Test Drive Unlimited 2 Beta: PC Performance Benchmarks for Graphics Cards and Processors
Genre: Racing/Simulator/MMORPG
Released: 2010
Developer: Eden Games
Publisher: ATARI
System requirements for maximum rendering quality in Test Drive Unlimited 2 Beta recommended by the gameGPU website :
Minimum
Operating system : Vista®, Windows 7 Processor : Core 2 Duo 3.0 GHz or AMD Phenom II X2 550 RAM : 2 GB Video card: DirectX®9 compatible video adapter with 512 MB RAM Radeon HD 57500 or GeForce GTs 250 DirectX: DirectX® 9 Winchester: 8 GB of free space
Effective
Operating system: Vista®, Windows 7 Processor: Core 2 Quad 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 920 RAM: 2 GB Video card: DirectX®9 compatible video card with 1024 MB RAM Radeon HD 4870 or GeForce GTX 260 DirectX: DirectX® 9 Winchester: 8 GB of free space
Optimal
Operating system : Vista®, Windows 7 Processor : Core i 7 920 or A AMD Phenom II X4 965 RAM : 2 GB Video card: DirectX®9 compatible video adapter with 1024 MB RAM Radeon HD 6850 or GTX 280 DirectX: DirectX®9 Winchester: 8 GB free space
Official description of the game
The main action of Test Drive Unlimited 2 takes place on the island of Ibiza. You have a unique opportunity to feel like a driver living in a quiet Spanish corner called Ibiza. But do not think that the actions of the game will be limited to Ibiza alone. Upon reaching a certain level in the game, you can be transported back to Oahu, the island from the first part of the game. This Hawaiian corner will also delight you with its unexplored and enchanting beauties.
The game belongs to the MOOR (Massively Open Online Racing) genre - massive open online racing. Everything that you could do in the single player mode of the game has also become available online. Freedom of action in the game - that's the main trump card of Test Drive Unlimited 2!
Overview: Playability
Test Drive Unlimited 2 - continuation of the simulator of the same name. But in fact, the sequel only adopted the name of its predecessor. The developers have made many changes and innovations, creating this brainchild. Now your character does not just have a big bank account and a lot of cars in the garage. You have to immerse yourself in the image of a major, become the favorite of the "golden youth". In the second part you will be able to meet new brands and models of cars. The release of the game was supposed to take place this year, but the online mode required debugging, as a result of which the release date moved to the next year... Thanks to the released beta version of the game, we can get acquainted with the game in absentia and identify its hardware requirements. The game will be released in 2011 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
There are four ways to earn a new level in TDU 2: - win races; - Explore the area environment; - social part (friends, gatherings, etc.); - buying/selling things, real estate, etc.; In other matters, as in the first part. The full version of TDU2 will include: - 208 vehicles; - 100 houses; - 195 items of clothing; - 154 items of furniture; - yachts; - 8 licenses in a driving school; - rating among clubs (3 stars); - rain washes away dust and dirt from the car - the weather will change from sunny to rainy, up to a storm - transfer between the islands through a local airline.
This time, the game takes place on the wonderful Spanish Riviera - Ibiza. As in the first part, you arrive on the island, rent a car, buy a house, and then, as your heart goes. You can invite your friends to your home, yacht or just go shopping. Damage also received an important role in the sequel. Having damaged your car, you can repair it yourself, and you can take it to the service station.
Now, having got into trouble somewhere, you will not be able to drive your supercar with the same power and enchantment as before the accident - damage will affect handling. But this is not the only factor that will make you take the wheel harder. A system of weather conditions and a daily turnover were introduced into the game. The behavior of the car can be unpredictable on wet pavement, much worse off-road. In addition to “asphalt consumption” cars, you can meet the so-called “SUVs” and real SUVs. There will be three main types of coverage in the game: asphalt (urban roads and autobahns), off-road (shoulders and country roads) and off-road (field of plowed land). As for your life and prosperity, you will be able to decorate your own hearths, namely, to buy furniture that suits your taste,
But all this wealth will be completely with us in the full version of the game. And at the moment we were able to evaluate the game graphics, online competitions, shops, a small number of presented sports cars and the huge game world of the island of Ibiza. The work done by the developers is really impressive and at this stage the game looks really great. Let's not rush things and wait for the full version of the game, which will be released next year.
Review: Game Graphics
Test Drive Unlimited 2 Beta pleased with its visual component. Test Drive Unlimited 2 has been redesigned graphically. According to the developers, they had to re-write the engine. One of the main reasons is changing weather conditions and daily turnover. The dynamics and physics of cars have also been redesigned. Indeed, the developers have tried, and the game looks head and shoulders above its predecessor. The daily mode is really impressive, and we can see all the beauty of the game world, both day and night. And coupled with changing weather conditions, this gives the game even more realism and significantly distinguishes it from other competitors.
The car models in the Test Drive series were always on top, so Unlimited 2 was no exception. All cars in the game are licensed, so they are exact copies of their "live" prototypes. According to the fleet that was available in the beta version of the game, there were very pleasant impressions and we will hope that the developers will not let you down with the rest of the car models. The surroundings are huge, beautiful and simply magnificent - in a word, it is a must see. The only negative, as in Arcania, is the quality of the water surface, although here, perhaps, the water looks much better. As before, as in the first part, we can drive any way and anywhere - off-road in Test Drive Unlimited is not an obstacle.... 
The physics engine used is Havok Physics (better known simply as Havok), a physics engine developed by the Irish company Havok. The engine creates a simulation of physical interaction in real time, which makes the game world more alive and realistic. Of course, you will not be able to smash the cars into "trash", but the more or less appropriate physical behavior of the cars, slight dents on them, scratches and selective destructibility of the game environment are quite acceptable. 
The graphics menu is more expanded than its predecessor, so Eden Games is preparing for PC owners not just a console port... Along with improved graphics, the system requirements for the game have also increased. And if at the time of the release of Test Drive Unlimited there was a sufficiently powerful single-core processor and a video card of the GeForce 7900GS level, now the appetite for the game has increased significantly...
Review: Game resource intensive
For Test Drive Unlimited 2 Beta, you will need a Core 2 Quad 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 920 processor and 2 gigabytes of RAM. The game is well tuned for multi-threading and two game cores may not be enough at some points, so anyone who wants to avoid FPS drops needs to have a quad-core on board.
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Hardware configuration |
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Processors |
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550@ 4.25GHz 12MB L2 Cache Intel® Core™ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 8MB L3 Cache Intel® Core™ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 8MB L3 Cache |
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motherboards |
MSI P45 Platinum 7512 socket LGA775 MSI X58 Pro socket LGA1366 product provided by MSI MSI P55-GD55 socket LGA1156 product provided by MSI |
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Memory |
GOODRAM PLAY 1600MHz (8-8-8-24) product provided by GOODRAM GOODRAM Pro 2000MHz (8-8-8-29) product provided by GOODRAM |
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Video cards |
GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB |
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Hard disks |
3x2 RAID0 Western Digital Caivar WD2500GL 250 GB, 7200 rpm, SATA 3 Gb/s |
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Power supplies |
FSP GROUP EVEREST 800W 2xSeaSonic S12D 850 Silver 850 W product provided by SeaSonic |
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System software and drivers |
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operating system |
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Edition x64 |
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DirectX |
DirectX 11 |
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Platform driver |
Intel INF Chipset Update Utility 9.1.0.1012 |
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Graphics driver |
Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 260.99 ATI Catalyst 10.10 |
All video cards were tested at maximum graphics quality by the Fraps program in the most resource-intensive part of the game. Lower performance graphics cards are tested based on the Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor, while higher performing graphics cards are based on the Core™ i7 processors. 
Our video cards are tested in general in two resolutions - 1280x1024 and 1920x1080, where you can evaluate how your video card behaves relative to other modern solutions in almost all gaming resolutions. Video cards were tested in two graphics modes - at medium and maximum settings. We will conduct a more exhaustive performance test when the full version of the game is released...
Testing at medium quality settings 1280x1024
So, with medium quality settings, at a resolution of 1280x1024, players will need video cards of the Radeon HD 4830 or GeForce 8800 GT level.
Testing at medium quality settings 1920x1080
When the resolution is increased to 1920x1080, the load on the video system increases slightly, and for a comfortable game, video cards of the Radeon HD 5750 or GeForce GTS 250 level will be required. But to ensure a stable frame rate of at least 25 FPS, a minimum of a Radeon HD 4870 or GeForce GTX will be required 260 and above.
Testing at maximum quality settings 1280x1024
With an increase in the level of picture quality, the load on video accelerators proportionally increases. As a result, at a resolution of 1280x1024 with the maximum quality of graphics settings, the game will require a minimum of Radeon HD 4870 or GeForce GTX 260 video cards. But again, for a comfortable game, a configuration no weaker than the Radeon HD 5830 or GeForce GTX 280 and higher is required, which practically meets the stated requirements.
Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080
And finally, at HD resolution of 1920x1080, video cards of the Radeon HD 6850 or GeForce GTX 280 level will already be needed. But again, only the Radeon HD 5870 or GeForce GTX 465 and higher can provide "No Drop" FPS. Nvidia video cards are more preferable, especially when switching to maximum graphics settings...
Conclusion : The beta version of the game made us quite positive emotions. It is immediately clear that the game will be one of the best in its series. But it is worth noting the very high system requirements, for which it will be necessary to make a large-scale upgrade...