The most reliable ARC Raiders performance setup is to establish a stable frame-time baseline, use DLSS, FSR 3 or XeSS before heavily reducing image quality, and lower shadows, reflections, post-processing and global illumination before sacrificing view distance. Start by matching your PC to Embark’s target tier, disable frame generation while diagnosing stutter, then add features back one at a time.
Start with the frame-rate target your hardware can actually support
Embark Studios’ official PC requirements define three useful targets. They are targets for specific settings and resolutions, not guarantees for every map, driver or background workload.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
| Tier | Processor | Memory | Graphics card | Published target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | 12 GB RAM | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 580 or Intel Arc A380 | Low settings, 1080p, 60 fps |
| Recommended | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | 16 GB RAM | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc B570 | High settings, 1440p, 60 fps |
| Epic | Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | 16 GB RAM | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 5070 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 1440p, 90 fps with resolution-scaling quality |
If your processor, graphics card or memory is below the minimum row, no collection of menu changes can promise 1080p/60. Use the lowest preset, a supported upscaler and a stable frame cap, and treat consistency as the goal. A high peak followed by severe drops feels worse than a lower cap that the system can sustain.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Recommended starting profiles
Entry-level or below the minimum tier
Select the Low preset, then choose FSR 3 or another scaler supported by your hardware. Start with the scaler’s Performance mode; use Ultra Performance only when necessary because the internal image becomes visibly softer. Keep the output or upscaled resolution at 100% if the menu separates that control from the scaler quality. If the GPU remains saturated, lower the scaler quality before reducing every other option.
#1 Best Overall
- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4 OC mode: 2640MHz/Default mode: 2610MHz (Boost Clock)
- Military-grade components deliver rock-solid power and longer lifespan for ultimate durability
- Protective PCB coating helps protect against short circuits caused by moisture, dust, or debris
- 3.125-slot design with massive fin array optimized for airflow from three Axial-tech fans
- Phase-change GPU thermal pad helps ensure optimal thermal performance and longevity, outlasting traditional thermal paste for graphics cards under heavy loads
Turn VSync off for the lowest queue latency, disable motion blur, and begin with shadows, reflections, post-processing and global-illumination resolution on Low. Keep a modest, stable frame cap rather than chasing an unstable 60 fps. If the game still cannot hold that cap, verify that the PC meets Embark’s CPU, GPU and RAM requirements before spending time on fine adjustments.
Recommended 1440p/60 hardware
Begin with the High preset at 1440p. Set the upscaled resolution to 100% and use DLSS Quality or Balanced on a compatible GeForce card, FSR 3 on compatible Radeon hardware, or XeSS on Intel Arc. Disable VSync and motion blur, enable Reflex, and leave frame generation off while you establish a stable baseline.
If frame time spikes, lower shadows to Medium or Low, reflections to Low, post-processing to Low and global-illumination resolution to Low. Keep view distance High when spotting distant players is important; reduce it only after the cheaper effects have been tested. Cap the game to your display’s refresh rate or to a lower value that remains steady in busy fights.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsEpic or RTX 40–50-class hardware
Start at Epic, 1440p, with the game’s resolution-scaling quality enabled. Test DLSS Quality before enabling frame generation. A high-end card can still encounter CPU limits, shader compilation pauses, thermal throttling or inconsistent frame times, so measure the same type of scene rather than relying on an uncapped lobby number.
NVIDIA reports vendor-tested averages of 3.6 times at 4K, 3 times at 1440p and 3 times at 1080p on RTX 50-series GPUs using maximum settings and ray tracing. Those figures are NVIDIA’s tests, not a guarantee for another GPU, processor, driver or game scene. Use them as an indication of the technology’s potential, not as a promised frame rate.
Settings that deliver the largest practical gains
| Setting | Starting choice | Effect and trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaled resolution | 100% | Preserves the selected output resolution. Lower it only when the GPU is the limiting component; image quality declines. |
| Resolution scaling | DLSS for supported RTX cards, FSR 3 for supported AMD cards, XeSS for Intel Arc | Renders internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs the image, improving GPU performance at lower quality levels. |
| Frame generation | Off during diagnosis; test On after the baseline is stable | Adds displayed frames but can increase input delay and produce artifacts. Compatibility depends on GPU and driver. |
| VSync | Off for lowest latency | Prevents synchronization overhead, but tearing may appear. Use a suitable cap if tearing is unacceptable. |
| Reflex | On; Boost only when needed | Reduces the render queue. Boost can slightly reduce FPS and increase power or temperature. |
| Shadows | Low or Medium | One of the strongest performance levers; lower settings reduce shadow detail and stability at distance. |
| Reflections | Low | High or ray-traced reflections are expensive and usually offer limited competitive benefit. |
| Post-processing | Low | Reduces costly screen effects while retaining core geometry. |
| Global-illumination resolution | Low | Reduces lighting cost; scenes may look less detailed or naturally lit. |
| View distance | High where the frame budget allows | Maintains distant-player visibility. Lower it only after shadows and other effects. |
| Motion blur | Off | Keeps targets clearer during fast camera movement and avoids spending performance on blur. |
How to build a stable baseline, step by step
- Record the starting state. Note resolution, preset, GPU, CPU, driver version, frame cap and whether frame generation is enabled. This gives every later change a comparison point.
- Match the hardware tier. Compare the machine with Embark’s minimum, recommended or Epic row. Check that memory is installed correctly and that the game is using the intended discrete GPU.
- Update the graphics driver. NVIDIA specifically directs players to its Game Ready Driver carrying ARC Raiders support. Install the current driver for your GPU, then restart before testing.
- Choose the scaler. Keep upscaled resolution at 100% initially. Select DLSS, FSR 3 or XeSS according to GPU support, beginning with Quality on recommended or Epic hardware and Balanced or Performance on weaker systems.
- Set latency controls. Turn VSync off, enable Reflex, disable motion blur and leave frame generation off. Apply the settings and restart the game if it requests one.
- Reduce expensive effects in order. Lower shadows, reflections, post-processing and global-illumination resolution. Do not immediately lower view distance or every texture setting; those changes can hurt visibility or clarity without addressing the main bottleneck.
- Choose a cap you can hold. Cap to the display refresh rate when the system can sustain it. Otherwise choose a lower value that remains steady during combat and traversal.
- Test a repeatable situation. Compare the same type of match, route or crowded scene. Record average FPS and, more importantly, whether frame-time spikes or hitching occurs.
- Add features back individually. Raise one setting or enable one feature, test again, and keep only changes that preserve consistent frame times.
Reducing stutter and diagnosing frame-time spikes
There is no universal, source-confirmed stutter fix for every ARC Raiders PC. Stutter can be specific to a driver, CPU, GPU, background process, shader state or game scene. Use an iterative process so you can identify the change that actually helps your system.
Rank #2
- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
- Powered by GeForce RTX 5070 Ti
- Integrated with 16GB GDDR7 256bit memory interface
- PCIe 5.0
- WINDFORCE cooling system
- Capture the symptom. Write down when the hitch occurs: first match after launch, entering a new area, during explosions, or only when many players are visible. A single average-FPS number can hide these spikes.
- Verify the target tier. If the computer is below Embark’s minimum CPU, RAM or GPU specification, prioritize a stable lower cap and scaler quality rather than expecting High or Epic settings.
- Update and reboot. Install the current GPU driver, close overlays and background recording tools temporarily, then restart. Change only one group of variables per test.
- Disable frame generation. Frame generation can make the displayed counter look higher while adding latency or exposing uneven source frames. Compare the same scene with it off and with a stable cap.
- Lower the high-cost effects. Test shadows, reflections, post-processing and global illumination first. Keep view distance higher if it materially improves spotting players.
- Check the cap. An uncapped workload can swing between CPU and GPU limits. A cap that the system can hold often produces smoother input and camera movement than a higher but unstable average.
- Restore one option at a time. Re-enable frame generation or raise one quality setting, then repeat the same test. Keep the configuration that produces the most consistent frame times, not merely the highest peak FPS.
Frame generation: when the extra FPS is worth the trade-off
Frame generation creates additional displayed frames between traditionally rendered frames. That can make motion appear smoother when the base frame rate is already reasonably stable, but it does not remove the cost of rendering the original frames. GameSpot’s testing guidance warns that mouse-and-keyboard players may feel additional input delay. For that reason, diagnose stutter with frame generation off and evaluate it only after the base game is consistent.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Support varies by GPU and driver. The settings reference notes that DLSS frame generation enables Reflex and disables VSync automatically. If enabling it changes those controls, check the resulting menu state rather than assuming your previous latency configuration remains active. Compare aim response, frametime graphs and artifacting in motion; a larger displayed number is not automatically a better competitive experience.
Reflex and latency settings
Reflex is intended to reduce the render queue so input reaches the screen sooner. NVIDIA claims up to a 59% reduction in PC latency for ARC Raiders; that is a vendor claim under its test conditions, not a guaranteed result on every system. Use Reflex On as the normal starting point. Reflex Boost can keep GPU clocks higher, but it may reduce FPS slightly and raise power use or temperature, so reserve it for cases where ordinary Reflex does not provide consistent responsiveness.
VSync remains a preference tied to your display. Off generally gives the lowest latency but can show tearing. If tearing is distracting, use a frame cap appropriate to the monitor and test whether the resulting frame time is stable. Do not enable several synchronization layers without checking which one is controlling the final queue.
When settings are not enough
Upgrade the local GPU
If the machine is below Embark’s recommended or Epic GPU tier, an upgrade is the direct route to higher output resolution and more headroom. An RTX 5070-class card is specifically within the published Epic graphics tier, while the processor and 16 GB memory requirement still apply. A faster GPU will not fix a CPU-limited scene, thermal throttling or a background process, so verify the limiting component before buying hardware.
Use cloud rendering as an alternative
NVIDIA cites GeForce NOW Ultimate running on RTX 5080-class cloud hardware as an option for players without qualifying local hardware. Availability, membership, region and network quality determine whether this is practical. Cloud play adds dependence on latency and bandwidth, so test your connection and judge responsiveness in the same types of encounters where local stutter is most noticeable.
Quick Recap
A practical decision checklist
- If the GPU is at full utilization and frame time is high, lower scaler quality or expensive effects before reducing view distance.
- If the GPU is underused while frames fall, test a lower frame cap, close background work and investigate CPU limits rather than blindly lowering image quality.
- If the counter rises but controls feel slower, disable frame generation and compare Reflex-enabled, capped gameplay.
- If distant players are difficult to see, restore view distance before raising reflections or post-processing.
- If stutter appears only after enabling one feature, return to the stable baseline and test that feature alone in the same scene.
- If the system fails the minimum specification, set realistic expectations and consider hardware or cloud-rendering options instead of expecting a menu setting to create missing performance.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
