I’m a privileged gamer. As a {hardware} reviewer, over time I’ve been despatched top-tier CPUs and graphics playing cards, letting me bounce from one flagship to the subsequent. That’s made me lazy at sport settings. I typically simply set the sport at regardless of the most “Extremely” setting is and get on with enjoying. However by doing so, I’ve simply been enjoying into the advertising hype – and leaving a variety of efficiency on the desk, it seems.
Most video games don’t really have to be performed at Extremely settings to look good. They don’t even want it to look nice. The most recent upscaling applied sciences are fantastically good at emulating larger resolutions, and infrequently 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 arduous to identify any apparent visible distinction in many of the video games I examined, however efficiency went up dramatically and the smoother framerates have been nicely definitely worth the minimal sacrifice.
The system
I’ve been in a position to ignore graphics settings for thus lengthy resulting from a mixture of low-demand sport choice and high-end {hardware}. As I mentioned, my present system is highly effective, however I additionally largely play older sim video games and lighter indies.
With an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and PowerColor Crimson 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 not likely designed with Extremely Path Tracing in thoughts, but it surely’s not 1,000,000 miles away both. It’s greater than able to working virtually any sport at Extremely settings, at 4K, and typically even with ray tracing enabled.
That’s very true when you throw in FSR upscaling and a bit body technology to clean issues out.
My plan for this take a look at is to run a bunch of video games at their very highest settings which might be functionally playable – a minimum of 30 FPS – with upscaling at High quality or native, with out body technology, and seize a couple of instance screenshots of it in motion. Then accomplish that once more at maxed out settings however with Balanced upscaling, after which a ultimate take a look at with all the things turned down only one notch. So Excessive, if Extremely is the highest possibility, Medium if Excessive is the most effective, and so forth.
Now for the video games
Cyberpunk 2077
Let’s leap in with what’s arguably nonetheless the most effective trying video games ever made, Cyberpunk 2077. If there’s one sport 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 seems unbelievable:
However you realize what additionally seems unbelievable? Cyberpunk 2077 at those self same settings with Balanced Upscaling. I simply took these screenshots, and apart from a couple of background particulars trying a bit 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 beautiful, and its path tracing much more so in the best settings, I’d even argue switching it right down to a mere Extremely settings with out ray tracing seems virtually nearly as good.
It’s positively extra stylized than the real-time lighting results of ray tracing, however CD Projekt Crimson did a improbable job making Night time Metropolis look actual and alive, even with baked in lighting. I’d very fortunately play the entire sport like this.
Alane Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is much from the glitz and ray-traced glamour of Night time Metropolis, but it surely’s simply nearly as good trying in its personal, darkish, soiled method. It additionally eviscerated my system’s efficiency with all the things completely turned up the nines. We’re speaking 1-3 FPS. Unplayable. However attractive:
However it will possibly very simply be each. Switching over to FSR Balanced, the place it’s mainly chopping the 4K decision in half, the efficiency jumped as much as completely playable for such a extra sedate sport play. I genuinely can’t inform the distinction, even when working round. It’s actually spectacular how far upscaling has come over time.
I’d be tempted to go away it there, however there may be extra efficiency available and never a lot in the best way of a visible downgrade from trimming the fats much more. Switching all the things 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 need to play should you worth smoother animation over pristine visuals. Particularly since I nonetheless needed to look shut to identify the true variations. Throughout precise sport play, although? With a darker sport like this the place concealment and shadow is the sport’s vibe, I don’t suppose many would discover.
Hogwarts Legacy
How a few getting-older however a goodie? Hogwarts Legacy isn’t photo-realistic, however it’s extremely immersive. Ensuring the sport seems good is a big a part of the expertise. Luckily, you will 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 completely seems superb too. This sport 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 sport seems phenomenal on extra modest settings. Don’t concern dropping them down a notch or two.
Last Fantasy VII: Rebirth
Last Fantasy VII: Rebirth shouldn’t be as fairly as the opposite video games, but it surely’s one which makes use of an outsized amount of VRAM. Luckily, 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 chopping the rendering decision by 40% didn’t seem to make a lot of a distinction to how the sport appeared. There isn’t any extra apparent aliasing on background components, even the thinner pipes. Texture particulars stay.
Dropping all the things to Medium/Excessive setting relying does make extra of an affect, 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 suppose it’s value it
In case your {hardware} helps it, enjoying video games at their prettiest is beautiful. It’s easy, it’s simple, and it seems nice. Particularly in static screenshots, or within the ideally suited circumstances. However so do video games with heavier-handed upscaling, and even reducing the settings a bit doesn’t strip them of their appeal, or immersion. That additionally offers you additional efficiency and a smoother sport, which I believe is far more impactful than getting a couple of additional 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 appears like these settings are a method to get higher trying screenshots for the advertising marketing campaign, and to provide avid gamers one thing to aspire to. A dragon that we’ll without end be chasing, till the subsequent sport comes alongside.
Finally, if all you possibly can sport on is one thing decrease than the utmost – which is nearly all of us – you then 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 trying gaming expertise for the cash. As costs proceed to be ridiculous, I believe decrease settings are completely superb.
