GTA 5 graphics settings for 1GB card. Grand Theft Auto V
Are you having any performance issues with GTA V on your personal computer? Have you already tried all the typical solutions like downgrading and got no results? If so, then you are in luck, because below we have collected all the solutions to problems that are not on the surface. It is this text that will help you squeeze 100% efficiency out of your computer if all else fails.
Important: Before you apply any changes to your configuration, make sure you have backed up your settings and know exactly what you are changing and where. Everything is as usual here: if you play too hard, you can break something.
Drivers
Before making drastic changes to the game, make sure that everything is in order with your software and all drivers are updated to the latest version. Believe me, even if you regularly download a driver for a video card on the Internet, this does not mean that the drivers for all other components are updated to the latest version and work correctly.In order not to run around the Internet looking for a driver for each component, download it - this is a free program that automatically scans the system and updates all drivers to the latest version.
After downloading, scan your system. It usually takes 5-10 minutes
- After scanning, you can easily update all drivers with one click
GeForce Experience driver problem
The first fix applies only to owners of Nvidia video cards who use GeForce Experience. The fact is that this software can try to stream to the Nvidia Shield, even if you don’t have any trace of the device itself.To fix it, type “services” in the search on your PC. Open the menu found by your computer and disable the Nvidia Streamer Service. Make sure that the Startup Type checkbox is not checked.
Now restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Problem with installation paths
The following fix will be useful for people who have the game distribution on different local drives. To speed up the application, simply move one to the other.Just remember this trick with Rockstar Social Club. If you move it (probably it), then remember the original location in which the files were located. For example, imagine that the Rockstar Games folder was located at C: Program Files, and you moved it to the “G” drive simply “to the root”. This is just an example and your actual folder paths may differ and are what you should use.
Once you have moved the folder to its new location, launch a Command Prompt with Administrator rights and enter the following command:
mklink /d “C:Program FilesRockstar Games” “G:Rockstar Games”
This command will make a shortcut to the old location, and it will point to the new one. This way you can get rid of all problems if the game does not find the necessary executable files.
High priority game process automatically
You can improve GTA V performance by setting the process to the highest priority and companion applications (Rockstar Social Club and GTALauncher) to the lowest.However, you have to do this every time, which is not so convenient. There are two ways you can set these settings automatically.
First method:
Create a txt file with the following content:
And save it with the extension .bat. Run this file every time you want to play because it will automatically set all the priorities as needed in one click.
The second method works with any version of GTA V on personal computers, so for many it will be preferable. Create a txt file with the following content:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 “CpuPriorityClass”=dword:00000003 “CpuPriorityClass”=dword:00000005 “CpuPriorityClass”=dword:00000005
Save it as a file with the reg extension. Now back up your registry, you know how fragile it is! Now run the created file with administrator rights and add data to the registry (Windows will ask you about this). After this manipulation, priorities will be set automatically every time you normally start GTA 5. The Reg file can now be deleted.
Setting up the swap file
GTA 5 uses a lot of RAM. To the point where you won't even be able to run anything in the background. Therefore, a swap file (or Pagefile) will be essential.Open Control Panel on your PC, then go to the System tab (usually located in the System and Security field group), and select Advanced there. Pay attention to the Virtual Memory option - click on the Change button.
If GTA 5 is installed on a specific local drive, then you need to make the pagefile there. In other cases, the paging file size is configured in the system options described in yours.
Set the initial size to the "system recommended" value. Or set it to "maximum" to double the size. Do all this in the properties of a specific local disk.
This should resolve low memory issues.
RAM in dual channel mode
This could also be a problem with your computer and RAM. While playing GTA 5, you may notice unacceptable performance. In this case, it’s worth checking whether the memory really works in dual-channel mode and setting it up in accordance with the manual supplied with the motherboard.Slow RAM
If your PC starts up slowly, and even more so GTA 5 is acting up, then you can look at the reason in a program called to check your RAM. DRAM Frequency is exactly the line you need. Now compare this number with what it should be according to the manufacturer.If you see a discrepancy, restart your PC and enter the BIOS. Here you can adjust the “speed” of the RAM. If it was not possible to install it manually, you should set other options in the XMP column.
Radio
GTA 5 allows you to add your own from specified MP3 files, but this can and does degrade overall performance. Delete these files and search for them again in the game menu. If this is not done, the game will continue to try to include the specified files where they are not, which will again degrade performance.MSAA and grass
In locations full of vegetation, the number of frames per second may drop. The first thing you decide to do is reduce the graphics settings for grass. But in fact, the problem lies in MSAA - this is the setting that should be changed.The game crashes in in-car aiming mode
In this case, go to the menu, open options and go to the Saving and Startup tab. Make sure the Landing Page option is enabled.These little tricks should help you get rid of performance problems in GTA 5. Good luck in the vastness of San Andreas!
In-game settings
Detailed setting
Ignore memory limit - disable.
DirectX - setting 10, 11 direct gives us access to additional settings, such as msaa anti-aliasing, tessellation and grass quality.
Screen resolution and frequency - here we just set our resolution and 60 hz, because this is exactly the fps we will achieve.
Anti-aliasing fxaa - we must turn it on, it has almost no effect on performance, but the result of anti-aliasing is obvious, because this is standard anti-aliasing.
Anti-aliasing msaa - turn it off, with directive 10 it will not be available, one of the most demanding settings in the game, I recommend turning it off even on powerful video cards, for those who experience freezes, and the most interesting thing is that x2 and off have practically no visual difference, but about 20 are lost fps right away, so I recommend turning on only x8 for owners of top video cards, but we turn it off.
Vertical synchronization is a must and highly recommended, the picture looks much better and smoother with it at 60 fps than without it at 80 fps, but first we turn it off to test the overall fps.
Population, variety and focus - I fully explain why to the minimum, the population of the city at the minimum value is the standard, the city will not be empty, if you remember GTA 4, then by turning this slider to the minimum the city became dead, then this is the normal state of the city, so turn it off , the same thing applies to the diversity of the population, I would call this option “meaningless consumption of video memory”, and what about focusing, to be honest, I didn’t notice a difference with my settings, but at the maximum value it also produces infrequent game freezes, so turn it off.
Quality of textures - everything is simple here, 1 GB of video memory is only standard quality, for owners of video cards with a memory capacity of 2 GB or more, I advise you to try setting it to high, if 1 GB - set it to medium by default.
Shader quality - set to high - shaders make the textures in the field of view higher quality, but are not as demanding as textures, I would call them a cheap analogue of high quality textures.
The quality of the shadows is normal.
Reflection quality is standard, because We need to achieve FPS, and not peer at the reflections on the glass.
Water quality is standard, for the same reason as reflections.
The quality of particles, grass and special effects is standard.
Soft shadows - I recommend that owners of top-end and pre-top video cards set sharp shadows, that is, to the minimum, this parameter, but we set either soft or as soft as possible, the shadows are of standard quality, they are very angular, there is a “ladder”, but just with this softness function shadows, they become with rounded edges and we see ladders very, very rarely, the quality of the shadows improves right before our eyes, although initially we set the shadows to the standard, in the end we get lower-quality shadows with a minimum of performance costs.
Anisotropic filtering - set to x16, a useful function, together with our high shaders it makes the picture pleasing to the eye.
AO shading - here we set it only based on our preferences, try all the options, this function does not particularly affect the FPS or the picture.
If it doesn't help
If all of the above did not help, and your FPS is jumping, then there may be problems with the OS or hardware.
Hardware problems are most likely either RAM, hard drive, or overheating. If we have a problem with the RAM, then we need to run it through the memtest program. Hard - free up disk space, do defragmentation (For the latter, I recommend O&O Defragmenter). It is better to deal with overheating step by step - first, clean the system unit from dust, replace the thermal paste on the processor, etc. It's better to read articles on this matter.
Settings in the system
Lower your graphics card's graphics settings
For NVIDIA video cards, you need to go to the “NVIDIA control panel” (usually right-click on the desktop) and in the “Adjust image settings” tab, move the slider to the “Performance” state.
The video card is one of the main components on which the FPS depends.
Now I will show you how to configure an NVIDIA video card.
First, let's look at the power supply:
Control Panel - Power Options - Set Sleep Mode - Change Advanced Power Settings - PCI Express - Link State Power Management - Value: Off.
Next, open the NVIDIA Control Panel, and in the "3D Settings" list, select "Manage 3D Settings", select grand theft auto v and specify these settings:
Anisotropic filtering: OFF
Vertical Sync: OFF
Background Light Shading: OFF
Maximum number of pre-prepared frames: 4
Threading optimization: ON (If multiple processors)
Power Management Mode: Maximum Performance Preferred
Anti-Aliasing - Gamma Correction: OFF
Antialiasing - Transparency: OFF
Triple Buffering: OFF
Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Sampling Optimization: OFF
Texture filtering - quality: High performance
Texture filtering - negative deviation UD: Snap
Texture Filtering - Trilinear Optimization: OFF
System performance
At this stage everything is simple. Go to “My Computer”, then “Properties”, “Additional System Parameters”, “Performance”, below “Parameters” and select the column “Ensure the best performance”
Permission
It is better to set the resolution to low. The higher the resolution, the lower the fps.
Solving some problems
If your mouse twitches when browsing, then this problem can be solved in this way:
Lags/freezes when driving a car:
1. First, lower the game's graphic settings. Very often this problem occurs due to enabled options that are not supported by the hardware. For example, switch DirectX, etc.
2. Uninstall old drivers for the video card through the Control Panel. After that, download the latest version of the drivers and install it.
3. If you have a licensed copy, check the integrity of the game cache in the game properties in the Steam library.
GTA V crashes. Game freezes:
1. Lower the graphics settings in the game. This will most likely allow you to avoid errors in processing game data, which often lead to crashes.
2. Run the game as administrator
3. Make sure that the game has enough resources - if necessary, increase the swap file.
4. For owners of licensed copies of the game, it is possible to check files for integrity in the game properties, in the Steam library.
5. Sometimes reinstalling the drivers for the video card helps. A clean installation is recommended.
6. The game may freeze if your hard drive is of poor quality and cannot provide the required data transfer speed.
7. Freezing may be caused by overheating of the computer. Keep an eye on this.
Textures disappear in GTA V. No textures:
1. Run GTA V as administrator.
2. Minimize the game and open the task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL)
3. Find the game process and set it to high priority by right-clicking.
4. If it doesn’t help, try increasing the paging file in the system settings, as well as lowering the graphics settings and screen resolution in the game.
GTA 5 cannot be saved. Problem with saves in GTA V:
1. Launch the game as administrator.
2. Check that the system user name is written in Latin letters.
Make sure that there is free space on drive C and the drive where the game is installed.
3. You must have Rockstar Social Club installed and logged in.
I hope your FPS has increased!
Thank you for reading this material, I hope I helped you.
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Let's look at each of the options for optimizing GTA 5 to make it acceptable to play, without significant drops in fps.
GTA 5 settings for weak computers, laptops
You can significantly speed up the game by correctly configuring the game settings, thereby getting rid of lags and freezes. To do this, simply set all the values in the graphics settings to minimum, disable unnecessary functions: tessellation, filtering, etc.; and also reduce the screen resolution. You can also download a ready-made settings file, where all the values are set for a quick game flight.Download GTA 5 patch for weak computers, laptops - 1
This archive contains an xml file of graphics settings for running GTA 5 on weak computers. To install it, simply copy settings.xml and paste it into the " Documents/Rockstar Games/GTA V".Tested on an intel i5-2450M with a GT 520MX video card, fps increased from 25 to 40!
Patch for GTA 5 for weak PCs - 2
If after installing the first patch with settings the game continues to slow down, then try downloading these configs.This is essentially the same principle as in the first option + low screen resolution and disabled shadows. The installation is the same as in the option above. Tested on
AMD Trinity A5600K @3.7GHz with 512 MB integrated APU Graphics
RAM 4 GB
Win 7 64 bit
gave 40-60 fps!
GTA 5 Mod for weak PCs, laptops
This mod includes a graphics settings file, scripts that increase game optimization and perform the following functions:- Turn off Bloom Effect(Barely noticeable);
- Reduce LOD Fade distance, makes objects such as ground details transparent or invisible;
- Change the color and clarity of water;
- Modify the settings file settings.xml, who is responsible for graphics.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0ghz or higher
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 2000, 2500, 3000,
4000, 4400, 4600, 5000, AMD Radeon HD
3000, 4000, and 6000 series
Installation:
- Download ;
- Launch OpenIV and go to the GTA 5 directory;
- Open the Update folder and select the update.rpf file
- Install the ASI plugin which will pop up in the application window;
- Open the "common/data" folder;
- Drag the visualsettings.dat file from the archive there, thereby replacing the original one;
- Now in Windows, open the Documents folder and go to “Rockstar Games/GTA V”, and paste the settings.xml file from their archive, replacing the one inside;
- Close OpenIV and you are now Done.
Download GTA 5 on a Weak PC, Laptop - Mod with Online Game Support
This version of the "mod" does not affect important game files, i.e. does not modify, but only replaces the standard settings file settings.xml and writes the values in the command line located in "commandline.txt". Accordingly, this option allows you to play in Online mode.- settings.xml is inserted with replacement into "Documents/Rockstar Games/GTA V".
- paste commandline.txt into the root folder of the GTA V game.
Now we won’t tell you how to run GTA 5 on weak processors. Moreover, it is already available on our website. This time we are talking about what hardware you can use to achieve stable and enjoyable FPS at high and maximum settings in Grand Theft Auto 5. In this article you will find out which video card is best for GTA 5 and how to set the game to the ideal speed/speed ratio. quality.
With the release of GTA 5 on PC, players have access to a much wider range of game settings than could ever have been dreamed of on consoles. You can influence almost every graphical aspect and the game itself will calculate the amount of video memory required. Everything is for your convenience. You can try to set everything to maximum, but then don’t be surprised that the amount of video memory consumed will exceed 4 GB. If your computer can handle this, then you don’t have to worry about anything at all. However, only a small number of players have such powerful machines. I also don’t want to lower the settings too much: everyone loves to play with beautiful graphics. Where to find the golden mean?
A gaming computer with enough power to play GTA 5 must have at least 8 GB of RAM, a processor of about Intel Core i5 3470 or AMD X8 FX-8350 and a video card of sufficient power. In general, the most important thing for playing GTA 5 (as in any other game) is the video card. What kind of video card is needed for GTA 5?
GTA 5 AMD video card
AMD video cards are, as a rule, cheaper, but more energy-intensive analogues of their competitors. Of course, there is no such thing as too much power, and if you want to play in 4K resolution on a giant TV and maximum settings, then the more powerful your video card, the better. Based on the results of many tests, our analytical department found that a video card is suitable for a more or less comfortable game at maximum settings and with a resolution of 1920x1080 AMD Radeon R9 280, but it's better to have something like Radeon R9 295X2. Playing on medium settings, with some particularly resource-intensive options disabled, will require Radeon R9 290X.
Low graphics settings do not allow you to fully enjoy the beauty GTA world 5, but at least they will give you the opportunity to go through the story campaign. To do this, it will be enough for you to have Radeon R7 240 or Radeon R7 250.
GTA 5 NVidia video card
NVidia video cards are AMD's main competitor. They are more expensive, but they heat up less, consume less energy and are generally more reliable. Playing on high graphics settings with a resolution of 1920x1080 will require at least GeForce GTX 770, but it’s better to have a more top-end option, like GeForce GTX 980. Medium settings, with the most “heavy” processes disabled, will literally fly on the same GeForce GTX 770, and with GeForce GTX 780 Ti You can also increase the game resolution to 2560x1440.
Works quite well with low graphics settings GeForce GTX 740, but it’s better to have something more serious like GeForce GTX 650.
We hope we answered the question "GTA 5 which video card is suitable?". If you still have questions, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments.
The fifth serialized part of Grand Theft Auto, having successfully emptied the wallets of console players, came to personal computers after a long delay. Big open world and a trio of crazy bandit heroes are waiting for those who are ready to share their adventures. But today we will not talk about how GTA 5 can entertain the player, and not about the gameplay features. We will talk about performance and fine-tuning graphics parameters.
GTA V offers a diverse game world with completely different locations - business districts of the metropolis, slums, industrial complexes, mountain ranges, forests and deserts. Huge scale, great variety and detailed elaboration of the environment. You can enjoy some of the views in the lower screenshots in a resolution of 2560x1440.
The game pleases with good clear textures and relief surfaces, for which parallax mapping is actively used. Even ordinary lawns have a relief structure, rather than using the usual hand-drawn texture.
As a clear illustration of the work of parallax mapping, we present a screenshot, which at the same time clearly shows the operation of the effect of changing the depth of field, which is actively used in the game.
This lens effect blurs backgrounds, allowing for a more natural-looking overall panorama.
The time of day and weather in the game change. All objects cast regular soft shadows away from the sun. Cute sunrises and sunsets are complemented by rainbow effects.
The range of drawing objects is very high. By default, there is a clear change in detail clarity as you move away from the camera. When using additional settings, the effect is leveled out. This will be discussed in more detail below.
General physics of object interaction at a level traditional for such games. The environment is mostly static, but pillars and storefronts break. In story missions that involve big explosions, GTA 5 puts on a pretty good show with a lot of scraps. Control and physical model of car behavior are at the usual GTA level, without any complications. In particular, only very serious damage affects the behavior of the machine. Externally, the cars look great - they shine in the sun, reflecting all the surrounding buildings and lights on a smooth glossy surface.
The water surfaces look nice, but nothing more. In Watch Dogs, the water was more beautiful and more alive.
If we make a general comparison of graphics with Watch Dogs, we can feel the technological advantage of the Ubisoft game. But GTA V has a more meticulous attention to detail and more external variety.
The PC version of GTA 5 has many graphic settings. Not all of them are understandable to the average player. The name of some does not always directly indicate the effect they have on the overall quality of the picture. Sometimes the very meaning of the settings is lost due to the loose translation of specific names. We will help you understand all their diversity. Let's see how individual parameters affect the image and how this affects performance. Based on the results, it will be possible to draw conclusions about which settings are most critical for performance, which ones have a big impact on visual beauty, and which ones don’t. Such information will be relevant for owners of mid-level and lower video cards. Based on our guide, it will be possible to select the optimal ratio of parameters, allowing you to increase productivity with minimal loss of picture quality.
Those who want to get the most out of the game will not be forgotten either. There will be a comparison of different anti-aliasing modes. Let's find out which of them are the most successful and which are the most resource-intensive. Let's study the impact of "additional image settings", which allow you to raise the graphics bar above the level that the game offers by default.
Test configurations
Main test stand:
- processor: Intel Core i7-3930K ([email protected] GHz, 12 MB);
- cooler: Thermalright Venomous X;
- motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Formula/Battlefield 3 (Intel X79 Express);
- memory: Kingston KHX2133C11D3K4/16GX (4x4 GB, DDR3-2133@1866 MHz, 10-11-10-28-1T);
- system disk: WD3200AAKS (320 GB, SATA II)
- power supply: Seasonic SS-750KM (750 W);
- monitor: ASUS PB278Q (2560x1440, 27″);
- GeForce driver: NVIDIA GeForce 350.12;
- driver for other Radeons: ATI Catalyst 15.4 beta.
For processor tests, an additional test bench with the following configuration was used:
- processor No. 1: Intel Pentium G3258 (3.2 GHz nominal, 3 MB);
- processor No. 2: Intel Core i7-4770K (3.5 GHz nominal, 8 MB);
- motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary (Intel Z97);
- memory: GoodRAM GY1600D364L10/16GDC (2x8 GB, 1600 MHz, 10-10-10-28-2T);
- system disk: ADATA SX900 256 GB (256 GB, SATA 6 Gbit/s);
- power supply: Chieftec CTG-750C (750 W);
- monitor: LG 23MP75HM-P (1920x1080, 23″);
- operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64;
- GeForce driver: NVIDIA GeForce 350.12.
Testing was carried out using the built-in benchmark, which includes five test scenes. The average fps for each scene was taken into account and the final average was calculated. To reduce the error, four benchmark runs were performed. Please note that test results are not displayed in the game; all data is stored at c:\Users\Username\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA V\Benchmarks as a text file.
The logs also record the minimum fps for each test scene. But these values are too unstable and differ with each new run. Moreover, even in the case of real “lags”, noticeable to the naked eye, these values differed little from the minimum fps on cards that produced a smooth picture. We ended up using Fraps for additional monitoring. And the minimum fps on the graphs is the average minimum value based on the results of each of the four runs of the benchmark, recorded by the program.
When considering the impact of settings on performance, one video card will be used - a non-reference GeForce GTX 760 2GB with frequencies at the level of standard versions. The testing procedure is as follows: take the configuration of maximum graphics settings without anti-aliasing at a resolution of 1920x1080, change one of the parameters, test performance at different quality levels of this parameter, and provide comparative visual materials demonstrating the difference in picture quality. Then all parameters are again set to the initial maximum value, and another parameter is changed with the corresponding tests.
Actively ignores restrictions, which allows you to use the most difficult parameters. All tests were carried out in DirectX 11 rendering mode, since this API has long been the main one even for budget graphics solutions. But the game also supports DirectX 10.1 and DirectX 10.
The order of studying individual parameters corresponds to their order in the game menu. An exception is made for shadow settings, of which there are several, and they are interconnected to a certain extent. After considering the main graphics parameters, we will move on to the additional ones, where we will step-by-step include all the points together.
The next stage of the article is comparative tests of different AMD and NVIDIA video cards with high graphics quality. At the end there will be testing of processor dependence using Intel CPUs of different price categories.
Antialiasing Modes
The game supports FXAA and MSAA anti-aliasing. Users of GeForce video cards also have access to TXAA anti-aliasing. The latter is activated after enabling MSAA in the settings as an additional option. Urban surroundings and industrial landscapes are always replete with straight lines, so that the stepped edges of objects are clearly visible here. The stepped outlines of the car against the background of the light road surface are no less visible. So you can’t do without antialiasing. Evaluate the effect of activation different methods smoothing in comparison with the mode without anti-aliasing can be seen in the lower screenshots.
The color saturation of the car in the foreground changes slightly due to the subtle fog effect. We do not pay attention to this, carefully study the surrounding objects and elements. For greater clarity, let’s compare identical fragments of each screenshot.
I would like to immediately note good quality FXAA works, which does not happen in all games. The worst effect of smoothing “steps” at the boundaries of objects is obtained by MSAA in 2x mode, which is quite expected. Switching multisampling to 4x mode improves the picture. Moving to TXAA provides even smoother edges. And from this point of view, this mode is the most effective. But with it, the overall picture becomes a little blurry, and the clarity of details is lost. Compare the road surface, grass and tiles in large screenshots - the difference is most clearly visible in these elements. The relief texture of grass with TXAA is completely lost. FXAA gives a clearer picture.
MSAA 4x provides the best balance between edge smoothing and clarity. Note the crane and neighboring house in the background. With MSAA they are clearer, even the inscription on the poster shows through, which is not at all visible with FXAA.
Let us also note that the game has interesting parameter"MSAA for reflections." It is logical to assume that it affects the smoothing of the edges of reflections, which are most often visible on the surface of cars. In practice, we did not detect any difference in reflections with and without MSAA 4x. Perhaps we are talking about reflections on other surfaces. It is possible that the effect of this smoothing itself is weakly expressed.
It's time to take a look at how all these modes affect performance. Experienced video card - GeForce GTX 760.
Activating FXAA relative to the mode without anti-aliasing gives a drop in fps of only 4%. Enabling MSAA 2x relative to the mode without anti-aliasing on the test card gives a performance drop of 21% at the minimum setting and up to 30% at the average game frame rate. Switching to MSAA 4x gives a 16% reduction compared to the simpler multisampling mode. TXAA 4x is heavier by another 3-4%. If we additionally enable an anti-aliasing mode for reflections of similar quality to MSAA 4x, then we get a frame rate at the same level as the TXAA mode, which is 46-57% lower than the initial level without AA.
FXAA gives a good visual effect and minimal impact on performance. MSAA is slightly better in terms of clarity, but the performance penalty is significant. Such a serious decrease in fps may also be due to insufficient memory. Even without anti-aliasing, the game shows that around 2.5 GB will be used at 1920x1080 resolution.
Population
Three points are related to the density of people on the city streets. These are Population Density, Population Variety and Distance Scaling. Each has its own scale with 10 gradations. The first two points are quite obvious - they regulate the number of people on the streets and the use of various models for them. Distance Scaling probably sets the distance at which they appear. We gradually reduced all parameters from maximum to half (we will count this as 100% and 50%). Based on the results of several minutes of playing in different modes, we can state a minimal difference in the number of people on the streets. Presumably this also affects the density of traffic on the roads. You don’t notice any of this unless you deliberately concentrate on a given task.
Below left is a screenshot of the mode when all parameters are at maximum. On the right is an image of a similar location with all three parameters reduced to 50%.
We did not lower these parameters to zero, since even changing from 100% to 50% did not give any significant difference in the frame rate, which is clearly visible in the bottom graph.
Reducing “population” and “diversity” has no effect. Changing the distance leads to a slight increase in fps. The result is expected, because a weak adjustment of population density will not affect the load on the GPU. This is more relevant for the central processor. Reducing these parameters can have a positive effect on weak CPUs. On more or less modern systems, you can immediately set them to maximum.
Texture quality
It's time to experiment with Texture Quality. As noted above, with Ultra quality in Full HD without anti-aliasing, the game already consumes up to 2.5 GB of video memory. It's logical to assume that 2GB graphics cards might experience problems because of this. And reducing the quality of textures for ordinary users will seem like the most obvious solution to improve performance. But is it? Let's figure it out now.
First, let's compare the image quality at the highest, high and standard texture levels.
Texture Quality Very High
Texture Quality High
Texture Quality Normal
There are not differences in everything. The first screenshots show a gradual decrease in the clarity of environmental elements - patterns on the carpet and sofa, paintings on the wall, a slight change in the texture of jeans. In the second scene, the difference in the quality of the textures of the sidewalks and the road surface is striking.
The impact of texture quality on overall performance is minimal. When switching from maximum to high it is almost not noticeable. Switching to standard mode gives a ridiculous gain of a couple of percent, and this despite the fact that in this mode, video memory consumption finally drops below the 2 GB level. So texture quality can be set to the highest level even on average video cards.
Shader quality
Next up is the Shader Quality parameter. Three levels - from standard to very high. In theory, using simpler shaders should have a dramatic effect on the quality of all surfaces
Texture Shader Very High
Texture Shader High
Texture Shader Normal
In fact, changing this parameter only affects the surface of the earth. When reduced from maximum to high, the effect of embossed surfaces becomes weaker. In normal mode, the ground and grass completely lose volume - everything is flat. And even the clarity of surfaces decreases sharply, as if the quality of textures is reduced.
The difference between Very High and High is less than 3%. Switching to the simplest mode gives a noticeable increase in performance, at a level of 12-14% relative to High. Moreover, for the first time we see an increase in the minimum fps when a specific graphics parameter is reduced. Therefore, it is quite critical to overall performance. But the image quality suffers greatly from the minimum level of shaders. It only makes sense to use a standard shader level on very weak video cards.
Reflection quality
This parameter (Reflection Quality) affects all reflective surfaces - cars, shop windows, windows, etc. Four quality levels. You can evaluate their influence on the overall picture in the lower screenshots. We remind you that the remaining graphics parameters are at the maximum level without anti-aliasing. Half of the screenshots are in 1920x1080 resolution, half in 2560x1440.
Reflection Ultra
Reflection Very High
Reflection High
Reflection Normal
In the first scene, we pay attention to the surface of the cars and the display case. As Reflection Quality decreases, reflections gradually lose clarity and become more blurry. And at the standard level (Normal) they actually disappear, there are only reflections and frosted glass windows. At the same time, even the advertising banner on the left side of the frame looks different - the iridescent gloss effect of the inscriptions is lost. In the night scene, everything is similar - the reflections of the lights on the surface of the cars lose their shape, and then disappear altogether.
It should be noted that highly detailed reflections fully correspond to real objects in the environment. This is not Watch Dodgs, when the windows of buildings reflected not the opposite side of the street, but some kind of image that was standard for everyone.
Reflections also have a significant impact on performance. The most dramatic effect is the decrease in quality from the highest level to very high - an increase in fps at the level of 8-11%. Moreover, again there is an increase in the minimum fps, which is the most critical. There is a small difference in frame rate between the standard level and the high level, but the image is completely different. So we do not recommend lowering this parameter to a minimum.
Water quality
Everything is quite obvious. Changing Water Quality affects the display of water. Three quality levels, which can be assessed in the lower screenshots.
Water Very High
Water High
Water Normal
The difference between the maximum and average levels is difficult to notice. But the standard mode is radically different - the detailing of waves is simpler, there are fewer reflections and glare.
Higher water quality regimes do not affect the overall performance in any way. Enabling the simplest mode for displaying it allows you to win up to 3%.
Particle quality
Parameter that regulates the number of particles. The original is called Particles Quality. Its influence is quite obvious, but there are not enough particles in the game, except for sparks and fragments during collisions or explosions. There are no wind-driven leaves or newspapers in GTA 5. So it is not easy to notice the difference between the maximum particle level and the minimum.
Here we will do without comparative screenshots. And even in testing we will limit ourselves to extreme values - a very high level and a standard one.
Minimal difference. So it makes sense to reduce this parameter only on very weak systems.
Grass quality
The Grass Quality parameter affects the display of grass. Four discrete values - from standard level to ultra. For comparison, we combined fragments of the same frame from the built-in gaming benchmark into one image.
Lowering the grass quality by one value slightly affects its density. A further decrease is accompanied by the disappearance of shadows from ferns. In the easiest mode, large grass disappears. The parameter does not affect the density and quality of the bush in any way, nor does it affect moss and small grass, which is implemented using relief texturing technologies.
Significant impact on minimum fps. Therefore, the quality of the grass is very important for overall productivity. Switching from maximum quality to very high allows you to increase the minimum fps by 12%, the next decrease gives an increase of another 8%. Between the extreme quality settings (Ultra and Normal) there is a difference of 29% in the minimum parameter and 9% in the average game frame rate. Special effects and post-processing
Let's combine several parameters into one comparative test. In Russian translation, special effects are the Post FX parameter, which is responsible for the quality of post-processing. This applies to the motion blur effect (Motion Blur) and the depth of field effect (Depth of Field). A faint lens effect like chromatic aberration is also noticeable. At the maximum level of post-effects, it is possible to manually set the Motion Blur intensity and activate/deactivate Depth of Field. In our tests we used Motion Blur at 50% intensity. Although in GTA it is not aggressive, so there will not be strong blurring of objects even at 100%.
The effect of changing the depth of field is used very actively. In a balanced position, it only slightly blurs the background.
The blur distance is gaze dependent and constantly changes, creating the effect of the gaze gradually adapting to focus on certain objects. With a sudden change of view, the depth of the focal length gradually changes from minimal to higher. If the camera is aimed at a close object, then a slight blur will hide objects at a medium distance, enhancing the effect of concentration. All this is implemented very realistically and without particularly aggressive blur, without creating discomfort in the game.
When reducing special effects from the highest level to high, the Depth of Field is automatically disabled. Reducing it to the minimum (standard) level does not allow Motion Blur to be enabled.
Testing was carried out at the maximum effect level with Motion Blur at 50%. The next position is to lower the special effects by one point while completely disabling Motion Blur. The next drop by another point is accompanied by the obvious shutdown of Depth of Field. Next comes the minimum level of special effects.
Motion smearing has little impact on overall performance. But disabling DOF with a corresponding decrease in the overall level of post-effects gives a sharp jump in performance at the level of 14-22%. Given the widespread use of the depth of field effect, this impact on performance is quite expected.
Tessellation
There was also support for tessellation. During our acquaintance with the game, we noticed its influence only on trees and palm trees. And, most likely, the possibilities of tessellation in the game are limited to this.
Tessellation Very High
Tessellation High
Tessellation Normal
Tessellation Off
As the tessellation quality decreases, the palm trunk loses its complex geometric structure, becoming completely smooth without this mode. At the same time, the influence of tessellation on the geometry of the tree trunk located in the background is noticeable, although the effect is not so obvious. There is virtually no difference between highest and highest tessellation quality. Only with a very careful study of the screenshots can you notice the complication of the geometry in some areas.
In comparison testing, we skipped the high settings level.
No difference between different levels of tessellation. And even disabling it has little effect on the overall level of performance. So feel free to set this parameter to high or maximum level. Reducing tessellation makes sense on older DirectX 11 video cards, which are much weaker in processing tessellated surfaces than modern solutions.
Shadow quality
Let's move on to studying shadows. The Shadow Quality parameter affects the overall quality and detail of shadows.
Shadow Very High
Shadow High
Shadow Normal
As the parameter decreases, the detail of the shadows decreases and they become more blurred. In standard mode, their saturation is additionally lost, shadows from small details disappear completely (pay attention to the shadows of the armrests and the faint shadow at the edge of the pool).
Another important parameter for overall performance. Lowering it to high increases the minimum fps by 8%. Further reduction in shadow quality results in a smaller increase in frame rate.
With maximum shadow quality, you can increase the distance for loading detailed shadows in the additional graphic settings. When the quality decreases, this option is disabled. If the quality of the shadows is average, there is no point in chasing the effect of soft shadows. If the quality is low, you can refuse global shading.
Soft shadows
The game supports several levels of implementation of the soft shadow effect with the ability to use NVIDIA PCSS or AMD CHS technologies. This effect itself adds realism, because in diffuse sunlight the shadows do not have clear edges. In NVIDIA PCSS, shadows are calculated using even more complex algorithms, taking into account the distance of the shadow from its source. Therefore, for example, the upper part of the shadow from a column will be lighter than its lower part.
Soft Shadows NVIDIA PCSS
Soft Shadows AMD CHS
Soft Shadows Very High
Soft Shadows High
Soft Shadows
Soft Shadows Off
From the selected scene you can immediately see that the detail of the shadow changes as it moves away from the character. It is also noteworthy that the soft shadows of AMD CHS worked easily on the GeForce, although the slightly pronounced quadratic structure does not make this mode the best. With NVIDIA PCSS, shadows are softer and blurrier; a clear transition from a detailed shadow to a less detailed one is not noticeable. With the usual algorithm for processing soft shadows in the “softest possible” mode, the clarity is slightly higher compared to NVIDIA PCSS, and the effect of changing the detail of the shadow of a palm tree is also well smoothed out. As the softness level decreases, the difference in detail becomes more pronounced. When soft shadows are completely turned off, the shadow area on the wall crumbles into squares, and the overall feeling of a living shadow is completely lost. But notice that the quadratic structure clearly appears on the vertical surface. In a distant area of shadow on the ground, which we observe from a high angle, this is almost not noticeable.
Based on experience from past games, we know that with NVIDIA PCSS may change slightly big picture shading at long distances. Let's see how this affects GTA.
Soft Shadows NVIDIA PCSS
Soft Shadows Very High
At a closer distance the shadow is softer. At an average distance, the shadow from a tree with PCSS is not so continuous; there are gaps in the crown - this is a plus. But the shadow from the roof of the house on the right is overgrown with a comb - this is a minus. With PCSS, the intensity of shading of distant trees decreases, their tops become lighter. That is, it looks different, but general impression depends on subjective impressions. Comparing performance will help you decide.
NVIDIA PCSS and AMD CHS are the most resource-intensive modes, which eat up to 7% of performance relative to the usual mode of the highest quality soft shadows. So it’s better to stick with this option and not worry about studying shadows under a magnifying glass. If you wish, you can try one of the methods from NVIDIA and AMD, maybe you like it better. Further reduction in the quality of soft shadows gives a meager performance increase.
AO Shading
The game allows you to use high quality Ambient Occlusion, in normal mode and without AO. It is difficult to take identical screenshots due to the need to restart the game to apply new settings. So there may be some deviations in camera position. But the overall impact of global shading can be assessed from illustrations like these. These screenshots are in 2560x1440 resolution to better see small details.
Ambient Occlusion High
Ambient Occlusion Normal
Ambient Occlusion Off
Global shading adds additional shadows and penumbraes, taking into account the influence of objects on each other. With Ambient Occlusion, light shadows appear at the junction of walls, where furniture touches the walls. The intensity of shadows in the area above the stove increases, and the lower part of the kitchen table also becomes slightly darker. Such details slightly enhance the overall sense of volume of the virtual world. It's a pity that there is no support for NVIDIA's HBAO+ mode, which has proven itself well in other games.
The impact on overall performance is weak. Switching between AO modes gives a difference of less than 4%. There's even less of a difference between turning AO off completely and the quality of that shading being poor.
Additional settings
The Advanced Graphics section is relevant for those who want to get more from the game than what is offered by default. Initially, all parameters in this section are disabled; you need to activate them manually. First, let's look at their purpose.
Long Shadows suddenly make shadows... longer. The only practical meaning that can be seen in this is more realistic shadows in the morning and evening, when the sun is low above the horizon. But this parameter does not radically change anything; during the day we did not notice any difference.
High Resolution Shadows is an important parameter that affects the detail of shadows. Didn't you like the palm tree shadow scattered into squares in the "soft shadows" section? Then let’s immediately activate this item!
Uploading more detailed textures during flight (High Detail Streaming While Fly) - increases the detail of visible objects when flying by air.
Extended Distance Scaling – adjusts LOD, allowing you to increase the distance of object detail. A very important parameter for improving overall perception. Adjustable using a scale from zero to maximum with 10 discrete gradations.
Shadows length (Extended Shadows Distance) - using the scale, you set the distance for loading detailed shadows. Increasing this parameter will improve the detail of shadows at medium distances and add new shadows from distant objects.
All these parameters are interconnected, since it is their combination that gives the most noticeable effect of visually improving the picture. Without enabling high-resolution shadows, there is little point in increasing the display distance of detailed shadows. Without increasing the last two parameters there will be no significant improvement in the image when activating High Detail Streaming While Fly. But if you turn everything on, the picture in flight is completely different.
For comparison, here are screenshots of the same scene with and without additional parameters.
With additional settings, shadows on distant trees immediately appear. There is a clear division into shaded and light zones near distant buildings. More details, to the point that without additional parameters, one of the buildings in the center of the frame loses its roof. There are more details in the farthest shot (we look at the skyscraper under construction on the left side). Some confusion is caused only by the comparison of the upper right corner. With additional settings, the shape of the trees on the slope becomes clearer, new bushes appear, but the grass effect disappears. Apart from this small omission, the first screenshot is better in every way.
In dynamics, the difference is visible no worse, if not better. Compare built-in benchmark videos with and without additional options at maximum quality. Pay special attention to the last airplane test. Without additional settings, a clear zone boundary is visible, only at the intersection of which shadows and new details appear. It gets to the point that even the power line wires are visible only after activating all the Advanced Graphics options.
Advanced Graphics Settings On
Advanced Graphics Settings Off
Everything is clear about the positive impact on graphics quality. Now let's study the impact of the considered parameters on performance. First, we will sequentially include the first three points. Then we will further increase the “shadow length” parameter to 50% and 100%, then we will further increase the loading distance of detailed objects.
Activating the first item does not affect overall performance. High-resolution shadows immediately reduce the frame rate by 30% in minimum fps with a difference of 8% in average fps. Loading detailed textures in flight, without adjusting the last parameters, has little effect on fps. Extended Shadows Distance reduces performance by several percent. But the reaction to increasing the loading distance of detailed objects is extremely critical. The minimum fps drops sharply by half, and noticeable stuttering begins in some test scenes. In this mode, the game already reports up to 3.3 GB of video memory reserved instead of 2.5 GB at the same resolution without additional settings.
As a compromise, you can set the detail distance of objects and shadows to half of the maximum (lower values in the diagram). In this case, the overall performance will be higher. Relative to the initial settings mode, this gives a performance drop of 56/21% (min/avg fps).
Video card performance comparison
Let's move on to comparing different graphics accelerators in Grand Theft Auto 5. First, a group of video adapters from AMD and NVIDIA will be tested at maximum quality settings without activating additional settings options.
First comparison with MSAA 4x anti-aliasing in Full HD.
The close results of the GeForce GTX 770 with 2 GB and the Radeon R9 280X with 3 GB on board are immediately striking. And this is in a mode that requires more than 3 GB of video memory. On the GeForce GTX 980, the peak memory load reached 3400 MB, while the Radeon R9 290X was 100 MB less. The reference GeForce GTX 780 is slightly inferior to the Radeon R9 290 in Uber mode. The performance of the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 1-4% higher than that of AMD's flagship, and the GeForce GTX 980 is another 9-10% faster. The GeForce GTX 760 and GeForce GTX 960 have the lowest scores, but in this test they do not have direct competition from AMD.
Now let's see how our participants cope with the higher resolution of 2560x1440. Based on the top results, it is clear that the younger representatives will not be able to cope with this mode with MSAA, so we will test them with FXAA.
Overall results are better than lower resolutions with MSAA. The Radeon R9 280X appears to have a slight advantage over the GeForce GTX 770. The new GeForce GTX 960 is slightly ahead of the GeForce GTX 760, but both will need overclocking to provide a comfortable level of performance.
Now let's look at the performance of the senior participants in high resolution with multisampling.
GeForce GTX 780 Ti and GeForce GTX 980 are more powerful than Radeon R9 290X. Taking into account the minimum fps below 30 frames, to achieve a comfortable level you will need to overclock or reduce the quality of anti-aliasing. The leader NVIDIA uses up to 3.5 GB of video memory, while the AMD representatives use slightly less memory.
The most pleasant picture is ensured by activating all the additional settings. But will the participants cope with such a difficult regime? Let's find out now. Select Full HD resolution, set FXAA and turn on additional parameters to maximum. We exclude younger participants from comparison due to obviously low results.
Even the Radeon R9 280X has good average frame rates, but very serious drops in minimum fps. In the red camp, only the Radeon R9 290X achieves results close to a comfortable level. But the ideal option would be the GeForce GTX 980, which is 6% better than the leader AMD in terms of the minimum parameter, and in terms of average game frame rates it is more productive by an impressive 29%. Peak video memory load is at 3370-3330 MB.
Let's use MSAA.
Productivity drops seriously. Even the GeForce GTX 980 drops to 25 fps in minimum fps, but maintains a very high average frame rate. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti beats the Radeon R9 290X in terms of average fps, but loses one frame in terms of the minimum. Memory loading reaches 3600 MB.
Let's try to switch to a resolution of 2560x1440, but with a more gentle anti-aliasing mode.
The GeForce GTX 980 is still confidently in the lead. The predecessor GeForce GTX 780 Ti lags behind by 11-14%, and the Radeon R9 290X is weaker by 5-20%. Video memory loading up to 3.6 GB.
As a small addition, we offer a comparison of the “pensioners” represented by the GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon R9 6970. For clarity, let’s add the GeForce GTX 760 to them. Tests were carried out in a resolution of 1920x1080 at maximum graphics quality with anti-aliasing disabled. The second test mode involves an additional reduction in post-processing and completely disabling the depth of field effect. In both cases, all advanced settings options are disabled.
One could say that the old people are approximately at the same level. They have a negligible difference in minimum fps; GeForce GTX 580 wins only in average fps. But in reality, on the Radeon HD 6970 the image is jerky even in the simpler second mode, and this very noticeably spoils the experience. Although the GeForce GTX 580 does not demonstrate significant advantages in graphics, the game on this video adapter is much smoother and more comfortable.
Processor performance comparison
It's time to find out which processor can handle the game at an acceptable level of performance. During the fourth part, it was processor dependence that became the cornerstone for many players. It came to funny situations when owners of dual-core processors, who by default were doomed to unsatisfactorily low performance, had particularly heated debates about the required amount of video memory.
To get an idea of the impact of processor potential on overall performance, we took several Intel models:
- Intel Pentium G3258 (3.2 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache) LGA1150;
- Intel Core i7-4770K (3.5 GHz @ Turbo 3.9 GHz, 8 MB L3 cache) LGA1150;
- Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2 GHz @ Turbo 3.8 GHz, 12 MB L3 cache) LGA2011.
For all processors, a GeForce GTX 760 video card was used. The test mode assumes maximum settings for the main section of graphics settings without anti-aliasing, reducing the level of special effects to “high” and completely disabling the depth of field effect.
Based on the testing results, it is clear that two cores are catastrophically few. With a good level of average fps, terrible “brakes” are periodically observed, which is clearly visible from the level of minimum fps. Increasing the L3 cache gives a speedup of 5-7%, but does not solve the problem. Only activating Hyper Treading allows you to achieve an acceptable level of performance. Real four cores give an advantage of up to 34% compared to two cores with HT. With four cores, Hyper Treading no longer brings any benefit. The six cores of the Intel Core i7-3930K also do not provide any advantage. Overclocking top processors makes no sense, except when using the most powerful video cards. Overclocking a dual-core processor also does not bring much benefit, but for a different reason - increasing the frequency does not eliminate catastrophic fps drops.
conclusions
It's time to take stock. Let's start with lovers of visual beauty and owners of top configurations. If you want to get the most out of the game, be sure to activate the advanced graphics settings options. If this has a significant impact on performance, try increasing the loading distance for detailed objects and shadows not to the maximum, but to smaller values. It is these parameters that most noticeably affect the final fps. Among the anti-aliasing modes, the best is MSAA, with which there is no loss of clarity of small details. But it is also the most resource-intensive. FXAA is the best option, providing good anti-aliasing quality with minimal performance losses.
To achieve better performance, you will first have to give up additional settings and anti-aliasing. Although we would recommend using FXAA even for those who have to lower the graphics quality a little. At the same time, you can experiment with detailed shadows from the additional settings. For example, get a good increase in fps by turning off the depth of field effect and slightly reducing the quality of reflections, trying to complement this by turning on detailed shadows and a slight increase in the distance of object detail. But you need to understand that such experiments require a video card more powerful than the GeForce GTX 760.
If we are talking about a low-power card, then along with reflections and post-effects, you can partially sacrifice the quality of the grass. If necessary, you can safely set many parameters one point below the maximum level. Often this is fraught with minimal losses in picture quality. All shadow settings can play an important role. As mentioned above, they are interconnected. If the goal is to achieve the highest possible fps, then in addition to seriously reducing the quality of shadows, you can sacrifice the effect of soft shadows and disable Ambient Occlusion. But completely reducing all shadow parameters will noticeably affect the image quality. It is also highly not recommended to reduce the quality of textures, shaders and reflections to a minimum - it has a serious impact on graphics. It makes sense to resort to this only on the weakest systems.
Among Intel processors, the minimum option for gaming is Core i3. You won't be able to play normally on dual-core models. The best option even for a mid-level video card is a full-fledged quad-core Core i5, which will not become a performance limiter.