On a Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge iGPU) (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), Dark Souls III runs at roughly 11 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 5FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.
The Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge iGPU) is a entry-level graphics card with 2GB of VRAM, and Dark Souls III is a relatively light game to run. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it is a real challenge at 1080p — about 11 FPSwith FrameCoach's optimized settings. That already clears a smooth frame rate on High, so our tuning keeps the visuals as high as possible instead of chasing extra frames.
Across resolutions you can expect around 11 FPS at 1080p and 7 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 4 FPS at 4K. The biggest free win is XeSS upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.
| Resolution | All-High FPS | Optimized FPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 5 | 11 |
| 1440p | 3 | 7 |
| 4K | 2 | 4 |
⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →
🎯 Can the Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge iGPU) run Dark Souls III? See the verdict →
With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge iGPU) averages around 11 FPS at 1080p in Dark Souls III — up from about 5 FPS with everything on High.
At 1440p with optimized settings, the Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge iGPU) averages roughly 7 FPS in Dark Souls III; turn on upscaling or aim for a locked 60 for the best feel.
Turn on XeSS (Balanced), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Lighting Quality and Shadow Quality down a notch. The full per-setting breakdown is above.
FPS figures are estimates from a generalized model (hardware tier × game load × per-setting weights), not live benchmarks — real performance varies by scene, drivers and game version.