Last week, early patch notes for Marvel Rivals' Season 2 update revealed an upcoming experimental feature called Switch Shader Compilation Mode, which aimed at addressing high memory usage on systems with 16GB of RAM or less. Now that the update is live, we’re starting to see this feature in action, and based on first impressions, it seems to focus more on delivering “stable performance” rather than boosting overall performance.

1080p low preset is where it works best

According to BH1SM on YouTube, the new memory saver feature shows the most noticeable difference when playing at native 1080p resolution with no upscaling enabled and graphics settings set to low. In this scenario, enabling Switch Shader Compilation Mode resulted in a clear 2GB drop in memory usage, using around 14GB of RAM compared to the full 16GB when the feature was turned off. Here’s the system that the YouTuber was using:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F
• GPU: Zotac Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
• Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming B660M-PLUS

However, this memory saving did not lead to a major framerate improvement, and interestingly, these were the only settings that showed promising results. We also gave the game a quick test, albeit with a 32GB RAM system, and also saw no noticeable change in our framerate.

With FSR enabled, RAM usage was about 1GB higher with memory saving mode turned on, and the same was the case when FSR was set to Ultra Quality. For FSR Balanced, RAM usage remained relatively identical regardless of whether the feature was enabled or not.

With the results in front of us, it’s safe to say that the new memory-saving feature is more focused on providing stable gameplay rather than boosting frame rates. However, considering that only native resolution with low settings showed a memory usage drop, and using FSR doesn’t seem to be the way to go, this feature may feel a bit underwhelming for some users.

How to enable Switch Shader Compilation in Marvel Rivals

That said, if you want to give it a shot, enabling the feature is pretty straightforward. You’ll find the option in the game’s launcher under “[Experimental Feature] Switch Shader Compilation Mode.” This is directly between the version number and the launch button. Simply ensure the option is checked before you launch.

Keep in mind that the feature takes about 5-10 minutes to load the necessary files, but after that, you only need to do it once every 1-2 weeks, depending on when the next Marvel Rivals or GPU update happens. If you want to do some more Marvel Rivals optimization, we recommend checking out our crashing or stuttering guide, high CPU usage fixes, and this FPS boost mod.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.