You’ve done it, you’ve finally done it! You’ve got that new graphics card on the
way and you can barely contain yourself. But now you’re playing the waiting game
because shipping takes forever. What do you do in the meantime? How about benchmarking your current
system so you really know what kind of upgrade you’re getting! Sit tight while I give you some
tips on testing your system and provide a list of games I recommend for some sweet sweet eye candy!
So why would you want to test your system? I mean, you’ve read 50 reviews by now and know
exactly what you’re getting into right? Not necessarily, you might know what the reviewers
got for their numbers, but you want your own because you’re not gaming on their test bench,
you’re gaming on your system. You also want to make sure that new hardware works like it should
when it gets in, otherwise you’ll need to look into a replacement. So for that reason,
I certainly recommend testing the games you play the most as those are the ones
that really matter to you. So open up a spreadsheet or notepad and list down
all those games at the resolution you’re going to actually be playing at. If you’re on 1440p then
1080p performance doesn’t really matter much, nor does 720p, so test the games at that resolution.
As far as settings, use the ones you’re currently using, then give maxed out a
try. Sure you’re likely not going to get good results on your current graphics card maxed out,
but you want to measure the uptick your new one delivers. Just make sure you’re
using the same settings on both old and new graphics cards, so take good notes on them.
Recording those metrics doesn’t have to be super scientific since this is for your
own personal use and not necessarily for publishing to an audience eagerly
awaiting your findings. That doesn’t mean you can’t share them out of sheer excitement,
after all that’s how a lot of reviewers started their path. Each of these game’s benchmarks will
give you the performance metrics you need to make a good comparison, so no need to learn
complex monitoring software overlays and reading graphs to make heads or tails of the results.
The titles I’m putting on the table today are all modern and easy to test and have a built-in
benchmarking utility. They’re also used by a lot of professional review outlets so you’ll be able
to check your system against theirs.Some are free, most are not, so let’s jump in!
First on the list is Forza Horizon 5...or 4. I say that because if you’ve got Xbox Game Pass for PC
or already picked up the wonderful Forza Horizon 5 then use that one,
but Horizon 4 is available as a demo and still absolutely stunning.
Horizon 5 continues to be built on the absolutely stunning ForzaTech
game engine requiring DirectX 12 support -- no last-gen malarkey here. The benchmark for
Horizon 5 takes you through a full race with a ton of visual treats to take in,
and at the end gives you a very detailed look at what your performance looked like. This is
super helpful when comparing performance across graphics cards. Along with noting this one down,
maybe take a screenshot of the results as well for a good side by side when you get your new card in.
Next is The Riftbreaker, and it’s probably one of the lesser-known titles I’ll be recommending
today. If you’re into tower defense and dungeon crawling then you’re in for a
real treat with this one. A newer title by Exor Studios, The Riftbreaker is built on
the developer’s own engine and brings next-generation features to the table.
We’re talking Ray Traced Shadows and FidelityFX Super Resolution, and Variable Rate Shading as
well. This game showcases what can really be done with ray traced shadow effects and it’s
spectacular. Plus, there’s a free demo available on Steam so you can check this one out risk-free,
but I do recommend playing it a bit as you might find a hidden gem here.
Chernobylite is the next on the list and one I didn’t expect to ever get around to, but both
Adam and I had a fun time in this world. If you are interested in checking out the differences
between FidelityFX Super Resolution and Deep Learning Super Sampling, this title has both.
AND it’s a gorgeous game with a lot of tweakable options. Chernobylite is built on Unreal Engine 4
so it should be quite flexible in performing well across many generations of hardware.
The big kicker here is this game has an unbelievably detailed benchmarking mode.
This one isn’t going to be free so there’ll be a cost of entry if you want this title in
your library, but I think it’s worth it if you are into games like Metro and STALKER.
No list of games to benchmark would be complete without an Assassin’s Creed title,
so of course, I’ve put Valhalla in here. Say what you will about the publisher,
but Ubisoft’s developers know how to put a solid benchmark tool into their games. Valhalla is
running on the latest iteration of the Anvil Next 2.0 game engine. The core of that engine has been
around for a little while through several of Ubisoft’s titles but continues to be improved.
This title no longer relies on the older DirectX 11 API so if you’re testing your
old graphics card with this one make sure it has DirectX 12 support, which it should. This
built-in benchmark has a lot of metrics that you can watch along the way so it’s a fun one to run.
For the next game, we’re going to take things out to the Wild West with
Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. This title has been a really intriguing one since launch as
it has received major upgrades, notably the addition of Deep Learning Super Sampling. So
if you’re upgrading to an RTX card you’ll get the pleasure of testing that feature out for yourself.
But that’s about all the next-generation features you’ll find in this one, so why did I include it?
Simple. This game is breathtaking and showcases what a carefully crafted world
can look like, even on older technology. That’s not to say it isn’t running on a modern API,
so you’ll have the chance to take your pick of DirectX 12 or Vulkan
with this one. And more visual tweaking options than you can shake a stick at.
I’m going to wrap this one up with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. And I can hear some folks out
there groaning. Why would he recommend a game from 2019 at the end of 2021?
Easy folks, this game is a staple of many reviews and the developers haven’t slept on this one at
all. This game is chock full of features from ray-traced shadows, to FidelityFX CAS,
and has even been recently updated to DLSS 2.0, so there’s no shortage of things to
play with. And it’s a really really good game and everyone should have it in their library already.
So with that, I’m at the end of my recommendations for today and I hope there’s enough in there for
you to stay busy while waiting on your courier to show up with your brand new,
or brand new to you, graphics card. I know there are many many more titles out there that you
can test out for yourself so be sure to share your suggestions down in the comment section,
and newcomers can take a stroll down there and see what others have to say on the topic.
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