendering draws every output pixel at the monitor’s selected resolution. It is the reference for fine line work, small text and high-contrast edges, but it is also the most expensive option. A 4K output requires substantially more pixel shading than 1440p or 1080p, so a game that is stable at 1080p may need reconstruction at 4K.
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- HDR10 provides brighter highlights and nuanced shadows for added depth.
Temporal upscaling
Temporal upscalers render fewer pixels internally and reconstruct the requested output by combining current-frame information with samples from previous frames. The reconstruction can retain more detail than a simple spatial resize, especially in motion, but it depends on good motion vectors and a stable implementation by the game developer.
Epic’s Unreal Engine documentation illustrates the potential rather than a guaranteed result: its example lists 57.50 ms for native 4K and 33.37 ms for 1080p reconstructed to 4K. Those are engine demonstration measurements, not a benchmark for every game or PC.
Choosing among the available methods
| Method | What it does | When to try it | Things to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSR | Unreal Engine’s temporal super resolution reconstructs a high-quality output from a lower internal resolution. | Use it when the game exposes a quality TSR mode and you want a strong general-purpose option. | Inspect foliage, thin lines, hair and fast camera movement for shimmer or ghosting. |
| DLSS | A hardware- and game-dependent temporal reconstruction option. | Try it on supported NVIDIA hardware when the game offers a quality preset. | Compare motion stability, fine text and sharpening against native rendering. |
| FSR | A temporal reconstruction option available in games with a compatible implementation. | Use a quality mode when supported by your GPU and the game. | Check thin geometry, specular highlights and rapidly moving effects. |
| XeSS | A temporal reconstruction option whose best path depends on game and hardware support. | Test it when it is available and compatible with your system. | Compare ghosting, edge stability and frame time in the busiest scene. |
| TAAU | Temporal anti-aliasing and upsampling that blends samples from current and previous frames. | Use it when the game’s own implementation produces a stable image. | Look for trails behind characters and unstable details during pans. |
| Auto SR | A Windows-integrated super-resolution option for supported Copilot+ PCs and the ROG Xbox Ally X. | Compare it with the game’s scaler only when your device and game meet Microsoft’s compatibility requirements. | Check HDR behavior, UI and small text; disable it if the result is soft or unstable. |
| FXAA | A fast spatial post-process anti-aliasing method. | Use it as a speed-oriented fallback on lower-end hardware. | Final edge fidelity can be lower than temporal methods, and the image may look soft. |
| MSAA | Multi-sample anti-aliasing that improves supported geometry edges. | Use it only when the renderer exposes it and you have GPU headroom. | It costs more GPU time and may not cover every form of shimmering in a modern deferred renderer. |
Do not assume one acronym is universally superior. A well-tuned in-game temporal scaler can look cleaner than a nominally higher-quality mode with poor motion vectors. Compare a still scene, a slow camera rotation and fast combat before deciding.
Textures and anisotropic filtering: preserve the detail that matters
Texture resolution controls the detail stored in surfaces such as costumes, weapons, walls and decals. In a stylized game, those surfaces often carry deliberate brushwork or graphic patterns, so dropping textures can make the art look flat even when frame rate improves only slightly.
Keep texture quality high until the game approaches your GPU’s available VRAM. If VRAM is insufficient, symptoms include delayed texture loading, sudden blurry surfaces, hitching when turning and an ever-changing texture budget. In that case, lower texture resolution one step or close other GPU-heavy applications before sacrificing every other setting.
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Anisotropic filtering keeps textures sharper when they recede into the distance or lie at an oblique angle, such as a road, floor or wall viewed from the side. AMD describes its performance cost as small in typical use. Keep it high when available; lower it only after checking that VRAM pressure or a specific game implementation makes it necessary.
Which effects to lower first
Ray tracing and path tracing
Reflections, global illumination and shadows calculated with ray tracing can consume a large amount of GPU time. Disable them or select a lower quality level before reducing output resolution. In a stylized title, the art direction may remain convincing without physically accurate reflections, while the saved frame time benefits every scene.
Volumetric lighting and fog
Volumetrics affect fog, light shafts, smoke and atmospheric depth. They are especially expensive at high internal resolutions. Test medium quality during a dense effect sequence; if the scene remains readable, this is often a better trade than lowering textures.
Screen-space reflections
Screen-space reflections can be costly and may disappear or flicker when an object leaves the camera view. Reduce their quality when reflections are not central to the game’s visual identity. Watch wet floors, water and metallic armor for distracting changes.
Shadows and ambient occlusion
Shadow resolution, cascade distance and contact-shadow options affect both GPU time and scene grounding. Lower shadow distance or resolution before disabling shadows entirely. Ambient occlusion adds local depth around characters and props; reduce it one step if dark halos or grain are more distracting than the added depth is useful.
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Post-processing
Depth of field, motion blur, bloom, film grain, chromatic aberration and sharpening can alter perceived clarity without changing geometric detail. Disable motion blur and chromatic aberration if they make fast attacks or camera movement harder to read. Adjust sharpening only after selecting the scaler; too much sharpening creates bright halos, ringing and shimmer around high-contrast outlines.
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Anti-aliasing problems: jagged edges, shimmer and ghosting
Jagged edges
Increase the quality of the temporal anti-aliasing or upscaler first. If the game offers only FXAA, it can remove obvious stair-step edges at low cost, but it may soften the entire image. MSAA can improve geometry edges where the renderer supports it, although it costs more GPU time.
Shimmering and flicker
Shimmer commonly appears on foliage, wires, fences, hair and thin graphic lines. Compare native rendering with a quality temporal mode, then reduce sharpening if the scaler is otherwise stable. Test while moving the camera; a still screenshot can hide temporal instability.
Ghost trails
Ghosting appears as a translucent trail behind a moving character or effect. It is usually tied to the temporal reconstruction implementation, motion-vector quality or an aggressive internal resolution. Try the next higher quality preset, a different temporal method, or native resolution if performance allows. Do not compensate for ghosting by adding more sharpening.
Soft text and interfaces
UI elements may be rendered at the reconstructed resolution or composited separately, depending on the game. Check menus, subtitles and inventory text at your normal viewing distance. If text is soft while the world looks acceptable, compare the game’s scaler with native resolution or a different upscaler, and check whether an operating-system feature such as Auto SR is active.
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Frame caps, adaptive sync and latency
A high average frame rate does not guarantee smooth control. Uneven frame times create visible judder, while rendering above the display’s adaptive-sync range can reintroduce tearing. Set a frame cap that the system can sustain in the heaviest scene, not the peak rate in an empty corridor.
AMD documents Frame Rate Target Control as a way to avoid exceeding a FreeSync range. NVIDIA documents Max Frame Rate and G-SYNC as tools related to tearing, stutter and latency. A G-SYNC-capable display is designed to eliminate tearing while minimizing added input lag and stutter; a FreeSync-compatible display provides a parallel adaptive-sync option for AMD systems. Confirm the monitor’s supported range in its on-screen menu and specification sheet.
Choosing a cap
- For a 60 Hz display, begin at a stable 60 FPS or slightly below if your adaptive-sync setup requires headroom.
- For a 120 or 144 Hz display, choose a cap your hardware holds during combat rather than chasing the panel’s maximum.
- If frame time repeatedly crosses the cap, lower a GPU-heavy setting or select a stronger upscaling mode instead of allowing large swings.
Reducing the CPU render queue
NVIDIA’s Low Latency Mode limits how many frames the CPU prepares before GPU processing: On limits the queue to one frame, while Ultra minimizes it. Prefer the game’s own latency option when available, because it can coordinate the queue with the engine. After changing it, verify that the frame cap, refresh mode and adaptive sync remain stable; a lower queue cannot fix a GPU that is already fully saturated.
A repeatable tuning procedure
- Record your baseline. Note monitor resolution and refresh rate, GPU and CPU models, installed VRAM, operating-system scaling and the game’s current graphics preset.
- Choose a test location. Use a demanding combat encounter or the busiest area you can revisit. Include particles, foliage, reflections and several enemies.
- Set the output. Select the monitor’s native resolution and the refresh rate you intend to use.
- Select reconstruction. If native performance misses your target, enable the game’s quality temporal upscaler. Start with its Quality or equivalent preset rather than a performance preset.
- Protect surface detail. Set textures and anisotropic filtering high enough to preserve stylized materials, watching VRAM usage and texture streaming.
- Reduce one expensive effect. Test ray tracing or path tracing first, then volumetrics, reflections, shadows, ambient occlusion and post-processing in that order.
- Adjust sharpening. Add only enough sharpening to restore clarity. Back it off when halos or crawling edges appear.
- Set a cap. Choose a frame-rate limit that remains stable in the demanding location and fits the monitor’s adaptive-sync range.
- Check latency options. Use the game’s latency setting where offered; otherwise test the driver’s queue setting appropriate to your GPU.
- Validate motion. Pan the camera, sprint past foliage, read small UI text, trigger particle-heavy attacks and inspect thin lines. Keep the configuration that remains stable during movement.
Common symptoms and targeted fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | First adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Low FPS with a sharp but otherwise clean image | GPU-heavy lighting or reflections | Lower ray tracing, volumetrics, reflections or shadows before output resolution. |
| Blurry image everywhere | Internal resolution too low, soft AA or excessive post-processing | Move the temporal scaler to a higher quality mode, reduce sharpening only if it causes halos, and disable blur effects. |
| Foliage and wires crawl during pans | Temporal instability or aggressive sharpening | Try a higher scaler quality, another temporal method, or less sharpening. |
| Trails behind moving characters | Ghosting from temporal reconstruction | Compare another scaler or native rendering and test the next higher quality preset. |
| Sharp pauses when turning | VRAM exhaustion, shader compilation or unstable frame times | Lower texture quality one step if VRAM is full, allow shader compilation to finish, and cap FPS to a sustainable level. |
| Tearing despite high FPS | Frame rate outside the adaptive-sync range or sync disabled | Enable the monitor’s adaptive-sync mode and cap FPS inside its documented range. |
| Soft HDR image or unreadable UI after system-level scaling | Auto SR compatibility or HDR interaction | Compare the game’s scaler, verify compatibility and disable Auto SR if text or HDR is unstable. |
Hardware and compatibility checks
DLSS, FSR, XeSS and TSR are not interchangeable guarantees. Their availability and quality depend on the game’s renderer, implementation and your hardware. Check the game’s graphics menu and patch notes for supported APIs, then test the mode rather than selecting it by name alone.
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Monitor features matter as much as GPU features. Confirm the native resolution, maximum refresh rate, adaptive-sync technology and operating-system configuration. A stable 90 FPS inside a variable-refresh range can feel smoother than an uncapped 120 FPS that repeatedly tears or oscillates.
Practical starting profiles
Image-first profile
Use native resolution, the highest stable temporal anti-aliasing mode, high textures and anisotropic filtering, and a conservative frame cap. Disable ray tracing and reduce volumetrics only when necessary. This profile suits slower camera movement and displays where fine line quality is more important than maximum frame rate.
Balanced profile
Use native output with a Quality temporal upscaler, high textures and filtering, medium ray-traced or volumetric effects, and a cap that the busiest combat scene can sustain. This is the best starting point for most systems because it protects stylized surface detail while freeing GPU time for consistent motion.
Performance-first profile
Use a Performance temporal preset only after Quality fails to meet the target. Lower ray tracing, volumetrics, reflections and shadows, then reduce textures if VRAM pressure causes hitching. Keep anisotropic filtering enabled when its cost remains small, and inspect text and thin geometry carefully for reconstruction artifacts.
What to measure before keeping a setting
- GPU frame time and sustained frame rate in the busiest scene.
- Frame-time consistency during camera pans and combat, not just the average FPS counter.
- Input response after changing caps or latency settings.
- Static detail compared with motion stability: ghosting, shimmer and flicker.
- Hardware, API and game support for the selected scaler.
- UI, subtitle and small-text clarity, including HDR behavior.
- Whether the game’s dynamic-resolution mode changes internal resolution unexpectedly.
The correct setting is the one that stays readable and responsive while the scene is moving. A slightly lower effect preset with stable frame pacing is usually preferable to a beautiful screenshot that collapses during the game’s busiest attack.
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