Benchmarks

Nixxes just added FSR 3.1 to all recent Sony titles on PC. This update improves quality and temporal stability while boosting frame rates by up to 10%. It also allows you to pair AMD’s open-source (works on everything) frame generation with DLSS-based upscaling. In this case, the image is upscaled using DLSS’s temporally backed neural network, and the frame interpolation is carried out using the FSR 3.1 algorithm. This produces interesting results in Horizon: Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima.

Horizon Forbidden West Gets AMD FSR 3.1

DLSS 3.5 is slightly faster than FSR 3.1 on our GeForce RTX 4090 across the quality, balanced, and performance upscaling presets. At 4K “Very High,” we averaged 150 FPS with 113 FPS lows on a semi-stable Core i9-13900KF running at over 90C:

Things get interesting with frame generation (frame interpolation to be exact). FSR 3.1 frame generation is 15% faster than its DLSS 3.5 counterpart when paired with DLSS upscaling. We’re looking at a 23 FPS bump from 151 FPS to 174 FPS.

When using the balanced and performance upscaling presets, we see an uplift of 10-13% upon switching from DLSS 3.5 to FSR 3.1 frame generation. It’s worth noting that even FSR 3.1 upscaling plus frame generation is faster than DLSS 3.5 on NVIDIA GPUs, by up to 10%.

Performance Uplift

Horizon Forbidden West is 6-12% faster at the “Very High” graphics quality preset, depending on your resolution of choice. 4K benefits the most (+11.2%), while 1440p and 1080p get a 6-7% uplift in framerates.

• Ghost of Tsushima Optimized Settings PC: Every Graphics Option Benchmarked.
• Horizon Forbidden West PC Optimized Settings & Guide: Every Graphics Option Benchmarked

Ghost of Tsushima Gets AMD FSR 3.1

FSR 3.1 and DLSS 3.5 upscaling delivers almost the same frame rates in Ghost of Tsushima at 4K. The latter is a few FPS faster when using the quality preset, but I suspect we’d see similar results on an RX 7900 XTX.

FSR 3.1 frame generation delivers up to 11% higher framerates when paired with DLSS 3.5 upscaling. As seen earlier, FSR 3.1 (upscale+interpolate) is also nearly 10% faster than DLSS 3.5 using the performance preset.

The quality upscaling preset reduces the delta between DLSS and FSR 3.1 frame generation to 9% and 5.6% when using DLSS and FSR upscaling, respectively.

Performance Uplift

The latest patch improves the performance of Ghost of Tsushima by 7-8% at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K gets a subtle 2-3% uplift.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has gotten its latest title update with tons of fixes and a lower CPU overhead in NPC-rich towns and cities. The previous patches improved CPU performance and added DLSS 3 Frame Generation to the game (broken at the time). If you’re still struggling with the game’s performance, our optimization guide is here to help. It includes an analysis of every graphics setting, including performance impact, VRAM usage, and CPU bottlenecks.

The latest update improves the game’s performance by 10-15%, primarily in densely populated settlements like Vermund, where these tests were conducted. On our GeForce RTX 4090 + Core i9-13900KF test bench, we observed gains of 7-10% in rasterization and up to 15% in ray-tracing at 1440p and 4K, respectively.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 now performs nearly 20% faster than at launch, both with and without ray tracing at all resolutions. The lows, in particular, are higher, with uplifts of up to 36% and 53% at 4K and 1440p, respectively. These are critical numbers as they can make the game playable or unplayable irrespective of the averages. They’re also an indication of CPU bottlenecks. More FPS drops imply a more severe bottleneck.

At 1440p “Ultra” (RT Off), we see a similar GPU busy deviation as before (20-30%).

4K “Max” with ray-tracing enabled gets the largest performance uplift, with the lows improving by 66% (30.7 FPS to 51 FPS) versus at launch.

The GPU busy deviation has also reduced from nearly 50% at launch to just 15% after the latest patch. Interestingly, it isn’t much lower with DLSS or FSR enabled. We’re still seeing figures of 26-30% at 4K.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is now more performant with upscalers and frame generation. DLSS yields 50% higher minimum framerates than at launch, going from 36 FPS to 54 FPS at 4K “Max.”

Frame generation is now properly rendered without artifacts, granting a ~2x performance gain versus 4K native (at launch). The 1% lows are 64% higher than native, going from mildly stuttery to silky smooth.

Enabling frame generation with DLSS also reduces the CPU overhead by 7% as the GPU busy deviation drops from 24% to 17%.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has received a new title update that adds Frame Generation for NVIDIA RTX 40 series users (only). Unfortunately, gamers on RTX 30/RTX 20 and Radeon GPUs will have to wait for an FSR 3 implementation of frame generation. There’s another tiny issue with the update. The DLSS “Frame Generation” added by Capcom is buggy and adds shadowy artifacts everywhere in the game.

Enabling frame generation boosts performance by 75-80%, regardless of the resolution and whether ray tracing is enabled. Our test bed averaged 122 FPS and 131 FPS with and without ray tracing at 4K. Similarly, 1440p performance was also up 77%, jumping from 74 FPS to 132 FPS with frame generation enabled.

Frame generation halves the workload on the CPU side by interpolating a third frame between every two frames. Consequently, the GPU-Busy Deviation (difference between frame time and GPU’s busy time) is also halved, at least at 4K, from ~20% to ~10%.

The GPU Busy Deviation (ray tracing enabled) also drops by more than 50% with frame generation enabled, from 32% to 18% at 4K “Max” settings. Now, about those artifacts. Have a looksie:

Click on the images to enlarge them. You’ll see that there are chainmail artifacts everywhere between the shadows. The shadows are also buggy, with extremely blurry edges even at “Max.”

These artifacts are present at every resolution but are more prominent (and darker) at lower resolutions such as 1080p. At 1440p and 4K, the same line patterns are more transparent or lighter.

This is probably a bug with the frame generation algorithm, where the shadow samples from older frames aren’t rejected even if they don’t coincide with the current frame’s shadows. Here’s hoping it’s fixed fast.

Hellblade 2 is out on PC and Xbox Series consoles. Say what you will about the game, it looks drop-dead gorgeous, courtesy of the Unreal Engine 5. We’ve already posted our optimization guides for high and low-end PCs that help you get a stable 60 FPS. In this one, we’ll look at the performance of various NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards in Hellblade 2 and conclude which side performs better.

Note: Removing the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen impacts the performance, and the following benchmarks were conducted along with it.

Test Bench

• CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero.
• Cooler: Lian Li Galahad 360.
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
• Memory: 16GB x2 DDR5-6000 CL30.
• Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e.

To remove the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, add the following lines (without bullets) at the end of the “engine.ini” file located in C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Hellblade2\Saved\Config\WinGDK:

• [SystemSettings]
• r.NT.AllowAspectRatioHorizontalExtension=0
• r.NT.EnableConstrainAspectRatio=0

Hellblade 2 PC Benchmark: 1080p, 1440p & 4K

Hellblade 2 runs about as well on NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards. The GeForce RTX 4080 Super averages 93.6 FPS at 1080p, while the Radeon RX 7900 XTX nets 92.3 FPS. The RTX 4090 is 17% faster than the 4080 Super, averaging 110 FPS. Down the stack, the RTX 4070 produces 60 FPS, while the 4060 renders 37 FPS.

1440p isn’t much different. The RTX 4080 Super and the RX 7900 XTX are tied at ~70 FPS, as the 4090 maintains its supremacy with a lead of 16.5%. The RX 7900 XT finishes with 62 FPS, followed by the RTX 4070 with 41 FPS.

4K pulls all the cards down under 60 FPS. The RTX 4090 leads with an average of 45 FPS, and the 4080 finally manages to pull ahead of the RX 7900 XTX with 41 FPS (vs. 35 FPS). The RX 7900 XT holds the fourth spot with 31 FPS.

NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super vs AMD RX 7900 XTX Frametimes

The frametime charts of the GeForce RTX 4080 Super and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX are similar too. The former suffers from a few spikes now and then, but other than that, it’s a comparable experience.

That said, it’s worth noting that the 7900 XTX has a higher power consumption of 340-350W, while the 4080 Super mostly hovers around 300W.

Conclusion

Hellblade 2 is one of the rare games where AMD and NVIDIA GPUs deliver similar performance. Historically, Unreal Engine-based titles have performed better on GeForce hardware, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is out on PC and consoles, but there’s a lot left to say about the performance. Capcom’s open-world RPG is unusually CPU-intensive, bringing the fastest processors down on their knees. We tested the game on some of the latest NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, and it looks like much hasn’t changed with the RE Engine. It continues to favor Radeon GPUs with muddy temporal anti-aliasing and artifacting on reflective textures.

Test Bench

• CPU: Intel Core i9-13900KF.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Z790 Maximus Hero.
• Memory: 16GB x2 @6000MT/s CL30.
• Power Supply: Corsair rm1000e.
• Latest NVIDIA/AMD drivers.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Performance Benchmark – PC Optimized Settings

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Performance Benchmark: Radeon Rules

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is relatively easy on the GPU but brutal on the CPU. The CPU overhead is more apparent on NVIDIA GPUs (likely driver overhead) while competing Radeon cards get off easy. At 1080p, the GeForce RTX 4070 and 4080 Super are driver-bound, falling short of the RX 7900 XT and the 7900 XTX.

The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is 19% faster than the RTX 4080 Super on average, although the 1% lows are similar. Interestingly, the $699 RX 7900 XT also manages to outpace the 4080 Super, but the lows are nearly identical.

The Radeon RX 7900 XTX retains the top spot at 1440p, beating the RTX 4080 Super and the twice-as-expensive RTX 4090. Like before, the GeForce RTX GPUs net higher 1% lows but fall short on the averages. The Radeon RX 7900 XT (a $699 GPU) delivers comparable performance to the RTX 4090 (a $1599 card).

The RX 7900 XTX is 18% faster than the RTX 4080 Super and 7% faster than the RTX 4090. Conversely, the RTX 4090 produces 22-23% higher 1% lows, while the 4080 Super’s lowest 1% figures are 12% higher than the RX 7900 XTX.

The CPU bottlenecks subside at 4K, as the GeForce RTX 4090 claims the top spot with an average of 81 FPS. The RX 7900 XTX averages almost the same, but the lows are 24% worse than the top NVIDIA card. Regardless, it continues to beat the RTX 4080 Super by 13.6% with slightly lower 1% lows. The RX 7900 XT fails to catch up to its pricier rival, with 13% lower 1% figures.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Ray Tracing: Radeon (Still) Rules

Dragon’s Dogma 2 features ray-traced global illumination, drastically impacting image quality in poorly lit scenes. The implementation isn’t perfect, with lots of blurring, but it’s a notable upgrade over SSAO and its derivatives.

The Radeon RX 7900 XT one-ups the RTX 4080 Super at 1080p, a rare sight in ray-traced games. It delivers a slightly higher average with similar 1% lows. The RTX 4090 offers the best performance at 1440p, with the RX 7900 XTX/XT following closely. The Radeons continue to struggle with comparatively worse lows, sullying an otherwise remarkable showing. The RTX 4080 Super is slower than the 7900 XT (on average) but delivers higher lows.

Ultra HD or 4K is completely GPU-bound, or so you’d think. However, the GeForce RTX 4080 and 4090 are CPU-bound with a GPU-busy deviation of 26%. In contrast, the Radeon GPUs produce GPU-busy deviations of only 4-6%.

Regardless, the RTX 4090 comes out on top with an average of 73 FPS, followed by the RX 7900 XTX (66 FPS) and the RTX 4080 Super (61 FPS). The 1% lows fail to show an improvement on the AMD cards, trailing their GeForce rivals by 14-23%.

Conclusion

Dragon’s Dogma 2 plays and looks like an indie game with lots of visual artifacts and janky gameplay. While the average performance is decent, there’s plenty of micro-stuttering with random freezes. The GeForce cards, in particular, suffer from (some sort of) CPU or driver overhead that severely handicaps the average frame rates. The Radeons deliver higher averages but much worse lows.

Horizon Forbidden West has landed on PC in all its 4K glory, running at nearly 100 FPS (on the GeForce RTX 4090). We tested the latest PS5-PC exclusive and were pleasantly surprised by the result. Developed by Nixxes, the PC port of Forbidden West features scaled-up textures, highly detailed objects, and a trio of upscaling options (and Frame Generation) to back it up. At 122GB, the game takes up a large chunk of storage, and even on PCIe Gen 4 SSDs takes several seconds to load up.

Test Bench

• CPU: Intel Core i9-13900KF.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Z790 Maximus Hero.
• Memory: 16GB x2 @6000MT/s CL30.
• Power Supply: Corsair rm1000e.
• Latest graphics drivers.

Horizon Forbidden West PC Performance Tested

We tested Horizon Forbidden West on our usual test bench. The “Very High” quality graphics preset was used for all benchmarks without upscaling or frame generation. The tests were conducted at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K in the starting section of the game. As you’ll see, Horizon Forbidden West favors AMD GPUs, with the $699 Radeon RX 7900 XT matching the $1000+ RTX 4080 Super.

At 1080p, the Radeon RX 7900 GRE is 16% faster than the similarly priced GeForce RTX 4070, extending the lead to 19.5% at 1440p. The GeForce RTX 4080 Super marks a slim victory over the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, trailing the RTX 4090 by 10-12%. The top five GPUs average over 100 FPS, with lows consistently hitting 80-90 FPS.

At 4K, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX edges past the RTX 4080 Super (courtesy of the wider bus and cache), while the RX 7900 GRE extends its lead over the RTX 4070 to 20%. The RX 7900 XT is nearly as fast as the 4080 Super, with almost identical 1% lows. The RTX 4090, a $1,600 card, is only 14% faster than the $899 RX 7900 XTX in this title.

As per the below frametime variance graph, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is slightly smoother than the RTX 4080 Super, which, in turn, performs a smidge better than the RX 7900 XT. The RX 7900 GRE is much more stable than the RTX 4070, courtesy of the larger VRAM and cache buffers.

Despite averaging over 150 FPS at 1080p (RTX 4080 Super), Horizon Forbidden West is completely GPU-bound. The game is quite the CPU hog, with our Core i9-13900K sipping up to 238W during the test. The GPU power consumption was slightly better, peaking at 296W and 371W on the RTX 4080 Super and 4090, respectively.

All-in-all, Forbidden West is a well-optimized PC port, something we rarely get to see these days. Most players should be able to run the game at the highest quality graphics preset (aided by FSR 2/DLSS 3) with consistent frametimes and minimal stuttering.