Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition: PC Performance Benchmarks for Graphics Cards and Processors
| BASIC GAME INFORMATION |
In anticipation of the release of Horizon Forbidden West on PC, we tested Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition at the highest graphics settings, on modern video cards from the GEFORCE RTX and RADEON RX series, in order to see how the first part of the series feels on modern components.
| NEW PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR TESTS BY ARTLINE |
Our test now includes the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming OC , provided by ARTLINE . The ARTLINE company is known for its wide range of computer equipment, including more than 5,000 computer models - from basic workstations to high-performance custom PCs .
A sus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming OC is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, runs at 2750 MHz, has 16384 stream processors and 24 gigabytes of video memory.
| NEW PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR TESTS BY AMD |
Our test now includes AMD Ryzen 5 8600G and AMD Ryzen 7 8700G . Their integrated graphics solutions go beyond what was previously thought possible with integrated graphics, offering quality and performance sufficient for today's games and multimedia applications.
Our review is available here
| NEW PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR TESTS BY ASUS |
In our review, we present to you the ASUS ROG Strix B650-A Gaming WiFi motherboard . ROG Strix B650-A Gaming WiFi includes 4 DDR5 DIMM modules with a maximum capacity of up to 64 gigabytes and a frequency of up to 6400 MHz. For the file subsystem, the motherboard supports 3 M.2 PCIe 5.0/4.0 x4 slots and 4 SATA 6 Gb/s ports. You can directly view the testing of this motherboard on our website.
In our review, we present you ASUS Z790-A GAMING DDR4 motherboards . We use this motherboard as a test bench for testing new generations of Intel processors .
This time our test involves the top video card from ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti OC . The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is based on the AD104 GPU and features 7680 CUDA cores and 12GB of GDDR6X memory. Test this video card on our website.
This time our test involves the company's top-end video card ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XT OC Edition 20 GB . . This video card is based on the RDNA 3 architecture, operates at a frequency of 2500 MHz and has 20 gigabytes of video memory.
This time our test involves the new ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 OC video card . This video card is based on the RDNA 3 architecture, operates at a frequency of 3000 MHz and has 24 gigabytes of video memory.
Our test this time involves ASUS ROG Ally Extreme. ASUS ROG Ally is equipped with a powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 series processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, making it capable of handling the latest games without slowdown. The RDNA 3 graphics engine delivers excellent graphics and supports AMD upscaling technologies such as FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), allowing gamers to enjoy high-quality images and smooth gameplay.
| NEW PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR TESTS BY DEEPCOOL |
This time we're testing the case from DeepCool CH510 WH - it's an elegant and minimalistic mid-tower case with excellent component compatibility and wide cooling power support for a truly versatile build.
Also participating in our test this time is the premium-class DeepCool LS720 WH for processors. DeepCool LS720 WH provides maximum cooling efficiency and low noise levels, as well as a sophisticated design.
| NEW PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR TESTS BY GIGABYTE |
In our review, we present to you the GIGABYTE Z790 GAMING X AX motherboards . We use this motherboard as a test bench for testing new generations of Intel processors .
This time our test involves the company's top-end video card Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING OC . Its testing on our website.
This time our test involves the company's top-end video card, AORUS Radeon RX 7900 XTX ELITE 24G. This video card is based on the RDNA 3 architecture, operates at a frequency of 3000 MHz and has 24 gigabytes of video memory. Its testing on our website.
In our review, we present to you the Gigabyte X670E AORUS PRO X motherboard . We use this motherboard as a test bench for testing new generations of AMD processors .
Its testing on our website.
| NEW PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR TESTS BY KINGSTON |
In our review, we used RAM: 32 GB DDR4 3600 CL16 Kingston FURY Renegade , 32 GB DDR4 4000 CL18 Kingston FURY Renegade , 32 GB DDR5 6000 Kingston FURY Renegade, 16 GB DDR4 4600 CL19 Kingston FURY Renegade and 32 GB DDR5 720 0 Kingston FURY Renegade . And for gaming tests we use an external Kingston XS2000 Portable SSD 1 TB .
In our review, we used Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 48GB 7200MHz RAM . Her review is available at this link .
In our review, for the full variety of our test benches, we use Kingston KC600 256GB 2.5" SATAIII 3D NAND TLC SSD drives , which are an ideal choice for use when there are a large number of components.
| THE GRAFICAL PART |
This subsection of our review highlights the main graphical aspects of this game. Particular attention is paid to the version of the graphics engine used, the version of the API used, graphic settings and the quality of development of the main visual aspects.
| SUPPORTED OS AND GRAPHICS API |
Horizon Zero Dawn is supported on Windows 10/11.
The preferred and primary graphics API for Horizon Zero Dawn is DX12 .
| GAME ENGINE |
The creation of Horizon Zero Dawn began in 2011, when the team at Guerrilla Games decided to develop a new project, different from their flagship Killzone series. The developers began to generate ideas and concepts that were fresh and innovative.
Over the next two years, the team worked on various proposals, evaluating them for potential. Ultimately, they settled on the idea of a post-apocalyptic world in which human survivors live in harmony with nature, and the earth is inhabited by mechanical creatures created by ancient technocrats.
In 2013, work began on the plot and mechanics of the game. Over the course of two years, the writers developed the story, characters and world of the game, focusing on the deep and emotional story of the main character, Aloy. The developers also defined core gameplay mechanics, including hunting mechanical creatures, collecting resources, and exploring the open world.
To create a beautiful and detailed open world, Guerrilla Games needed a powerful game engine. The developers decided to use their own Decima engine, which was first introduced in 2013. Decima provided the capabilities to implement advanced rendering, lighting, physics, and animation technologies that became the basis for creating the world of Horizon Zero Dawn.
From 2014 to 2016, the Guerrilla Games team worked on the game's development, creating models, textures, animations, audio, and level design. The game was first announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2015, where a trailer and gameplay demo were shown. This announcement caused great interest and excitement among the gaming community, and many critics noted the unique setting and impressive graphics.
Throughout 2016, the Guerrilla Games team continued to work on polishing the game, eliminating bugs, optimizing performance, and conducting testing. Horizon Zero Dawn was originally scheduled for release in 2016, but in order to further improve the game, the studio decided to delay the release.
Horizon Zero Dawn was released exclusively for PlayStation 4 on February 28, 2017 in North America and March 1, 2017 in Europe. The game was an immediate commercial success, receiving high critical acclaim and selling millions of copies.
Following the success of Horizon Zero Dawn on PlayStation 4, Guerrilla Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment decided to release the game on the PC platform, which was announced in March 2020. This was a significant moment since Sony rarely released its exclusives on other platforms.
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition, containing the base game and The Frozen Wilds expansion pack, was released on PC on August 7, 2020. The PC port gave players the opportunity to enjoy improved graphics, support for higher resolutions and higher frame rates.
With the release of the PlayStation 5 console in November 2020, Horizon Zero Dawn became available on the new platform thanks to backwards compatibility. The game has received performance and visual quality improvements on the new console, and has been optimized to take advantage of the DualSense controller.
The Decima game engine, developed by the Dutch studio Guerrilla Games, is a powerful tool for creating computer games with advanced graphics and physics capabilities, as well as providing flexibility and scalability in the development process.
Decima uses physics-based rendering and global illumination techniques to create realistic and impressive graphical scenes. This allows developers to create detailed and large-scale open worlds with systems of terrain, vegetation and water, making game worlds even more realistic and alive.
In the areas of physics and animation, Decima supports complex physics and animation, making interactions with the environment and characters more realistic and alive. This helps increase immersion in gameplay and improves the overall gaming experience.
Decima also allows developers to create complex artificial intelligence and behavior systems for characters and creatures, making the game world more diverse and interactive. Decima-based games can offer players challenging and interesting challenges to interact with characters and creatures.
Optimization is another key aspect of Decima that ensures games run stable and smoothly across multiple platforms. This allows developers to focus on creating quality content and improving the gaming experience without worrying about the game being slow or buggy.
In addition to the Horizon series games, the Decima engine also produced games such as Killzone Shadow Fall and Death Stranding, which demonstrated its capabilities in different genres. Decima continues to evolve, becoming an increasingly powerful and flexible tool for creating computer games, and will be used in future projects from various studios.
Horizon Forbidden West, developed by Guerrilla Games, is the sequel to the successful Horizon Zero Dawn. In this project, the development team has made a number of improvements and optimizations to the Decima engine to offer an even more immersive and high-quality gaming experience.
Decima has been redesigned to create even more realistic and detailed graphics, which includes new rendering techniques, improved lighting effects and additional graphics customization options. This allows players to enjoy a better visual experience across a variety of platforms, including the new generation of consoles such as PlayStation 5.
In addition, the developers have improved the animation and physics systems, making interaction with the outside world even more realistic and alive. This applies to both the movement and combat actions of the main character, and the behavior of various creatures and characters inhabiting the game world.
Horizon Forbidden West also features advanced artificial intelligence and behavior systems, making the game world more diverse and interactive. Players will face new and unique opponents who will use a variety of strategies and tactics to achieve their goals.
To ensure the game runs stable and smoothly on various platforms, the development team also paid special attention to performance optimization. This allowed them to focus on creating quality content and improving the gaming experience without worrying about the game being slow or buggy.
Overall, improvements and optimizations to the Decima engine for Horizon Forbidden West have allowed the developers to create a more immersive and high-quality gaming experience that offers players new ways to explore and interact with the game's unique world.
Well, we are waiting for the release of the new game Horizon Forbidden West on PC, which will offer an incredible level of graphics!
| DIFFERENT QUALITY MODES |
In Horizon Zero Dawn, at maximum settings, players see sharper and more detailed textures, complex lighting and shadow effects, and longer draw distances. At minimum settings, graphics are simplified to improve performance: textures become blurrier, shadows are less expressive, and environmental details are simplified. This provides higher frame rates on less powerful systems, but degrades the overall visual experience.
| TEST PART |
| Test configuration | |
| Test benches |
ROG Strix X570-E Gaming Z490 AORUS PRO AX GIGABYTE Z590 VISION GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G GIGABYTE Z790 GAMING X AX MSI MPG Z790 Edge WiFi ASUS ROG Strix B650-A Gaming WiFi ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex Encore |
| Sponsored video cards |
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti OC ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XT 20G Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING OC |
| Multimedia equipment |
Monitor Philips 326M6VJRMB/00 Seasonic PRIME TX-1000 power supply 16 GB DDR4 4600 CL19 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR4 3600 CL16 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR4 4000 CL18 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR5 5600 CL40 KingstonFURY Beast 32 GB DDR5 6000@6400 CL30 KingstonFURY Renegade 32 GB DDR5 7200@7600 CL36 KingstonFURY Renegade Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD MPG CORELIQUID K240 housing Case DeepCool CH510 WH SVO DeepCool LS720 WH |
| Software configuration |
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| operating system | Windows 10 21H2/ Windows 11(Alder Lake) |
| Graphics driver |
Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 551.61 WHQL AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 24.2.1 |
| Monitoring programs |
MSI Afterburner |
Our video cards were tested at resolutions of 1920x1080 , 2560x1440, 3840x2160 and 7680x4320 with maximum graphics quality settings.
| GPU TEST |
In the video card test, the default resolution is 1920x1080; other resolutions are added and removed manually. You can also remove and add any positions of video cards. You can also select any of our test processors from the list in the drop-down menu, comparing its performance with the given video card tests (by default, the most productive solution is selected). The test is carried out on the most powerful CPU in this game and is scaled to other processors, taking into account their testing on NVIDIA and AMD video cards.
At a resolution of 1920x1080, an average FPS of 25 frames was shown by video cards of the Radeon RX 6600 or GeForce RTX 2060 level . A minimum FPS of at least 25 frames can be provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6600 or GeForce RTX 2060 level . A comfortable average FPS of 60 frames can be provided by Radeon RX 6600 or GeForce RTX 2060 solutions .
At a resolution of 2560x1440, an average FPS of 25 frames was shown by video cards of the Radeon RX 6600 or GeForce RTX 2060 level . A minimum FPS of at least 25 frames can be provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6600 or GeForce RTX 2060 level . A comfortable average FPS of 60 frames can be provided by Radeon RX 6700 or GeForce RTX 3060 solutions .
At a resolution of 3840x2160, an average FPS of 25 frames was shown by video cards of the Radeon RX 6600 or GeForce RTX 2060 level . A minimum FPS of at least 25 frames can be provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6600 XT or GeForce RTX 2060 level . A comfortable average FPS of 60 frames can be provided by Radeon RX 6900 TX or GeForce RTX 3080 solutions .
At a resolution of 7680x4320, an average FPS of 25 frames was shown by video cards of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX or GeForce RTX 4080 level . A minimum FPS of at least 25 frames can be provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX or GeForce RTX 4080 level .
| VIDEO MEMORY CONSUMPTION |
Testing of video memory consumed by the game was carried out by MSI Afterburner. The indicator was based on results on video cards from AMD and NVIDIA at resolutions of 1920x1080, 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 with various anti-aliasing settings. By default, the graph displays the most current solutions. Other video cards are added and removed from the chart at the request of the reader.
GameGPU
At a resolution of 1920x1080 , video memory consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 7 gigabytes , with 12 gigabytes 7 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 8 gigabytes , with 24 gigabytes 10 gigabytes .
At a resolution of 2560x1440 , video memory consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 7 gigabytes, with 12 gigabytes 8 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 8 gigabytes , with 24 gigabytes 10 gigabytes .
At a resolution of 3840x2160 , video memory consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 7 gigabytes, with 12 gigabytes 9 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 9 gigabytes , with 24 gigabytes 11 gigabytes .
At a resolution of 7680x4320 , video memory consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 8 gigabytes, with 12 gigabytes 12 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 13 gigabytes , with 24 gigabytes 16 gigabytes .
| CPU TEST |
Testing was carried out at a resolution of 1920x1080. In the processor test, you can remove or add any processor positions. You can also select any tested video card from the list in the drop-down menu, comparing its performance with the given processor test results (by default, the most productive solution from NVIDIA is selected). Testing takes place on the most powerful NVIDIA and AMD video cards and scales to low-end models.
When using NVIDIA video cards, Ryzen 3 3100 or Core i 3 10100 processors showed an acceptable rate of at least 25 frames per second , and solutions at the Ryzen 3 3100 or Core i 3 10100 level can provide an FPS rate of at least 60 frames per second .
When using AM D video cards, Ryzen 3 3100 or Core i 3 10100 processors showed an acceptable rate of at least 25 frames per second , and solutions at the Ryzen 3 3100 or Core i 3 10100 level can provide an FPS rate of at least 60 frames per second .
GameGPU
The game can load up to 24 streams. Uses up to 16 threads as efficiently as possible.
| RAM TEST |
The test was carried out on the basic configuration of Core i 9 13900K with 32 GB DDR5 6400 MHz pre-installed memory. All used RAM was taken as an indicator. The RAM test for the entire system was carried out on various video cards without launching third-party applications (browsers, etc.). In the graphics, you can add and remove any resolutions and video cards as desired.
GameGPU
At a resolution of 1920x1080, RAM consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 11 gigabytes , with 12 gigabytes 10 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 11 gigabytes, with 24 gigabytes 11 gigabytes .
At a resolution of 2560x1440 , RAM consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 11 gigabytes , with 12 gigabytes 10 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 11 gigabytes, with 24 gigabytes 11 gigabytes .
At a resolution of 3840x2160 , RAM consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 11 gigabytes , with 12 gigabytes 10 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 11 gigabytes, with 24 gigabytes 11 gigabytes .
At a resolution of 7680x4320 , RAM consumption for video cards with 8 gigabytes is 17 gigabytes , with 12 gigabytes 14 gigabytes , with 16 gigabytes 12 gigabytes, with 24 gigabytes 11 gigabytes .
| SPONSORS TESTS |
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