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Best Path of Exile 2 settings for the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), Path of Exile 2 runs at roughly 60 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 32FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) is a entry-level graphics card with 4GB of VRAM, and Path of Exile 2 is a demanding, graphically heavy game. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it runs well at 1080p — about 60 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 32 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 60 FPS at 1080p and 44 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 25 FPS at 4K. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p3260
1440p1944
4K1125
💡 Path of Exile 2: Endgame maps with lots of on-screen effects lean on the CPU.
🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Balanced) — about +55% FPS for a small sharpness trade.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSRBalanced+55% FPS
Path of Exile 2 supports DLSS and FSR. A strong GPU-side boost, though dense endgame maps are also CPU-heavy.
Global IlluminationMedium+4% FPS
Bounced ambient lighting. Medium frees real frames in busy scenes.
Shadow QualityMedium+4% FPS
Shadow resolution and range. High is a clean trade over Ultra.
Ambient OcclusionOff+4% FPS
Soft contact shadows. Cheap; Off for a minor gain.
Number of LightsMedium+3% FPS
How many dynamic light sources render. Low keeps only environmental lights; High adds lights on projectiles and effects — lowering helps in spell-heavy fights.
Volumetric EffectsMedium+3% FPS
Volumetric fog and skill effects, and PoE2 throws a lot of them. Lowering smooths the chaos.
Water DetailMedium+2% FPS
Water surfaces and reflections. A small, safe saving.
Anti-AliasingTAAbaseline
Edge smoothing. TAA is clean and cheap.
Texture QualityHighbaseline
Surface sharpness - cheap if it fits your VRAM.

⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) run Path of Exile 2? See the verdict →

Path of Exile 2 on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB)
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) get in Path of Exile 2?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) averages around 60 FPS at 1080p in Path of Exile 2 — up from about 32 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) run Path of Exile 2 at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) averages roughly 44 FPS in Path of Exile 2; turn on upscaling or aim for a locked 60 for the best feel.

What are the best Path of Exile 2 settings for the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB)?

Turn on FSR (Balanced), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Global Illumination 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.