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If a new PC game runs poorly, first check whether the GPU is the likely limit, then change one graphics setting at a time and test the same scene. When ray tracing is enabled, try turning it off; next, lower shadows or the quality preset by one step. If the GPU remains the constraint, try the game’s built-in upscaler or modestly reduce render scale. There is no universal setting-by-setting FPS ranking: the result depends on the game, scene, hardware and bottleneck.
Check what is limiting performance before lowering image quality
Start with the game’s built-in benchmark if it has one. Otherwise, choose a repeatable scene and note average FPS and whether motion feels uneven. Compare the same scene after each change; changing several options at once makes it hard to tell what helped.
Frame rate can be limited by CPU rendering work, GPU workload, or a particular GPU constraint such as fill rate or memory bandwidth. Unity’s documentation distinguishes these kinds of limits and CPU-side rendering work, rather than treating graphics performance as one interchangeable problem: Unity’s graphics performance guidance.
If lowering resolution or render scale makes little difference, do not keep reducing it automatically. That can indicate that pixel processing is not the main limit; investigate another GPU constraint, CPU work or a game-specific issue instead.
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Optional: use a repeatable performance readout
On supported AMD configurations, Radeon Game Advisor can show average FPS, frame-time percentiles and graphs, and offer setting recommendations. Its monitoring may take up to 90 seconds, according to AMD’s documentation. It is an optional, vendor-specific aid, not a requirement or a universal diagnostic standard: AMD Radeon Game Advisor documentation.
Change settings in this order
- Turn off ray tracing if it is enabled. Ray tracing can add substantial work, but the cost depends on the features used and the scene. Epic’s Unreal Engine documentation discusses the performance budget and costs involved in ray tracing: Ray Tracing Performance Guide. Treat this as a first experiment, not a promise of a fixed FPS gain.
- Lower shadows or the overall quality preset one step. Real-time shadows can be resource-intensive, according to Unity. AMD’s Game Advisor also gives stepping down a preset—for example, Ultra to High—as a possible recommendation. The available options and their impact vary by game: Unity graphics performance guidance and AMD Radeon Game Advisor documentation.
- If the GPU is still the limit, try the game’s built-in upscaler. When the game and hardware support it, an in-game option such as AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) can render internally at a lower resolution and reconstruct the image. AMD recommends using a supported in-game FSR implementation instead of Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), its driver-level alternative, when the game offers FSR; game-specific integration may provide optimizations: AMD Radeon Super Resolution guidance.
- If no suitable upscaler is available, modestly reduce render scale or resolution. This can reduce pixel-processing work, but may soften or remove image detail. Unreal Engine’s dynamic resolution can lower screen percentage as GPU workload rises; it is an engine feature, and its availability in a particular game depends on that game’s implementation: Epic’s dynamic resolution documentation.
- Retest and stop when the result is acceptable. Keep changes that improve the experience enough to justify their visual cost. There is no need to set every option to Low if the game already feels smooth enough.
Choose changes by their trade-offs, not by a universal FPS ranking
A useful way to decide is to weigh three things: likely performance benefit, visible image-quality loss and compatibility with the game and hardware. Ray tracing and shadows can be visually worthwhile but their performance costs depend on how each game implements them. Lowering render scale can reduce GPU pixel workload, but sacrifices detail. Upscaling options also differ in game support and hardware compatibility.
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No broadly applicable cross-game test establishes how much FPS each of these changes will add. NVIDIA’s guide to Control reports DLSS frame-rate increases of “as much as 89%” in its higher-fidelity mode and “up to 197%” in lower-resolution performance modes for its tested GPU-heavy scenarios. Those are NVIDIA’s results for that game and its test conditions, not a forecast for another title or a typical player: NVIDIA’s Control performance guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When these changes do not help
- If a modest resolution reduction changes little, another GPU limit or CPU rendering work may be more important.
- If the same scene remains uneven after a setting change, compare frame pacing as well as average FPS; an FPS average alone may not capture the problem.
- If an upscaler is missing or unavailable, check the game’s own support and hardware requirements rather than assuming a driver-level option is equivalent.
- Change one option at a time and use the same scene or benchmark so you can identify the effect instead of guessing.
Epic’s Ray Tracing Performance Guide puts the underlying goal this way: “For projects that need to maintain a real-time performance budget, it’s important to set a frame budget in order to achieve that target frame rate.” That guidance is written for Unreal Engine projects, but the practical point for players is to judge settings against the frame-rate experience they want, not to chase minimum settings without a reason.
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