A new Battlefield title always means that morning air is breathed in performance hunters. The game series traditionally puts a lot of pressure on the hardware, and the Frostbite engine has a history of being at the forefront of new technologies.
This also applies to Battlefield 1, which supports DirectX 12 already in the beta version. The editors can of course not stick, but start with some quick tests to see how the interface behaves.
Test system
Component | model |
---|---|
Processor | Intel Core i5-6600K @ 4,2 GHz |
Motherboard | Asus Z170 Pro Gaming |
Memory | 8 GB Corsair Vengeance, 2 666 MHz |
Graphics card | |
Storage | Samsung 850 Evo 250 GB |
Power supply | Corsair RM750x 750 W |
Screen | Dell P2415Q |
Operating system | Windows 10 AU Professional 64-bit |
As a base, SweClocker’s winter computer 2015 is used, which with Intel Skylake under the hood means just the right performance for most people. However, the graphics cards have been replaced with AMD Radeon RX 480 and Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 respectively – two new and relatively strong competitors in the middle class. The rolling drivers are Radeon Software 16.8.2 and Geforce Drivers 372.54 WHQL.
The test loop used is, in short, three minutes of multiplayer action on the Sinai Desert course in the mode Conquest. The rendering times are logged by the game’s built-in tools, and converted to classic FPS values. The game is tested in predefined Low, Medium, High and Ultra.
AMD Radeon RX 480 (8 GB), DirectX 11
1 920 x 1 080 px | 2 560 x 1 440 px | 3 840 x 2 160 px | |
---|---|---|---|
Low | 166/90 FPS | 147/83 FPS | 76/55 FPS |
Medium | 129/82 FPS | 88/67 FPS | 45/33 FPS |
High | 110/73 FPS | 68/54 FPS | 36/25 FPS |
Ultra | 90/60 FPS | 59/40 FPS | 30/19 FPS |
First out is the Radeon RX 480 in DirectX 11. The model manages to keep its nose above the average value of 60 FPS all the way up to Ultra at the lowest resolution. As the pixels increase, the sliders need to be adjusted, all the way down to Low for 4K UHD.
AMD Radeon RX 480 (8 GB), DirectX 12
1 920 x 1 080 px | 2 560 x 1 440 px | 3 840 x 2 160 px | |
---|---|---|---|
Low | 152/66 FPS | 137/50 FPS | 73/34 FPS |
Medium | 129/53 FPS | 86/35 FPS | 44/32 FPS |
High | 101/49 FPS | 69/27 FPS | 35/25 FPS |
Ultra | 91/45 FPS | 62/25 FPS | 29/19 FPS |
DirectX 12 means a mixed bag set against DirectX 11. In general, these are lower average values, and above all lower dips. Despite the fact that the editorial staff’s calculation method evens out the worst nails, it is about noticeably worse minimum values in many situations.
Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 (6 GB), DirectX 11
1 920 x 1 080 px | 2 560 x 1 440 px | 3 840 x 2 160 px | |
---|---|---|---|
Low | 194/95 FPS | 175/100 FPS | 87/57 FPS |
Medium | 148/89 FPS | 97/75 FPS | 49/37 FPS |
High | 123/84 FPS | 79/63 FPS | 42/30 FPS |
Ultra | 102/72 FPS | 71/54 FPS | 35/25 FPS |
The Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 generally performs better than the Radeon RX 480 at DirectX 11. The model manages with a margin of the average value of 60 FPS at 2,560 x 1,440 pixels all the way up to Ultra. However, the 4K UHD level requires that settings be adjusted down significantly.
Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 (6 GB), DirectX 12
1 920 x 1 080 | 2 560 x 1 440 | 3 840 x 2 160 | |
---|---|---|---|
Low | 189/85 FPS | 142/80 FPS | 82/57 FPS |
Medium | 135/77 FPS | 94/69 FPS | 47/34 FPS |
High | 116/70 FPS | 76/57 FPS | 36/27 FPS |
Ultra | 92/64 FPS | 68/48 FPS | 32/24 FPS |
Here, too, DirectX 12 is a messy experience. The new interface generally means lower performance, although the differences for the average values are not huge. The minimum levels perform better than the corresponding transition for the Radeon RX 480, but are generally lower than with DirectX 11.
Summary thoughts
Battlefield 1 Beta is brand new, and the editors are charging for more tests a week. However, the first impression points to a well-polished title that ticks well – especially in DirectX 11.
The new DirectX 12 interface does not seem to have any advantage, at least not in the case of the Radeon RX 480 and Geforce GTX 1060. However, the mode can be changed with optimizations and polished code closer to launch – Battlefield 1 is still beta-marked, and neither AMD nor Nvidia has had the chance for some major optimizations.
Some bugs are also present, including that Resolution Scale shows the wrong percentage value – concrete, a few hours of testing in the trash. The game also lacks text for certain messages, and suffers from other minor beauty injuries.
► Geeks Gaming Streams Battlefield 1 Beta
Curious about more performance results with Battlefield 1 Beta? The editors hope to return with additional figures later this week!