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FIFA 14 Benchmarked

Every year. It's 2013, and Electronic Arts hasn't forgotten to release a new version of their successful soccer video game. Even though the game's graphics demands are the same as ever, we tested the new FIFA 14 with a variety of notebook graphics cards. Will an entry-level model still suffice, or will players need more power this time around?
FIFA 14 logo

For the original German article, see here.

Graphics

At first glance, the game's graphics are very reminiscent of FIFA 13. While the characters are elaborately detailed and realistically animated, the stadiums, which are intended to look like the real thing, don't quite meet today's standards. Besides the weak textures, it's also hard to ignore the flat and pixelated clone audience -- a problem that also plagued the last installment. Permanently visible 3D grass and high polygon density are further weaknesses. The nice light, weather and shadow effects can only do so much to make up for these issues.

The extremely high frame rates also lead us to believe that the graphics could have had a little more substance to them. It's a shame that Electronic Arts didn't use the brand new "Ignite" engine, as the new PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will both take advantage of it. Despite the fact that today's hardware has more computational power, PC fans will still have to be content with graphics on the same level as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As our benchmarks reveal, even cheap multimedia and all-rounder notebooks can run this game without much trouble.

Low settings
Low settings
Medium settings
Medium settings
High settings
High settings
Ultra settings
Ultra settings

The graphics menu (which is only accessible outside the game) exactly mirrors that of the 13 version. We can control the resolution and display mode, and also the render quality (Very Low, Low, Medium, High) and anti-aliasing. Electronic Arts once again chooses to use the high-quality MSAA anti-aliasing technique, which is offered in 2x or 4x and renders a calmer image.

If you'd like, you can also activate a frame limit and/or vertical synchronization. The former can reduce image noise in certain circumstances; the latter takes care of annoying screen tearing issues. We deactivate both options for our benchmarks (maximum frame rates). From within the game, by the way, you can't change anything but the brightness setting.

It often takes a magnifying glass to distinguish the differences between the various quality settings. Only if you switch from "(Very) Low" to "Medium" or the other way around do you notice a big change. Because the hardware demands are very low, almost every user can ignore the lowest setting option. In general, the graphics appear well-developed. We didn't have to deal with any graphics errors or crashes during our tests.

Low settings
Low settings
Medium settings
Medium settings
High settings
High settings
Ultra settings
Ultra settings

Benchmark

A simple "kick off" match in the Allianz Arena between FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund served as our benchmark. We used the Fraps tool to log the framerate during about 10 minutes of game play (see video).

In order to keep our test as even as possible as we cycled through our various graphics cards, we avoided repetitions and close-ups. In such scenes the framerate often dropped over 50%. For this reason, the benchmark result should amount to at least 60 fps. At a lower average framerate, FIFA 14 jerks around in certain situations. Even using a fixed sequence, the results sometimes fluctuated from passage to passage. In extreme cases the end result varied by more than 10%.

Benchmark sequence
Benchmark sequence
Frame graph
Frame graph

The fact that weaker graphics cards sometimes came in ahead of stronger models is partly related to the processor. As our table shows, in moderate settings the CPU is often the limiting factor. The best example is the Radeon HD 7770 desktop, which lagged behind the GeForce GTX 670MX in the Ultra setting, but rushed past the GeForce GTX 780M at other graphics settings (Core i7-3770K vs. Core i7-4700MQ).

The Radeon HD 7970M and HD 8970M results also point to the fact that AMD is doing a little worse at the moment. All in all, the performance resembles that of the last edition. In other words: Anyone who could run FIFA 13 smoothly will also be able to enjoy FIFA 14.

Results

As we already indicated several times, the graphics aren't very demanding. Even the weak Intel HD Graphics 3000 can run the game at a resolution of 1024x768 pixels at medium details. Owners of an HD Graphics 4000 or 4600 can even select high details and activate 2x anti-aliasing (1366x768 pixels). For 1920x1080 pixels and 4x MSAA you'll need at least a lower middle-class card. The GeForce GT 630M mastered the benchmark with over 70 fps. Current high-end graphics cards are massively over-qualified for running this game.

Benchmark table FIFA 14
Benchmark table FIFA 14

Verdict

It's a mystery to us why Electronic Arts chose not to take advantage of the new engine employed by the newest gaming consoles. The current generation of notebooks certainly has the hardware power to handle it. Still, as a result FIFA 14 is playable on an exceptionally wide range of systems. Hardly any AAA games demand so little of a computer's inner components.

FIFA 14
FIFA 14
FIFA 14
FIFA 14
FIFA 14
FIFA 14

Test Systems

Our four main test devices are courtesy of Schenker Technologies (mysn.de):

  • W503 (Core i7-4700MQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 765M, GTX 770M, GTX 780M, Radeon HD 8970M & HD Graphics 4600)
  • M503 (Core i7-4702MQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GT 750M)
  • XMG P502 (Core i7-3610QM, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 660M, GTX 670MX, GTX 675MX, GTX 680M, Radeon HD 7970M & HD Graphics 4000)
  • Xesia M501 (Core i7-2630QM, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GT 630M & HD Graphics 3000)

A further thank you goes to Micron for providing the 480 GB large Crucial M500, on which Windows 7 Professional 64-bit is installed.

GPU drivers used: Nvidia 327.23, AMD 13.9 & Intel 9.18.10.3257 and 9.17.10.3223

From left to right: Schenker Xesia M501, M503, XMG P502 & W503
From left to right: Schenker Xesia M501, M503, XMG P502 & W503

Overview

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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
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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
AMD Radeon HD 7290
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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
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX
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)
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PowerVR SGX543MP3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI
PowerVR SGX535
NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
NVIDIA Titan RTX
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AMD Radeon HD 6730M
Qualcomm Adreno 225
AMD Radeon HD 6450 GDDR5
42.4
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
AMD Radeon HD 6450M
AMD Radeon HD 6290
AMD Radeon 740M
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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
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AMD Radeon HD 6530M
AMD Radeon HD 7640G
AMD Radeon HD 6950M
AMD Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7610M Dual Graphics
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AMD Radeon HD 6550M
NVIDIA T600 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q
NVIDIA Quadro P4200
AMD Radeon HD 6620G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6520G + HD 7450M Dual Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6550D
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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
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AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100
NVIDIA GeForce GT 445M
AMD Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
AMD Radeon HD 6990M
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
ATI Mobility Radeon X800
ATI Radeon IGP 340M
ATI Mobility Radeon X700
ATI Radeon IGP 320M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M
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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
84.5
NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M
NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
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NVIDIA GeForce GT 625M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M
279.4
222.4
199.5
134.1
NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M
310.55n2
184.15n2
149.85n2
92
NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M
342.7
217.1
177.5
103.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M
108.7
57.4
NVIDIA Quadro P5000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
137.7
69.9
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
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NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Max-Q
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PowerVR GXA6850
PowerVR GX6450
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PowerVR GM9446
PowerVR GE8322 / IMG8322
PowerVR SGX544
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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
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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
AMD FirePro M3900
AMD FirePro M4100
AMD Radeon 530
AMD FirePro M2000
AMD Radeon HD 6770M
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AMD Radeon HD 6790
AMD FirePro M6000
AMD Radeon Pro W6800
NVIDIA RTX A4500 Laptop GPU
AMD FirePro M5100
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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
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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
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AMD Radeon PRO W6600M
AMD Radeon R5 M430
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M
AMD Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
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PowerVR SGX545
AMD Radeon HD 8970M
344.4
266.1
261
251.9
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, 2013-10- 1 (Update: 2021-05-18)