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Best ARK: Survival Evolved settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop)-class CPU), ARK: Survival Evolved runs at roughly 62 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 47FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti is a mainstream 1080p graphics card with 6GB of VRAM, and ARK: Survival Evolved is a one of the most punishing games to run on PC. Paired with the Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop), it runs well at 1080p — about 62 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 47 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 62 FPS at 1080p and 62 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 38 FPS at 4K. With only 6GB of VRAM, keep textures a notch below max in ARK: Survival Evolved at higher resolutions to avoid stutter. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p4762
1440p2862
4K1638
💡 ARK: Survival Evolved: The original ARK - notoriously heavy and CPU-bound on big bases; drop Ground Clutter and Sky first.
🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Quality) — about +35% FPS for a small sharpness trade.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSRQuality+35% FPS
ARK: Survival Evolved has no DLSS, but the resolution-scale slider (internal render resolution) is the single biggest GPU lever on this famously heavy game.
TexturesEpic-1% FPS
Surface detail on creatures and terrain — hungry for VRAM. High is safe on 8GB.
Ground Clutter DensityMediumbaseline
Grass and undergrowth density — the heaviest setting on the island. Medium is a huge FPS win and even helps you spot creatures.
Sky QualityMediumbaseline
Clouds and atmospheric scattering — surprisingly expensive. Medium looks fine and reclaims a lot of frames.
View DistanceHighbaseline
How far terrain and structures render — partly CPU-bound on big bases. High is a safe trim from Epic.
General ShadowsMediumbaseline
Shadow resolution and range. Medium is a strong step down with little visible loss.
Post-ProcessingMediumbaseline
Bloom, depth-of-field and light shafts. Medium keeps the look cheaply.

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

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti run ARK: Survival Evolved? See the verdict →

ARK: Survival Evolved on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti get in ARK: Survival Evolved?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti averages around 62 FPS at 1080p in ARK: Survival Evolved — up from about 47 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti run ARK: Survival Evolved at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti averages roughly 62 FPS in ARK: Survival Evolved — a smooth experience.

What are the best ARK: Survival Evolved settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti?

Turn on FSR (Quality), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Ground Clutter Density and Sky 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.