# Perfectly Optimized - Free Template Made for Older Hardware **URL:** \ **Category:** Game Production\ **Tags:** package, size, Optimization, unreal-engine, fps, Rendering, Blueprint, fab\ **Created:** [December 13, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738 "2025-12-13T15:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/1 "2025-12-13T15:51:57Z")
![img](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/4/a/7/4a74b4ca79ae3804f4872c9b1e4433f1c1f3f56c.jpeg) #### **Perfectly Optimized – UE5 Lightweight Starter Template** Perfectly Optimized is a streamlined Unreal Engine 5 starter template specifically engineered to deliver substantial performance gains on lower-end hardware. While UE5’s default configuration heavily emphasizes ray-traced global illumination and use of nanite, these systems can overwhelm older GPUs and integrated graphics solutions. Nanite and Lumen offer impressive scalability, however, their overhead can still be prohibitive for legacy devices. This template re-configures the Unreal Engine 5 rendering pipeline around stability, predictability, and low GPU cost. By disabling non-essential high-end systems and prioritizing lightweight rendering paths, **Perfectly Optimized** enables performance characteristics closer to that of Unity-style forward renderers while retaining UE5’s robust toolset and workflow. #### **Key Modifications** **Rendering Backend** - Switched from **DirectX 12** to **Vulkan** , improving driver compatibility and performance on older GPUs and lower-tier systems. - Reduces shader overhead and avoids DX12-specific runtime costs. **Anti-Aliasing** - Anti-Aliasing forced to **FXAA**. - **MSAA samples set to 0** to eliminate costly multi-sample overhead. **Lighting Pipeline** - **Lumen fully disabled** , removing real-time global illumination and reflection calculations. - Project configured for **baked lighting workflows** , ensuring high performance with predictable frame times. **Geometry and Virtualization** - **Nanite disabled** by default to avoid virtualized geometry processing overhead on hardware lacking the necessary compute throughput. **Additional Performance-Focused Changes** Intended Use Cases - Developers targeting older PCs, budget laptops, and integrated GPUs - Prototypes where consistent performance is a priority - Indie projects needing a lightweight baseline before layering complexity - Teams aiming to ship small 3D hybrid titles, stylized games, or low-poly projects using UE5 Note: I’m going to update the template in order to provide even more optimizations (I’m kinda obsessed with efficiency XD) [https://fab.com/s/9e1b2fbb3290](https://fab.com/s/9e1b2fbb3290) ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Scalawag](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Jet\_Scalawag](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Jet_Scalawag)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/2 "2025-12-15T15:37:24Z")
Thanks so much for making this. Is there a way for a project to switch between a Perfectly Optimized build and one that uses Nanite/Lumen? ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 9:02am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/3 "2025-12-16T09:02:23Z")
Hi there, thanks for getting the template. Yes there is a way for a project to be changed to the optimized version. In Unreal Engine, you can migrate all assets from a project to another one. I’m not sure if this is the best way to go about this and I recommend you do more research but here it goes. 1. MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR ORIGINAL PROJECT! 2. Create another project with the Perfectly Optimized Template 3. Go back to the old project, and select all files you’d like to migrate 4. Right Click and select Migrate. (note: you must locate them into the content folder of your new project) 5. Select your location and you should be done Again, I’m not sure if it’s the best way to go about this, and it might not work for any of your project config. But it should do the trick if all you want to migrate are assets. Another way I think might work, would probably be you just copying the config folder from my template into your project, but I haven’t tested it so……yeah ![Screenshot 2025-12-16 143047](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/4/7/2/472ef3403675a955ec6c2ebc63f1d8a781119bf1.png) ---
**Author:** ![YhLad69](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@YhLad69](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/YhLad69)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/4 "2025-12-17T22:03:38Z")
Hey mate! is there any documentation or info on the settings changed? Id love to commit these settings to my UE5 project but I am quite far into development. Id like to apply alot of these settings to that project though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 6:04am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/5 "2025-12-18T06:04:14Z")
Hi there! There isn’t any official documentation, but there is a github page with a readme file with all the key changes made. You can also go into the releases tab in order to see every single change made. Unfortunately, I didn’t write a step by step way to actually enable the settings and where to find them, I wrote stuff like “Changed Rendering Engine to vulkan”. I’m working on a proper documentation, but it’s gonna take some time ☹ > **[GitHub - RealUnrealGameDev/Perfectly-Optimized: Perfectly Optimized is a streamlined Unreal Engine...](https://github.com/RealUnrealGameDev/Perfectly-Optimized)** > > Perfectly Optimized is a streamlined Unreal Engine 5 starter template specifically engineered to deliver substantial performance gains on lower-end hardware. While UE5’s default configuration heavily emphasizes ray-traced global illumination and use of nanite, these systems can overwhelm older GPUs and integrated graphics solutions If you need help finding how to make the changes listed, Google and ChatGPT exist, you can also just download the template and copy all the project settings over. Just know if you ever need help, feel free to hit me up! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jamsheed-RPG-God](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Jamsheed-RPG-God](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Jamsheed-RPG-God)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/6 "2025-12-25T17:41:29Z")
So yesterday i got the project set up and it was running at 370 fps. I came back today and it is running at 220 fps. Nothing changed. (edit: It randomly went back to working). ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/7 "2025-12-26T14:06:06Z")
Hey, it could have been something with your PC, probably thermal throttling or something related to windows. Yk how windows is lol ---
**Author:** ![oglo51](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@oglo51](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/oglo51)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 9:45am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/8 "2026-02-07T09:45:26Z")
gtx1080ti, error with message cant recogn vulkan device, reinstaled drivers, try diff settings in nvcp, nothing works, its exclusiv 5.7 problem, all other apps and version work! ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 12:55pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/9 "2026-02-10T12:55:22Z")
Hi there, thanks for bringing attention to this. This template was originally made in 5.3, on a laptop with a GTX 1660 TI. So unfortunately, I can’t test it on hardware older than that. Although since you mentioned it is only a problem on 5.7. I’ll take a look and reply shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/10 "2026-02-10T16:33:33Z")
@oglo51 Done, I’ve figured out the problem with 5.7, I’m currently working on a new update for the project. I’ll let you know once it’s done ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 6:16am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/11 "2026-02-11T06:16:18Z")
@oglo51 I’ve published a new version specifically for 5.7 you can download it from fab. Glad to be helpful Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![HellOffical](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/helloffical/32/980933_2.png) [@HellOffical](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/HellOffical)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/12 "2026-06-09T20:38:56Z")
Hi! Why, when I set the project to 5.5, does it still get set to 5.3? ---
**Author:** ![jassonmiller](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@jassonmiller](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/jassonmiller)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 9:41am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/13 "2026-06-22T09:41:16Z")
Good lightweight setup overall. Disabling Lumen/Nanite and using baked lighting is a smart tradeoff for low-end targets. Just keep in mind Vulkan vs DX12 performance can vary by hardware, so profile on real target machines. Otherwise this is a solid UE5 “performance-first” baseline for indie and stylized projects. ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/14 "2026-07-15T15:01:09Z")
Ohh what? It still does that? My bad, i must have f\*cked up the links. I’ll fix it ASAP ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/15 "2026-07-15T15:03:04Z")
Thanks a lot, im happy people actually use it 😅 I’ll add your rendering engine tip to the github repo and also the fab description as well if you don’t mind. Thanks again ---
**Author:** ![Rpahel\_C](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Rpahel\_C](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Rpahel_C)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/16 "2026-09-08T13:36:36Z")
Hello, Firstly I want to thank you for this template. Disabling Nanite and Lumen is the first thing I do whenever I start a new project, and it’s a hassle. This saves quite a bit of time. Any plans to officially support 5.8 ? The product on fab says only 5.3 to 5.7 are supported. ---
**Author:** ![Rpahel\_C](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Rpahel\_C](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Rpahel_C)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 9:08am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/17 "2026-09-20T09:08:06Z")
Nevermind, the PC version shows 5.6-5.8, only the android Version shows 5.3-5.7. I got mixed up. Would be cool to have the Android one updated too though! ---
**Author:** ![UnrealGameDev](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/unrealgamedev/32/1150988_2.png) [@UnrealGameDev](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/UnrealGameDev)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/perfectly-optimized-free-template-made-for-older-hardware/2684738/18 "2026-09-24T15:12:45Z")
Ofcourse, I’ll get to work on that right away Edit: It got approved yesterday, the mobile version supports 5.8 now