Order of importance in PC performance

When trying to reach a ''playable'' frame rate in a game, which graphical settings should you start ''tinkering'' with first? From most important to least important. The reason I ask is because I would like to know what graphical settings are ''icing on the cake'' and what graphical settings are ''core base graphics levels'' for a game. An example that I would ''assume'' as from least important to more important would be like thisTry lowering:1. shadows2. ground object clutter, ie ( flora, grass and bushes, tables)3. particle effects? ...............4. lastly reaching options like Textures I would assume would be the BIGGEST and finale ''HOPE'' at getting better FRAMES per SECOND.....WITHOUT loosing aesthetic quality.So any EXPERTS have any advice............It is MORE than Welcomes........... Thanks in advanced ...PEACE Order of importance in PC performance
this is the most important things for quality and the first things to do, the bottom of the list is a bigger framerate hit and more icing1. max your resolution first2. texture / draw distance3. other effects4. shadows / high dynamic range ( i rly dont know in the effects section what to order, itd require a bit of thought but tomshardware and other hardware sites mention framerate and visual hits to games for changing each feature, gamespot has too)5. turn up AF6. the most taxing and icing feature .. AA ( anti ailising) most new games these days look fine without it, but turning it upto 2x..4x... does make a difference when you get up close to things.. huge tax on your framerate..Order of importance in PC performance
It always depends on the game. I try different settings and see which one pleases my eye the most.
If you have a high resolution then you won't need AAx on Probably turn shadows off next. They might look nice but you can play easily without them. Just look at FEAR. Shadows in that are very taxing.
Reducing or turning off AA should increase Framerate quite a bit..
In corridor shooters like Doom 3, FEAR, Bioshock etc, shadows are what gives the game life and mood, and an important look. While full shadows can be incredibly taxing, it's also quite possibly the most important part for shooters like these. Without them, the whole game looks bland and boring.Having said that, I'd say the first and most important feature to have turned up is the resolution, for any game. Resolution gives the game a crisp quality that affects all other features.Texture quality is also important. AA and AF are, in my opinion, the least important, and while they do make the game look more real/lifelike - they're incredibly framerate heavy, and don't change the game in the amazing way the other features do. They just cap off and immerse you more.My ranking:1. Resolution
2. Full Lighting/Shadows (Corridor shooters especially)
3. Geometry
4. Textures
5. Other bells and whistles
6. AA/AF
In order of importance, when trying to get the best quality out of a game without losing too much in terms of visual quality, I usually go in this order (remember to stay at your native resolution or the game looks awful anyway):1. particle effects2. anti-aliasing (can usually be left off unless you've got some serious graphics muscle)3. draw distancesFrom there it's kind of a toss-up, but whenever possible you want to have the textures and shaders (not shadows) as high as they'll go; those are the most important for producing a pretty image.

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