MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA - PERFORMANCE TWEAKS (0.58)

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 INSTALLATION:
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Place the USER.CFG file in your Mass Effect Andromeda main installation directory (it's where the game executable is found).
If in doubt, the default path should be "C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Mass Effect Andromeda"

The next step is optional, but very recommended.

You'll notice that I've attached a screenshot (an image) of my ingame GRAPHICS settings.
For hardware like mine (see below in the notes), this is a really good compromise for "good performance with good looks". 

Base your ingame settings on those, adapting/changing yours when and if necessary, to better suit your own needs.
I suggest taking note of your settings before doing any changes (just in case you wish to revert).


To uninstall the mod/tweaks, delete the USER.CFG file from your Mass Effect Andromeda main installation directory.


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 ADDITIONAL NOTES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
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For indicative purposes my system hardware is as follows:

CPU: AMD FX6300 (OC at 4.3Ghz)
RAM: 12GB DDR3 1866Mhz
GPU: Nvidia GTX 770 2GB
HDD: WD 1TB 7200RPM SATA3 64MB cache
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit SP1
	
I run the game at 1920x1080 (1080P) resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. 
I use V-Sync OFF, but have the framerate locked at 60FPS max by RivaTuner (utility that comes with MSI Afterburner).

At this resolution, with the mentioned ingame graphics settings, the VRAM usage sits at 1750MB on average, which is perfect for a 2GB graphics-card model.
The GPU usage percentage floats from 60% upto 99%, obviously depending on situation and number of NPCs.

I started by using the "MEDIUM" preset (best base preset for my system) but the game framerate used to frequently dip to the low 40s and it stuttered a lot.
So, like many of you, I ended customizing the preset, adjusting settings here and there, on and on, while constantly monitoring resources.
It still looks great after adjusting things (Frostbite is known to look good even with some options at the lowest settings).
 
With the mentioned ingame graphics settings, and this "mod/tweak", Mass Effect Andromeda runs quite smooth in my PC.
Using the game patched to version 1.05 the framerate rarely goes below 50FPS, hardly with any stuttering (but was better with 1.04). 
Of course, your milleage may vary.

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If you wish to have an in-game framerate counter, then open the USER.CFG file and look for the setting "PerfOverlay.DrawFps".
To enable it, change its value from 0 to 1 (from zero to one).

There's also an ingame monitor for the consumption of resources, look for the setting "Render.DrawScreenInfo".
To enable it, change its value from 0 to 1 (from zero to one).

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There are three command variables that may give better performance.
I have excluded them in recent versions of this "mod/tweak" to avoid game loading issues, because these need to be specific for the CPU in use.
So, you may wish to experiment with these, by including them in your USER.CFG (copy/paste below the other settings there), and according to your CPU:


---> 8 cores CPU (AMD FX-8000 series and FX-9000 series): 

thread.processorcount 8 
thread.maxprocessorcount 8 
thread.minfreeprocessorcount 0 


---> 6 cores CPU (AMD FX-6300 series and Phenom X6 series): 

thread.processorcount 6 
thread.maxprocessorcount 6 
thread.minfreeprocessorcount 0 


---> 4 cores / 8 threads CPU (Intel i7 quadcore):

thread.processorcount 4 
thread.maxprocessorcount 8 
thread.minfreeprocessorcount 0 


---> 4 cores / 4 threads CPU (Intel i5 quadcore, AMD Phenom X4 and Athlon X4):

thread.processorcount 4 
thread.maxprocessorcount 4 
thread.minfreeprocessorcount 0 


---> 2 cores / 4 threads CPU (Intel i3 dualcore): 

thread.processorcount 2 
thread.maxprocessorcount 4 
thread.minfreeprocessorcount 0 


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 CHANGELOG:
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0.58
- Removed RayTracing related command variables (was causing bug with lightning and colors).
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0.57
- Updated image of my ingame settings.
- Included a few more command variables.
- (Re)adjusted some of the previously included settings.
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0.56
- Included Audio and DX12 related command variables.
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0.55
- Updated image of my ingame settings.
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0.54
- Excluded the threading command variables, as it can sometimes create loading issues.