I’m a privileged gamer. As a {hardware} reviewer, through the years I’ve been despatched top-tier CPUs and graphics playing cards, letting me bounce from one flagship to the following. That’s made me lazy at recreation settings. I typically simply set the sport at regardless of the most “Extremely” setting is and get on with taking part in. However by doing so, I’ve simply been taking part in into the advertising and marketing hype – and leaving a lot of efficiency on the desk, it seems.
Most video games don’t really should be performed at Extremely settings to look good. They don’t even want it to look nice. The newest upscaling applied sciences are fantastically good at emulating larger resolutions, and sometimes the distinction between Extremely and Excessive settings isn’t one thing I even actually discover if pushed to look.
As an experiment, I turned down the settings in a bunch of great-looking video games to see how a lot distinction it actually makes. Not solely did I discover it laborious to identify any apparent visible distinction in a lot of the video games I examined, however efficiency went up dramatically and the smoother framerates had been effectively definitely worth the minimal sacrifice.
The system
I’ve been capable of ignore graphics settings for thus lengthy because of a mixture of low-demand recreation choice and high-end {hardware}. As I mentioned, my present system is highly effective, however I additionally principally play older sim video games and lighter indies.
With an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and PowerColor Purple Satan RX 7900 XTX, I’ve one of many quickest gaming CPUs available on the market and the quickest graphics card AMD has ever made. It’s not fairly an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, so it’s probably not designed with Extremely Path Tracing in thoughts, however it’s not a million miles away both. It’s greater than able to working nearly any recreation at Extremely settings, at 4K, and typically even with ray tracing enabled.
That’s very true when you throw in FSR upscaling and a little body era to clean issues out.
My plan for this check is to run a bunch of video games at their very highest settings which can be functionally playable – at the least 30 FPS – with upscaling at High quality or native, with out body era, and seize a few instance screenshots of it in motion. Then accomplish that once more at maxed out settings however with Balanced upscaling, after which a ultimate check with every little thing turned down only one notch. So Excessive, if Extremely is the highest choice, Medium if Excessive is one of the best, and many others.
Now for the video games
Cyberpunk 2077
Let’s leap in with what’s arguably nonetheless top-of-the-line wanting video games ever made, Cyberpunk 2077. If there’s one recreation that’s assured to deliver my 7900XTX to its knees, it’s this one.
And yeah, Raytracing Overdrive Settings, 4K decision, Path Tracing enabled, FSR set to High quality mode, it was a clunky slideshow mess. 20 FPS at greatest. However after all it appears to be like unimaginable:
However you already know what additionally appears to be like unimaginable? Cyberpunk 2077 at those self same settings with Balanced Upscaling. I simply took these screenshots, and in addition to a few background particulars wanting a little extra lifelike and of-the-environment within the High quality screenshot, it’s very tough to inform any distinction.
In the meantime, the efficiency distinction meant it was really playable.
Though Cyberpunk with ray tracing does look gorgeous, and its path tracing much more so in the precise settings, I’d even argue switching it all the way down to a mere Extremely settings with out ray tracing appears to be like nearly nearly as good.
It’s undoubtedly extra stylized than the real-time lighting results of ray tracing, however CD Projekt Purple did a unbelievable job making Evening Metropolis look actual and alive, even with baked in lighting. I’d very fortunately play the entire recreation like this.
Alane Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is way from the glitz and ray-traced glamour of Evening Metropolis, however it’s simply nearly as good wanting in its personal, darkish, soiled approach. It additionally eviscerated my system’s efficiency with every little thing completely turned up the nines. We’re speaking 1-3 FPS. Unplayable. However beautiful:
However it may well very simply be each. Switching over to FSR Balanced, the place it’s principally reducing the 4K decision in half, the efficiency jumped as much as completely playable for the sort of extra sedate recreation play. I genuinely can’t inform the distinction, even when working round. It’s actually spectacular how far upscaling has come through the years.
I’d be tempted to depart it there, however there’s further efficiency available and never a lot in the best way of a visible downgrade from trimming the fats much more. Switching every little thing to at least one notch down (Excessive or Medium, relying on what the setting peaks at) and no ray tracing, will get you an almost-as-good-looking Alan Wake 2 expertise.
Efficiency jumped enormously right here, and that is the place you wish to play in case you worth smoother animation over pristine visuals. Particularly since I nonetheless needed to look shut to identify the true variations. Throughout precise recreation play, although? With a darker recreation like this the place concealment and shadow is the sport’s vibe, I don’t assume many would discover.
Hogwarts Legacy
How about a getting-older however a goodie? Hogwarts Legacy isn’t photo-realistic, however it’s extremely immersive. Ensuring the sport appears to be like good is a big a part of the expertise. Thankfully, you may get away with steering away from ray tracing with this one. When you allow it, the expertise is gorgeous:
However I’d argue it’s simply as lovely with Balanced upscaling – notching an additional 15% fps for my bother, and nudging over a more-comfortable 40 FPS.
Switching to extra modest settings and dropping the RT solely appears to be like wonderful too. This recreation doesn’t make sufficient use of the fancy-lighting method to be value it, I’d argue. Regardless of its prevalence within the graphics menu, this recreation appears to be like phenomenal on extra modest settings. Don’t concern dropping them down a notch or two.
Closing Fantasy VII: Rebirth
Closing Fantasy VII: Rebirth shouldn’t be as fairly as the opposite video games, however it’s one which makes use of an outsized amount of VRAM. Thankfully, the 24GB on the 7900XTX had no bother with it even pushed to the restrict. However then, why would you trouble?
Dropping to Balanced and reducing the rendering decision by 40% didn’t seem to make a lot of a distinction to how the sport regarded. There isn’t any extra apparent aliasing on background parts, even the thinner pipes. Texture particulars stay.
Dropping every little thing to Medium/Excessive setting relying does make extra of an influence, however even then it’s one thing I needed to actively search for, and when in movement it’s even much less obvious.
It’s not nothing, however I don’t assume it’s value it
In case your {hardware} helps it, taking part in video games at their prettiest is gorgeous. It’s easy, it’s straightforward, and it appears to be like nice. Particularly in static screenshots, or within the splendid circumstances. However so do video games with heavier-handed upscaling, and even reducing the settings a little doesn’t strip them of their allure, or immersion. That additionally offers you further efficiency and a smoother recreation, which I feel is far more impactful than getting a few further pixels, or barely nicer lighting.
The purpose I’m making an attempt to make with these comparisons isn’t that there’s no profit to turning all of the settings as much as their most, however that the efficiency loss actually isn’t value it. Finally, it looks like these settings are a approach to get higher wanting screenshots for the advertising and marketing marketing campaign, and to offer avid gamers one thing to aspire to. A dragon that we’ll eternally be chasing, till the following recreation comes alongside.
Finally, if all you may recreation on is one thing decrease than the utmost – which is sort of all of us – then you definately actually aren’t lacking out on a lot.
Don’t look on in envy on the individuals spending $5,000 on a graphics card in 2026. They’re getting a very-slightly-better wanting gaming expertise for the cash. As costs proceed to be ridiculous, I feel decrease settings are completely nice.