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F1 2012 Benchmarked

Another round. Speed junkies will get their full fix when it comes to F1 2012. The modern racing game shines with the usual pretty appearance and high speeds, in addition to the official license package. Find out which notebook hardware has enough power to master the game in this review.
F1 2012

The developer and publisher Codemasters can be described as an expert in the area of racing games without a shadow of a doubt. Along with the Formula 1 series, the series DiRT and GRID (formerly DTM) are also part of the portfolio from the British studio. The years of experience in the field certainly make themselves noticeable in the released games. Although F1 2012 may not strictly adhere to the criteria of a bona fide racing simulation, the game is nevertheless still significantly more demanding than other racing game counterparts (Need for Speed, Burnout etc.).

Technology

Technically F1 2012 is treading water somewhat. While the vehicle models and the advertising effects are quite impressive (especially the depiction of rain is stunning), latent shortcomings come to light beyond the track boundaries. One of these is the texture quality, which occasionally lags behind the current possibilities. Another is some polygons and other objects with low details. What is also a shame is that the track surroundings hardly provide any animations, making them seem a bit sterile. More track marshals or a few flocks of birds would not go amiss for example.

The navigation also allows room for improvement: Although the main menu is able to impress with a very good look, the complicated and intricate submenus tend to get a little annoying with time. Meanwhile, the adequate engine sound is unfortunately not able to gloss over this shortcoming either.

Ultra Preset (1.920 x 1.080, 4x MSAA)
Ultra Preset
High Preset (1.366 x 768, 2x MSAA)
High Preset
Medium Preset (1.366 x 768)
Medium Preset
Ultra Low Preset (1.024 x 768)
Ultra Low Preset

Benchmark

Since the free demo version doesn't have a benchmark included, we opted for the full version priced at about 40 Euros (~$51), which was kindly provided to us by Codemasters. As with F1 2011, the included benchmark is located at the lower end of the graphics menu. During the over two-minute long sequence the KI drives one lap against 23 rivals, which represents a practical scenario. After the benchmark is complete, F1 2012 gives readings for the minimum and average frame rates. The latter of these was then always entered into our database.

Ultra Preset (1.920 x 1.080, 4x MSAA)
Ultra Preset
High Preset (1.366 x 768, 2x MSAA)
High Preset
Medium Preset (1.366 x 768)
Medium Preset
Ultra Low Preset (1.024 x 768)
Ultra Low Preset

Settings

Praise is due to the developer for the comprehensive array of graphics settings. In the options menu there are almost 20 options available. Along with the resolution, the frame rate and the anti-aliasing (MSAA or EQAA), the vertical synchronization and the picture mode can also be set. Anti-aliasing is worth the while even if just for the menus (without AA a staircase effect is clearly visible).

Those that don't want to spend ages searching for the perfect configuration of settings will be happy about the five global presets (Ultra Low, Low, Medium, High & Ultra). Advanced gamers are also able to adjust the individual graphics effects manually. Irritating: Some settings are only effective after a full restart. Since the game doesn't provide a corresponding message, this could possibly be a mistake.

Ultra Preset (1.920 x 1.080, 4x MSAA)
Ultra Preset
High Preset (1.366 x 768, 2x MSAA)
High Preset
Medium Preset (1.366 x 768)
Medium Preset
Ultra Low Preset (1.024 x 768)
Ultra Low Preset

Unfortunately we had more bugs to deal with during the course of the test. The fact that F1 2012 sometimes crashed when shutting down (black screen) was another of the smaller problems. Significantly more problematic however, was the crashing on some devices while starting up - despite an up-to-date NVIDIA driver (ForceWare 306.23). Following a little Internet research, the culprit was quickly found: Deactivating the Steam Community (right-click on the game / >>Properties<<) solved the problem immediately.

Things weren't quite as smooth with the Radeon HD 7970M, which still had to operate with a slightly out of date driver until the arrival of Catalyst 12.9 (Clevo 8.951.6.0). Using the AMD graphics card F1 2012 initially didn't want to start at all (the exe file showed as a process and not as an open application in task manager). We can only assume that the aforementioned problems will be resolved with the next set of patches and driver version.

Ultra Preset (1.920 x 1.080, 4x MSAA)
Ultra Preset
High Preset (1.366 x 768, 2x MSAA)
High Preset
Medium Preset (1.366 x 768)
Medium Preset
Ultra Low Preset (1.024 x 768)
Ultra Low Preset

Results

For those that want to enjoy F1 2012 in its full glory, a graphics card from the high-end segment will be necessary. 1920x1080 pixels and the Ultra Preset (inc. 4x MSAA) are provided to a decent standard from a GeForce GTX 660M upwards. Mid-range notebooks don't have to relinquish good appearance either though. Thus a GeForce GT 630M or a Radeon HD 7670M already cope well with high details, 2x MSAA and a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. The graphics chip in the current Ivy Bridge generation (HD Graphics 4000) meanwhile only manages to process medium details to a decent standard. Owners of Intel's HD Graphics 3000 will have no choice but to come to terms with low settings.

As can be seen on the comparison pictures, F1 2012 compromises considerably in terms of the atmosphere when using the preset "Ultra Low". Along with the shadows, the illumination and the textures, primarily the reflections suffer. The audience and the drivers are completely obscured, and the rear view mirror only shows a gray surface. From the medium preset the graphics quality improves significantly. A score of "Good" is only attributable to the game at the highest level with anti-aliasing enabled.

Benchmark-Tabelle F1 2012

Verdict

Not considering the new racing mode, Codemasters hasn't been daring enough to embark on any extensive experiments with F1 2012. Gamers that are looking for a successful symbiosis between arcade and simulation should definitely take a closer look at the game. In our opinion the developer could have invested a bit more effort into the appearance though. Despite the above average quality, the EGO engine is already a bit dusty in the meantime. Those that have already purchased the predecessor won't necessarily have to get their hands on the latest version. Thanks to the moderate hardware requirements, even a mid-range notebook should prove to be sufficient for a decent performance.

Ultra Preset (1.920 x 1.080, 4x MSAA)
Ultra Preset
High Preset (1.366 x 768, 2x MSAA)
High Preset
Medium Preset (1.366 x 768)
Medium Preset
Ultra Low Preset (1.024 x 768)
Ultra Low Preset

Test Systems

The majority of the devices used were from the company Schenker Notebooks (mysn.co.uk):

  • XMG P502 (Core i7-3610QM, GeForce GTX 660M, GTX 670M, GTX 675M, GTX 680M & Radeon HD 7970M, 8 GB RAM)
  • XMG A502 (Core i5-3360M, GeForce GT 650M & HD Graphics 4000, 8 GB RAM)
  • Xesia M501 (Core i7-2630QM, GeForce GT 630M & HD Graphics 3000, 8 GB RAM) 

The driver versions of the aforementioned notebooks: 306.23 (Nvidia), 8.951.6.0 (AMD) and 8.15.10.2761 (Intel).

From left to right: Schenker XMG A502, Xesia M501 & XMG P502
From left to right: Schenker XMG A502, Xesia M501 & XMG P502

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
 F1 2012 (2012)
low
1024x768
Ultra Low Preset
med.
1366x768
Medium Preset
high
1366x768
High Preset
2xMSAA
ultra
1920x1080
Ultra Preset
4xMSAA
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PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
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PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
Qualcomm Adreno 304
AMD Radeon Pro 560
Qualcomm Adreno 302
AMD Radeon HD 6850M
AMD Radeon HD 6830M
AMD Radeon HD 6310
AMD Radeon HD 6320
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon 760M
AMD Radeon 680M
AMD Radeon HD 6775G2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU
AMD Radeon Pro 455
AMD Radeon Pro 555X
AMD Radeon HD 6650M
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M
AMD Radeon HD 6680G2
AMD Radeon HD 6690G2
AMD Radeon HD 6480G + HD 7450M Dual Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6250
AMD FirePro W5130M
AMD Radeon HD 7430M
AMD Radeon HD 7350M
AMD Radeon HD 7370M
AMD Radeon HD 7340
12
AMD Radeon HD 7290
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs
NVIDIA GeForce Go 6200
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 SLI (Laptop)
Intel UHD Graphics 64EUs (Alder Lake 12th Gen)
NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS
Nvidia RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Intel UHD Graphics 630
NVIDIA GeForce 920M
Intel HD Graphics 2500
38.5n2
23.5n2
21.5n2
12n2
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX
39
34
30
NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT SLI
NVIDIA GeForce Go 6250
NVIDIA RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
NVIDIA RTX 3000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
NVIDIA Quadro T2000 Max-Q
NVIDIA Quadro T1000 (Laptop)
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PowerVR SGX543MP3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI
PowerVR SGX535
NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
NVIDIA Titan RTX
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon HD 6730M
Qualcomm Adreno 225
AMD Radeon HD 6450 GDDR5
51
38
17
12
AMD Radeon HD 6480G
AMD Radeon Graphics (Ryzen 7000)
AMD Radeon 780M
AMD Radeon 630
AMD Radeon 625
AMD FirePro M8900
AMD FirePro W5170M
AMD Radeon 520
AMD Radeon HD 6630M
AMD Radeon HD 7500G
13
AMD Radeon HD 6450M
AMD Radeon HD 6290
AMD Radeon 740M
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD FirePro W4190M
AMD Radeon 540X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M
AMD Radeon Pro 460
AMD Radeon HD 6540G2
AMD Radeon HD 6545G2
AMD Radeon HD 6870M
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon HD 6530M
AMD Radeon HD 7640G
AMD Radeon HD 6950M
AMD Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7610M Dual Graphics
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon HD 6550M
NVIDIA T600 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q
NVIDIA Quadro P4200
AMD Radeon HD 6620G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
35
29
27
AMD Radeon HD 6520G + HD 7450M Dual Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6550D
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
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low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon Pro 555
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GT
AMD Radeon Pro 5600M
AMD Radeon Pro 560X
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100
NVIDIA GeForce GT 445M
AMD Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
AMD Radeon HD 6990M
59
AMD Radeon HD 6970M
AMD Radeon HD 6970
AMD Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
ATI Radeon HD 5570
AMD Radeon HD 7660G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
32
26
24
15
ATI Mobility Radeon X800
ATI Radeon IGP 340M
ATI Mobility Radeon X700
ATI Radeon IGP 320M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
NVIDIA GeForce GT 430
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G
NVIDIA GeForce 830M
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 320M
NVIDIA GeForce MX450
NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M
NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation
NVIDIA GeForce 825M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M
NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
NVIDIA GeForce GT 625M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M
149
112
96
46
NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M
137n4
96n4
73.5n4
29n3
NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M
89
77
71
34
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M
77
60
30
NVIDIA Quadro P5000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
66
56
46
27
NVIDIA Quadro P3200
AMD Radeon HD 6720G2
AMD Radeon HD 6515G2
AMD Radeon HD 6510G2
PowerVR GE8300
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop)
Qualcomm Adreno 205
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Max-Q
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Max-Q
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PowerVR GXA6850
PowerVR GX6450
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PowerVR GM9446
PowerVR GE8322 / IMG8322
PowerVR SGX544
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon R5 M420
AMD Radeon HD 6520G
AMD Radeon HD 6470M
AMD Radeon HD 6750M
AMD Radeon HD 6490M
AMD Radeon 660M
AMD FirePro W4170M
AMD FirePro W2100
AMD Radeon HD 6370M
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon HD 6350M
AMD Radeon HD 6330M
AMD Radeon 620
AMD Radeon 610
AMD Radeon 610M
AMD FirePro W4100
AMD FirePro M5950
AMD FirePro M4000
AMD FirePro M6100
185
156
138
115
AMD FirePro M3900
AMD FirePro M4100
AMD Radeon 530
AMD FirePro M2000
AMD Radeon HD 6770M
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon HD 6790
AMD FirePro M6000
167
122
101
51
AMD Radeon Pro W6800
NVIDIA RTX A4500 Laptop GPU
AMD FirePro M5100
182
149
137
72
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
AMD Radeon HD 6645G2
AMD Radeon HD 6760G2
NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
ATI Radeon HD 5850
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
NVIDIA Quadro P3000 Max-Q
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
AMD Radeon HD 6870
AMD FirePro W7170M
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon HD 6430M
AMD Radeon HD 6380G
AMD Radeon R6 (Kaveri)
AMD Radeon R6 (Carrizo)
AMD Radeon HD 7310
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
AMD Radeon HD 6620G + HD 7450M Dual Graphics
AMD Radeon R5 M335
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
AMD Radeon PRO W6600M
AMD Radeon R5 M430
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M
AMD Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
101
69
PosModel< PrevNext >F1 2012
low med. high ultra
PowerVR SGX545
AMD Radeon HD 8970M
144
101
91
65
AMD Radeon HD 6640G2
AMD Radeon Pro 450
AMD Radeon HD 6620G
Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580
(-) * Smaller values are better. / n123 Number of benchmarks for this median value / * Approximate position

 

Legend
5Stutters – This game is very likely to stutter and have poor frame rates. Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, average frame rates are expected to fall below 25fps
May Stutter – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, stutters and poor frame rates are expected.
30Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 25fps
40Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 35fps
60Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 58fps
May Run Fluently – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, fluent frame rates are expected.
?Uncertain – This graphics card experienced unexpected performance issues during testing for this game. A slower card may be able to achieve better and more consistent frame rates than this particular GPU running the same benchmark scene.
Uncertain – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game and no reliable interpolation can be made based on the performances of surrounding cards of the same class or family.
The value in the fields displays the average frame rate of all values in the database. Move your cursor over the value to see individual results.
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Florian Glaser, 2012-10- 3 (Update: 2013-06- 6)