Stalker 2 Test: GPU/CPU Benchmarks

DER

You need 3 min read

·

Post on Nov 21, 2024

34 visitor like this post

Share

Stalker 2 Test: GPU/CPU Benchmarks - My Rig Nearly Melted!

Okay, folks, let's talk Stalker 2. I've been itching to dive into this game since, like, forever. The hype was real, you know? But before I even thought about exploring the Zone, I had to do some serious benchmarking. My poor PC almost sacrificed itself for science. Let me tell you, it was a wild ride.

My Setup & The Initial Panic

First things first: my setup. I'm running a Ryzen 9 5900X, an RTX 3080 Ti, and 32GB of RAM. Sounds pretty beastly, right? Yeah, I thought so too. Until I fired up Stalker 2. The initial benchmark settings? Whoa, Nelly. I almost had a heart attack seeing the recommended settings. They were insane! I'm talking maxed-out everything. My first run at 4K? Forget about it. It was like watching a slideshow. Seriously, my frame rates were so low, it was embarrassing. My poor 3080 Ti was sweating bullets (figuratively, of course... I hope!).

The Great Tweaking Adventure Begins

So, what's a gamer to do? I'm not about to play a game that looks like it's from the early 2000s, so I rolled up my sleeves and started tweaking. It was a painful process. I started by lowering the resolution to 1440p. That helped a bit. Next, I messed with the shadows, and then the textures. Little by little, I started to find a balance between beautiful graphics and playable frame rates.

Benchmark Results: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

After a LOT of trial and error – I’m talking hours here, people – I finally got something approaching playable. At 1440p with a mix of high and medium settings, I managed a pretty consistent 60fps in most areas. However, in more demanding scenes, that number would dip down to around 40-45fps. Ouch. My CPU utilization was consistently high, hovering around 80-90%. My GPU utilization, on the other hand, wasn't quite as high as I expected, often sitting around 70-80%. This suggests that my CPU might be the bottleneck, especially in heavily populated areas.

CPU vs. GPU: The Bottleneck Battle

This is where things get interesting, right? From my experience, and also from what I've read online from other reviewers – you should really consider upgrading to a high-end CPU if you're aiming for a smooth 4K experience. A 5800X3D or even a 7000 series AMD CPU might give much better performance. The game's engine seems to be pretty CPU intensive, especially when dealing with all those crazy AI interactions and physics. It's not just about raw clock speed, either; that CPU core count really matters here.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080 Ti handled itself pretty well but could probably benefit from an upgrade for optimal performance at 4K. However, at 1440p, the card performed decently. It shows that the game can run well on high-end hardware, but if you want to push it to the limit you're gonna need some serious horsepower. Don't expect miracles with a budget build.

Final Thoughts & Tips for Smooth Gameplay

Stalker 2 is a gorgeous game, but it's a demanding one. Don't expect to crank up every setting to maximum and still get silky-smooth performance. My advice? Start with a benchmark, tweak settings carefully, and find a balance that works best for your rig.

• Prioritize Settings: Focus on things like shadows and textures first. They make a big visual difference.
• DLSS & FSR: If you’re struggling with frame rate, use DLSS or FSR. These upscaling technologies are seriously effective and will help make the game look gorgeous and smooth.
• Check your drivers: Make sure your graphics card drivers are up-to-date. This is a basic step, but it can make a huge difference in performance.

Remember, these are my experiences. Your results might vary, depending on your hardware and settings. But hopefully, my little adventure in the Zone gave you some helpful insights. Let me know your experience in the comments! I'm always eager to hear from fellow gamers.