Ultra Graphics Settings Are a Scam: Why High Is Good Enough, if Not Better, for Most Players
Most games don’t actually need to be played at Ultra settings to look good. They don’t even need it to look great. To prove it, I turned down the settings in a bunch of great-looking games to see how much difference it really makes. Not only did I find it hard to spot any obvious visual difference in most of the games I tested, but performance went up dramatically and the smoother framerates were…
In recent years, high-end hardware has become increasingly affordable, allowing gamers to purchase top-of-the-line CPUs and graphics cards. Hardware reviewers, like the author of this article, often have access to such equipment, which can lead to a reliance on maximum settings for gaming. However, the author has discovered that most games do not require the top "Ultra" settings to look good or even great.
The latest upscaling technologies are incredibly effective at simulating higher resolutions, and the differences between Ultra and High settings are often imperceptible. In fact, the author conducted tests on several visually impressive games, and in most cases, they could not tell the difference between Ultra and High settings.
Moreover, lowering the settings resulted in a significant improvement in performance, with smoother frame rates being well worth the minimal sacrifice. The author's system, featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and a PowerColor Red Devil RX 7900 XTX, is capable of running almost any game at Ultra settings, even at 4K with ray tracing enabled.
This is particularly true when using FSR upscaling and frame generation. The article presents a series of games and scenarios where the author tested the impact of lowering graphics settings. In Cyberpunk 2077, the game runs at only 20 FPS at its maximum settings, but switching to Balanced upscaling brings the performance up to a playable 30 FPS without a noticeable visual difference.
For Alan Wake 2, the game was unplayable with all settings maxed out, but by switching to FSR Balanced and reducing the resolution, the game became playable with a minimal visual downgrade. Similarly, Hogwarts Legacy, which is not photo-realistic, can be made beautiful with Balanced upscaling, even with ray tracing enabled. The author argues that most players should consider playing most games at High settings, and only consider Ultra settings for specific games or scenarios where the visual difference is significant and justifies the performance sacrifice.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
