The Ideal NVIDIA Control Panel Parameters to Boost FPS and Quality

We'll show you some of the greatest NVIDIA Control Panel options to experiment with so you can obtain better frames per second in your games, whether you're new to the PC Master Race or simply want to get the most out of your NVIDIA GPU. These adjustments may not always result in significant performance increases, particularly if your GPU is newer. Nevertheless, by making these adjustments to the NVIDIA Control Panel settings, your system will be configured to its highest potential, resulting in the finest possible graphics and gameplay on the highest settings.

Now that we've covered everything, let's examine the NVIDIA Control Panel options you need to modify immediately. Regardless of whether you have a desktop or laptop, these settings provide the same outcomes.

Make sure to use our dedicated tutorial to upgrade your GPU drivers before we start. You will get significant upgrades with the most recent GPU drivers, which will enhance the performance of your games with the newest releases and provide new optimizations and hotfixes.

1. Use Preview to Modify Image Settings

Using preview to adjust picture settings will alter how the GPU renders 3D objects and visuals in PC games. FPS may be improved by setting it to Performance , particularly on older PCs. Here's how to go about it:

2. Select the Graphics Processor of Choice

It is important to know that if you choose the NVIDIA GPU under Global Settings, then all of your PC's games and programs will utilize the dedicated GPU, which uses more power.

Go to the Manage 3D settings tab.
Then, click on the “Under Preferred Graphics Processor” drop down menu.
Here, select high performance NVIDIA processor as your preferred GPU.
Once done, click on Apply.

Note: If you own a laptop for gaming, go to the program settings and configure the specialized graphics card for the games you play.

3. Ambient Occlusion

In the Global or Program settings (depending on whether you want to change the setting for all games or a specific one), scroll down till you find Ambient Occlusion.
Click on the drop-down menu, and set to ‘Performance‘, or Off if you have a low-end PC. For a modern PC, you can set it to ‘Quality’ instead.
Click on ‘Apply‘ when done.

You may locate the further configuration adjustments (up to the ninth point) by just swiping down. Thus, ensure that they are configured for either Program Settings (for certain games and apps), or Global Settings to broadly apply the settings to all GPU-powered programs and games.

4. Anisotropic Filtering

This option has a significant visual effect since it enhances the appearance of textures seen from steep angles, making objects in a game seem crisper from a distance. Disabling it may still somewhat increase FPS, but contemporary graphics cards shouldn't have this feature turned off.

Find the ‘Anisotropic Filtering‘ setting.
Click on the drop-down menu, and choose the ‘Off’ option.
It is best to set it to ‘Application-controlled‘ or the 16x setting if you have a modern GPU.
Click on ‘OK‘ and then ‘Apply‘ to save the changes.

5. Scaling of Images

Your games' graphics may look better using image scaling, often referred to as NIS or NVIDIA Image Scaling. To fine-tune your sharpness, use the NVIDIA Control Panel to create a personalized preset.

To enable it, find the ‘Image Scaling‘ setting.
Turn it on, and then use the Sharpen slider to set it at your preference. A mild sharpening effect at around 15-30% works best in my opinion.
Also, tick the Overlay Indicator check box, as it will reflect if NIS is on or off.
Then, click on OK to apply changes.

5. Antialiasing ModeWhen playing a game, the edges in the visuals are smoothed down using a method called antialiasing (AA). Generally speaking, it's preferable to let the game handle its own AA, but let's have a look at how to turn it off for higher FPS on less powerful PCs.

Locate Antialiasing – Mode in the settings.
Set it to “Off“ for low-end PCs, or use the Application-controlled option for a modern high-end PCs.
Once done, click on Apply.

6. Low Latency Mode

You may play games with quicker input response times if you enable "Low Latency Mode." This will be overridden if your game is compatible with NVIDIA Reflex, by the way.

In the NVIDIA Control Panel settings, find Low Latency Mode.
Click on the drop-down menu and select Ultra, or On.
When done, click on Apply to save the changes.

7. GPU Rendering OpenGL

The auto-detect option is often used for the Open GL Rendering GPU. Nevertheless, you may use this to manually choose the GPU. This page allows you to choose a particular NVIDIA GPU for OpenGL rendering if you are a workstation user with several GPUs.

Find Open GL Rendering GPU in the Nvidia Control Panel settings.
Click the drop-down menu, and then select the GPU of choice.
When done, click on Apply.

8. Mode of Power Management

This is often set to the "Adaptive" mode, which is really recommended for the majority of users since the GPU will operate at lower temperatures and adjust to your activities. However, altering it could improve performance in certain ways. For the record Take a look at this tutorial if your GPU temps are within acceptable bounds.

Find the ‘Power Management Mode‘
Click on the drop-down menu and select the ‘Prefer Maximum Performance‘ option.
When done, click on Apply.

9. Quality Texture Filtering

Texture filtering lowers visual artifacts, improves quality, and lessens blurriness. Now let's see how to change this parameter in the NVIDIA Control Panel:

Find Texture Filtering – Quality in the settings. Click on the drop-down menu.
If you want to maximize your performance on a low-end PC, then set it to High Performance. But if it’s a modern PC, then set it to High Quality for better visuals.
Click on ‘Apply’ to save your changes.

10. Set the GPU's PhysX Engine

For optimal performance, it is also advised to configure the PhysX parameters to the GPU. It is stated explicitly on the NVIDIA FAQ website that "PhysX utilizes the GPU to run more quickly and realistically," so let's try to make this different.

Go to the ‘Configure Surround, PhysX‘ tab to find this setting.
Locate PhysX settings on the right-hand side. Here, click on the drop-down menu for selecting the processor.
Select the NVIDIA GPU here which is installed on your system.
When done, click on Apply to save the setting.

11. Set the Maximum Possible Resolution and Refresh Rate

Under the Display section, click on ‘Change Resolution‘.
Then, select the Display that you want to change the resolution and refresh rate for, by clicking on its respective Monitor icon. Only one will show up, unless you have multiple monitors.
Under the Resolution section, select the highest resolution available.
Also, set the monitor’s refresh rate by clicking on the drop-down menu under the Refresh Rate section, and selecting the highest available.
Click on ‘Apply‘ in the Nvidia Control Panel settings.

Follow our instructions on adjusting the refresh rate in Windows if you are aware of your monitor's refresh rate but it isn't shown here.

12. Modify Color Settings for Your Desktop

Select the Primary Monitor from above, by clicking on the display which you use to play games.
Under ‘Apply the following enhancements‘, find the ‘Digital Vibrancy‘ slider.
Start adjusting the slider. At 75%, I find the colors to be more vibrant, but not too saturated so as to make the colors ‘blow up’, as in becoming too saturated. Depending on how things look on your monitor, you can set this setting higher or lower, based on your preference.
Click ‘Apply‘ to save the changes.

13. To Enjoy Smoother Gaming, Turn On GSync

Turn this option on if your display supports AMD Freesync or NVIDIA GSync. Previously, NVIDIA released an upgrade that allowed many Freesync displays to use NVIDIA GPUs with GSync technology. When you play games, turning on GSync will make everything seem much more fluid since your display will dynamically adapt its refresh rate based on the game's real-time frame rate. Tearing is decreased as a result. For further information, see the comprehensive GSync vs. Freesync comparison.Having said that, the following is how to activate GSync in the NVIDIA Control Panel:

Click on the Setup G-SYNC option.
Click on the tick-box next to ‘Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible‘
Then, select a specific display, if needed.
Click on the tick-box next to ‘Enable settings for the selected display model‘ as well.
Lastly, click on Apply. Your monitor will flash, and then GSync will be enabled.

Answers to Common QuestionsMake sure that Windows' Battery options are set to the maximum performance power plan.You should set up several 3D settings, such as image scaling, anisotropic filtering, and antialiasing (AA) mode, to the "Quality" settings for the best quality.Instead, choose "Performance" from the "Adjust Settings with Image Preview" menu. Next, adjust various 3D settings to the "Performance" preset under "Manage 3D Settings." To improve FPS, you should also decrease the graphics quality in your games.