(Click for general game info.)
System requirements:
Latest drivers: (as at 21/12/2017)
Nvidia: 388.71
AMD: 17.12.2
Intel: Depends on your processor; download the driver update utility
Tips and tricks:
Various CPU/GPU benchmarks and data: See this GameGPU article.
Note: The article is in Russian, but the data is presented via graphs.
Cap the framerate/potentially improve frametimes: Download RivaTuner Statistics Server, input your desired framerate limit in the "Framerate limit" box, and hit enter (the program comes bundled with MSI Afterburner and earlier versions of EVGA PrecisionX). Alternatively, those with an Nvidia GPU have the option of Nvidia Inspector, which can also be used to impose a framerate cap, either in a similar manner to RTSS or by way of forcing a different vsync interval (click the small tool icon to open the game profile section).
Note: Useful if you your system can't maintain, say, 60fps and you're sensitive to the wild fluctuations, or you're experiencing uneven frametimes. The greater window the engine has to render a given frame, if you're imposing a lower framerate than the game can otherwise provide, may also help in alleviating stuttering related to data streaming.
Stop the game from crashing after 15 minutes on touch-capable systems running Windows 10: Open the task manager, switch to the Services tab and disable TabletInputService.
Mitigate stuttering (1): Navigate to (My) Documents\my games\BioShock Infinite\XGame\Config, open XEngine.ini, and follow the instructions in this post. (Credit to Mechazawa.)
Mitigate stuttering (2): If you have a card with more than 512MB of VRAM, find the PoolSize cvar in XEngine.ini and change it according to your amount of GPU memory, using the formula [amount of VRAM in GB] x 600 -- also ensure that the -ReadTexturePoolFromIni cvar has been added to the game's launch options (right-click -> Properties -> Set launch options; may cause instability). (Credit to GSY Miguel and antitrop.)
Mitigate stuttering (3): Set bInitializeShadersOnDemand cvars in XEngine.ini and XCompat.ini to TRUE. (Credit to Irrational itself via KoruptData.)
Mitigate stuttering (4): Set bUseBackgroundLevelStreaming in XEngine.ini to FALSE.
Note: Will break certain script events.
Expand the FoV slider: Navigate to (My) Documents\my games\BioShock Infinite\XGame\Config and open XUserOptions.ini. Search the file for FieldOfView (not to be confused with DefaultFieldOfView), setting it to 1.500000, and MaxUserFOVOffsetPercent, setting it to 45.000000 -- adjust if necessary. (Credit to puzle.)
Expand the mouse sensitivity slider: Navigate to (My) Documents\my games\BioShock Infinite\XGame\Config and open XUserOptions.ini. Search the file for MaxMouseLookSensitivity and change the value accordingly -- 0.700000 would be a good starting point. (Credit to antitrop.)
"Disable" HUD: Navigate to (My) Documents\my games\BioShock Infinite\XGame\Config and open XGame.ini. Follow the instructions here and adjust the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) values according to your resolution to effectively push it out of the way. (Credit to JonasBeckman @ Guru3D via jim2point0.)
Scale HUD: Navigate to (My) Documents\my games\BioShock Infinite\XGame\Config and open XUI.ini. Find the MaxResolutionUpScale cvar and adjust it according to your resolution (e.g. 0.5 works well for 2560x1600). (Credit to epmode.)
Improve SLI performance: Change the SLI compatibility bit in the game's Nvidia Inspector profile to 0x0C1902F5. (Credit to MaLDo.)
Graphics options:
Display mode: Windowed (Fullscreen), Windowed, Fullscreen
Graphics quality: Preset/Custom
Preset: Very low; Low; Medium; High; Very High; Ultra
Custom:
-- Antialiasing: Off/On (FXAA)
-- Texture detail: Very low; Low; Normal; High; Ultra
-- Texture filtering: Low; Normal; High; Ultra
-- Dynamic shadows: Off; Low; Normal; High; Very High; Ultra
-- Postprocessing: Normal/Alternate
-- Light shafts: Off; On
-- Ambient occlusion: Off; Low; Normal; High; Ultra
-- Object LOD: Very low; Low; Normal; High; Ultra
My benchmarks:
The included benchmark tool is accessible from the Steam client; it's one of the two launch options when clicking the "Play" button:
Specs: 8GB DDR3-1600, 2600K @ 4.6GHz, 2GB GTX 670 SLI (314.22 drivers)
1680x1050, UltraDX11_DDOF preset:
1920x1200, UltraDX11_DDOF preset:
Relative differences (average framerate; 1050p versus 1200p):
Welcome Centre: -13.86fps
Town Centre: -25.38fps
Raffle: -25.19fps
Monument Island: -38.05fps
Overall: -21.21fps
1680x1050, UltraDX11_DDOF preset, SLI disabled:
Relative differences (average framerate; SLI enabled versus disabled):
Welcome Centre: +28.8fps
Town Centre: +70.77fps
Raffle: +67.01fps
Monument Island: +95.7fps
Overall: +55.3fps