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Lower resolution v lower graphics settings

Dirk Diggler

Dirk Diggler

Dirk Diggler

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This is one of those questions that's quite difficult to Google as it's a bit multi faceted (kind of).

I've set up a lounge gaming system on a 65" 4k OLED TV using 6700XT & 5700x. Obviously, some things are fine at native resolution and some things struggle a wee bit. What would be the "best" option in your opinion..

1. Resolution at native 4k and lower settings in game, e.g. Ultra > Very High > High etc...

2. Lower resolution (1440 > 1080) in game and keep the settings higher

3. Lower the system resolution and keep settings higher

Are 2 & 3 the same thing or will Freesync get confused and not work with option 2? I'm thinking if I go with 3 then I can't use 4k on the lees demanding games. Is there an option I haven't considered?

TIA
 
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Dirk Diggler said:
Oh, interesting. I had read that this option conflicts with FSR options in game and is only really intended for games that don't have FSR. Is that BS?
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From what I've observed, if FSR is enabled, it disables HFX Super Resolution.

You can configure the Adrenaline splash screen to show briefly on game launch and it'll show if the SR option is enabled/disabled.

If there is a conflict, you can manually enable/disable via Adrenaline OSD while in game.
 
Personally I'd lower resolution, especially if you can do that in multiples of the display resolution, before lowering quality settings as often with lowering quality settings but keeping resolution things like draw distances get reduced more noticeably than with resolution. (FreeSync should still work with lower than native resolutions but your mileage may vary on some devices).

If you are on a decently fast LAN consider something like Steam Remote Play from a faster PC - it will drop performance a bit compared to what the faster PC can do native and induce some slight latency but it can still provide an experience equivalent to 60Hz gaming, just not great for competitive shooters, etc. but I can't imagine you'd be doing that on a lounge gaming setup.

EDIT: One thing you might find is that the TV processing and/or display scaling induces lag at non-native resolutions - some TV's game mode only triggers on native resolution.
 
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Dirk Diggler said:
When you say lower resolution, do you mean in the game settings menu as opposed to the Windows display settings menu?
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You'd have to experiment really see what gives the best results, some games do resolution scaling really well, some don't and resolution scaling at native res can alleviate problems on certain displays, but obviously not all games have a built in resolution scaler.
 
Depends how far back you sit. I do a mix of 1440p and 4k on my TV. I am 3m back from my 48" or 55" TV

If a game has a high quality anti aliasing solution built in I will leave it outputting at 4k and the game's internal resolution being 80% or whatever.

As a side note I think in the future PC games will see reduced settings options available over time and just different resolution sliders / upscaling methods. People seem to run a game at ultra settings and then DLSS/FRS balanced rather than high settings and quality/ultra quality
 
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I'd lower resolution first, but do it in-game. There aren't many games which don't have a resolution option (be it a hard option or scaling). Lowering rendering resolution via FSR or DLSS is the best option, but obviously limited to games which support them. It won't cause any issues with VRR either way. Personally, I can quite happily play at 1080p on my 1440p monitor and not even notice after five minutes.
 
Personally I lower settings. Resolution set to native always looks better than stretching a resolution in my opinion. Even lowering from say, 4k to 1440p means pixels are being stretched and not quite right. The only way to get around that is go all the way down to 1080p (or 720p from 1440p).

Changing shadows/shaders/AA/whatever else down a little bit seems to be less of a visual hit.
 
Dirk Diggler said:
2. Lower resolution (1440 > 1080) in game and keep the settings higher
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for me this would be the option.
the GPU is good at 1080 and can handle 1440 mid setting, but the 6700xt was never made for 4k and i would think the setting would have to be dropped so much the game would look horrible

but the best thing to do if just try and see how you feel and different setting and res
 
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If it's 'lounge gaming' so assuming your'e sitting a decent distance from the screen, like others say definitely lower resolution first, and obviously and preferably via FSR/ DLSS if possible.

You literally can't see the difference once you get over a certain distance / res ratio. Time to row out the old distance/ visual acuity charts again....

stari.co

TV Monitor Viewing Distance Calculator

Viewing Distance Calculation Screen Size Resolution (W) Resolution (H) Update Data Display details: Screen Diagonal: inches Screen Resolution: Screen Width: Screen Height: Aspect Ratio: Dot Pitch: PPI: Minimum distance Maximum distance Visual Acuity distance
stari.co
 
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1. Set the Windows resolution to your display's native resolution. That's always been the rule for flat screens.
2. Open AMD Adrenalin, Graphics tab, and enable Radeon Super Resolution.
3. Start a game, choose high settings, and lower the resolution until the framerate feels smooth*

Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) will upscale the image to 4k.

*obviously if the game supports FSR then use that instead of RSR
 
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Wing-Man said:
it is like DLSS, you pick quality or performance and it set the game up?
Click to expand...
I'm not seeing that.

nL7YG8H.jpeg
 
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