Ray Tracing Performance on OMEN: Settings Optimization Guide
To ensure the most eye-catching, yet still enjoyable overall gaming experience, it is important to optimize the ray tracing settings on your HP OMEN gaming machine. The OMEN GPUs are built on potent RTX architecture specifically to provide our customers with transcendent ray tracing capabilities, and by getting the setup just right, you can ensure you get a top-quality image and frame rates that dominate performance in all of your favorite titles.
QUICK ANSWER: Ray Tracing Optimization Essentials
- Best Universal Settings: RT Reflections (Medium) + DLSS (Balanced) = 60+ FPS
- RTX 4060: Excellent 1080p ray tracing (High settings, 60-80 FPS)
- RTX 4070+: Solid 1440p ray tracing (Medium-High, 60-90 FPS)
- RTX 4080/4090: 4K ray tracing capable (Medium-Ultra, 60+ FPS)
- Performance Boost: DLSS adds 40-60% FPS with minimal quality loss
- First Setting to Disable: Global Illumination (30-40% FPS hit)
What Is Ray Tracing?
Ray tracing is a rendering algorithm in computer graphics that creates a realistic appearance of lighting by simulating how the light rays are reflected off virtual locations on any object. The technology generates undeniably realistic reflections, shadows, and lighting effects, creating an astonishing visual reality in current games.
Key Ray Tracing Benefits:
- Realistic Reflections - Mirror-accurate water and glass surfaces
- Dynamic Shadows - Physically correct shadows from multiple light sources
- Global Illumination - Natural color bleeding between objects
- Ambient Occlusion - Enhanced depth and contact shadows
By computing the behavior of light itself, ray tracing improves many aspects of the output over prior rasterization techniques, which work off of approximations. This progressive technique of rendering depicts a changed aspect of gaming from unrealistic graphics to photorealistic journeys and destroys the barrier between virtuality and reality.
Understanding RTX GPUs in OMEN Systems
The series of HP OMEN provides high-tech RTX GPUs in terms of the numerous models with diverse performance requirements.
RTX GPU Performance Quick Reference
GPU SPECIFICATIONS TABLE
| GPU Model | Best Resolution | Ray Tracing Level | Expected FPS | DLSS Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 4060 | 1080p | High | 60-80 FPS | Quality |
| RTX 4070 | 1440p | Medium-High | 60-90 FPS | Balanced |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 1440p/4K | High | 70-100 FPS | Balanced |
| RTX 4080 | 4K | High-Ultra | 60-90 FPS | Quality |
| RTX 4090 | 4K | Ultra | 80-120 FPS | Quality |
Compatible OMEN Systems:
- HP OMEN 45L Desktop - Supports up to RTX 4090
- HP OMEN 35L Desktop - Supports up to RTX 4080
- HP OMEN 16 Gaming Laptop - Mobile RTX 4060-4080 variants
The main RTX GPUs' advantage is that they feature RT cores, which increase the performance of ray-tracing computation and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology that increases the performance without lowering the quality of images.
OMEN Gaming Hub: Your Optimization Command Center
OMEN Gaming Hub is Your Central Optimization Tool and offers system monitoring and fine-tuning functions in a full range.
Gaming Hub Key Features:
- Auto-Detection - Identifies your RTX GPU automatically
- Game Profiles - Custom settings per game
- Real-Time Monitoring - GPU usage, temps, FPS display
- One-Click Optimization - Instant performance profiles
- Thermal Management - Fan curve adjustments
It is drawing software that automatically identifies your RTX GPU and provides game-specific optimization profiles that aim to adjust ray tracing settings and performance targets dynamically. In Gaming Hub, you can see your GPU, memory use, and frame rate during games in real-time.
Step-by-Step Ray Tracing Optimization
If you think about how to optimize a gaming pc for ray tracing, here are the steps:
Quick Setup Guide for 60+ FPS Ray Tracing
- Enable DLSS (Balanced mode)
- Set RT Reflections to Medium
- Disable RT Global Illumination
- Keep RT Shadows on Low
- Cap framerate at monitor refresh rate
In-game settings configuration
Open your game settings with ray tracing settings, which are in the Advanced or Graphics sections most often.
Ray Tracing Effects Priority (Best to Worst Performance):
RAY TRACING EFFECTS TABLE
| RT Effect | Performance Impact | Visual Impact | Recommended Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| RT Ambient Occlusion | Low (5-10% FPS) | Medium | ON - Low |
| RT Shadows | Medium (10-15% FPS) | High | ON - Medium |
| RT Reflections | Medium (15-25% FPS) | Very High | ON - Medium |
| RT Global Illumination | High (30-40% FPS) | High | OFF or Low |
The first option to use is the Ray Traced Reflections set to Medium, because it is the setting that can offer the original visual boost with only a moderate performance penalty. Start by disabling Ray Traced Global Illumination since it is the most taxing feature.
NVIDIA Control Panel optimization
Essential NVIDIA Control Panel Settings:
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D settings
- Select Program Settings → Choose your game
- Apply These Settings:
- Power management mode → Prefer maximum performance
- Low Latency Mode → Ultra (competitive) or On (single-player)
- Texture Filtering - Quality → High Performance
- Vertical sync → Fast (prevents tearing)
- Max Frame Rate → Match monitor refresh rate
- Shader Cache Size → 10GB (for smoother performance)
DLSS configuration for performance balance
DLSS is needed to keep high frame rates when ray tracing is on. This machine learning based upscaling technology involves rendering games at a lower internally defined resolution, followed by upscaling the image down to your desired resolution.
DLSS Mode Selection Guide:
RAY TRACING EFFECTS TABLE
| RT Effect | Performance Impact | Visual Impact | Recommended Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| RT Ambient Occlusion | Low (5-10% FPS) | Medium | ON - Low |
| RT Shadows | Medium (10-15% FPS) | High | ON - Medium |
| RT Reflections | Medium (15-25% FPS) | Very High | ON - Medium |
| RT Global Illumination | High (30-40% FPS) | High | OFF or Low |
Resolution and refresh rate considerations
To get DLSS enabled in games played in 4K, then render at 1440p internally. The best compromise between performance and quality on 1440p monitors needs to be the Balanced mode. The mode has the highest gain in frame rate and a slightly reduced quality of image setting in what is called a performance mode.
Game-Specific Ray Tracing Configurations
Different games require tailored approaches to ray tracing optimization:
Optimized Settings by Game Type
Triple-A (AAA) single-player games
Examples: Cyberpunk 2077, Control, Alan Wake 2
Recommended Settings:
- Ray Tracing: Medium preset
- RT Reflections: High
- RT Shadows: Medium
- RT Global Illumination: Low/Off
- DLSS: Quality mode
- Target: 60 FPS minimum
In experiences based on story elements, quality refers to the visuals. Such games are advantaged by increased lighting and reflections.
Competitive multiplayer titles
Examples: Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite
Recommended Settings:
- Ray Tracing: Off or Low preset
- RT Reflections: Low (if any)
- All other RT: Off
- DLSS: Performance mode
- Target: 144+ FPS constant
Keep your frame rates above 144 FPS to have an edge. Activate the DLSS Performance mode to get the best performance possible.
Racing and simulation games
Examples: Forza Horizon, Gran Turismo, F1 series
Recommended Settings:
- Ray Tracing: Custom
- RT Reflections: High (for car surfaces)
- RT Shadows: Medium
- RT Ambient Occlusion: On
- DLSS: Balanced mode
- Target: 90-120 FPS
Forza Horizon and other examples represent ray tracing exquisitely in cars and the environment lighting.
Advanced Performance Tuning Techniques
On top of the standard settings adjustments, you may want to consider advanced graphics optimization techniques to improve your ray tracing experience on OMEN systems to a major extent.
Pre-Flight Checklist for Ray Tracing:
□ Update GPU drivers (latest Game Ready Driver)
□ Enable XMP/DOCP in BIOS for RAM
□ Set Windows to High Performance mode
□ Disable Windows GPU scheduling
□ Close background applications
□ Ensure adequate cooling (GPU <83°C)
Memory and CPU optimization
RAM Optimization Steps:
- Enter BIOS (F10 on boot)
- Enable XMP Profile 1
- Verify RAM running at rated speed
- Monitor with OMEN Gaming Hub
Ray tracing takes advantage of high-speed system memory. To use BIOS to run RAM at rated speeds, enable XMP profiles.
Power management settings
Windows Power Settings:
- Control Panel → Power Options → High Performance
- Graphics Settings → Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling → Off
- GPU Power Target (MSI Afterburner) → 110-115%
Set the Windows power plan to high performance. This avoids downclocking the CPU and GPU during heavy scenes of ray tracing.
Cooling considerations
Temperature Targets:
- GPU Core: Keep under 83°C (ideal: 70-75°C)
- GPU Memory: Keep under 95°C
- CPU: Keep under 85°C
- System: Ensure 20°C+ ambient delta
The formation of Ray tracing consumes even more GPU heat. View temperatures using Gaming Hub. Make sure that case fans are spinning and not overworking, and dust GPU heatsinks regularly.
Performance monitoring and benchmarking
Key Metrics to Monitor:
- Frame Time: <16.7ms for 60 FPS, <6.9ms for 144 FPS
- GPU Usage: Should be 95-99% (not CPU bottlenecked)
- VRAM Usage: Keep 1-2GB buffer free
- 1% Low FPS: Should be >80% of average FPS
Ray tracing performance can be tested using built-in game benchmarks. Play around with 60 FPS (especially on single-player) as a hard minimum and 120+ FPS+ as the minimum in competitive games.
Pro Tips for Maximum Performance
- Update Everything: Keep GPU drivers, Windows, and games updated
- Start Conservative: Begin with RT Low, increase gradually
- DLSS First: Always enable DLSS before ray tracing
- Monitor Temps: Ray tracing increases heat by 10-15°C
- Game-Specific Guides: Check NVIDIA's recommended settings per game
- Frame Cap: Cap FPS at monitor refresh rate to reduce GPU load
- Resolution Scaling: Consider 85-90% render scale as DLSS alternative
FAQs
Q: What ray tracing settings should be used for the best performance?
A: Start with RT Reflections on Medium, disable Global Illumination, and enable DLSS Balanced mode. This provides 40-50% better FPS with minimal visual loss.
Q: How does DLSS improve ray tracing performance?
A: DLSS provides a 40-60% FPS boost by rendering at lower resolution and using AI upscaling. It frees up GPU resources for ray tracing calculations while maintaining visual quality.
Q: Can I use ray tracing on my OMEN laptop?
A: Yes, OMEN laptops with RTX GPUs support ray tracing. Use Conservative settings (RT Low-Medium) and ensure proper cooling. Expect 20-30% lower performance vs desktop equivalents.
Q: Which ray tracing effect has the biggest performance impact?
A: Global Illumination causes the largest FPS drop (30-40%), followed by Reflections (15-25%). Disable GI first when optimizing.
Q: What FPS should I target with ray tracing enabled?
A: Single-player games: 60 FPS minimum. Competitive games: 144+ FPS (consider disabling RT). Story games: 45-60 FPS acceptable with VRR.
Q: Do I need to upgrade my PSU for ray tracing?
A: Ray tracing increases power draw by 15-25%. RTX 4070 needs 650W+, RTX 4080 needs 750W+, RTX 4090 needs 850W+ PSU.
Maximize Your OMEN Ray Tracing Experience
Depending on its desired visual performance, trace optimization must balance performance against fidelity. Use our proposed standard configuration as a starting point, but adjust it to your needs and preferences depending on your games.
Quick Start Settings Summary:
✓ Enable DLSS (Balanced/Quality)
✓ RT Reflections: Medium
✓ RT Shadows: Low
✓ RT Global Illumination: Off
✓ Target 60+ FPS for best experience
We have designed OMEN systems in a way that optimizes the performance of ray tracing, ensuring the most powerful RTX GPUs meet optimized cooling and the full suite of OMEN Gaming Hub software. Play around with options by having the game visuals and gameplay to your specific tendencies to give you the best of both worlds.
Prepared to try next-generation gaming graphics? Visit our entire HP OMEN Gaming Collection to discover the best system to make use of your ray-tracing adventure.
