Best AMD Adrenalin Settings for Gaming in 2026
SHORT ANSWER
For competitive gaming on a Radeon GPU, enable Radeon Anti-Lag 2, turn Radeon Chill and Radeon Boost off, set Texture Filtering Quality to Performance, enable Surface Format Optimization, leave Wait for Vertical Refresh off unless the application specifies, enable FreeSync, and set Frame Rate Target Control about three below your refresh rate. Enable Smart Access Memory in BIOS if your platform supports it.
At a glance
| Where | AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition > Gaming > Graphics |
|---|---|
| Latency setting | Radeon Anti-Lag 2 |
| Turn off | Radeon Chill, Radeon Boost, Enhanced Sync |
| BIOS side | Smart Access Memory / Resizable BAR |
| Reversible | Yes - Reset to factory defaults in Adrenalin |
Key takeaways
- Radeon Anti-Lag 2 is the AMD equivalent of NVIDIA Reflex and should be on in every competitive title that supports it.
- Radeon Chill and Radeon Boost both dynamically reduce work to save power. Both are wrong for competitive play.
- Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR) is a BIOS setting, not an Adrenalin one, and it is worth real performance on supported platforms.
- HYPR-RX is a one-click bundle. Convenient, but understand what it turns on before you use it.
- Enhanced Sync is not a substitute for FreeSync plus a frame cap, and it introduces instability on some configurations.
Quick setup
- 1
Enable Radeon Anti-Lag 2
The Radeon equivalent of NVIDIA Reflex. Turn it on in every competitive title that supports it - the frame cost is small and the latency reduction is one of the largest available from a single setting.
- 2
Disable Radeon Chill and Radeon Boost
Both dynamically reduce work to save power - Chill by lowering frame rate when the action is calm, Boost by lowering resolution during fast movement. Both do it at exactly the wrong moment for a shooter.
- 3
Take the texture and format trades
Texture Filtering Quality to Performance, Surface Format Optimization enabled, Tessellation Mode to AMD optimized. Leave anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering set to use application settings.
- 4
Configure FreeSync end to end
Enable FreeSync in the monitor's own on-screen menu first, then in Adrenalin, then set Frame Rate Target Control about three below your refresh rate and turn V-Sync off in game.
- 5
Enable Smart Access Memory and EXPO in BIOS
Both are platform settings rather than Adrenalin ones, both are free, and Smart Access Memory requires UEFI boot with CSM disabled.
- 6
Install chipset drivers from AMD, not Windows Update
The AMD package includes the power plan and scheduler behaviour Ryzen CPUs expect. Windows Update ships a generic, older version.
Graphics settings in Adrenalin
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon Anti-Lag / Anti-Lag 2 | Enabled | AMD's equivalent of NVIDIA Reflex. Shortens the render queue and reduces click-to-photon latency for a small frame cost. On in every competitive title that supports it. |
| Radeon Chill | Disabled | Dynamically lowers frame rate when you are not moving to save power. That is the opposite of what a competitive player wants - it means your frame rate changes the instant a fight starts. |
| Radeon Boost | Disabled | Dynamically lowers resolution during fast movement. Saves frames precisely when you are trying to track a target, at the cost of image clarity in that moment. |
| Wait for Vertical Refresh | Off, unless application specifies | The Adrenalin V-Sync control. Leave it deferring to the game, and turn V-Sync off in the game. |
| Enhanced Sync | Disabled | An alternative synchronisation mode that predates widespread FreeSync. It causes flickering and instability on some configurations, and FreeSync plus a frame cap is a strictly better solution. |
| Frame Rate Target Control | About 3 below your refresh rate | Keeps you inside the FreeSync range and avoids the queue latency of hitting the refresh ceiling. |
| Texture Filtering Quality | Performance | Reduces filtering work scene-wide. A worthwhile trade in competitive titles where surface detail at oblique angles is irrelevant. |
| Surface Format Optimization | Enabled | Lets the driver choose cheaper render target formats where the quality difference is negligible. Free frames. |
| Tessellation Mode | AMD optimized | Caps excessive tessellation levels that some engines request far beyond the point of visible benefit. |
| Anti-Aliasing / Anisotropic Filtering | Use application settings | Games handle these better than a driver override. Overriding them frequently produces artefacts in modern engines. |
| Radeon Image Sharpening | Optional, around 70-80% if used | A cheap post-process sharpen. Useful to offset upscaling softness. Purely a preference setting. |
| Radeon Super Resolution | Only for games without built-in upscaling | A driver-level upscaler. Where a game has its own FSR, XeSS or DLSS implementation, use that instead - it has access to motion vectors that the driver does not. |
| Reset Shader Cache | Only when troubleshooting | Clearing it forces a full recompile, which means a session of stutter. Do not do this routinely. |
The correct FreeSync configuration
- Enable FreeSync on the monitor itself, in its on-screen menu. It is frequently off by default.
- Enable AMD FreeSync in Adrenalin under Gaming > Display.
- Set Frame Rate Target Control about three below your refresh rate, or use an in-game cap at the same value.
- Turn V-Sync off in the game.
- Leave Wait for Vertical Refresh in Adrenalin set to 'Off, unless application specifies'.
- Enable Radeon Anti-Lag 2 in game or in the per-game Adrenalin profile.
Platform settings outside Adrenalin
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Access Memory / Resizable BAR | Enable in BIOS | Lets the CPU address the full GPU memory pool rather than a small window. Worth real performance on supported platforms, and it is free. Requires UEFI boot and CSM disabled. |
| EXPO memory profile | Enable in BIOS | Runs your memory at its rated speed and timings rather than the JEDEC fallback. One of the largest single gains available on a Ryzen system. |
| Windows power mode | Best performance | Prevents core parking and lazy clock ramping, which show up as frame-time inconsistency rather than lower average FPS. |
| Chipset drivers | Install from AMD, not Windows Update | The AMD chipset package includes the power plan and scheduler behaviour that Ryzen CPUs expect. Windows Update ships a generic older version. |
What HYPR-RX actually turns on
HYPR-RX is a one-click profile that enables several Adrenalin features together. It is genuinely convenient, and it is worth knowing what you are agreeing to before you press it, because two of the components are things a competitive player would otherwise deliberately disable.
- Radeon Anti-Lag - you want this. It is the main reason to use the profile.
- Radeon Boost - dynamic resolution reduction during fast movement. In a competitive shooter this degrades image quality exactly when you are tracking a target.
- Radeon Super Resolution - driver-level upscaling. Reasonable in games without their own upscaler, redundant and lower quality in games that have one.
For single-player and casual play, HYPR-RX is a sensible default. For competitive shooters, configure the individual settings instead: Anti-Lag on, Boost off, and use the game's own upscaler.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Radeon Chill for gaming?
Not for competitive play. Radeon Chill lowers your frame rate when the on-screen action is calm and raises it when you move, to save power and reduce heat. That means your frame rate and therefore your input latency change at the exact moment a fight begins. It is a reasonable feature for a laptop playing a single-player game, and the wrong choice for a shooter.
Is Radeon Anti-Lag 2 the same as NVIDIA Reflex?
They solve the same problem in the same way - shortening the render queue so frames are not sitting waiting for the GPU - and the practical effect is comparable. Both need game support for their best results. Enable Anti-Lag 2 in every competitive title on your Radeon card; the frame cost is small and the latency reduction is one of the largest available from a single setting.
Does Smart Access Memory improve FPS?
Yes, on supported platforms, and it is free. Smart Access Memory (AMD's implementation of Resizable BAR) lets the CPU address the whole GPU memory pool at once instead of through a small window, which reduces transfer overhead. Gains vary by title from negligible to substantial. It is a BIOS setting rather than an Adrenalin one, and it requires UEFI boot with CSM disabled.
Should I enable HYPR-RX?
For single-player and casual gaming, yes - it is a convenient bundle. For competitive shooters, configure the parts individually instead. HYPR-RX enables Radeon Boost, which dynamically lowers resolution during fast movement and degrades image quality precisely while you are tracking a target, and Radeon Super Resolution, which is redundant in any game with its own upscaler. Keep Anti-Lag, skip the other two.
WRITTEN BY
Frost Live
Frost Live is the founder of Frozen Tweaks and the creator behind the FrozenTweaks optimization guides. He has spent years testing Windows, GPU driver and in-game settings on competitive titles including Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty, and turned the tweaks that survived that testing into the Frozen Tweaks optimizer.
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