All setups › NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti › Starfield

Best Starfield 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), Starfield runs at roughly 70 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 52FPS 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 Starfield 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 70 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 52 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 70 FPS at 1080p and 61 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 51 FPS at 4K. With only 6GB of VRAM, keep textures a notch below max in Starfield 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
1080p5270
1440p3161
4K1851
💡 Starfield: Unusually CPU-bound in cities — a CPU upgrade often helps more than a GPU one.
🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Quality) — about +35% FPS for a small sharpness trade.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSRQuality+35% FPS
Starfield supports FSR and (via update) DLSS/XeSS. A big GPU-side boost — though in cities you may still be CPU-limited.
Shadow QualityHighbaseline
Shadow resolution and range. High is the value pick over Ultra.
Indirect LightingHighbaseline
Bounced global illumination. A meaningful GPU cost with a modest visual payoff.
ReflectionsHighbaseline
Screen-space reflections on metal and glass. Often subtle in motion.
Volumetric LightingHighbaseline
Atmospheric light shafts. Heavy for the look — an easy saving.
Crowd DensityHighbaseline
How many NPCs populate cities. This loads your CPU — the main lever in Starfield’s CPU-bound towns.
Particle QualityHighbaseline
Effects and debris. Lowering smooths combat-heavy moments.
Grass QualityHighbaseline
Planet-surface foliage density. A decent saving on lush worlds.
Ambient Occlusion (GTAO)Onbaseline
Soft contact shadows. Cheap; leave On unless you need the frames.
Motion BlurOnbaseline
Camera blur in motion. Nearly free — pure preference.
Contact ShadowsOnbaseline
Fine shadows where objects meet surfaces. Cheap; adds depth indoors.
Depth of FieldOnbaseline
Background blur in dialogue and scanning. Cheap; personal preference.

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

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti run Starfield? See the verdict →

Starfield on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti get in Starfield?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti averages around 70 FPS at 1080p in Starfield — up from about 52 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti run Starfield at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti averages roughly 61 FPS in Starfield — a smooth experience.

What are the best Starfield settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti?

Turn on FSR (Quality), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Shadow Quality and Indirect Lighting 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.