FPS Benchmark Settings (2026)
Per-game optimization settings for 8 popular titles, plus NVIDIA, AMD, and Windows tweaks to squeeze every frame out of your hardware.
FPS settings guides that tell you to "just set everything to low" are useless. Some settings tank your frame rate with barely any visual improvement. Others look dramatically better and cost you almost nothing. The trick is knowing which is which — and it's different for every game.
We benchmarked 8 of the most popular PC games and documented exactly which settings have the highest FPS impact, what competitive players actually use, and the optimal balance between visuals and performance. Every recommendation below is based on real testing, not guesswork.
Per-Game FPS Settings
For each game, we list every important graphics setting with its FPS impact and our competitive recommendation. High FPS impact means changing this setting will noticeably affect your frame rate. Recommended for competitive shows what we'd set for maximum FPS without making the game unplayable.
Fortnite Unreal Engine 5
Chapter 6 shifted to UE5, making optimization more important than ever. Nanite and Lumen are GPU-heavy — disable both for competitive play.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Distance | Near | Medium | Far | Epic | Low | Medium |
| Shadows | Off | Medium | High | Epic | High | Off |
| Anti-Aliasing | Off | Medium | High | Epic | Medium | Off |
| Textures | Low | Medium | High | Epic | Low | High |
| Effects | Low | Medium | High | Epic | High | Low |
| Post Processing | Low | Medium | High | Epic | Medium | Low |
| Nanite | Off | — | — | On | High | Off |
| Lumen Global Illumination | Off | — | — | On | High | Off |
| Hardware Ray Tracing | Off | — | — | On | High | Off |
Valorant Unreal Engine 4
Valorant is extremely CPU-bound and runs well on almost any hardware. Most settings have minimal FPS impact. Focus on reducing input lag over maximizing FPS.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material Quality | Low | Medium | High | — | Low | Low |
| Texture Quality | Low | Medium | High | — | Low | High |
| Detail Quality | Low | Medium | High | — | Low | Low |
| UI Quality | Low | Medium | High | — | Low | Low |
| Anti-Aliasing | None | MSAA 2x | MSAA 4x | — | Medium | None |
| Anisotropic Filtering | 1x | 4x | 8x | 16x | Low | 4x |
| Bloom | Off | — | — | On | Low | Off |
| Distortion | Off | — | — | On | Low | Off |
| V-Sync | Off | — | — | On | Low | Off |
CS2 Source 2
Counter-Strike 2 on Source 2 is more GPU-dependent than CS:GO was. Shader quality and shadow settings have the biggest impact. Aim for 300+ FPS for optimal responsiveness.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Shadow Quality | Very Low | Medium | High | Ultra | High | Low |
| Texture Detail | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | Low | Medium |
| Shader Detail | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | High | Low |
| Particle Detail | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | Medium | Low |
| Ambient Occlusion | Off | Medium | High | Ultra | Medium | Off |
| Anti-Aliasing (MSAA) | None | 2x | 4x | 8x | High | 2x |
| Texture Filtering | Bilinear | Trilinear | 8x | 16x | Low | 8x |
| FidelityFX Super Res | Ultra Quality | Quality | Balanced | Off (Native) | High | Off |
Apex Legends Source (Modified)
Apex runs on a heavily modified Source engine. It's more GPU-bound than you'd expect. Model detail and effects have the highest FPS impact. Competitive players keep everything low.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texture Streaming Budget | None (2GB) | Medium (4GB) | High (6GB) | Insane (8GB) | Medium | Medium |
| Texture Filtering | Bilinear | Trilinear | 8x | 16x | Low | 8x |
| Ambient Occlusion | Off | Low | Medium | High | Medium | Off |
| Sun Shadow Coverage | Low | Medium | High | — | High | Low |
| Sun Shadow Detail | Low | Medium | High | — | High | Low |
| Spot Shadow Detail | Off | Low | High | Very High | Medium | Off |
| Model Detail | Low | Medium | High | — | High | Low |
| Effects Detail | Low | Medium | High | — | High | Low |
| Anti-Aliasing | None | TSAA | — | — | Medium | None |
Warzone IW Engine 9.0
Warzone is extremely demanding. VRAM management is critical — exceeding your GPU's VRAM budget causes severe stuttering. On-Demand Texture Streaming helps but requires a stable internet connection.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Render Resolution | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | High | 100% |
| Texture Resolution | Low | Normal | High | Ultra | Medium | Normal |
| Shadow Map Resolution | Low | Normal | High | Ultra | High | Low |
| Screen Space Shadows | Off | — | — | On | Medium | Off |
| Volumetric Quality | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | High | Low |
| SSR (Reflections) | Off | Normal | High | Ultra | Medium | Off |
| Anti-Aliasing | SMAA T1x | Filmic SMAA T2x | Filmic SMAA T2x | Filmic SMAA T2x | Low | SMAA T1x |
| Particle Quality | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | Medium | Low |
| DLSS / FSR | Performance | Balanced | Quality | Off | High | Balanced |
Minecraft Java / Bedrock
Java Edition relies heavily on single-thread CPU performance. Mods like Sodium (Fabric) or OptiFine provide massive FPS boosts. Bedrock Edition runs significantly better natively but has fewer graphical options.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Render Distance | 6 chunks | 12 chunks | 20 chunks | 32 chunks | High | 12 chunks |
| Simulation Distance | 5 chunks | 8 chunks | 12 chunks | 16 chunks | High | 8 chunks |
| Graphics | Fast | Fancy | Fabulous | — | Medium | Fast |
| Smooth Lighting | Off | Minimum | Maximum | — | Low | Off |
| Clouds | Off | Fast | Fancy | — | Low | Off |
| Particles | Minimal | Decreased | All | — | Medium | Decreased |
| Entity Shadows | Off | — | — | On | Medium | Off |
| Biome Blend | Off | 5x5 | 9x9 | 15x15 | Low | Off |
| V-Sync | Off | — | — | On | Low | Off |
GTA V RAGE
GTA V is over a decade old but still very demanding at max settings. Advanced graphics options (extended shadows, extended distance scaling) are the biggest FPS killers. MSAA is especially expensive — use FXAA instead.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FXAA | Off | On | On | On | Low | On |
| MSAA | Off | 2x | 4x | 8x | High | Off |
| Texture Quality | Normal | High | Very High | Very High | Low | High |
| Shader Quality | Normal | High | Very High | Very High | Medium | Normal |
| Shadow Quality | Normal | High | Very High | Very High | High | Normal |
| Reflection Quality | Normal | High | Very High | Ultra | Medium | Normal |
| Grass Quality | Normal | High | Very High | Ultra | High | Normal |
| Post FX | Normal | High | Very High | Ultra | Medium | Normal |
| Extended Distance Scaling | 0% | 25% | 50% | 100% | High | 0% |
Cyberpunk 2077 REDengine 4
One of the most demanding games available. Path Tracing (Overdrive mode) requires an RTX 4070 Ti minimum. DLSS 3 Frame Generation is almost mandatory for high settings at 1440p+.
| Setting | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | FPS Impact | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Tracing Mode | Off | RT Medium | RT Ultra | RT Overdrive | High | Off |
| DLSS / FSR / XeSS | Performance | Balanced | Quality | Off (Native) | High | Balanced |
| DLSS Frame Generation | Off | On | On | On | High | On |
| Crowd Density | Low | Medium | High | High | High | Low |
| Volumetric Fog | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | High | Low |
| Shadow Quality | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | High | Medium |
| Screen Space Reflections | Off | Medium | High | Psycho | Medium | Off |
| Ambient Occlusion | Off | Low | High | Ultra | Medium | Low |
| Level of Detail | Low | Medium | High | Ultra | Medium | Medium |
Resolution Comparison: 720p vs 1080p vs 1440p vs 4K
Resolution has the single largest impact on FPS. Here's how each resolution compares in terms of raw pixel count, typical FPS scaling, and practical use cases.
| Resolution | Total Pixels | FPS vs 1080p | Best For | Image Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p (1280x720) | 0.92M | 1.8–2.2x vs 1080p | Older GPUs, esports on low-end hardware | Noticeably blurry on modern displays |
| 1080p (1920x1080) | 2.07M | Baseline | Competitive gaming, budget builds | Sharp on 24", slightly soft on 27" |
| 1440p (2560x1440) | 3.69M | 0.55–0.70x vs 1080p | Sweet spot for most gamers | Sharp on 27", ideal pixel density |
| 4K (3840x2160) | 8.29M | 0.30–0.45x vs 1080p | High-end single-player, productivity | Razor-sharp, requires powerful GPU |
The FPS multipliers above are approximate and vary by game. GPU-bound games (Cyberpunk, Warzone) see larger gains from lowering resolution. CPU-bound games (Valorant, Minecraft Java) see smaller gains because the bottleneck isn't pixel count.
NVIDIA Control Panel Settings
These settings apply globally to all games via the NVIDIA Control Panel (right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings).
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Power Management Mode | Prefer Maximum Performance | Prevents GPU from downclocking during gameplay |
| Texture Filtering Quality | High Performance | Marginal FPS gain with no visible quality loss |
| Low Latency Mode | On (or Ultra with DLSS) | Reduces input lag by limiting pre-rendered frames |
| Threaded Optimization | On | Better multi-core CPU utilization |
| Shader Cache Size | Unlimited | Prevents shader compilation stutters |
| Max Frame Rate | Match monitor refresh rate | Reduces input lag and GPU heat |
| V-Sync (Global) | Off | Use in-game V-Sync or adaptive sync instead |
| Image Sharpening | On (0.50 sharpness) | Recovers clarity when using DLSS or FSR |
AMD Radeon Software Settings
Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition → Gaming → Global Graphics to apply these settings across all games.
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon Anti-Lag | Enabled | Reduces input latency by up to 1 frame |
| Radeon Boost | Enabled | Dynamically lowers resolution during fast motion |
| Surface Format Optimization | Enabled | Minor performance gain, no quality difference |
| Tessellation Mode | Override — 8x | Reduces tessellation overhead in demanding games |
| Shader Cache | Perform Reset then Enable | Clear stale cache, then let it rebuild |
| Frame Rate Target Control (FRTC) | Match monitor refresh rate | Caps FPS to reduce GPU load and heat |
| Wait for Vertical Refresh | Off | Use FreeSync instead of V-Sync |
| Radeon Image Sharpening | Enabled | Adds sharpening when using FSR or lower res |
Windows Optimization Checklist
These OS-level tweaks can gain you 5–15% FPS depending on your system. Most are one-time changes.
Settings That Matter Most (Universal)
Across all 8 games we tested, these settings consistently had the largest FPS impact:
- Shadows — The #1 FPS killer in almost every game. Dropping from Ultra to Low typically gains 15–30% FPS. Shadows rarely affect gameplay visibility.
- Ray Tracing — Beautiful but brutally expensive. Expect a 30–50% FPS hit when enabling RT, even on RTX 40-series cards. Not worth it for competitive play.
- Volumetric Effects — Fog, god rays, and atmospheric lighting. These are GPU-heavy and often barely noticeable during fast gameplay. Set to Low.
- Anti-Aliasing (MSAA) — MSAA is the most expensive form of AA. Use FXAA, TAA, or DLSS/FSR instead. MSAA 4x can cost 20–30% FPS.
- Resolution / Render Scale — Lowering render resolution is the nuclear option. Use DLSS/FSR on Quality mode instead of dropping native resolution.
Settings that are almost free to max out: texture quality (limited by VRAM, not GPU speed), texture filtering (anisotropic 16x costs ~1% FPS), and draw distance in most games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gives the biggest FPS boost in most games?
Shadows and ray tracing are almost always the biggest FPS killers. Dropping shadows from Ultra to Low can gain 20–40% FPS in most titles. After shadows, volumetric effects, ambient occlusion, and anti-aliasing (especially MSAA) are the next biggest drains. Texture quality has minimal FPS impact as long as you don't exceed your GPU's VRAM.
Should I use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS?
If you have an NVIDIA RTX card, use DLSS — it produces the best image quality of the three upscalers. AMD users should use FSR 3.0, which has improved significantly over earlier versions. XeSS works on all GPUs but looks best on Intel Arc cards. Set any upscaler to 'Quality' mode first; only drop to 'Balanced' or 'Performance' if you need more frames. DLSS 3 Frame Generation is a separate feature that nearly doubles FPS but adds slight latency.
Does resolution scale matter more than graphics settings?
Resolution has the single biggest impact on FPS because it directly determines how many pixels your GPU renders per frame. Dropping from 4K to 1440p can nearly double your FPS. However, using an upscaler (DLSS/FSR) at a lower internal resolution with Quality mode is usually better than simply lowering your native resolution, because upscalers reconstruct detail that raw resolution drops lose.
Why do I get stutters even with high FPS?
Stutters with high average FPS are usually caused by poor frame pacing (inconsistent frame times), shader compilation hitches, VRAM overflow, or background processes. Solutions: enable shader cache, cap your frame rate slightly below your average FPS, close background apps, and ensure your game isn't exceeding your GPU's VRAM. In some games, lowering settings reduces occasional frame drops more than it raises average FPS.
Is V-Sync bad for gaming?
Traditional V-Sync adds input lag (typically 20–50ms) because it holds frames until the monitor is ready. This is why competitive players disable it. If you have a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor, use adaptive sync instead — it eliminates tearing without the input lag penalty. If you must use V-Sync, NVIDIA's 'Fast Sync' or limiting your frame rate to just below your refresh rate are better alternatives.
Do RAM speed and amount affect FPS?
RAM amount matters up to a point — 16GB is the minimum for modern gaming, and 32GB prevents stutters in RAM-heavy games like Cities: Skylines 2 or modded titles. RAM speed has a measurable impact, especially on AMD Ryzen CPUs where the Infinity Fabric clock is tied to RAM speed. Going from 2400MHz to 3600MHz DDR4 can improve FPS by 5–15% in CPU-bound scenarios. DDR5 at 6000MHz+ shows similar gains on supported platforms.
What's the best resolution for competitive gaming?
1080p on a 24-inch 240Hz monitor is still the competitive standard — it's what most esports pros use. The lower resolution is easier to drive at very high frame rates (300+ FPS), and the 24-inch size keeps the entire screen within your peripheral vision. 1440p at 240Hz is gaining ground as GPUs get faster, and it looks noticeably sharper. 4K competitive gaming is rare because maintaining 240+ FPS at 4K requires flagship hardware.
How do I check my actual FPS and frame times?
Use MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) for the most detailed overlay — it shows FPS, frame times, GPU/CPU usage, temperatures, and VRAM. Simpler options: Steam's built-in FPS counter (Settings → In-Game), NVIDIA's GeForce Experience overlay (Alt+R), or AMD's Radeon overlay. Frame time graphs are more useful than average FPS — look for spikes above 16.6ms (60 FPS) or 6.9ms (144 FPS) to identify stutters.