Need a frame rate boost? Maybe you should be gaming at 128x72 resolution

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GTA V at 72p is a sight to behold.

GTA V at 72p
(Image credit: randomgaminginhd)

Ever wonder how Days Gone would look at 72p? As cutting edge gaming hardware strives for sky-high resolutions like 8K and beyond, it's always fun to take a step back and appreciate the ugly beauty of extreme downscaling using old hardware. 

Seeing modern games run at offensively low resolutions always puts a smile on my face as it reminds me of how things used to be and how far graphics have come in PC gaming. It's why I love seeing channels like this and LowSpecGamer take on these fun projects. 

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Games at 72p
(Image credit: randomgaminginhd)

Fortnite got a decent frame rate hike running at 72p instead of 720p, with the game hitting over 50 fps on both of these ancient GPUs. GTA 5 also put in a good show, hitting 25-35 fps. Playable? That's really up to what your eyes can handle. I don't see anyone attempting to play any of these games like this for more than a few minutes at a time before suffering a low-pixel count-induced migraine.

Days Gone and Cyberpunk, meanwhile, are a bit too much for these ancient graphics cards, with both games struggling to escape the low teens. But it's not like these games were running well on these elder $65 GPUs, to begin with.

Now, 128x72 pixels aren't going to show up in video settings; you have to dive into the configuration files for the games in question to make the necessary changes—just in case you were planning on running GTA 5 in Bronze Age mode (the video goes into detail). Note that doing this could result in the game (and possibly your eyes) crashing.

Jorge Jimenez
Jorge Jimenez
Hardware writer, Human Pop-Tart

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web.