Stalker 2 Benchmark: GPU & CPU

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Post on Nov 21, 2024

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Stalker 2 Benchmark: GPU & CPU - My Rig Almost Melted!

Hey everyone, so I finally got my hands on Stalker 2. Man, this game is GORGEOUS, but let me tell you, my poor PC almost threw in the towel. I'm gonna share my experience with you guys, because let's be real, benchmarks can be dry. I wanna give you the juicy details – the good, the bad, and the "my-GPU-is-gonna-explode" moments.

I'm a pretty decent gamer, but I'm no tech wizard. My setup is pretty solid, but it's not some crazy overclocked beast. I figured I'd share my experience with a setup that's probably pretty similar to a lot of you guys. It's a pretty standard mid-range build, nothing too fancy. I wanted to test the game on a system most people could relate to.

My System Specs (Because You Gotta Know!):

• CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X – A solid processor, but nothing groundbreaking.
• GPU: RTX 3060 Ti – This is where things got interesting.
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 – It's enough, but I'm thinking about upgrading.
• Storage: NVMe SSD – Speed is key, especially with a game this size.

The Benchmarking Bonanza (and Mini-Meltdown)

First off, let me say that the game looks absolutely stunning. Seriously, the level of detail is insane. But man, my FPS (frames per second) took a serious dive in some areas. I was running the game at 1080p, mostly on medium settings. Yeah, I know, I'm a wimp, but I wanted to see how it performs at a resolution many people play at. The CPU usage was pretty high, hovering around 80-90% in most areas, but it was my GPU that really screamed. It was pegged at 99% in many areas, and some areas just choked my system down to a stuttering mess.

Here's what I learned:

• Ray Tracing is a BEAST: I tried turning on ray tracing, and let's just say my frame rate took a nosedive faster than my hopes for a smooth gaming experience. The visuals are incredible, but the performance hit is significant. If you’re aiming for high frame rates, you might want to consider turning it off or dialing it down. This is especially true at higher resolutions.

• DLSS is your friend: If you have a compatible card (like mine, the RTX 3060 Ti), definitely use DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). It made a HUGE difference. I was able to bump up my settings without a massive frame rate drop – it’s a lifesaver, trust me!

• Shadows and Textures Matter: These two settings seemed to impact the performance the most. Tweaking these was the best way to balance visuals and performance.

• CPU Bottleneck? Maybe: In certain areas, it seemed like my CPU was struggling a bit. While not a major bottleneck, upgrading to a Ryzen 7 5800X or similar might yield better performance, especially in crowded areas with lots of environmental details, NPC's, and action.

The Verdict: Beautiful, but Demanding

Stalker 2 is graphically intense. My experience shows that even a mid-range system like mine will struggle with max settings. You need a pretty beefy GPU to max this game out without sacrificing frame rates, and you have to understand the settings to get the best performance at resolutions like 1440p or 4K. You might want to consider making compromises, using DLSS, and/or upgrading your components if you're aiming for a consistent 60 FPS or higher.

Overall, I still absolutely loved playing this game, despite my near-meltdown. This isn't a game that holds your hand in terms of optimization. You've gotta be willing to tweak the settings and understand what impacts performance the most to truly enjoy it. Hopefully, this helps you guys avoid my initial frustration, and maybe even save your GPU from overheating! Let me know your experiences in the comments!