Depending on the cpu and gpu involved, and the game, you can go too far in either direction. Using all low settings puts more stress on the cpu, while using all ultra settings stresses the gpu more (well, the lot, really). - If you have V-Sync enabled, disable it. Leave the Ambient Occlusion and AA settings low (FXAA is OK, but leave MSAA off
Most people here seem to have some stuttering, but your situation sounds worse. Depending on your CPU (eg i7-950 vs i7-4770k) might have to turn down settings a bit from the suggested. Actually, give playing on all settings on High a go, with Godrays OFF, Trees OFF, AO at SBHC+ or SSAO, and AA at SMAA. (neraly) The only difference between High
however, if it is sheer performance then i would look at lowering settings. make shadows potato, draw distance low/medium, textures set to medium, turn AA off, turn bloom off, turn motion blur off. most modern games will auto set the graphics settings based on your hardware. but they usually tend to be over confident.
Bear witness to Far Cry 5's PC graphics options. All the bells and whistles you can use to make Montana look (almost) as good as the real thing. Far Cry 5 on PC will also come with PC-tailored UI
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