Improve Video Game Graphics & Performance - Optimization Guide

Furthermore, note the windowed borders present in the game screenshots. This indicates that the game is currently running in windowed mode. Conversely, full-screen mode dedicates the entire display to the game, generally improving performance and immersion.

Accessing the desktop while in full-screen mode is typically achieved by pressing the Windows key, although functionality can vary between games. Some titles may exhibit instability when running in full-screen mode.

Many games, such as Rocket League and Borderlands 2, offer a "borderless windowed" mode. This allows the game to occupy the entire screen without displaying traditional window elements like borders or title bars. This mode provides a balance between full-screen performance and the convenience of easy desktop access.

Vertical Synchronization Explained

Vertical sync, commonly known as vsync, is a technology designed to synchronize the output of a graphics card with the refresh rate of a display monitor.

Consider a scenario where a monitor has a refresh rate of 60Hz – meaning it updates the image 60 times each second.

If the graphics card renders frames at a rate exceeding this, such as 100 frames per second, the monitor cannot display all frames seamlessly.

This discrepancy results in a visual artifact called screen tearing, where portions of multiple frames are displayed simultaneously.

How Vsync Functions

Vsync resolves screen tearing by limiting the game's frame rate to match the monitor's refresh rate.

However, this introduces a potential drawback.

A powerful computer capable of generating a high frame rate may be constrained by a monitor with a lower refresh rate, preventing the full realization of its graphical capabilities.

Furthermore, vsync operates optimally when the frame rate is a multiple of the monitor’s refresh rate.

For instance, with a 60Hz monitor, consistent performance at 60 frames per second or higher yields the best results.

Frame Rate Fluctuations and Vsync

If the frame rate dips below the monitor’s refresh rate – even momentarily – vsync can significantly reduce the refresh rate to maintain synchronization.

A drop from 60 frames per second to 55, for example, might cause vsync to halve the refresh rate to 30Hz, resulting in a noticeably choppier visual experience.

Further frame rate declines lead to even lower refresh rates, such as 15Hz if the rate falls below 30.

The Debate Surrounding Vsync

The use of vsync is a frequent point of contention within the gaming community.

Some gamers prioritize a tear-free image and opt to enable vsync, while others prefer to tolerate screen tearing to avoid potential frame rate drops and stuttering.

If vsync is enabled, it’s generally recommended to configure other graphics settings to target a frame rate slightly above the monitor’s refresh rate.

This helps to ensure that the frame rate remains consistently above the threshold, minimizing the likelihood of disruptive refresh rate drops.

Fundamental Graphics Configurations

Having addressed the technical aspects, we can now proceed to the more engaging portion – the settings that enhance the visual appeal of your games. The vast majority of games incorporate fundamental settings like anti-aliasing and rendering quality, although the specific terminology may vary. Let's explore their functions.

Anti-Aliasing Techniques

The concept of anti-aliasing is relatively straightforward. Computer-generated graphics, when magnified, often exhibit jagged edges. Anti-aliasing mitigates this by adding supplementary pixels to smooth these edges, creating a more refined appearance. Many games allow you to adjust the anti-aliasing level using multipliers like 2x, 4x, or 8x.

Each increased level places a greater demand on your system's resources. Powerful graphics cards can readily handle this increased load, while older or less capable cards may experience a noticeable performance decrease. Should this occur, we suggest reducing the anti-aliasing setting to 2x or even disabling it entirely to assess the impact on gameplay. Beyond 2x, the improvements in visual quality often yield diminishing returns, making 2x a practical balance between performance and visual fidelity for many systems.

The visual distinction is readily apparent in the following image. The upper portion demonstrates the effect of anti-aliasing (FXAA High), contrasted with the lower portion displaying it completely disabled.

Several distinct types of anti-aliasing exist, including MSAA, MLAA, and FXAA.

Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA) is a frequently encountered method. While visually pleasing, MSAA can be computationally expensive, as it supersamples every pixel, even in areas where the difference is negligible, such as smooth surfaces. It can also be applied to transparent textures, potentially offering limited perceptible benefit.

Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA) is less resource-intensive but provides a slightly less refined image. Rather than true anti-aliasing, FXAA blurs the edges of in-game objects. Consequently, the performance impact is typically minimal, though the resulting image may appear somewhat blurry. A comparison of these technologies can be found here for further study.

Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA) is applied post-processing, after the graphics card has rendered the image. This is akin to applying a filter in image editing software. MLAA affects the entire screen, reducing aliasing regardless of object location. It occupies a middle ground between MSAA and FXAA, offering better visual quality than FXAA with a lower performance cost than MSAA.

Numerous other anti-aliasing techniques are available, but these represent some of the most commonly encountered options.

The optimal anti-aliasing method depends largely on your PC's capabilities and the options provided by the game. While FXAA can smooth edges, it may introduce excessive blur for some users. Conversely, MSAA delivers sharper lines but at a significant performance cost.

Experimenting with the available anti-aliasing options is recommended to determine the best balance for your system. If performance suffers, adjust the settings until a satisfactory compromise is achieved.

Rendering Quality Settings

Now, let's consider rendering. Rendering dictates how graphics – such as vehicles – are displayed on your screen. Higher rendering quality results in more detailed and realistic visuals, but demands greater processing power. Newer, faster computers can handle higher rendering settings more effectively than older, slower systems.

Observe the images below. The top image showcases "high quality" rendering, while the bottom image utilizes "high performance" (or "low quality") rendering. The lower image exhibits jagged and rough edges, whereas the upper image is noticeably cleaner and more polished.

In a game such as Rocket League, reducing the rendering quality to its lowest setting can result in blurry and jagged objects, diminishing the effectiveness of anti-aliasing. Therefore, this setting should serve as a baseline, and anti-aliasing can be applied if the high-quality setting doesn't provide sufficient clarity.

In other titles, like Borderlands 2, rendering may be labeled differently, such as "Game Detail." Regardless of the terminology, increasing this setting enhances visual clarity but also increases the performance burden.

Advanced Quality Settings

Beyond the primary settings, numerous smaller graphics options exist that refine visual quality and add depth to your gaming experience. Many of these settings can significantly strain older hardware, and the resulting improvement in gameplay may be minimal. Performance will vary depending on your system; if you prefer maximum settings and your machine can support them, feel free to enable them.

First is Texture Detail. These settings control the colors and intricacies displayed on in-game objects, distinct from their shapes. For instance, in Borderlands 2, a noticeable enhancement in gun surface detail is visible when increasing texture quality from low to high. Naturally, greater detail demands more from your graphics card.

Unlike many other graphics settings, Texture Detail primarily impacts your graphics card’s VRAM, rather than its processing power. Even with a heavily utilized graphics card, increasing Texture Detail is possible if sufficient VRAM is available. However, older cards with limited VRAM may require lowering this setting.

Rocket League includes a setting for World Detail, influencing the surrounding environment. The difference between "high performance" and "high quality" is apparent: lower settings display less detailed grass and more jagged edges.

The images below demonstrate the effect of High Quality Shaders, enabled in the top image and disabled in the bottom. Without shaders, the beams supporting the stadium roof exhibit less realistic light reflection.

Ambient Occlusion is another setting that can often be disabled without a significant visual impact. This feature enhances the realism of shadows, rendering them softer and more natural.

The effect is subtle and may go unnoticed by many players. It adds a slight overhead to your graphics card, making it potentially unnecessary for optimal performance.

Depth of Field is somewhat harder to illustrate, but easily explained. When activated, nearby objects appear sharp and focused, while distant elements become blurred.

Opinions on depth of field vary; some find it enhances realism, while others dislike it. Ultimately, it’s unlikely to drastically affect your gaming experience, as your focus is typically on the closest objects. It’s a matter of personal preference, potentially more impactful in games with expansive vistas or distant landmarks.

Enabling Bloom causes light to distort and spread beyond its source, creating a glowing effect. This effect is more pronounced in darker game environments when encountering bright light sources. Bloom is another setting that can be omitted without significant loss, though it can enhance a game when implemented effectively.

Dynamic Shadows allow shadows to change as objects move. As shown with the car example, the shadow adjusts dynamically with the car’s movement when enabled. Dynamic shadows are resource-intensive and can be disabled to improve performance on slower computers.

Motion Blur creates a blurring effect on rapidly moving objects, aiming to increase realism. For example, a soccer ball struck in Rocket League might appear blurred due to its speed. Disabling this setting is unlikely to impact your experience, and may even improve comfort for those prone to motion sickness.

Some games also feature different types of blur. Borderlands 2 includes Anisotropic Filtering, which reduces motion blur and enhances detail. It has a minor performance cost, less than anti-aliasing, so adjust it based on your computer’s capabilities.

It’s important to recognize that game settings can be unique to each title. Rocket League, for example, features weather effects, while Borderlands 2 includes settings like "Bullet Decals" and "Foliage Distance". These are often more self-explanatory.

However, common settings like anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion are frequently found across many games.

Ultimately, your visual experience and achievable settings depend on your computer’s hardware. Laptops generally have less processing power than desktop computers with dedicated graphics cards. Furthermore, desktop graphics cards can be upgraded, while laptop graphics cards are typically fixed.