Do you know how to optimize your graphics settings? *POLL*

I've noticed lately that many PC gamers are quite confused on how graphics settings work. Usually the case is someone has a modest gaming PC (700-800$ USD) and they buy every new game, max every setting, then complain it doesn't run well. More recently I've seen this case with both Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3.

The big mistake they make next is by just dropping all graphics settings from Very High to High, yet they still may have some issues. At this point they are now enraged because they don't want to pay the game on medium. 

Ill use Far Cry as an example. You can run everything on in Far Cry on High, or you could disable Direct X 11 and turn Post FX to low and run it on all Very High. Its all about having the most updated drivers, then tinkering with each individual setting to see what eats the most frames (usually Shadows, AA, and textures). You simply use fraps and watch the frame rate.

Most recently in Crysis 3 I noticed that taking my Shadows from high to medium saved me almost 10 frames per second, so now I play with Very High Textures, High everything except for Objects and Shadows which are Medium.

However I noticed a lot of people not doing this anymore. This is a really important part of the way your game plays. The FPS is very important and it is best that the game suits your taste. Some people prefer lower settings to target a smoother 60 fps , while others max it out and target 30.

If a game isn't performing properly, just see whats causing it!

It takes a substantial amount of effort to get the most out of a pc. I can nearly max Farcry 3 on my $800 laptop but I turn off all the processes/services/disconnect from the internet/have a cooling pad.robokill

I wasn't talking about getting the most out of a PC , there are way too many topics and things you can do to get more performance. I was just talking about how you handle in game graphics settings.

I use Geforce experience to optimize my game settings. Worked out great so far. 

I tweak my graphics settings all the time before playing a new game. Usually I would crank up everything to the max and then downscale it from there. 

I usually just stick everything on max settings.  If it is a really demanding game, I see if I can turn some of the settings down without much visual difference in order to achieve 120 fps.

I generally always default to high at the very minimum, then i go through the settings and make sure the AF AA are both of a decent quality and all the (necessary) goodies are enabled then fire up the game. Most of the time that's all it takes after a tweak or two here and there.

I'll go with second pool option; I generally tweak settings until the framerate is bearable.

I usually max everything out and then work my way down when i have bad performance by usually lowering aa which is not very noticeable at 720p. redskins26rocs

What?  Aliasing is very noticeable at 1440p, let alone 720p.

I turn everything to max notice how it performs. If it stays mostly 60 then im good and im fine with a few dips here and there at intense moments.

If i cant maintain 60 then i start dropping things one by one seeing how they change the look and performance of the game. First thing to go for me is usually AA because it usually imposes a sizable hit to frames and for many games i don't really notice it all that much. Maybe because I play at 1080P but some games are def worse than others when it comes to jags.

Generally thats my method until i find a nice compromise between quality and performance.

[QUOTE="redskins26rocs"]I usually max everything out and then work my way down when i have bad performance by usually lowering aa which is not very noticeable at 720p. Riadon2

What?  Aliasing is very noticeable at 1440p, let alone 720p.

I use Geforce experience to optimize my game settings. Worked out great so far. 

slipknot0129

[QUOTE="slipknot0129"]

I use Geforce experience to optimize my game settings. Worked out great so far. 

hrt_rulz01

[QUOTE="Riadon2"]

[QUOTE="redskins26rocs"]I usually max everything out and then work my way down when i have bad performance by usually lowering aa which is not very noticeable at 720p. Elann2008

What?  Aliasing is very noticeable at 1440p, let alone 720p.

Well yeah, but I highly doubt he is gaming on an IPad or a phone :roll:

[QUOTE="Elann2008"][QUOTE="Riadon2"]

What?  Aliasing is very noticeable at 1440p, let alone 720p.

Riadon2

Well yeah, but I highly doubt he is gaming on an IPad or a phone :roll:

I start on High and either work my way up or down. Things always on highest settings: objects, water, and textures. Everything else is fair game to be adjusted down. I'm fairly conservative with AA. Usually, the minimal AA is enough or bearable enough. So long as I get a fairly consistent 30fps, I'm happy.

I built the damn thing so I should hope I know how to optimize the settings :)

[QUOTE="Riadon2"]

[QUOTE="Elann2008"] Depends on pixel density (PPI).Elann2008

Well yeah, but I highly doubt he is gaming on an IPad or a phone :roll:

I'll generally fiddle with the settings untill I can can obtain a playable frame rate. Then crack it up a few notches and turn the desk fan on the computer :D

I check out game benchmarks on pcgameshardware.de. Based on them I decide if I start the game on max or drop down stuff like shadows, AA and AO. I know what my PC can handle and unless developers f*ck up (GRFS lol) I can nail the perfect configuration before starting the game.

Sometimes in-game options are not enough. Modifying .ini files is not rocket science.

Putting everything on max and then lower some MSAA to gain performance if I'm getting below 30FPS.

TC I agree with you in people expecting their rig to always max a game. However, I personally don't take the time to test each and every graphics setting to see what pans out FPS-wise. However, I do appreciate all the people who do and then their results online. :P

You should have a rough idea of the power of your PC based on spec and how old it is - go for something a little above what you think would be great and turn a few settings down if you hit problems. Since I built my PC last year (i7 2600K, GTX670, 8GB RAM) I just stick everything to maximum and see how it runs. If I hit issues then I check the forums and usually there is a graphics driver update / hotfix / beta drivers to work around the issue with brand new games. Otherwise I start looking at in game settings or ini file tweaks.

I always start with everything on full bung and scale back (apart from motion blur..which I detest and always switch off). I'll normally cut back on either AA or shadows as a starting point.

Not that there are a lot of games that don't run fluidly on max settings, the only 2 I can think of are Far Cry 3 due to an SLI issue that took a bit of messing about to sort out and Crysis 3 (goes without saying really)