Alan Wake 2 is one of the most visually demanding titles released in recent memory, combining true next-gen features with atmospheric artistry. But with those visuals come some serious performance considerations, especially for players on mid-range CPUs or older hardware. In this guide, we’ll break down the key graphics settings, benchmark their impact, and give you optimized recommendations — especially if you’re running a CPU like the Ryzen 5 3600X.

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Performance Overview (R5 3600X)

If you’re using an R5 3600X or a similar CPU, expect to hover around 60 FPS, but not consistently. The 1% lows frequently dip into the 40s, creating a noticeably uneven experience. While the game can technically hit that 60 FPS target, it’s far from a locked or fluid framerate, and CPU bottlenecking becomes an issue in dense environments.

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Resolution Upscaling: DLSS vs FSR

When it comes to upscaling, DLSS Quality is the clear winner. Here’s a quick comparison:

• DLSS Quality: Excellent image quality with a 3 FPS performance bump. Minimal visual compromises.
• FSR 2 (Quality or Native): Noticeably worse image fidelity, more shimmering and aliasing.
• DAA (Default Anti-Aliasing): Comparable to DLSS, but less efficient.

Recommendation: Set to DLSS Quality if you’re on an NVIDIA RTX GPU. Avoid FSR 2 unless you’re on AMD and have no other option.

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Post-Processing Quality: A Hidden FPS Killer

Surprisingly, post-processing quality has a massive impact when using upscaling. Here’s why:

• High: Applies effects like depth of field at the final output resolution, causing heavy performance drops.
• Low: Processes at the internal resolution, offering a major FPS boost.

During gameplay, there’s virtually no difference in visual quality between low and high, aside from depth of field in specific cutscenes.

Recommendation: Set Post-Processing Quality to Low, even if you’re not using upscaling — it improves performance across the board.

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Texture Resolution

This setting doesn’t change the texture quality in any visible way. What it does affect is VRAM allocation.

Recommendation: Set according to your GPU’s available VRAM. If you have 8GB or more, go for High. On 6GB or less, stick with Medium or Low to avoid stuttering.

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Volumetric Spotlight Quality

This setting controls the rendering of light shafts and beams. While the visual difference between Medium and High is barely noticeable, the performance cost is significant in scenes with multiple dynamic lights.

Recommendation: Set to Medium for a good balance. High can drop frames noticeably in specific sequences.

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Shadow Detail

This setting appears to be non-functional or bugged. Across several test environments, it made no visual difference, and performance remained identical regardless of setting.

Recommendation: Until patched, set Shadow Detail to Low or Medium and save yourself the extra processing load.

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Ray Tracing: A Split Path

Two maximum settings presets were tested:

• With all Ray Tracing effects maxed out
• With Ray Tracing completely disabled

Alan Wake 2 supports full ray-traced lighting and shadows, but enabling these features drastically increases GPU load and, on CPU-limited systems, makes maintaining smooth framerates nearly impossible. The visual upgrades are stunning, but the cost is steep.

Recommendation: If you’re using a mid-range GPU or CPU-limited system, disable ray tracing. If you’re on a 40-series NVIDIA card and have DLSS 3.5, experiment cautiously.

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Level of Detail (LOD): A Weak Point

Despite its technical brilliance, Alan Wake 2’s level of detail system leaves much to be desired. Pop-in is noticeable even at max settings, especially for smaller objects and distant scenery. The game uses traditional LOD transitions instead of something more modern like Nanite (Unreal Engine 5), and it shows.

Recommendation: Set LOD to High, but temper expectations — this is a visual weakness that settings can’t fully overcome.

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Final Optimized Settings Summary

For players looking for a balance between visuals and stable performance on a system similar to an R5 3600X with an RTX 3060 or 3070:

• Upscaling: DLSS Quality
• Post-Processing: Low
• Texture Resolution: High (if you have the VRAM)
• Volumetric Spotlight Quality: Medium
• Shadow Detail: Low or Medium (negligible visual impact)
• Ray Tracing: Off
• Level of Detail: High

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Closing Thoughts

Alan Wake 2 is a technical marvel but requires tuning to play comfortably on most systems. With a few smart setting changes — particularly to post-processing and upscaling — you can dramatically boost performance while keeping the atmosphere intact. Whether you’re chasing 60 FPS or just trying to smooth out the lows, these optimizations will help keep you immersed in the dark without sacrificing playability.

Stay in the light — and stay above 30 FPS.