PUBG in the benchmark – ComputerBase

– BitcoinMinersHashrate tested the Battle Royale game PUBG 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 tenth part of 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 usually 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:

As the tenth game, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, better known by the abbreviation PUBG, has to face the test. The Battle Royale shooter is currently in its sixth season, with the seventh scheduled to start on April 14th. The last two benchmark articles will appear shortly, there is no fixed rhythm.

PUBG: The tenth game in the benchmark

Version 1.0 of the multiplayer shooter PUBG was released on December 21, 2017 and is dedicated to the popular genre Battle Royale. The Unreal Engine 4 developed by Epic is used as the technical framework, and DirectX 11 is used as the API.

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 PUBG tests. The 26.20.100.7755 is installed for the Intel GPUs. The driver settings are left at 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

Comparing so many graphics cards from a wide range of performance classes in a single 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 PUBG.

A 25-second run on the “Erangel” map is selected as the test sequence shortly after the start of a new round. As usual for the game, it offers an enormous range of vision. There is also a lot of vegetation and some buildings to see. The scene is challenging, but not a worst-case scenario.

Benchmarks in Full HD, WQHD and Ultra HD

Full HD with entry-level graphics cards & iGPUs

PUBG has always had high demands on the graphics card. And not because the game looks so good, but rather because the developers either don't have Unreal Engine 4 under control or – just as possible – the technology isn't suitable for such huge game worlds. Because even with the lowest level of detail, a relatively fast graphics card is required in 1,920 × 1,080 in order to reach the 60 FPS mark. Unlike most other eSports games, the GeForce GT 1030 and Radeon RX 550 do not. Accordingly, the currently fastest integrated graphics in the Ryzen 3400G (Radeon Vega 11) is not getting there. There is no more than 40 FPS, and the frame times are bad. This is definitely playable, but it always snags. With integrated Intel graphics, PUBG doesn't even have to be tried.

60 FPS are only available in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds from Radeon RX 560 or GeForce GTX 1050. The former only barely reaches the goal with 65 FPS, the frame times remain below the brand accordingly. Only then does the Nvidia graphics card arrive.

WQHD with mid-range graphics cards

In 2,560 × 1,440 with high but not the highest details, the requirements increase massively. And even if more middle-class candidates hit the 60 FPS mark, it's not an easy task. At AMD, the Radeon RX 590 and Radeon RX 5500 XT can only do this with agony – especially the latter -, with Nvidia this is possible with the GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce GTX 1650 Super. For 60 frames per second with the frame times it must be at least a GeForce GTX 1070, GeForce GTX 1660 Super or Radeon RX Vega 56.

In the duel of graphics cards, GeForce accelerators in PUBG consistently do better than in classic AAA games. It does not matter whether it is a model of the current or last generation. There are little to no differences between the different generations. The battle royale game cannot benefit from a new architecture, but it doesn't slow it down as much either. So AMD's GCN and the new RDNA behave exactly the same as in AAA productions, only Nvidias Turing easily falls behind Pascal.

Ultra HD with high-end graphics cards

For 3,840 × 2,160, it must be a fast graphics card at the high level of detail. At AMD, only the Radeon VII has more than 60 FPS, with Nvidia this is the case from the GeForce RTX 2060 Super. This also shows that Nvidia is well ahead of AMD in PUBG, and the new RDNA architecture doesn't change that either. This is a classic problem for AMD with the Unreal Engine 4, which is sometimes more and sometimes less pronounced – more in PUBG.

Speaking of architecture: While Nvidia's Turing technology in AAA games sometimes works significantly faster than Pascal with the same raw performance, this is rarely or never the case in e-sports titles. This is also the case in PUBG, where the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti works 5 percent faster than the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, while the latter is 3 percent slower on average in large productions. This is also the case with AMD: The Radeon RX 5700 XT with RDNA is 18 percent faster in PUBG than the Radeon RX Vega 64 with GCN, but it is usually 22 percent higher.

Full HD benchmarks across all classes

Across all performance classes, at least one Radeon RX 590, Radeon RX 5500 XT, GeForce GTX 1060 or GeForce GTX 1650 Super is required in Full HD with maximum graphics details in order to achieve 60 FPS or more. The old GeForce GTX 970 also succeeds, while the competing Radeon R9 390 clearly fails at the goal. Even with the "Ultra" level of detail, Nvidia graphics cards in PUBG are clearly faster than AMD's competitor models.

Final words

PUBG has always been “Nvidia Land”, it is still and will certainly remain so in the future. GeForce graphics cards work a lot faster in the Battle Royale title than AMD's competitor models. It does not matter whether old or current models are considered.

The system requirements for such a game will never change, either. Apex Legends and the new Call of Duty: Warzone have significantly lower requirements despite the same game mode, and Fortnite, which also uses Unreal Engine 4, is less demanding, especially at low details. This is definitely a weakness of PUBG, where the competition can stand out.

The following games have already been tested

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

Part 11: World of Tanks

But this time really: The next game in this series will be Wargaming's free 2-play tactic World of Tanks. As always, the editors would be happy to receive feedback in the forum on the series of articles.

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