The Tool Desk
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What you are optimizing
A shooter feels responsive when it delivers frames consistently, accepts input promptly, and keeps moving targets clear enough to track. A higher average frame-rate number is useful, but it is not the whole result. Compare four things in the same gameplay conditions:
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- Frame rate and consistency: Does motion remain steady during fights, explosions, and rapid camera turns?
- Input responsiveness: Does the reticle react when you move the mouse or stick, without an obvious delay?
- Visual clarity: Can you distinguish opponents, cover, effects, and distant geometry at your normal viewing distance?
- Tearing and smoothness: Does the display show split frames, judder, or uneven pacing?
Do not treat an average FPS reading alone as proof of lower input latency. A setting can raise the average while introducing distracting frame-time spikes, or it can improve smoothness without changing the average much. The right result is the fastest, steadiest image you can play accurately on your particular PC and display.
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Before changing anything, establish a baseline
Make a record you can return to. Open the game’s Settings or Options menu, then its Video, Graphics, or Display page. Write down the current resolution, display mode, refresh-rate choice, V-Sync state, frame-rate limit if the game exposes one, upscaling or image-enhancement options, and every quality setting. Take a screenshot if the game has many pages.
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Choose a repeatable test. A practice range, replay, benchmark scene, or the same map area is preferable to comparing two unrelated matches. If the game has no benchmark, use the same route for a fixed period and repeat it after every change. Include the situations that normally cause trouble: a busy firefight, smoke or particle effects, a quick turn, and a view with many players or objects. Record what you observe rather than borrowing numbers from another PC; the cited guidance provides no cross-game benchmark that can predict your result.
Change only a few related options at first. Riot Games Support specifically recommends lowering a few settings at a time, testing again, and gradually turning settings back up. That approach tells you which change helped and prevents a large quality drop that you cannot explain.
A repeatable tuning procedure
- Open the graphics menu. Use the game’s Settings > Video/Graphics path. If the game separates display and quality pages, inspect both before changing anything.
- Save the baseline. Record the values and your display mode. Note whether the problem is low frame rate, hitching, tearing, blur, or delayed-feeling input.
- Lower a small group of demanding options. Start with shadows, effects or particles, environment/detail/material quality, anti-aliasing or image-enhancement effects, and textures. Names differ between games, so use the closest matching labels.
- Apply the settings and repeat the same test. Give the game time to compile shaders or stream assets if it normally does so after a change. Compare the same scene and the same type of movement.
- Keep useful changes and undo unacceptable ones. If motion is steadier but an image becomes too soft or loses important detail, restore that individual setting and test the next candidate instead.
- Try display settings separately. Compare fullscreen with the current borderless or windowed mode where the game offers all three. Riot notes that fullscreen may improve performance on some systems, but not every system.
- Only then test synchronization and latency features. V-Sync, variable refresh, Reflex, Anti-Lag, Boost, and Chill change the way frames are scheduled. Evaluate them with the monitor you actually use.
- Use resolution as a final performance lever. Lower it only after less visible compromises fail to meet your target, because the image-quality change is more noticeable.
- Lock in a profile. Save the final settings or take a new screenshot. Keep a second quality-oriented profile if you also play slower games or record footage.
Which graphics settings to lower first
There is no universal ranking of FPS gains across shooters. The following order is a practical starting group identified by Riot Games Support, not a promise that every option will have the same cost on your hardware.
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| Setting group | Why test it early | What to watch for | Decision rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadows | Dynamic shadows can require substantial rendering work in scenes with many lights and objects. | Changes in depth cues, contact shadows, and the readability of cover. | Lower one step, replay the same dark and outdoor areas, and keep the higher value if the extra definition helps you aim. |
| Effects and particles | Explosions, smoke, sparks, and other effects can become expensive during the exact moments when a fight is busiest. | Clarity during explosions and whether effects become visually distracting or too sparse. | Prefer the lowest value that leaves opponents and important ability effects distinguishable. |
| Environment, detail, or material quality | These labels often control the complexity or surface detail of world objects. | Pop-in, simplified geometry, and loss of useful visual landmarks. | Reduce gradually; restore a step if the map becomes harder to read or navigation cues disappear. |
| Anti-aliasing and image-enhancement effects | Edge smoothing and enhancement can consume rendering time or alter sharpness. | Jagged edges, shimmering during movement, oversharpening, or a soft image. | Compare while strafing and turning, not only on a static screenshot. |
| Textures | Texture quality is an explicit candidate in Riot’s guide when performance is insufficient. | Surface clarity, texture streaming, and whether the image becomes muddy at normal viewing distance. | Lower only as far as needed; if the game remains smooth at a higher value, retain the detail you can see. |
Change settings in small groups, then isolate the best compromise. Lowering every slider at once may produce a faster game, but it removes your ability to identify which visual sacrifice mattered.
Shadows
Start with a single step rather than immediately choosing the minimum. Shadows can contribute to depth and help you read whether an opponent is behind cover, so the fastest option is not automatically the clearest option. Test a bright outdoor view and a darker interior or corridor. If the game has separate contact-shadow, sun-shadow, or local-light controls, treat each as an independent experiment; the names and costs are game-specific.
Effects and particles
Busy fights are the important test. Fire an ability, stand near smoke or debris, or use the game’s practice tools to reproduce the visual load that causes drops. Lowering effects can improve the worst moments, but an aggressive setting may also remove visual cues. Keep enough detail to distinguish an opponent from the effect surrounding them.
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Environment, detail, and materials
These options may be grouped under different labels. Walk through a dense area and inspect medium-distance geometry, signs, props, and surfaces while moving. A setting that looks identical in a menu preview may change object complexity or texture detail once you move through the level. Reduce one step, repeat the route, and restore it if the lower value makes landmarks or cover harder to identify.
Anti-aliasing and image enhancement
Evaluate edge treatment while the camera is moving. Static views can hide shimmering, crawling edges, and excessive sharpening. If a lower anti-aliasing level makes distant targets unstable, compare an intermediate value with any separate sharpening or enhancement control rather than assuming the minimum is best.
Textures
Texture quality often changes surface detail more than object shape. Lower it when you still need performance after testing the other groups, or when the game’s own guidance identifies it as a demanding option. Inspect weapons, walls, and terrain at the distance where you normally make decisions. Retain the higher value if your system remains consistent and the extra detail improves target recognition.
Resolution and display mode
Keep native resolution when practical
Native resolution preserves the sharpness your monitor is designed to display. Lowering resolution reduces the amount of image data the game must render, so it can be an effective fallback when other changes do not meet your performance goal. Riot’s guidance also warns that the image-quality impact is more noticeable. Expect softer text, less distinct edges, and a greater need to judge targets through a lower-detail image.
Do not lower resolution simply because a competitive player or a generic preset does. Test native resolution first, then compare one lower option in the same scene. If the lower image makes target identification harder, the performance improvement may not be worth it for you.
Compare fullscreen, borderless, and windowed modes
Use the game’s display-mode selector and test the modes it provides. Fullscreen can improve performance on some systems, according to Riot Games Support, but it is not guaranteed to help every PC. Borderless mode may be more convenient for switching applications, while windowed mode can introduce its own desktop-composition behavior. Judge the mode by the repeatable test, not by its name.
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V-Sync, variable refresh, and latency controls
Synchronization choices are separate from texture or shadow quality. They affect how completed frames are presented and how tearing is handled, so evaluate them after you have a stable graphics baseline.
V-Sync: tearing versus possible delay
V-Sync synchronizes frame output with the monitor’s refresh cycle and can prevent visible tearing. NVIDIA’s system-latency guide recommends turning V-Sync off if you accept tearing, because synchronization can add latency. Riot Games Support recommends testing both states and choosing according to the actual game, monitor, and tolerance for tearing. There is no correct switch for every setup.
To test it, run the same movement sequence with V-Sync on, then off. Look at a fast horizontal pan and at the moment you make a precise turn. If off feels more immediate but tearing is distracting, try a variable-refresh configuration if your monitor and GPU support one. If on looks cleaner and the delay is not noticeable to you, the visual stability may be the better trade.
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Variable refresh and a G-SYNC path
Variable-refresh displays can adjust their refresh timing to the frame output within their supported range. NVIDIA describes a G-SYNC plus V-Sync plus Reflex configuration as a tear-free route that keeps latency low, while noting that uncapped FPS with Reflex can have slightly lower latency. Treat that as a configuration to test, not a guarantee: the game, monitor range, driver, and frame rate all matter.
Confirm that variable refresh is enabled both in the monitor’s controls and in the operating-system or driver display settings when your setup requires both. If the game offers its own V-Sync or frame limiter, change one control at a time so you know which layer altered the result. Options vary by hardware and by game.
NVIDIA Reflex and driver latency modes
If a supported game exposes NVIDIA Reflex, NVIDIA’s guide says it highly recommends turning it on. Reflex is a game-level feature, so it will not appear in every title or on every GPU. The same guide says Reflex overrides the driver’s Ultra Low Latency setting when both are enabled; do not assume enabling both stacks their effects. Test the game’s Reflex choices, such as an enabled or enabled-plus-boost option when offered, and keep the one that behaves consistently on your system.
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AMD Anti-Lag, Boost, and Chill
AMD describes Radeon Anti-Lag as dynamically adjusting frame timing, Radeon Boost as changing resolution in response to input in supported games, and Radeon Chill as regulating frame rate. Availability depends on the driver, GPU, and game. AMD’s referenced documentation also notes that Chill does not interoperate with Anti-Lag and/or Boost. Therefore, do not enable every switch by default: select a supported feature, test it, and avoid combinations the driver identifies as incompatible.
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A game cannot display more refreshes than the active display mode allows. Check the operating system and the game so the monitor is using its maximum supported refresh rate. In Windows, open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, select the intended monitor, and inspect the refresh-rate control. Then open the game’s display settings and choose the corresponding supported value if the game exposes one.
NVIDIA explains that a higher refresh rate reduces scanout latency. This is a limit to understand, not a reason every player must buy a new monitor. If your current display already runs at its maximum supported rate, changing graphics settings cannot make that panel refresh faster. If the operating system is set below the monitor’s capability, correct that configuration before judging responsiveness.
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If the game is slow everywhere
Lower one or two of the early candidate settings, beginning with shadows, effects, detail or materials, anti-aliasing, and textures. Repeat the same route. If the result is still insufficient, compare a lower resolution and accept that the visual change is larger. Keep the setting that improves play rather than merely producing a bigger number.
If only firefights cause drops
Reproduce a busy scene with effects and particles. Prioritize effects, shadows, and any detail controls that affect many objects at once. Test the moment of the drop, not an empty corridor. A setting that seems inexpensive while standing still may matter most when several players and effects appear together.
If average FPS looks high but aiming feels inconsistent
Focus on frame consistency, presentation mode, synchronization, and latency features. Repeat the same camera turns and input actions. Compare V-Sync states, then test a supported variable-refresh or Reflex configuration. Do not conclude that the highest average FPS is the lowest-latency option without checking how the game actually feels.
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If the picture is too blurry after tuning
Restore native resolution first. Then raise anti-aliasing or texture quality one step at a time, and inspect sharpening or image-enhancement controls while moving. Keep the highest clarity you can afford after the demanding options have been tuned. Resolution reduction is the most noticeable compromise identified in Riot’s guidance, so it should not be your first automatic change.
If tearing appears
Test V-Sync on and off in the same scene. V-Sync can remove tearing but may add latency; off can feel more immediate but may show split frames. If your monitor and GPU support variable refresh, evaluate the documented combination for your hardware instead of assuming a universal solution.
If a feature is missing
Check whether the game, GPU, monitor, and current driver support it. Reflex, Radeon Anti-Lag, Radeon Boost, Radeon Chill, and variable-refresh modes are not universal. A missing menu item is usually a compatibility or implementation difference, not a setting you should force through an unrelated option.
Build two useful profiles instead of one extreme preset
Responsive competitive profile
Start from native resolution if it remains readable. Lower shadows, effects, detail or materials, anti-aliasing, or textures only where your repeatable test shows a benefit. Choose fullscreen if it performs better on your system. Test V-Sync off if you accept tearing; if you use a compatible variable-refresh display, evaluate the supported low-latency configuration. Enable Reflex or an AMD feature only when the game and hardware support it, and avoid incompatible combinations.
Clarity-first profile
Keep native resolution and retain higher textures, anti-aliasing, or material detail when they improve target recognition. Lower the settings that affect busy scenes first if you still need consistency. Use the synchronization mode that gives you acceptable smoothness and latency. This profile is useful when the game is visually readable already and your priority is preserving detail rather than minimizing every setting.
The names and exact controls differ by title. Save both profiles if the game supports presets, or keep screenshots so a patch or driver change can be reversed quickly.
Common mistakes and recoveries
- Changing everything at once: Restore the baseline screenshot, then change one small group at a time.
- Copying a streamer’s preset: Use it only as a list of options to investigate. Hardware, monitor, game version, and visual preferences differ.
- Lowering resolution first: Re-test shadows, effects, detail, anti-aliasing, and textures before accepting a softer image.
- Judging from an empty map: Reproduce the crowded fight or effect-heavy scene that actually causes trouble.
- Equating average FPS with latency: Compare input response and frame consistency as well as the displayed FPS.
- Enabling every vendor feature: Check support and documented interactions. AMD specifically notes that Chill does not interoperate with Anti-Lag and/or Boost, while NVIDIA says Reflex overrides driver Ultra Low Latency when both are enabled.
- Ignoring the display setting: Verify the operating system and game refresh-rate selections before changing quality sliders.
- Forgetting your baseline: Keep a screenshot or written list so you can recover after a game update, driver change, or accidental reset.
A practical test sheet
Use a short log for each pass. It keeps subjective impressions tied to a specific change and prevents you from chasing a number that does not improve play.
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|---|---|
| Scene or mode | The map, practice route, replay, or match situation used every time. |
| Graphics change | The exact option and old/new value, such as shadows from high to medium. |
| Observed performance | Whether motion was steadier, unchanged, or worse; include any hitching during effects. |
| Input feel | Whether camera turns and firing actions felt more immediate, less immediate, or unchanged. |
| Image quality | Changes to target edges, textures, shadows, smoke, and distant detail. |
| Presentation | Display mode, refresh rate, V-Sync state, variable-refresh state, and supported latency feature. |
| Decision | Keep, restore, or retest after isolating the option from the rest of the group. |
Decision rule for future patches and driver updates
When a game update changes performance, return to the same controlled process rather than assuming the old preset still applies. Capture the current configuration, repeat the known test scene, and alter only the settings connected to the new symptom. If a driver adds or removes a latency feature, verify support and test the feature independently. Keep the profile that gives you stable motion, acceptable input response, readable targets, and tolerable tearing on your actual display.
The durable method is settings-first and evidence-based: adjust a few demanding options, test under identical conditions, restore what harms clarity, and reserve resolution changes for the point where their visible cost is justified. That is why Riot Games Support’s advice to start by lowering a few settings and testing again is more reliable than any universal preset.
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