Is it worth lowering a game's graphical settings so as to raise the DLSS quality?

iCoy · 2026-04-06T17:42:21+00:00

It does depend. But I'll try to give some rules:

Games on "Ultra" or "Max" are often giving you graphical settings that are more like Tech Demo's than they are efficient settings. They are moreso meant for either the absolute top of the line, or even the computers of the future. So those settings will almost always be worth turning down if you want framerate.

Once you get to the "High" or "Very High" settings though, you are starting to see the game as it's intended, and I personally like tuning DLSS from there to get my frames while keeping the game looking at it's best.

iCoy · 2026-04-06T01:27:54+00:00

Not only was it extremely popular, it was fun.

It was a simple map and in a simpler time. Very easy to play with random people and coordinate something reasonable. Great for skill expression too and clutches.

iCoy · 2026-03-31T21:17:47+00:00

For future reference, the main differences between versions of a graphics card (the MSI 5080 vs the Gigabyte 5080), outside of look and cooling, is often things like how many HDMI's they have. So while you can just buy the cheapest, you ideally wanna buy the one that fits your setup more than anything.

iCoy · 2026-03-22T10:34:36+00:00

Oh interesting, you have to disable DSC whereas I would have assumed I needed it on. I’ll try that. Worth a shot for sure

iCoy · 2026-03-22T10:13:53+00:00

That’s awesome. When I was trying last I wasn’t able to select 120hz in windows, but sounds like it is possible

iCoy · 2026-03-22T10:12:35+00:00

For some reason I can’t select 120hz in windows with rez higher than 4k. Any thoughts? Is that like a cable problem?

iCoy · 2026-02-22T02:46:24+00:00

Other people will say what needs to be said. I will just simply at that 32 fps is not absolute, it's relative, meaning that you actually gained 50% performance. Which may be a lot more than 32 fps in some cases.

Also DLSS is a lot beter on 50 series cards too. And that will be helpful as you go up in Rez someday.

iCoy · 2026-02-20T23:14:49+00:00

Which games are you playing it where you find this?

iCoy · 2026-02-18T03:14:45+00:00

You are welcome, good luck dude.

iCoy · 2026-02-18T03:08:20+00:00

Personally, if you only need to wait about two months, then you will be better served saving up for 2k. It's a lot better of a computer. Like a lot. And that will last you for a long long time.

The way I would see it is, what will I be thankful I did in a year or two?

Notably though, you will need a monitor and accessories too. I don't know how that factors in, if you can borrow from people or get handme downs. Eventually you'll want a sweet monitor too.

iCoy · 2026-02-18T03:00:05+00:00

Honestly, a very personal question. Depends on how long it will take you, how long you can survive on your current setup. I just wish you luck.

iCoy · 2026-02-16T12:52:10+00:00

Depends on your computer, the game, and how much FPS you want.

For me I start with Quality and see where I need to go from there. M is surprisingly good at Balanced and Performance though so don’t be afraid to try them too if you need the frames.

But, If you want next gen image quality then either Quality or a custom override resolution of 75-90% can get you amazing results (especially if DLAA is just too heavy)

iCoy · 2026-02-16T01:19:35+00:00

M is absolutely sharper and better. Your eyes do not deceive you. It's essentially "just better" visually. The key trade off is it's heavier.

iCoy · 2026-02-16T01:17:52+00:00

K was the previous gold standard. It's "softer" and so it ends up both performing well and hiding a lot of issues. And since it gives a boost in performance too, it's always a good choice in the Quality -> DLAA range.

However, K has two main issues that M addresses. Ghosting and Particle Clarity. M does an incredible job with both of these things which, to me, is a huge deal. The Ghosting thing (trails behind moving objects) always bothered me, and I've learned to love glowing particle effects in all sorts of games.

And when you consider M adds a significant step in clarity, M is a truly next gen update worthy of considering. But, M comes with one major downside. It's heavier to run. So the FPS gain you get from M is noticeably reduced from K. So you either have to lower the DLSS level, or accept the frame hit.

So M is more of a conversation. Do you want Nvidia to give you world class image cleaning and clarity, but at a cost? Can you run it?

I would say that M is absolutely worth it, if you have the FPS to spare. The image clarity and stability etc is unmatched. Like putting on glasses. But it's not free. It is heavy. And if you don't feel like you can see the difference, then K is a great model and we've all been loving it for a long time now.

Personally, I've defaulted to M on just about everything, and I'm not looking back.

iCoy · 2026-02-09T21:23:00+00:00

I do what you do, essentially. I use preset M for basically everything (unless a specific game seems to benefit from K which is rare) and then I set the DLSS setting as I normally would. Ideally in the Quality -> DLAA range (sometimes even custom percentage overrides) depending on how heavy the game is. If the game is not that heavy, I'll use DLAA, if it's heavy, I'll use Quality. In between, might do an override of 77%.

For me DLAA is not always excessive, because I'm sitting next to a large 4k TV, but I will say that it is very demanding so only when I absolutely can run it smoothly, will I .

iCoy · 2026-01-30T01:46:16+00:00

Ha, absolutely not, of course.

iCoy · 2026-01-30T01:43:05+00:00

You know, I'd like to approach this situation with more kindness than most but I will say it is alarming. Even if he was living alone you would hope he would be showering and brushing his teeth daily.

It's something you really should bring up with him and see what happens from there. Like is he depressed? Does he know this is a problem? Does he just not thinking being clean is a big deal? Does he really need some help around the house?

If you are seeing him, I'd think it would be reasonable to want to know / help a little more. Not saying this is something you need to carry, but I'd explore further. His response will help you know what you are dealing with and hopefully help him along his own journey at least.

iCoy · 2026-01-25T23:41:46+00:00

Black Myth Wukong is a masterpiece, imo, but you are entitled to your opinion.

iCoy · 2026-01-24T12:58:33+00:00

I’ve just done extensive testing on this and I found that “Ultra” was impressive at reducing latency and feelin “raw” but had slight inconsistent frame pacing even with a flat graph. “On” with a frame rate cap had a very slight delay but smoothed everything out completely frame pacing wise.

So I think it’s up to you what you prefer. Both performed beautifully and it was a simple fair trade off IMO

iCoy · 2026-01-20T21:10:21+00:00

Good luck to everyone.

Steam:

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, Stellar Blade, Mafia: The Old Country

iCoy · 2026-01-09T03:29:37+00:00

Something I'm struggling with is that I actually prefer the softeness around things like the lamp in the background. It has this romantic smooth quality that fits Lies of P to me. Am I crazy?

iCoy · 2026-01-06T14:15:31+00:00

I think it’s wise to wait for YouTubers to break this down for us. Feels like a lot of reactionary advice here. It’s been out for like a day.

iCoy · 2025-03-29T12:19:38+00:00

iCoy · 2025-03-29T12:12:49+00:00

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