Step 5 of 7
Our recommended CSP and graphics settings
The baseline our team uses: smooth frames first, then the visual features that matter. Start here, then adjust for your PC.
The short version
- Three CSP areas give the biggest win: DXGI, optimizations and WeatherFX.
- Shadows and MSAA cost the most FPS in the game's video settings.
- Post-processing must be on, or filters do nothing.
CSP: do these first
All in Content Manager›Settings›Custom Shaders Patch.
| Section | Setting | Set to | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| DXGI | Pace frames better | On | Evener frames. Feels smoother than raw FPS. |
| DXGI | Maximum latency | 1 frame | Less input lag. |
| Optimizations | Flatten nodes | On | Less CPU work per frame. |
| Optimizations | Apply hyperthreading fix | On | Uses your CPU cores properly. |
| Optimizations | Chunks optimization | Advanced | Faster. Turn it off if a track shows broken textures. |
| Optimizations | Optimize meshes | On | Less GPU work. |
| WeatherFX | Active · style | On · Pure | Needed for Pure. |
| ExtraFX | Active | On | A big part of the modern look. |
Names move a little between CSP versions (DXGI sits under "Other" in 0.3, optimizations under "Patch"). If you can't find an option, look in the neighbouring sections.
Game video settings
In Content Manager›Settings›Assetto Corsa›Video.
| Setting | Set to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Display mode | Single screen · Fullscreen | Windowed mode usually costs frames. |
| Resolution | Your monitor's | Native resolution and refresh rate. |
| Vertical sync | Off | Adds input lag. |
| MSAA | 2x or 4x | MSAA 8x costs a lot for almost nothing. |
| Anisotropic filtering | 16x | Sharp road textures, nearly free. |
| Shadow resolution | 1024 – 2048 | The biggest FPS killer. Never above 2048. |
| Reflection resolution | 512 – 1024 | Higher is barely visible. |
| Reflection frequency | Two faces per frame | Good balance. |
| Rendering distance | Max | Cheap, avoids pop-in. |
| Post-processing | On | Required for PP filters. |
| Motion blur | Off | Smears the image. |
| FXAA · Sunrays | On | Cheap and they look good. |
| Heat shimmering | Off | Barely visible, costs frames. |
| Mirror resolution | 256 × 1024 | Enough for mirrors. |
Still need more FPS?
Go down this list in order and stop when you're happy:
- CSP › LightingFX › Dynamic shadows off
- CSP › ParticlesFX › Sparks, Fireworks, Solid pieces off
- CSP › GrassFX off, Tyres FX off, Brake discs off
- CSP › SkidmarksFX limit to 20k or lower
- Video: lower MSAA, shadows, reflections and mirrors one step each
Save it as a preset
CM's settings pages have a presets bar at the bottom. Save your setup (for example "Arcmite baseline") so you can always go back after experimenting.