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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchStart with your display’s native resolution and a refresh rate it supports, then choose a frame-rate goal that fits your priorities. Use a repeatable in-game scene to adjust demanding settings one at a time, checking both image quality and frame delivery. There is no universally best preset: the right balance depends on the game, your hardware, your display and whether you value visual detail, responsiveness or fewer frame-time dips most.
Set a display target before changing game options
Use the display’s native resolution as your baseline
In the game’s display menu, begin with the resolution that matches your monitor or laptop panel’s native resolution. Lowering resolution reduces the number of pixels the GPU must render, but it can make the image look softer. The difference in workload can be substantial: 2560×1440 contains 77% more pixels than 1920×1080, a comparison noted in NVIDIA’s Control graphics guide. That figure describes the pixel counts, not a guaranteed 77% performance loss; actual performance depends on the game, settings and hardware.
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Choose a resolution based on the display you intend to use, rather than lowering it preemptively. If performance falls short later, test resolution reduction against other available options and compare the image at your normal viewing distance.
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Confirm a refresh rate the display supports
Check the operating system’s display settings and the game’s display menu to make sure the intended display and a supported refresh rate are selected. NVIDIA documents refresh-rate selection in Control Panel, while AMD’s Settings Advisor identifies a display’s native resolution and peak refresh rate as relevant settings: NVIDIA refresh-rate instructions and AMD Settings Advisor.
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Pick a frame-rate goal that reflects your priorities
A higher frame rate can make motion and controls feel more responsive, but it can require reducing visual effects or resolution. A player focused on image detail may accept a lower target than someone prioritizing fast response. Set a practical goal for your game and display, then judge how consistently the game delivers it; do not treat one target as right for every system.
Establish a fair baseline
Start with a preset, then verify it
If the game offers a default or recommended graphics preset, use it as a starting point rather than a guarantee of ideal results. Record the resolution, upscaling mode, synchronization setting and scene you test. This makes it easier to understand what changed when you adjust an option.
Use the same representative scene for comparisons
Choose a repeatable area that resembles the gameplay you care about, such as a busy combat scene or a detailed outdoor view. Keep the scene and camera movement as consistent as you can, change one setting at a time, and note both the visual difference and the frame-rate behavior. A menu benchmark or quiet hallway may not reflect the hardest parts of a game.
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When measuring performance, keep in mind that synchronization settings affect the result. NVIDIA’s FrameView guide discusses average and percentile frame rates and notes the importance of full-screen and V-Sync states. With V-Sync on, measured or displayed frame rates can be limited by the monitor’s refresh rate, so a result may not show the GPU’s full frame-rate potential.
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Find the settings that matter most in your game
Reduce workload where the image trade-off is acceptable
If the game is below your chosen performance goal, first test options that reduce rendering workload. Depending on the game, that may mean lowering resolution or reducing especially demanding effects, such as ray tracing. The cost of an effect varies by game, hardware, scene and the other settings in use; there is no reliable universal percentage to expect from changing one slider.
NVIDIA’s Control graphics and performance guide illustrates this game-specific variation with interactive image comparisons and benchmarks for particular effects and test areas. Its results are useful as examples of trade-offs in Control, not as predictions for another game or a different PC.
Compare upscaling modes only when supported
Upscaling renders the game at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs an image for display at a higher output resolution. It can help when GPU performance is the bottleneck, but the result depends on the implementation, mode, game and hardware. Compare available modes at your target display resolution, looking for both smoother performance and artifacts or loss of detail that matter to you.
- Game-integrated options: If a game offers a supported upscaler, try its available quality modes in the game itself. AMD recommends using a game’s built-in FSR rather than driver-level RSR when the game supports FSR, citing the potential benefit of game-specific optimizations: AMD’s RSR guidance.
- Windows Auto SR: Microsoft describes Auto SR as rendering at a lower resolution and upscaling on supported Windows 11 devices and games. Availability is conditional, so do not assume the option will appear on every PC or in every game: Microsoft’s Auto SR overview.
- GPU and game compatibility: NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and other upscaling implementations do not share universal support requirements. Check the game’s own options and the relevant vendor’s compatibility information rather than expecting one technology to be available everywhere.
Choose synchronization for the experience you want
V-Sync synchronizes the game’s frame output with the monitor’s refresh cycle. It can reduce visible screen tearing, but it may limit displayed frame rate; turning it off can allow higher measured frame rates while making tearing more apparent. NVIDIA explains this trade-off in its FrameView performance guide.
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Test V-Sync in the same scene you used for other comparisons. If your system and display offer variable-refresh or alternative synchronization features, test those as well. AMD documents Wait for Vertical Refresh and Enhanced Sync among its software options, but the available controls and behavior depend on configuration: AMD graphics software settings. Favor tear reduction if tearing distracts you; favor frame-rate headroom or responsiveness if that matters more and the visual result is acceptable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Evaluate a graphics setting by more than its average FPS
When comparing two options, assess the factors that affect your actual experience:
- Image quality: Compare detail and artifacts at the resolution you plan to use.
- Consistency: Look beyond average FPS when the game or tool reports low-percentile frame rates; dips and uneven delivery can feel worse than a lower but steadier average.
- Responsiveness and tearing: Decide whether the control feel and visible image are acceptable with the synchronization option enabled or disabled.
- Compatibility: Confirm that the game, GPU, operating system and display support the feature you want to test.
- Power and heat: If they matter on your system, consider whether a higher frame rate or more demanding settings cause unwanted fan noise, heat or power use.
Vendor software options may be absent or displayed differently depending on system configuration, as AMD notes in its graphics settings documentation. NVIDIA’s game-specific examples likewise show why resolution, scene and hardware matter when interpreting performance.
Use this adjustment order when performance misses your goal
- Confirm the display target: Check the game is using the intended display, native resolution and a supported refresh rate.
- Record a baseline: Use a default or recommended preset if available, and note resolution, upscaling, synchronization and the repeatable test scene.
- Change one demanding option: Test a lower resolution or reduce a costly effect, then compare both the image and frame behavior in the same scene.
- Test supported upscaling: Compare game-integrated or platform-supported modes at the target output resolution, watching for image-quality compromises.
- Settle synchronization last: Compare V-Sync and any supported alternatives according to your preference for tear reduction, responsiveness and frame-rate headroom.
If performance still falls short after reasonable settings adjustments, the workload may exceed what the graphics hardware can comfortably deliver at your chosen target. A graphics-card upgrade is one possible next step, but settings changes are the sensible first check; the examples here do not identify a particular model or establish that hardware replacement is necessary.
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