1

Setting Up TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia

Control Panel (NVCP) PLUS (optional) nVidia Inspector

(NVI).

Single Standard and GSync Monitor settings.

Setting up DSR in TS 2018

This is a guide to setting up TS 2018 on a computer equipped with a nVidia graphics

card and Intel CPU.

Not all the menu items in NVCP will show in your system – any not shown in the

guide Google their function

Standard Monitor – any non-GSync Monitor (does not include FreeSync Monitors).

Some screenshots differ from current TS 2018 but they are still applicable.

SLI video cards not covered.

Table of Contents

Item Page Nos

Setting Up TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia Control Panel (NVCP) GLOBAL Settings STANDARD Monitor

2 - 4

Setting Up TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia Control Panel (NVCP) Settings – STANDARD Monitor

5

Setting Up TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia Control Panel (NVCP) GLOBAL Settings – GSync Monitor

6

Suggested Settings for TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia Inspector NVI - – STANDARD Monitor

7

Suggested Settings for TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using NVCP- – GSync Monitor

8

Suggested Settings for TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia Inspector NVI - – GSync Monitor

9

Steam Set FPS Limit for TS 2018 10

TS 2018 Resolution Settings in NVCP 10

TS 2015/16/18 Graphics settings within TS 11 – 14

Setting Up TS 2018 for DSR 15 - 16

Pages 2 to 4 contain descriptions of what each option in NVCP does – if you just want

to access suggested TS settings in NVCP and NVI just jump to pages 5 and 7

2

Setting Up TS 2018 with a single nVidia card, using nVidia

Control Panel (NVCP)

NVCP open and choose “Manage 3D settings” and then “Program Settings”

If there is NO entry for TS 2018, then you have to create a profile for TS 2018 by

choosing the Add button. See previous document.

Because we are using the “override” option we need to set the AA/AF settings as high

as possible in NVCP plus NVI if used.

Study http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_5.html

Note the settings in the pictures below. Some of the options may differ depending on

what components you have in your system. Highlight each option to display what the

setting does.

First: – Setup NVCP GLOBAL Settings Important for best TS 2018 results.

• Anisotropic Filtering AF: AF significantly improves texture quality at oblique

angles. Anisotropic filtering generally comes in 2x, 4x, 8x, and 16x settings,

"AF can function with anisotropy levels between 1 (no scaling) and 16, defining

the maximum degree which a mipmap can be scaled by. Try 4, 8 and/or 16.

• Anti-Aliasing (AA) – FXAA: Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing – see description

above. Turn ON works well in TS 2018 and improves image quality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_approximate_anti-aliasing

http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_5.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_approximate_anti-aliasing

3

• AA Gamma Correction: Turn ON. This setting is designed to adjust the

brightness level of the image using Gamma Correction, so that any AA edges

display with “best” level of contrast. No performance impacts. (ref tweak guide

above.)

• AA Mode: “Off”; “Application Controlled”; “Enhance the Application Setting”;

“Override any Application” setting. For this example, choose “OVERIDE”.

• AA Setting: “Application Controlled”; 2x, 4x, 8x; “Custom (using NVI)”.

Choose one to see which suits your card best.

• AA Transparency: “OFF”; “Multi-Sampling”; “2x SS”; “4x SS”, “8x Super

Sample” Best set “OFF” to avoid compatibility issues but also choose one to see

which suits your card best.

• CUDA GPU’s: Best set to ALL This is for a single card remember?

• DSR Factors: Explained below: Tick the higher resolution(s) you wish to use in

a game under the “DSR - Factors setting”. The resolutions are provided as

multiples of your native resolution. See below. Options: OFF, 1.2, 1.5, 1.78,

2.00, 2.25, 3.00 or 4.00. Trial and error for your card.

• DSR Smoothness: Simply, 0% on the slider will remove blurring and provide

crisp images, but as we get close to 100% on the slider, the image become

blurry and may lose detail. The default setting is 33% is not too bad, you need

to experiment to see what suits your system. – For TS 2018 try 20%.

• Maximum Pre-Rendered Frames: “use 3D application Setting”; “1”; “2”; “3”;

or “4”. Note 5, 6 and 7 available in NVI. See the tweak guide above. Windows

default is “3” Note “1-4” reduces input lag and “5-7” smoother frame rates.

• Monitor Technology: It only shows if you have a GSync Monitor. Not

important.

• Multi-Frame Sampling AA MFAA: only for >GTX 900 cards. Options: “ON or

“OFF”. TS 2018 probably does not support MFAA so leave OFF!

• Open GL Rendering GPU: Not applicable to TS 2018 – leave at Auto-Select.

• Optimize for Compute Performance: “OFF”; “ON” - Not applicable to TS

leave “OFF”

• Power Management Mode: Options “Optimal Power”; “Adaptive” or “Prefer

Maximum Performance”. I use “Prefer Maximum Performance” because of

my GSync monitor, but “Optimal” is the default choice. Note: Set power

options under Windows.

• Preferred Refresh rate: (may not be present in all systems). There are two

options: "Application controlled" and "Highest Available". Try both.in

some games application controlled gives better results.

4

NVCP Global Settings Continued:

• Shader Cache: “OFF”; “ON” – use ON for TS 2018 and store on fastest drive ie

SSD

• Texture Filtering Anisotropic Optimization: “OFF”; “ON” – use OFF.

• Texture Filtering – Negative LOD Bias: “ALLOW or “CLAMP choose

“ALLOW” – clamp no longer supported.

• Texture Filtering – Quality: Best use “High Quality”.

• Texture Filtering – Trilinear Optimization: “OFF”; “ON” – use OFF.

• Threaded Optimization: Settings “AUTO”; “ON”; “OFF”. Use AUTO in global

settings but “OFF” in TS

• Triple Buffering: “OFF”; “ON” – use OFF in Global & TS - does not apply to

DirectX games like TS.

• Vertical Sync: Options: “use the 3D application Settings”; “OFF”; “ON”;

“FAST”; “ADAPTIVE” “ADAPTIVE HALF REFRES RATE”. GLOBAL Set Vertical

Sync to Use the 3D Application Setting. TS try the various settings for your

system – “Adaptive” and limit fps via STEAM to say 30 fps – possibly best

option.

For TS 2018 using a GSync Monitor using “FAST” can give good results, but

still probably best to “use 3D application setting” in Global.

• Virtual Reality Pre-Rendered Frames: Options: “use the 3D application

setting”, 1, 2, 3 or 4. Set Global and TS “Use the 3D application setting” or

anything. This setting only affects those who have Virtual Reality hardware and

is beyond my pay grade.

5

NVCP recommended settings for TS 2018 no GSync

NVCP recommended settings for TS 2018 no GSync cont . . .

6

NVCP Global Settings for GSync Monitors

Continued . . .

7

NVI Settings for TS 2018 Part 1 – Standard Monitor

Note NVI available from: https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-inspector-

download.html

Important Note: Make any changes to TS 2018 settings in nVidia Control Panel

First NVI will override those settings - any changes to TS 2018 settings must be

made in NVI last, otherwise they will be lost.

cont . . .

https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-inspector-download.htmlhttps://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-inspector-download.html

8

NVCP TS 2018 Settings for GSync Monitors

continued . . .

9

nVidia Inspector (NVI) Settings for TS 2018 with

GSync Monitor

Note NVI available from: https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-inspector-

download.html

Important Note: Make any changes to TS 2018 settings in nVidia Control Panel

First NVI will override those settings - any changes to TS 2018 settings must be

made in NVI last, otherwise they will be lost.

https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-inspector-download.htmlhttps://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-inspector-download.html

10

Steam Set FPS Limit for TS 2018 ignore TS2015

TS 2018 Resolution Settings in NVCP

To your preference – Windows default best

11

TS 2015/16/18 Graphics settings

12

Resolution Settings Native resolution is 1920 x 1080

DSR settings above that 3325 x 1871 = 3.0 DSR

13

TS2016 2nd Settings Page – water/shadow – personal preferences

14

3rd settings Page Choose and Save

That’s it now re-open TS 2018 and see if the settings are to your liking?

Ignore references to earlier versions of TS the parameters still apply.

pH August 2018

15

Setting Up TS 2018 for DSR

Needs reasonable spec nVidia card (GTX 970 upwards with at least 2GB VRAM

onboard up to 24” monitor (more VRAM for larger monitors).

Right click on the desktop and choose “nVidia control Panel” – see below.

Open NVCP and first use “Manage 3D Settings” and “Global Settings”. The

settings her can be anything that suits you. We are going to concentrate on DSR

Factors and smoothness.

DSR – good article here: https://techreport.com/review/27102/maxwell-dynamic-

super-resolution-explored and

https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3587/~/how-to-enable-

dynamic-super-resolution-in-games.

Steam article: nVidia:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=926768944

and AMD https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=907171634

https://techreport.com/review/27102/maxwell-dynamic-super-resolution-exploredhttps://techreport.com/review/27102/maxwell-dynamic-super-resolution-exploredhttps://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3587/~/how-to-enable-dynamic-super-resolution-in-gameshttps://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3587/~/how-to-enable-dynamic-super-resolution-in-gameshttps://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=926768944https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=907171634

16

Setting up DSR –

This can only be done in “Global Settings” –

DSR smoothness set to 12 – 18% ie the lowest % that eliminates shimmer as higher

smoothing (>65%) settings tend to blur textures.

If using 4.00x and/or 4K monitor, try 0% in DSR Smoothness

Note DSR factors range from 2x default/native resolution of your monitor to 4x (4K).

Also Google Downsampling. https://www.tested.com/tech/pcs/454383-aliasing-be-

gone-how-downsample-pc-games/

pH August 2018

https://www.tested.com/tech/pcs/454383-aliasing-be-gone-how-downsample-pc-games/https://www.tested.com/tech/pcs/454383-aliasing-be-gone-how-downsample-pc-games/