144hz monitor and 970 GPU... Need to adjust settings?

[frldyz]

I just got my Acer 144hz gaming monitor.
I have it connected to my MSI 970 GPU.

I just connected everything up lastnight and looks pretty good.
It came with 2 cables? DVI and D sub? Which connection should I use to get the best performance? It also has an HDMI and display.
Also. Does anything need to be set or adjusted right out of the box? I know I can adjust the color etc.. But does 144hz need to be set? Or is it 144hz right out of the box?

With my MSI 970 is there a option to adjust settings to maximize its performance? Or is it pretty much right out of the box all set and ready to go?
I just want to make sure I maximize my monitor and GPU to get the best performance and picture out of it.

Thank you

Win 7 64bit
Samsung 850 500gb pro SSD
Corsair HX750 PSU
MSI GTX 970 GPU
Acer 144hz monitor

This post might sound silly, but I am still new to all of this. If I di need t adjust setting on either component where do I go and what do I want to check.

Acer GN246HL Black 24" 1ms 144hz HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD 3D Monitor 350 cd/m2 100,000,000:1 - Newegg.com

[camerongray]

Use DVI without a doubt - No point in using VGA, you'll get worse image quality.

The card should work best out of the box, any performance tweeks would be done in any games that you are running to get the best performance/detail level balance.

[frldyz]

cameraonguy:  Thanks.  Done anything need to be done to the monitor out of the box?