performancehardwarehow-to

Marathon Performance Guide: Optimizing Visuals and Framerate on PC

UUnknown

2026-02-28

12 min read

Step-by-step PC tuning for Bungie’s Marathon: benchmarks, GPU/CPU tweaks, upscaling, input‑lag cuts and peripheral picks to maximize FPS and responsiveness.

Hook: Stop losing rounds to janky FPS — get Marathon running smooth on your PC

If you’re frustrated by dips, input lag, or confusing graphics menus in Marathon on PC, you’re not alone. Competitive and marathon-session players need consistent framerates, low input latency, and predictable thermal behavior. This guide gives a step‑by‑step, hands‑on tuning path — from a clean baseline benchmark to GPU/CPU tweaks, driver settings, and the peripherals that actually cut input lag — so you can spend more time shooting and less time fiddling.

Quick summary — what actually matters right now (2026)

Most impactful levers in 2026:

Frame generation + upscaling (DLSS 3.5, FSR3/XeSS): huge FPS boosts without crippling image quality when used correctly.
Exclusive fullscreen + low latency mode: reduces submit-to-display time and stabilizes frametimes.
GPU power limits and minor OC: modern GPUs scale well with higher power targets but watch thermals.
CPU thread management (P-core/E-core balancing on Intel, Ryzen 3D cache tuning): stops the CPU from bottlenecking streaming and physics threads.
Peripherals & display: a 240Hz+ adaptive sync monitor and a low-latency mouse/controller make optimized FPS feel immediate.

Why tune Marathon now? 2025–2026 context

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw two major trends that changed how we tune fast shooters: frame generation matured (DLSS 3.5 and FSR3 became common shipping options) and OS-level game scheduling got smarter (Windows Thread Director and Game Performance improvements). Bungie’s Marathon leverages modern render paths and optional ray tracing effects, so you can choose visual fidelity or surgical responsiveness depending on your priorities. That makes this the right moment to create a reproducible tuning workflow.

Preflight checklist: hardware, drivers, and tools

Before you touch Marathon’s options, set a clean testing baseline.

Hardware essentials

NVMe SSD (Gen3 at a minimum) for fast streaming and low hitching.
GPU with support for modern upscalers (NVIDIA RTX 30/40/50, AMD RX 6000/7000/8000, Intel ARC A-series).
CPU with strong single‑thread performance or 3D‑cache variants (Ryzen 7/9 3D, Intel Core i5/i7+ P‑core focus) for stable game logic tick rates.
32GB RAM recommended for modern shooters with high texture pools and background apps.

Drivers and OS

Windows 11 (latest stable build) — keep Game Mode enabled, but test both on/off if you’re tuning thread scheduling.
GPU drivers: use a stable WHQL release from late 2025/early 2026 that notes Marathon or similar shooter optimizations. If a hotfix addresses stutters, test that too.
Enable Hardware‑accelerated GPU scheduling only if your GPU vendor’s driver recommends it for Marathon; otherwise leave it off for consistency.

Bench & monitoring tools

MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner — on‑screen FPS and frametimes, plus easy GPU OC/power limit tweaks.
CapFrameX (recommended) or PresentMon — capture runs for 1%/0.1% lows, frametime histograms.
LatencyMon / NVIDIA Reflex Analyzer — measure input-to-display latency when available.
HWInfo64 — monitor CPU core usage, temps, and power draw during runs.

Step 1 — establish your target and baseline

Decide if you want max visual fidelity or a competitive FPS target (e.g., 240Hz monitor → 240 fps target). Then run a baseline capture.

Pick a representative level or firefight in Marathon and a repeatable route.
Set graphics preset to the highest quality and resolution you plan to run.
Record a 60–120s run with CapFrameX/PresentMon and log CPU/GPU metrics with HWInfo64.
Save results: average FPS, 1% low, 0.1% low, CPU core usage, and GPU utilization/temps.

Example baseline (realistic example): Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RTX 4080 at 1440p Ultra = 92 avg FPS, 1% low 58 FPS, GPU 98% util. That tells you the GPU is the limiter in big encounters.

Step 2 — first-pass in-game settings (fast wins)

Start inside Marathon. Many settings produce big FPS gains for small visual cost.

Priority list (tweak in this order)

Resolution / Render Scale — drop render scale by 10–20% before touching texture quality if VRAM is tight. Upscalers can recover quality.
Upscaling + Frame Generation — enable DLSS 3.5 (if NVIDIA), FSR3 Frame Generation, or XeSS. For 1440p → try DLSS Quality + Frame Generation/FSR3 Balanced. In 2026 these are very polished.
Shadows — high cost; medium shadows often preserve scene readability with large FPS gains.
Reflections & Ambient Occlusion — toggle to medium or off; screen space reflections are expensive.
Volumetrics / Particles — lower for fights with many effects to stabilize 1% lows.
Motion Blur / Film Grain — disable both for competitive clarity and perceived latency improvements.
Anti-Aliasing — rely on the upscaler’s image reconstruction and set in-game AA low or off.
Ray Tracing — generally turn off for high FPS targets; enable only if you prioritize visuals over responsiveness.

Fullscreen mode vs Borderless

Exclusive Fullscreen almost always gives lower input latency and better compatibility with frame generation and low-latency driver modes. Use Borderless only if you need instant Alt+Tab or streaming overlays.

Step 3 — driver & control panel tuning

After in-game changes, tune the GPU driver for lower latency and consistent frametimes.

NVIDIA (GeForce)

Set Low Latency Mode to Ultra or use NVIDIA Reflex (if Marathon supports it) for best input responsiveness.
Power management: prefer Prefer maximum performance for marathon sessions, or use a custom power profile with power limit +5–10% in Afterburner for 24/7 comfort.
V-Sync: disable in driver and use in-game frame limiters when needed. With Frame Generation, try V‑Sync off + frame gen; enable adaptive sync on your monitor instead.

AMD (Adrenalin)

Enable Anti-Lag and try Radeon Boost when appropriate — it can dynamically lower resolution in motion for big gains.
Set the Power Limit slightly higher if temperatures allow; use Chill only if you need to cap power for laptop thermals.
Use the Adrenalin low latency options and ensure FSR3/Frame Generation is set in-game when available.

Step 4 — GPU tuning: thermals, power, and a light OC

Most modern GPUs scale with power. Small power increases deliver big average FPS improvements, but monitor temps.

Open MSI Afterburner. Increase Power Limit to +8–12% and Temp Limit to a safe number (e.g., 85°C).
Run a benchmark pass and observe thermal throttling. If temps approach 90°C consistently, increase fan curve aggressively instead of pushing more power.
If you want an overclock, use OC Scanner (NVIDIA) or small manual +clock/+mem offsets (+50–100MHz core, +300–600MHz memory) and test stability. Modern Ampere/AD100 classes prefer power to clocks for consistent results.

Note: for laptops, use vendor-provided performance modes; many laptops in 2026 have dynamic power bottlenecks that limit OC headroom.

Step 5 — CPU tuning: stop thread starvation

Shooters are sensitive to single-thread spikes. Make sure your CPU is feeding the GPU.

Windows & process priorities

Set Windows power plan to High Performance or use the Game Performance setting in Windows 11.
Close unnecessary background apps (Chrome, Discord overlay, streaming encode) while benchmarking. For long marathon runs you can keep voice/chat but minimize overlays.
Use Process Lasso or Task Manager to set Marathon process priority to High and, on hybrid CPUs, pin the game to P‑cores only if your processor benefits (Intel 12th gen+).

Ryzen specific tips

Enable PBO2 and test Curve Optimizer values — small negative offsets stabilize boost behavior and can increase minimums.
For 3D V‑Cache chips, ensure BIOS settings don’t throttle the 3D cache during long sessions.

Intel specific tips

For hybrid architectures, let Windows Thread Director schedule threads; only pin manually if you have a measured benefit. Use Windows 11 latest build for better scheduler behavior.
Disable background tasks that may wake efficiency cores frequently (e.g., aggressive indexers or backup services).

Step 6 — input lag & controller support

Input latency is as important as FPS. Here’s how to minimize it and keep controllers crisp.

Mouse & keyboard

Use 1,000 Hz polling for the mouse (some mice support 2,000 Hz in 2026) and a wired connection. Lower polling to 500 Hz if CPU is the bottleneck and polling overhead hammers a low-core CPU.
Turn off mouse smoothing/acceleration in OS and in-game. Use raw input if the game offers it.
Set Windows USB selective suspend off for gaming hubs to avoid micro-sleeps.

Controller advice (DualSense, Xbox, third-party)

Use wired USB to minimize Bluetooth latency. If you must use wireless, prefer proprietary dongles (Xbox Wireless Adapter) over Bluetooth.
Enable high-precision input in Steam Input or use vendor drivers for advanced haptics. Steam now supports DualSense advanced haptics well in 2026, but that can add CPU overhead; test on/off in competitive play.

In-game latency settings

Enable any low-latency or input smoothing toggles if they reduce input-to-response time. Be mindful of trade-offs with network smoothing if you play online.
Try NVIDIA Reflex/AMD Anti-Lag where available — these give measurable latency drops with minimal FPS cost.

Step 7 — benchmarking and interpreting results

Repeat your test scene after each major change. Track these metrics:

Average FPS — overall throughput.
1% and 0.1% lows — measure stutter and perceived smoothness.
Frame time variance — look for spikes in CapFrameX histograms.
Input latency — use Reflex Analyzer or LatencyMon for server-side metrics.

Example tuning path (real-world case study):

Baseline: 1440p Ultra, no upscaling — 92 avg / 58 1% low. After: DLSS Quality + Frame Gen, Shadows Medium, Power +10% = 168 avg / 130 1% low. Input latency improved ~14ms with NVIDIA Reflex enabled. (Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RTX 4080)

Advanced strategies for persistent problems

Micro‑stutters and hitching

Verify background I/O isn't causing hitches: check NVMe thermal throttling and Windows Defender scans.
Ensure asset streaming isn't swapping textures — increase in-game texture pool or reduce texture quality if VRAM exceeds capacity.

Use low-latency network buffers in-game if available, and use wired Ethernet for online Marathon modes.
Disable network-heavy services on the same subnet (cloud backups, P2P apps) that saturate upstream or downstream during games.

Recommended peripherals in 2026 (what to buy)

Peripherals matter. A tuned PC with a slow display or high-latency controller still feels bad.

Displays

Competitive: 1080p 240–360Hz with 1ms or lower grey‑to‑grey and G‑Sync/FreeSync Premium Pro.
Balance image/fidelity: 1440p 240Hz for a great sweet spot — less GPU-bound than 4K and much clearer than 1080p.
For cinematic play: 4K 144Hz with VRR and good local dimming if you enable ray tracing for visual fidelity.

Input devices

Mouse: 1–2ms latency, high polling (1k or 2k Hz), good sensor (no accel), and light weight for fast flicks.
Keyboard: low actuation mechanical switches; wired for reliability.
Controller: Xbox Elite Series (latest gen) or DualSense Edge for advanced haptics — use wired mode for low latency in competitive play.

Audio

Low-latency wired headsets or quality USB DACs ensure positional audio without A/V sync problems.

Checklist: quick actionable steps to apply now

Run a baseline benchmark and save it.
Enable DLSS 3.5 / FSR3 or XeSS frame generation + upscaling; test Quality/Balanced modes.
Set Exclusive Fullscreen, disable motion blur & film grain, reduce shadows and reflections first.
Raise GPU power limit by +8–12% in Afterburner, monitor temps, and increase fan curve if needed.
Enable NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti‑Lag in-game/driver.
Use a 240Hz+ adaptive sync monitor and a wired low‑polling mouse/controller.
Repeat benchmark; compare avg FPS and 1%/0.1% lows. Stop when your visual quality versus responsiveness hits your subjective sweet spot.

Troubleshooting common issues

Stutters after enabling frame generation

If enabling frame generation causes tearing or micro‑stutters, try: exclusive fullscreen, the latest vendor driver hotfix, or reducing the frame generation intensity (Quality → Balanced). Some displays handle generated frames better when VRR is active.

Low VRAM crashes or texture pop-in

Lower texture quality or resolution scale; if you have an RTX 40/50 or Radeon RX 7000/8000 with ample VRAM, push textures up but watch 1% lows in crowded areas.

High CPU usage and poor scaling

Close background processes, try pinning to P‑cores only on Intel, enable PBO on Ryzen with conservative curve offsets, and ensure Windows scheduler is updated via latest Windows 11 patches.

What to expect in the near future (2026 trends & predictions)

Looking ahead in 2026, expect these developments:

Even better upscalers: DLSS/FSR/XeSS will tighten quality gaps; AI post-processing will reduce the need for native resolution rendering in competitive modes.
Driver-level latency analytics: GPU vendors will add more precise input-to-display telemetry tools in mainstream panels.
Cloud rendering & hybrid pipelines: Low-latency cloud aids for single-player cinematic modes, with local rendering still dominant for competitive play.

Closing—put it into practice

Tuning Marathon for marathon sessions requires both method and patience: baseline, change one variable at a time, and measure. In many cases the biggest wins come from enabling modern upscaling/frame generation, switching to exclusive fullscreen, raising the GPU power target, and choosing the right peripherals. Use the checklist above and benchmark after each change — you’ll quickly learn whether Marathon is GPU-limited, CPU-limited, or suffering from I/O or network hitches.

Call to action

Want a downloadable benchmark profile, a pre-built settings pack for three hardware tiers (competitive, balance, cinematic), or step-by-step video guides? Join our newgame.club community hub and Discord to grab the files, share your CapFrameX logs, and get tailored advice from fellow Marathon runners and pro tuners. Drop your rig specs in the thread and we’ll help you squeeze every FPS out of your setup.

Unknown

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.