Since its release in EA, Path of Exile 2 has been among Steam’s most played games. Developed by Grinding Gear Games and a sequel to the critically acclaimed Path of Exile, it consistently peaks with 200K or more concurrent players. In our optimization guide, we reviewed every graphics setting, including visual quality and benchmarks. This mini-guide focuses on budget PCs using the RTX 3060 and RX 6600.
Windows/System Settings to Optimize
- Enable Resizable BAR.
- Turn on Game Mode.
- Enable Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS) and Windowed Optimizations.
- Use the Windows “High Performance” power profile and set your GPU power management mode to the same.
- Disable Memory Integrity. Windows Menu->VBS->Device Security.
- Ensure you use the proper XMP/EXPO memory profile (if available).
- Overclock your GPU if you’re narrowly missing the 60 FPS mark.
- Here’s a guide with more detailed instructions.
Path of Exile 2: PC Requirements
Min Specs
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 | AMD Ryzen 5 2500x.
- Memory: 8 GB.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960|Intel Arc A380 |AMD Radeon RX 470.
- Storage: 100 GB available space
Rec Specs
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10.
- CPU: Intel Core i5-10500 | AMD Ryzen 5 3700X.
- Memory: 16 GB.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 |Intel Arc A770 |AMD Radeon RX 5600XT.
- Storage: 100 GB available space (SSD)
Our Test Setup
| Motherboard | CPU | GPU | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSI PRO B760-VC WIFI IV | Intel Core i5-12600KF | NVIDIA RTX 3060 12 GB|AMD Radeon RX 6600 8 GB | 16 GB x2 D5 |
Path of Exile 2: Low-end Benchmarks
Path of Exile 2 performs well on a budget and low-end hardware. Our entry-level test setup consisting of a Core i5-12600 and a GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB averaged 68 FPS at 1440p. The result was obtained with DLSS set to “Balanced” mode and Global Illumination (GI) set to “High.”
Using our other setup with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and the Radeon RX 6600 at 1080p, we average a 43 FPS at the Max Preset and 90 FPS at the Low Preset. Using our optimized settings, we gain an 80% boost of up to 78 FPS (with upscaling FSR set to Balanced) and 71 FPS (without any upscaling).
At 1440p, we get a massive 127% FPS boost from a measly 27 FPS at ultra to a healthy 62 FPS with our optimized settings (with upscaling FSR set to Balanced) and 50 FPS with no upscaling.
VRAM Usage & CPU Bottlenecks
- Barring sweaty combat encounters, Path of Exile remained GPU-bound with a GPU-Busy deviation of 6% at 1080p and 1440p using the below settings.
- The VRAM usage didn’t exceed 6 GB at 1440p, peaking at 5.5 GB at 1080p.
- The system memory usage didn’t exceed 4 GB.
Path of Exile 2 Settings for Low-end PC: RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 4060, & RX 6600
| Graphics Settings | RTX 3060 | RTX 4060 | RTX 3060 Ti | RX 6600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080p|1440p | 1080p|1440p | 1080p|1440p | 1080p|1440p |
| FPS Target | 60 FPS | 60 FPS | 60 FPS | 60 FPS |
| Texture Quality | High | High | High | High |
| Texture Filtering | AF 16x | AF 16x | AF 16x | AF 16x |
| Lighting | Shadows + Global Illumination | Shadows + Global Illumination | Shadows + Global Illumination | Shadows + Global Illumination |
| Shadow + GI Quality | High | High | Ultra | Low |
| Sun Shadow Quality | High | High | High | High |
| Number of Lights | High | High | High | Medium |
| Water Quality | High | High | High | High |
| Upscaling | DLSS Quality|Balanced | DLSS Quality|Balanced | DLSS Quality|Balanced | FSR Quality|Balanced |
