GTA V in the benchmark – ComputerBase

– BitcoinMinersHashrate tested the action game GTA V in the benchmark with 29 graphics cards and 5 graphics units (iGPUs) integrated in CPUs. Both high-end as well as entry-level and older models take part in the comparison. The article is the seventh in a twelve-part benchmark test series.

A series of articles with twelve games

In the standard test course for graphics cards, processors and even gaming notebooks, BitcoinMinersHashrate usually focuses on AAA games. In addition to their high popularity and modern technology, there is another reason for this: They generally allow comparable results over a long period of time. But even if the number of players is high, the highest have other titles.

We are talking about games that focus exclusively on multiplayer and whose goal is to reach as many players as possible. Battle royale shooters like Fortnite or PUBG as well as e-sports heavyweights like League of Legends or Counter-Strike are among them. Technically, they are usually designed to be simpler than the AAA offshoots and harder to benchmark consistently due to continuously provided updates. Nevertheless, millions of players around the world keep asking themselves: How fast is or would GPU XYZ be in this game? BitcoinMinersHashrate will now look into this question again in a twelve-part series of articles.

In all twelve games, 29 graphics cards and 5 GPUs integrated in processors in two different quality settings will have to endure benchmarks. From GeForce RTX 2080 Ti to Radeon RX 5700 XT and GeForce GTX 1650 as well as older representatives such as the Radeon R9 390, numerous price, performance and age groups are represented.

So that the overview is not lost, each game gets its own article. The following titles are on our agenda, the linked ones have already been tested:

GTA V from Rockstar Games has to face the test as the seventh title. The action game is still very popular and, in addition to the main program with its single player campaign, consists of an online part, which is simply called GTA Online. The remaining four articles will appear over the next few weeks, there is no set rhythm.

GTA V: The seventh game in the benchmark

The action game GTA V by Rockstar Games was released on September 17, 2013, at that time for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. On November 18, 2014, the versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One followed. The PC implementation saw the light of day with numerous graphic improvements on April 14, 2015. The in-house engine RAGE (“Rockstar Advanced Game Engine”), which uses API as DirectX 11, serves as the basic technology.

The AMD and Nvidia graphics cards in the test

The 29 graphics cards are 13 3D accelerators from AMD and 16 from Nvidia. In addition, three APUs from AMD are represented and also two CPUs from Intel, each of which has to use the integrated graphics units for the benchmarks. In addition, there are tests with a very cheap CPU, each with an inexpensive Radeon or GeForce to show whether such a double team is worthwhile compared to a more expensive APU.

All GeForce and Radeon graphics cards adhere to the reference specifications, overclocked models for more performance do not take part in the comparison. How much faster they are can be seen in the many graphics card tests or the graphics card ranking on BitcoinMinersHashrate.

Driver and test system

Since several GPUs are taken into account in the numerous benchmarks, different drivers are used. Adrenaline 20.2.1 and GeForce 442.19 were used for the tests of GTA V. The 26.20.100.7755 is installed for the Intel GPUs. The driver settings are left on the standard, only special optimizations like the theoretically possible adjustment of the maximum tessellation level with AMD are switched off.

An AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and the MSI MEG X570 Godlike with the X570 chipset of the same name are used as the test system. 16 gigabytes of RAM (2 × 8 GB, DDR4-3200-14-14-14-32-1T, single rank) are available to the system. Windows 10 1909 with all updates is installed.

Different resolutions and quality settings

To compare so many graphics cards from different performance classes in one article requires different quality settings, because it is clear that those with a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti can drive completely different resolutions and levels of detail than one with a GeForce GTX 1050. Nevertheless, the need for benchmarks that compare all GPUs is great. This series of articles offers both.

Firstly, BitcoinMinersHashrate divided the test field into three different performance classes. Each of them receives its own resolution and level of detail, which is appropriate for its representatives. The fastest performance class includes the Radeon RX 5700 XT and the GeForce RTX 2070 Super. In the middle class, for example, the GeForce GTX 1060 and the Radeon RX 580 have to duel, while typical representatives for the slowest class are the Radeon RX 390 and the GeForce GTX 970.

In the highest performance class, the goal was to achieve around 50 to 60 FPS on a Radeon RX 5700 XT in 3,840 × 2,160. One class below were 50 to 60 FPS in 2,560 × 1,440 with a GeForce GTX 1060, while in the slowest class 50 to 60 FPS in 1,920 × 1,080 were to be achieved with a Ryzen 5 3400G.

An identical setting for all benchmarks

However, in order to be able to compare all products directly with one another, there is a fourth series of tests that comes with a single comprehensive resolution and quality setting. It is a compromise that does not fully utilize high-end graphics cards and still completely overwhelms low-end APUs – but there is no other way to compare all 29 graphics cards and 5 iGPUs directly with each other.

The following quality settings were used for the four scenarios in GTA V. Unfortunately, the game does not offer any presets, which is why the exact settings can only be roughly reproduced.

The test sequence is a 25-second drive through the open world of GTA V. There is a high degree of foresight to see numerous other vehicles, non-player characters and buildings. Among other things, the streaming of the graphics engine is heavily demanded.

Benchmarks in Full HD, WQHD and Ultra HD

Full HD with entry-level graphics cards & iGPUs

With greatly reduced graphics details, GTA V doesn't need too much GPU performance. Accordingly, not only the Ryzen 5 3400 G (Radeon Vega 11) breaks the 60 FPS mark, but also the Ryzen 3 2200G (Radeon Vega 8). Even with the Athlon 3000G (Radeon Vega 3), GTA V is still somehow playable, even if it is noticeably jerky. This applies a little more to the Core i3-9100 (Graphics UHD 630), which, although less FPS, achieves significantly better frame times – the stronger CPU is an advantage here. Only the Pentium Gold G5400 (Graphics UHD 610) remains properly denied.

With a discrete graphics card, GTA V then really grows. Interestingly, even the GeForce GT 1030 and the Radeon RX 550, with a plus of 44 and 41 percent respectively, deliver massively more pictures per second than the fastest AMD APU, although the three products are usually comparatively fast. Apparently, however, GTA V craves for the significantly higher memory bandwidth of the graphics cards. Even the low-end accelerators are close to the 100 FPS mark, which is easily cracked by the Radeon RX 560. The GeForce GTX 1050 and GeForce GTX 1050 Ti then work much faster.

WQHD with mid-range graphics cards

The requirements then increase with higher levels of detail, but are not excessively high. For the magical brand of 60 FPS in 2,560 × 1,440, AMD must have at least one Radeon RX 580 or one Radeon RX 5500 XT – Radeon RX 570 and the old Radeon R9 390 barely fail. In the Nvidia warehouse, the goal is achieved with a GeForce GTX 1060 or GeForce GTX 1650 Super. Here too, the GeForce GTX 970 of the Maxwell generation has to admit defeat.

AMD's new RDNA architecture is an advantage in the WQHD benchmarks. The Radeon RX 5500 XT works 2 percent faster in GTA V than the Radeon RX 590, which is usually 3 percent ahead in current AAA games. Nvidia's new Turing technology, on the other hand, cannot gain any advantages over Pascal, on the contrary. The GeForce GTX 1660 Super is 7 percent slower in GTA V than the GeForce GTX 1070 of the Pascal generation, but usually there is a tie.

Ultra HD with high-end graphics cards

For 3,840 × 2,160 with high but not maximized graphics details in GTA V it has to be a pretty fast graphics card. From a GeForce RTX 2070 Super, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, Radeon RX 5700 XT or Radeon VII, 60 FPS are achieved. The GeForce RTX 2060 Super barely fails to achieve this goal, and the GeForce GTX 1080, Radeon RX Vega 64 and Radeon RX 5700 also deliver easily playable measurements.

Nvidia's Pascal generation is also very fast in Ultra HD. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti works in GTA V as fast as the GeForce RTX 2080 Super, which is actually 15 percent faster in current AAA games. Turing benefits from the game only through the higher computing power, but not through the better architecture. AMD's RDNA also works faster in GTA V than the old GCN technology, so Radeon RX 5700 and Radeon RX Vega 64 are equally fast, although the latter has significantly more raw power. But the Radeon RX 5700 is actually around 10 percent faster than the Radeon RX Vega 64. Vega suits the game well.

Full HD benchmarks across all classes

The higher-level benchmarks in Full HD with maximum graphics details make a lot of changes, since there is a creeping CPU limit and the utilization of the shader units becomes more complex. This reveals two peculiarities: AMD's Navi generation copes with a relatively low GPU load significantly better than the previous generations. The Radeon RX 5700, which is the same speed in Ultra HD as the Radeon RX Vega 64, is suddenly 17 percent more powerful. This extends across the entire performance class: The Radeon RX 5700 XT is 11 percent faster than the Radeon VII and the Radeon RX 5500 XT is 12 percent faster than the Radeon RX 590.

It also shows that AMD apparently copes a little better with the CPU limit than Nvidia. So the fastest GeForce products are moving closer together. The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is only 20 percent faster than the GeForce RTX 2070 Super in frame times. The Radeon RX 5700 XT, on the other hand, really sprints in terms of settings and takes the lead in front of the current consumer flagship from Nvidia with a lead of 7 percent. The behavior of the frame rates is the same as for the frame times, but it is significantly less pronounced there.

Final words

With reduced details, GTA V is quite frugal with the graphics card, even a GPU integrated into the CPU is sufficient, at least in the AMD house. Even some Intel CPUs are not excluded from playing in Full HD, even if it gets a bit tough. With higher graphic details, the requirements increase significantly, but are not exaggerated.

Nvidia's flagship of the Pascal generation leaves the strongest impression in the test field. Since the improved Turing technology doesn't play a role in GTA V, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti can boast. At AMD, on the other hand, there are advantages of old and new: the older Vega models are fast in high resolutions, but for Full HD there is no way around the navigation generation.

The following games have already been tested

Apart from GTA V, the following content has appeared in the article series so far:

Part 8: Dota 2

The next game in this series will be Valve's MOBA Dota 2. The article is expected to appear in the course of the next week. As always, the editors would be happy to receive feedback in the forum on the series of articles.

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