Best FiveM settings for a low-end PC or laptop
FiveM runs on modest PCs, but every server adds its own content on top of GTA V. On a low-end PC or laptop, the right settings matter more than any pack. This guide goes past the heaviest settings: it shows what else you can cut, what isn’t worth cutting and how to make your laptop use the right graphics card.
Rise TeamGuide written by the Rise team. The steps work with or without Rise; the facts about the game come from the sources at the end of the page, with the date we checked them.
Short answer
On a low-end PC, play FiveM Legacy, which asks for much less than Enhanced, and lower the settings that cost FPS without changing the image much first. On a laptop, play plugged in, use Windows’ Best performance power mode and set High performance for the game process, so it runs on the dedicated graphics card.
First, find out what is holding you back
| Situation | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop with a dedicated GPU getting integrated-GPU FPS | Windows is running the game on the integrated graphics[4] | Set High performance for the FiveM process (Laptop section)[6] |
| FPS drops after a few minutes | Laptop on battery, with a different power mode, or heating up[5] | Play plugged in, use Best performance and keep the air vents clear |
| Video memory bar at the limit even with almost everything low | A card with little video memory for the game and the server’s content | Lower Population Variety and Shadow Quality (Settings section)[3] |
| The server requires FiveM for GTA V Enhanced | Enhanced asks for a card with at least 4 GB of video memory[1] | On a low-end PC, stick to Legacy servers |
| The image looks too ugly after lowering everything | Shader Quality and Water Quality on Normal strip a lot of detail from the image[3] | Keep both on High |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Legacy or Enhanced: on a low-end PC, stay on Legacy
FiveM Legacy runs on GTA V Legacy and asks for at least a 1 GB graphics card and 4 GB of RAM. FiveM for GTA V Enhanced asks for a card with 4 GB of video memory and 8 GB of RAM. On a low-end PC, pick Legacy servers. The full requirements table is in the main guide.
Rockstar warns on its Steam page that integrated graphics and mobile chipsets may be incompatible with GTA V Legacy. Integrated graphics might run it, with no promises: test it on your PC before you get attached to a server.
What to lower after the basics
The main guide covers the heaviest settings: Extended Distance Scaling, grass, population, high resolution shadows, MSAA and textures. Once those are done, these come next, according to NVIDIA’s GTA V performance guide:
| Setting | Suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Post FX | Normal | Test it on your PC: the cost grows at night, with fog, street lights and cars on the road[3] |
| Reflection Quality | Lower | The cost grows with cars, windows and water on screen[3] |
| Shadow Quality | Normal or High | Moderate cost; the highest levels use a lot of video memory[3] |
| Soft Shadows | Soft | With High Resolution Shadows off, it hides the loss of shadow detail[3] |
| Long Shadows | Off | A subtle effect, only at dawn and dusk[3] |
| Ambient Occlusion | Off, if you’re short on FPS | Costs a few frames per second[3] |
| Population Variety | All the way down, if you’re short on video memory | Doesn’t cost FPS, but loads more models into video memory[3] |
| Shader Quality and Water Quality | High | On Normal, the image loses a lot; for water, the performance gain is minimal[3] |
| DirectX Version | DirectX 11 | Faster than 10 and 10.1 in NVIDIA’s tests[3] |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
GTA V’s built-in benchmark is optimistic: NVIDIA warns that heavy scenes and online play run well below it. Measure on the server, at the busiest spot, with cl_drawperf true in the console (F8).
Resolution comes last. Lowering it takes load off the graphics card, but the image gets less sharp.
Laptop: dedicated GPU, wall power and power mode
Many laptops have two graphics cards: the integrated one, which saves battery, and the dedicated one, which is stronger. Windows picks which one each program uses, and sometimes it puts FiveM on the integrated one.
- Play with the charger plugged in. Windows has one power mode for plugged in and another for battery.
- In Settings › System › Power & battery, under Power mode, pick Best performance for when you’re plugged in.
- In Settings › System › Display › Graphics, add the game process. It lives in %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache\subprocess and is called FiveM_bXXXX_GTAProcess.exe, where XXXX is the game build.
- Open its options, select High performance and save. The choice only shows up on PCs with more than one graphics card.
- If there’s more than one file with that name, repeat this for each one.
- In the game, turn on cl_drawperf true in the console (F8) and watch GPU Temp. If the temperature climbs and FPS drops over time, clear the air vents and set the laptop on a hard surface.
What Rise does in FiveM
Everything here shows what changes before you apply it.
- FiveM video presetPicks graphics settings based on your PC’s video memory, within the options in the GTA V menu, and writes them to the file FiveM reads (gta5_settings.xml). Turns off V-Sync, motion blur and the audio frame limiter. Saves your previous settings and goes back to them in one click.Games › FiveM · Rise Premium
- Stretched resolutionIf you play stretched, Rise writes the resolution to the game file and restores the previous one whenever you want.Games › FiveM · Rise Premium
- Windows, graphics card and networkPower plan, background programs and your PC’s Windows, graphics card and network settings. Each optimization shows what changes before you apply it.Optimizations · Rise Basic and Premium
- Before-and-after BenchmarkRuns the same 3D scene before and after your tweaks and compares average FPS, 1% low and stutters on your PC.Benchmark · Rise Basic and Premium
What Rise does not do in FiveM
- Doesn’t turn integrated graphics into a dedicated card or add video memory.
- Doesn’t install packs, mods, plugins or ReShade.
- Doesn’t change the server: heavy content still depends on it.
- Doesn’t promise an FPS number: measure before and after on your PC.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best FiveM settings for a low-end PC?
Start with the main guide’s settings: Extended Distance Scaling all the way down, grass on Normal and MSAA off. Then lower Post FX, Reflection Quality, Long Shadows and Ambient Occlusion. Keep Shader Quality and Water Quality on High, because on Normal the image loses a lot and, for water, the gain is minimal.
Does FiveM run on integrated graphics?
It might, with no promises. FiveM Legacy’s minimum is a card with 1 GB of video memory, and Rockstar warns that integrated graphics and mobile chipsets may be incompatible with GTA V Legacy. FiveM for GTA V Enhanced asks for a 4 GB card.
How do I make FiveM use my laptop’s dedicated GPU?
In Settings › System › Display › Graphics, add FiveM_bXXXX_GTAProcess.exe from the %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache\subprocess folder and select High performance. The option only shows up on PCs with more than one graphics card.
Why does my laptop’s FPS drop after a while?
On battery, Windows can use a different power mode, and when it’s hot the card slows down to cool off. Play plugged in, pick Best performance under Power mode and watch GPU Temp in cl_drawperf.
How much RAM does FiveM need?
fivem.net lists 4 GB as the minimum and recommends 8 GB for FiveM Legacy. For FiveM for GTA V Enhanced, it’s 8 GB minimum and 16 GB in dual channel recommended. On a full server, spare RAM helps.
Does lowering the resolution help?
It takes load off the graphics card, but the image gets less sharp. Use it last, after the Graphics menu options. If you play stretched, you’re already making that trade.
Sources
- FiveM: official site and requirements (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Rockstar on Steam: GTA V Legacy (requirements) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- NVIDIA: GTA V graphics and performance guide (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Microsoft: graphics card per app (Settings › Graphics) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Microsoft: Windows power mode (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- FiveM (code): game process folder and name (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- FiveM: console commands (cl_drawperf) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
Spotted something out of date? Let us know on the Rise Discord and we will fix it. Report on Discord
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