The lab.
One rig, blunt grades, no magic settings. Everything the lab knows about frames, settings, and statuses.
Best settings.
No magic config. The lab baseline: 1080p, Performance preset, discrete GPU, VSync off, game on NVMe.
◎ At a glance
Reviewed 2026-10-13.
| Baseline | 1080p · Performance preset |
| GPU | Discrete Vulkan device selected |
| VSync | Off in the launcher |
| Storage | Game on NVMe SSD |
The baseline that earned the grades
Every Stable grade on the roster was earned at 1080p on the Performance preset with the discrete GPU selected. That is the baseline. Start there.
VSync stays off in the launcher while grading — it hides frame dips instead of fixing them. Turn it on after, if tearing bothers you.
Pad connected before launch, game on NVMe, nothing else running. Boring works.
When to deviate
Beta titles: lower effects density first, resolution second. Monster Hunter Wilds wants effects cuts before anything else.
Weak GPU but strong CPU: drop to 720p before touching anything else. Resolution is the cheapest lever.
Strong GPU, weak CPU: resolution changes will not save CPU-bound cities. Accept the dip or upgrade the CPU — see GPU and CPU.
Per-title notes
Each run page lists the settings that held the lab frame rate. Same baseline, small per-title notes.
If a title needs something unusual, the note says so. If the note says nothing unusual, the baseline did it.
Questions
What are the best settings for Kiln?
1080p Performance preset, discrete GPU selected, game on NVMe, VSync off. That baseline earned every Stable grade.
Should I use 1440p or 4K?
Only after confirming 60 fps at 1080p. Higher resolutions are ungraded territory — nice if they hold, not promised.
Does VSync help?
It hides tearing, not dips. Grade with it off, then enable it for comfort if your frames are already stable.
Related
Boost fps.
The lab checklist for frames: right GPU, current driver, 1080p Performance preset, shader patience, NVMe, nothing else running.
Reference rig.
One PC grades everything: 8-core CPU, RTX 3070, 32 GB RAM, NVMe, Windows 11. Every status on the roster comes from this machine.
The roster.
400+ titles live in the Windows launcher. Graded titles carry one lab status each — Stable, Beta, or Test — earned on one reference rig, not on a spec sheet.
DualSense.
DualSense over USB is the main pad. Xbox pads work on the same layout. Keyboard mapping covers no-pad days.
Windows installer · 400+ titles in the launcher
Get the launcher.
Install Firmware with your own PS5UPDATE.PUP, boot the system software, then start a game you own.