The driver package for the Nvidia GPU comes with two weighty programs - the Nvidia GeForce Experience and the Nvidia control panel. The GeForce Experience stands out for its expressive interface and automatic game optimization capabilities. In turn, the Nvidia control panel allows you to fine-tune the game graphics.
Consider how to tune your Nvidia graphics card for maximum performance. This can be done in the 3D Options section of the Nvidia Control Panel. We will analyze a lot of graphical settings and choose the most suitable for games.
basic settings
First, open the Nvidia control panel. On the navigation panel in the "3D Settings" section, select the "Adjust image preview settings" item. In the preview window that opens, you must click the menu item "Advanced settings for 3D-images."
Then go to “3D Settings Management” in the left-side panel to open the corresponding window. Changing the specifications in this section, you will see how to put the maximum performance of the Nvidia graphics card.
Most of the settings in the Global Settings tab are best left unchanged. For example, "Shader Caching" should be in the "On" position, since it allows you to save the game shaders on the hard drive, after compiling them. In this case, the download time is slightly reduced. This allows you to increase productivity in a number of games, for example, such as "Open World").
You might try switching the "Power Management Mode" to the Nvidia maximum performance position. But you need to keep in mind that the GPU will work loudly and heat up at the maximum clock frequency during games. Adaptive mode provides the best balance between performance and power consumption.
Note. Many of the 3D settings do not have a tangible effect. Therefore, if they are not mentioned here, they should be left in the position in which they are located.
Anisotropic filtering
How to configure the Nvidia graphics card for maximum performance in the Anisotropic Filtering mode? In games such as first-person or third-person shooters, gamers spend a lot of time looking at walls and floors at oblique angles. At the same time, these surfaces stretch into the distance.
The lower the degree of texture filtering, the smaller the distance at which the image elements in question remain blurry.
Setting up the Nvidia graphics card for maximum performance involves disabling anisotropic filtering (AF, AF). But nowadays, a mediocre graphics processor is capable of processing 16x AF with a slight degradation of performance.
For example, you can look at two pictures from the game “The Witcher 3”. In the frame where the AF is off, just a few steps to the right, the image becomes cloudy (marked with a red line). With the inclusion of 16x AF, the beautiful structure of the terrain texture around the track is preserved along the entire length of the path.
In the list of 3D parameters for filtering textures, there is one more function - anisotropic optimization by sampling. It allows you to increase productivity with AF turned on with a slight loss in filtering quality.
DSR Dynamic Super Resolution Technology
DSR is one of the most effective features added to the Nvidia control panel in recent years. To understand how to configure the Nvidia graphics card for maximum performance in DSR mode, you need to select the appropriate scaling factor in the DSR-factors window, setting a higher resolution for the game. The ratios 1.75x and 4x set the resolution for the 1080p display at 1440p and 4k, respectively.
Select the desired ratio in the "Global Settings" tab. Then go to the menu with permissions for the game, and you will see that higher values appeared in the list.
DSR renders images with a higher resolution than the monitor recommended by the manufacturer. After that, the image is scaled to the recommended resolution of the monitor. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve sharper textures and smooth the serrated edges. The catch is that the DSR function puts the same load on the GPU as if it were running at a higher resolution. Therefore, we should expect a large loss of performance in games that demand system parameters. In this regard, tuning the Nvidia video card for maximum performance of a laptop or personal computer will be to turn off this parameter.
On the other hand, if the game performs a smooth change of frames at maximum settings (in other words, if there is a spare performance), then it makes sense to use DSR. In older games that do not support anti-aliasing, this function will also work. Only the user interface can be significantly reduced in size.
In the opening scene of Dark Soul II, a player appears surrounded by swaying grass. At a resolution of 1920x1080, the vegetation flickers, while the details of the image are indistinguishable.
A detailed study of the image shows that at this resolution the sampling points are not enough to display small details of the grass.
At a resolution of 3840x2160 (4K), the number of sample points is multiplied by 4. This allows you to display finer image details.
DSR uses a special Gaussian filter to reverse the image to a resolution of 1920x1080. DSR significantly improves image quality, and a Gaussian filter significantly reduces distortion caused by insufficient sampling rate.
The “DSR - Smoothness” parameter affects the degree of image blurring, thereby allowing you to remove any artifacts that may arise as a result of a forced decrease in the sampling frequency. By default, the Global Settings section is set to 33%. If you lower this parameter, the edges of the image will become more rough, while increasing - smoother.
Smoothing (AA)
The 3D parameter list has so many anti-aliasing features that it’s even discouraging. A reasonable question arises: do all these parameters work during the game? Is it possible to turn them all on at the same time to ensure maximum picture smoothness? In both cases, the answer will be: "No." The compatibility of these anti-aliasing options varies from game to game. Let's analyze how to tune the Nvidia graphics card for maximum performance for different anti-aliasing parameters
Smoothing - FXAA
This parameter allows smoothing over other AA parameters, hiding visible irregularities by blurring. It has a weak effect on performance.
It is rarely used in modern games, but in old games it can show itself well, especially in combination with DSR. Sometimes gamers complain about the strong blurring of the image as a result of applying FXAA. Therefore, it should be used selectively for each game.
The main idea is to detect and smooth the edges of individual elements of the picture. This is a very fast and effective way to smooth, but as a result of its application, texture details may be blurry.
Smoothing - gamma correction
This method is largely outdated. Provides a smooth transition of thin objects into a contrasting background. Suitable for older games using anti-aliasing techniques such as MSAA and CSAA. If you leave it on, it will not bring harm, and may even help.
Smoothing - mode / parameters
In almost all cases, to ensure maximum performance of the Nvidia graphics card, these parameters must be disabled. If your game has its own smoothing methods, they should definitely work better. As an experiment, you can "Improve application settings." But do not wait for miracles. The only time this can have some effect is if the game does not have its own anti-aliasing settings. But even in this case, their work is not guaranteed.
Smoothing - Transparency
Smoothes the edges of so-called alpha textures - textures with a transparency effect, such as wire fences and masses of leaves on trees. In Nvidia settings for maximum performance, this option should be turned off. In any case, it will not work in most modern games.
Multi-Frame Smoothing MFAA
A relatively new effect for games that support DirectX 10 or later. MFAA works on top of multi-sampling anti-aliasing (MSAA), improving it and practically without affecting performance.
If 2x MSAA is enabled, the MFAA increases the value to 4x. Accordingly, with 4x MSAA enabled, the MFAA will increase this value to 8x. It does not work with all games, however, in the "Global Settings" it is recommended to leave it turned on.