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Freedom251 › Blog › Benchmarking

How to Benchmark PC Game Settings for the Best Balance of Image Quality and FPS

By Freedom251 Team · · 5 min read

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Benchmark one repeatable scene, change one graphics setting at a time, and compare both image quality and frame delivery. Average FPS alone is not enough: check 1% lows or a frame-time graph, and label upscaling and frame generation so you know what the numbers represent. The best setting depends on your game, hardware, display, and visual priorities—not a universal preset or FPS target.

Build a repeatable comparison

A useful benchmark is a controlled comparison, not simply a high FPS number. Use a built-in game benchmark if available, or choose a normal gameplay scene you can reproduce. Keep the save, route, camera movement, actions, and scene duration the same for every run. Let loading and shader-compilation activity finish before capturing where possible. A built-in sequence improves repeatability, but it may not represent every situation in the game; describe results from a manual route as a sample.

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  1. Choose a representative scene. Pick one that reflects the kind of play you care about, rather than an unusually empty or demanding moment.
  2. Record the setup. Note the game version, graphics driver, output resolution, preset, setting being tested, upscaling mode, frame-generation state, V-Sync, frame cap, and measurement tool. Keep these conditions unchanged between runs.
  3. Capture a baseline. Run the scene once with the current configuration and record the result.
  4. Change one setting. For example, test High and Medium shadows while leaving everything else alone. Isolating one change makes its effect easier to judge.
  5. Repeat the same scene. Capture it again with the changed setting. If results are close or variable, repeat the runs and compare their typical result rather than choosing the best-looking number. There is no universal required run count.
  6. Compare performance and the image. Review average FPS and consistency measures, then inspect the same scene for the visual details or artifacts affected by the setting.

Use one measurement tool throughout a comparison, and keep its overlay or capture behavior consistent. NVIDIA notes that performance-monitoring applications affect recorded results; its FrameView 1.4 guide says the overlay disappears during capture to reduce overhead. Avoid running unnecessary monitoring overlays alongside your chosen tool.

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What to measure

Average FPS and consistency

Average FPS is a broad throughput summary, but it can conceal uneven delivery. Add a low-percentile measure such as 1% low FPS or inspect a frame-time graph. NVIDIA’s FrameView guide defines 1% low as the average of the slowest 1% of frames and says it reports stutter; values closer to the average indicate a more consistent experience. Metric implementations can vary by tool, so name the tool and measure when sharing results.

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Frame generation and upscaling

Treat upscaling mode and frame generation as separate comparison variables. Where the monitor reports generated frames separately from actual game FPS, record both. Steam’s performance monitor documentation says its monitor can break out DLSS/FSR generated frames and actual game FPS. A frame-generation output figure is not directly equivalent to a native FPS result unless you clearly label the distinction.

Latency is not FPS

FPS and frame pacing do not by themselves tell you end-to-end input latency. NVIDIA explains that end-to-end latency combines peripheral, PC, and display latency. FrameView’s PC latency measurement excludes mouse and monitor display latency, and supported PC-latency statistics depend on game support or integration. Don’t present a partial PC-latency figure as total click-to-photon latency.

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Optional diagnostic data

Power and utilization readings can help investigate heat, efficiency, or a performance limit, but they are optional when the question is simply which image-quality setting you prefer. FrameView logs performance and power-related metrics.

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Which graphics settings should you test?

Test settings individually, using the same scene and capture conditions. Useful candidates include:

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There is no dependable universal ranking of which setting costs the most FPS or matters most visually; that depends on the game and hardware. Compare what you actually see in your chosen scene against its average FPS and consistency. A faster result is not automatically a worthwhile trade if it removes detail you value.

Keep the comparison fair

Control resolution, caps, and synchronization

Keep output resolution, render scale, V-Sync, and any frame cap consistent when testing another setting. A cap or V-Sync may limit the displayed maximum. NVIDIA’s FrameView guide explains that V-Sync synchronizes frame rate with monitor refresh, so a synchronized result does not show the hardware’s full uncapped potential; disabling synchronization can introduce tearing. If useful, make two distinct comparisons: an uncapped run to examine capability and a run with the settings you actually play with to assess your experience.

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Keep upscaling and generated frames explicit

Record whether upscaling is enabled and which mode is in use, and whether frame generation is enabled. If your tool separates actual and generated game FPS, preserve that distinction in your notes or any published comparison. Changing multiple rendering features together makes it harder to attribute a result to one cause.

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Use the same capture conditions

Keep the game scene, driver, measurement tool, and overlay state consistent. NVIDIA’s FrameView product information describes real-time frame-rate, frame-time, power, and performance-per-watt measurement across a wide range of graphics cards, with overlay and logs using PresentMon analytics. Check its current release notes for version-specific support details. Steam documents an in-game performance monitor; available readings may differ by game or system.

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Tools that can help

NVIDIA FrameView

NVIDIA describes FrameView as a tool for measuring frame rates, frame times, power, and performance per watt. See the FrameView product page for current product information and the FrameView 1.4 user guide for that guide version’s instructions and metric explanations. The guide says the overlay disappears during capture to reduce its overhead.

Steam performance monitor

Steam’s performance monitor support page describes its in-game monitor and the distinction between frame-generation output and actual game FPS. Consult the page for current controls and requirements; do not assume identical metrics are available for every game or system.

AMD Radeon Game Advisor

AMD’s Game Advisor support article documents an analyzer that monitors gameplay, produces reports and frame-time graphs, and suggests graphics changes. The article describes a feature introduced in Radeon Software 18.12.2 and lists operating-system, API, GPU-family, and fullscreen limitations. Because that documentation is version-specific, check AMD’s current software information before relying on the feature being available in your setup. AMD describes its recommendations as aiming for “a balance between performance and image quality in the game.”

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Choose the balance that suits your play

For each configuration, judge it on four useful axes: visible quality in the same scene, average performance, consistency from 1% lows or frame times, and responsiveness if a suitable latency measure is supported. Keep the higher-quality option when its performance and consistency meet your own needs; otherwise, adjust settings whose visual contribution matters least to you. Display refresh, game type, and personal sensitivity differ, so no single FPS threshold fits everyone.

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