For a strong balance of image quality and performance, start with a quality-preserving setup: keep most settings at Cinematic, use Ultra for Model and Shadow Quality, set Volumetric Fog to High, leave ray tracing on, and set Blur Intensity to 0. Use native rendering or the highest render resolution your PC can sustain. If performance falls short of your target, lower render resolution or use upscaling first, then test demanding settings one at a time. This is a starting point, not a promise of a particular frame rate: Pearl Abyss says performance varies with PC hardware, software, and individual settings, and DirectX 12 is required.
Recommended starting settings
TechSpot’s tested recommendations provide a useful baseline, but your GPU, CPU, output resolution, and target frame rate determine whether it will feel smooth on your PC. Where a setting offers a choice, begin with the value below and compare results in the same scene.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
| Setting | Starting value |
|---|---|
| Model Quality | Ultra |
| Texture Quality | Cinematic |
| Shadow Quality | Ultra |
| Ray tracing | On |
| Lighting Quality | Ultra; try Cinematic if performance is short |
| Reflection Quality | Cinematic |
| Advanced Weather Effect | On |
| Water Quality | Cinematic |
| Foliage Density | Cinematic |
| Volumetric Fog | High |
| Effect Quality | Cinematic |
| Simulation Quality | Cinematic |
| Post-processing Effect Quality | Cinematic |
| Blur Intensity | 0 |
| Render resolution and upscaling | Native rendering where practical; otherwise use the highest render resolution your PC can sustain. TechSpot recommends DLSS 4.0 or FSR 4 Native as low-noise options in its tested build. |
These values follow TechSpot’s recommendations, not a universal preset or benchmark guarantee. The game’s official PC specifications say results vary with hardware and software configuration and changes to individual graphics settings. DirectX 12 is required. Pearl Abyss’s PC performance specifications give the official qualification.
How to tune for smoother performance
1. Set a target and make a repeatable comparison
Decide what smooth means for your setup: a frame rate you want to hold, at your display’s output resolution. Change one setting or group at a time, revisit the same scene, and compare both frame rate and image quality. This avoids attributing a change to the wrong setting when several values move at once.
#1 Best Overall
- System: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6GHz 6 Cores | AMD B550 Chipset | 8GB DDR4 | 500GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD | Windows 11 Home
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT 4GB Graphics | 1x HDMI | 1x DisplayPort
- Connectivity: 4 x USB-A 3.2 | 4 x USB-A 2.0 | 1 x LAN | WiFi 5 | Bluetooth 5.0 | 7.1 Channel Audio
- Tempered Side Case Panel | Custom RGB Lighting | Keyboard and Mouse
- 1 Year Parts & Labor Warranty, Free Lifetime Tech Support
2. Adjust render resolution before sacrificing low-impact details
If performance is below target, try lowering render resolution or enabling an appropriate upscaling mode, then check clarity and lighting stability. TechSpot observed noise in indoor lighting and reduced clarity at lower render resolutions in its tested build, so use the highest internal resolution your PC can sustain rather than lowering it automatically. Its preference for DLSS 4.0 over DLSS 4.5 on noise, and its positive assessment of FSR 4 on AMD GPUs, apply to that test build; they are not a universal ranking for every patch or PC.
3. Test the more demanding quality settings
If resolution changes are not enough, evaluate Model Quality and Lighting Quality against your target. TechSpot identified Model Quality as one of the more demanding settings. It measured about a 2% performance improvement when moving Shadow Quality from Cinematic to Ultra, with no further gains from lowering it in that test. Treat that as a test-specific result, not an expected gain on your hardware.
Rank #2
- 8-Core 16-Thread Processing Power – Powered by the Ryzen 7 4700LE processor with Zen 2 architecture, delivering 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock up to 4.2GHz. Effortlessly handle multitasking, streaming, content creation, and demanding applications simultaneously without slowdowns.
- GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Graphics – Equipped with 8GB GDDR6 dedicated VRAM and real-time ray tracing support. Experience smooth 1080p gaming at 55-60 FPS in AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077, 70+ FPS in Fortnite, and 90-100 FPS in Apex Legends with DLSS enabled. The 8GB buffer handles modern game textures comfortably – a step above 6GB variants
- High-Speed Memory & Storage – Paired with 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz dual-channel RAM (16GB), the PC ensures responsive multitasking—whether streaming while gaming or editing videos. It also includes a 512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD for lightning-fast boot times, quick game loads, and ample storage for your game library, creative projects, and files.
- Next-Gen WiFi 6 Connectivity – Stay connected with the latest WiFi 6 technology for faster speeds, lower latency, and improved network efficiency. Whether you're gaming online, streaming 4K content, or joining video conferences, enjoy stable, high-speed wireless connectivity.
- Ready-to-Use Value Desktop – Pre-built and ready to go right out of the box. Perfect for gamers, students, content creators, and home office users seeking reliable performance without the hassle of building a PC themselves. The mature AM4 platform with DDR4 memory offers excellent value and proven stability.
4. Keep settings that cost little to retain
In TechSpot’s tests, Texture Quality had virtually no performance impact, while Effect, Simulation, Water, and Post-process Effect Quality also showed little measured impact. Lowering these may be a poor first trade: reducing Water Quality could remove surface interactions and ripples. Texture Quality at Low saved about 0.5 GB of VRAM in most tested scenes, but reduced texture fidelity; consider it if VRAM pressure is the issue, not as a default frame-rate fix.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRay tracing and denoising: quality has a cost
Do not assume switching ray tracing off will automatically raise performance. TechSpot found that disabling it reduced reflection, shadow, and global-illumination quality without improving performance in its test; in some cases it lost one or two frames per second. For most hardware, its recommendation is to leave ray tracing on and tune other settings. Older GPUs may need the Low preset or other compromises.
Rank #3
- POWERHOUSE 8-CORE GAMING PERFORMANCE — Driven by the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F with 8 cores and 16 threads, boosting up to 5.0 GHz for smooth, responsive gameplay and the ability to handle AAA titles, streaming, and background tasks all at once
- NEXT-GEN BLACKWELL ARCHITECTURE — The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is powered by NVIDIA's cutting-edge Blackwell GPU architecture, delivering a massive generational leap in rasterization and ray tracing performance so you can experience your games the way they were meant to be played.
- Simplistic Design: Enjoy the latest generation of Windows 11 Home for your everyday needs. *MSI recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use.
- Cool While Gaming: In conjunction with an ARGB fan Air Cooler, the Codex R2 features four system cooling fans; three in the front and one in the rear to pull in cool air and push heat out of the PC.
- Turn on the Bright Lights: With the built-in RGB lighting, take your gaming experience to the next level by pressing the MSI LED button to cycle through lighting options. Customize lighting even further with MSI Center software.
Ray Reconstruction and Ray Regeneration
AI denoising can reduce visible noise, but TechSpot found that Ray Reconstruction forced Max Lighting and carried a substantial performance cost in its test build. On an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, performance fell to roughly one-third of the Cinematic preset, with about half the loss attributed to forced Max Lighting. The same testing reported visual issues, including rain fading. These findings describe that hardware and build, not a general result; check how the current version behaves on your PC before choosing the feature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How recommendations differ by hardware tier
Tier-based recipes are examples rather than guarantees. Dot Esports’ guidance broadly favors lower resolution and Low settings on low-end systems, a 1080p native or 1440p quality-upscaled target with mixed High and Medium settings on mid-range PCs, and higher detail with quality upscaling at 4K on high-end systems. Its claims about holding 60 FPS should not be generalized to every PC in a tier. Use the suggestions as a way to choose what to test, then judge your own hardware and target.
Rank #4
- POWERED BY RTX 5070 12GB + RYZEN 7 9700X - The GeForce RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7 graphics card pairs with an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor to drive smooth 1440p and 4K gameplay, giving this gaming PC the headroom for modern titles, streaming, and creative work.
- 32GB DDR5 6000MHz MEMORY & 1TB NVMe SSD - 32GB of high-speed DDR5 memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive deliver quick load times, smooth multitasking, and generous storage, keeping this prebuilt gaming desktop responsive under heavy workloads.
- BUILT-IN 11.3-INCH Smart DISPLAY - An integrated smart screen shows real-time CPU and GPU temperatures, usage, and weather while you play, adding a distinctive and functional touch to your battlestation.
- 850W 80+ GOLD POWER SUPPLY, 360MM LIQUID COOLING & WiFi 7 - An 850W 80 Plus Gold certified power supply provides stable, efficient power with headroom for future upgrades, while a 360mm AIO liquid cooler, WiFi 7, and an ARGB mid-tower case keep the Ryzen 7 CPU cool and connected in a clean build.
- READY TO PLAY OUT OF THE BOX - Arrives fully assembled and tested with Windows 11 Home pre-installed, so your prebuilt gaming computer is ready to set up in minutes. Assembled in the USA, and backed by a one-year limited warranty and lifetime free technical support.
For TechSpot’s full test-based setting analysis, see Crimson Desert Optimization: Best Settings for Performance and Visual Quality. For Dot Esports’ tier-based examples, see Best PC graphics settings in Crimson Desert.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Quick Recap
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.
