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Need for Speed Payback Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks

Revenge is sweet. The name says it all for the latest installment of the Need for Speed series. For a racing game, Payback turns out to be surprisingly story-focused. Our benchmark test will show if the technical aspects are convincing as well.
Need for Speed Payback

Technology

For the original German review, see here.

Just like the 2015/2016 reboot which has also been developed by Ghost Games, the latest Need for Speed installment uses the efficient Frostbite 3 engine created by DICE, the developer of Battlefield. Even though it cannot compare to the multiplayer shooter, Payback does offer decent visuals.

While some of the environmental textures could be of higher definition when looking closely, the sports cars show an extremely high level of detail both with the number of polygons and the lovingly designed tuning parts and decals.

Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback

Sunlight and other light sources are reflected beautifully. In general, one of Payback's strong points is the atmospheric lighting, especially in combination with alternating times of day and stylish effects like smoke and sparks.

Differing sceneries add to the level of variety offered. Not only are we racing through a gambling metropolis resembling Las Vegas, but also across dusty desert roads, through rugged canyons and tree-lined mountain regions. Thanks to the vast game world and the generous view range, the game conveys a feeling of freedom, despite having a higher number of compulsory missions than older installments of the series.

Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback

Whether this game's story-driven approach is a good thing or not depends on individual preference. Luckily, the cutscenes are far less embarrassing than those of the previous Need for Speed parts, even though the characters are still rather clichéd.

The driving model is an acquired taste. At first, the car's behavior did not appeal to us, but after 1 to 2 hours of playing, we got along with it decently. Payback still has a mediocre collision system, but the driving physics is not quite as peculiar as it was in the Need for Speed installments by Criterion Games (like the Most Wanted remake).

Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback

However, the menu control is still terrible, at least for the PC version. The previous release already had impractical and counter-intuitive keybindings forcing the player to use a gamepad. In general, the installment feels like a console game, placing mouse and keyboard users at a disadvantage.

The damage model is in need of improvement as well. While objects along the track like lanterns, fences and cacti can be knocked over, cars remain unrealistically intact even after big collisions. At least dust and dirt particles are gathering on vehicle surfaces. The rubberband AI also bothered us, especially during police chases.

Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback

The graphics settings do not offer much variety, but despite a limited range of features, it is commendable that there are several presets and that changes in the settings can be applied without restarting the game.

At about 22 GB, the game size is completely acceptable in comparison to other 2017 game releases that require 50 GB and more. Loading times are average - at least with an SSD. There were barely any technical issues for us, other than the occasional stuttering on some systems despite high FPS values.

Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback

Benchmark

Just like its predecessor, Payback does not include a main menu in the classical sense to start a new game or select a saved game. So we had to play the campaign's story up to the point where the main character gets his own garage and is released into the open game world before we could specify a benchmark sequence. We used the garage inside the town for our tests and created a route from there to the nearby gas station, which we then followed using the GPS (see video).

Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback

Even though the 30-second sequence is not 100 % identical every time because of varying factors such as oncoming traffic, we got relatively stable results. Payback can be played smoothly with an average of at least 50 FPS.

Results

Before evaluating the benchmark results, we will take a look at the different presets. While Payback suffers a severe loss of visual quality on lowest settings, the medium, high and ultra settings offer only subtle changes at very similar performance levels.

Low Preset
Low Preset
Medium Preset
Medium Preset
High Preset
High Preset
Ultra Preset
Ultra Preset
Low Preset
Low Preset
Medium Preset
Medium Preset
High Preset
High Preset
Ultra Preset
Ultra Preset

To make one thing clear: Owners of entry-level or office notebooks with integrated graphics chipsets such as the Intel HD Graphics 630 should refrain from this purchase. The game at low preset at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels runs properly only with at least a lower mid-range GPU such as the GeForce MX150. For a resolution of 1920x1080, an upper mid-range GPU is recommended. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, which is commonly used in multimedia notebooks, is capable of running higher graphics settings in Full HD.

Full-blooded gaming chips are only required for resolutions beyond 1920x1080 pixels. A combination of 2560x1440 pixels and ultra settings requires at least a GeForce GTX 1060 or a GTX 980. Maximum level of details coupled with 3840x2160 pixels raises the requirements to a GeForce GTX 1080.

Need for Speed Payback
    3840x2160 Ultra Preset     2560x1440 Ultra Preset     1920x1080 Ultra Preset     1920x1080 High Preset     1920x1080 Medium Preset     1280x720 Low Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
65 (44min) fps ∼63%
117 (78min) fps ∼77%
134 (93min) fps ∼78%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
54.3 (35min) fps ∼52%
102 (69min) fps ∼68%
135 (99min) fps ∼79%
144 (102min) fps ∼85%
149 (107min) fps ∼84%
162 (123min) fps ∼78%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
Alienware 17 R4
52.4 (33min) fps ∼50%
97.9 (67min) fps ∼65%
126 (77min) fps ∼74%
131 (98min) fps ∼77%
140 (104min) fps ∼79%
148 (107min) fps ∼71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
44.3 (29min) fps ∼43%
85.1 (57min) fps ∼56%
120 (80min) fps ∼70%
129 (84min) fps ∼76%
141 (98min) fps ∼79%
161 (125min) fps ∼77%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
Asus G752VS
40.6 (26min) fps ∼39%
78.1 (52min) fps ∼52%
107 (71min) fps ∼63%
114 (79min) fps ∼67%
123 (91min) fps ∼69%
138 (103min) fps ∼66%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury, 4790K
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro
34.5 (22min) fps ∼33%
85 (55min) fps ∼50%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
30.1 (19min) fps ∼29%
60.3 (38min) fps ∼40%
92 (59min) fps ∼54%
98.8 (63min) fps ∼58%
113 (71min) fps ∼63%
163 (127min) fps ∼78%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K
Desktop PC
29.8 (19min) fps ∼29%
58.7 (37min) fps ∼39%
87.2 (53min) fps ∼51%
93.8 (58min) fps ∼55%
107 (66min) fps ∼60%
161 (126min) fps ∼77%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
MSI GT62VR
25.9 (16min) fps ∼25%
51.7 (33min) fps ∼34%
81.4 (53min) fps ∼48%
87.1 (56min) fps ∼51%
99 (62min) fps ∼56%
106 (77min) fps ∼51%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 4790K
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference
28.2 (20min) fps ∼27%
87 (57min) fps ∼51%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, 4790K
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC
24.8 (16min) fps ∼24%
76 (48min) fps ∼44%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop), 4790K
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB
25 (18min) fps ∼24%
79 (53min) fps ∼46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
9.7 (6min) fps ∼9%
30.3 (18min) fps ∼20%
50.9 (30min) fps ∼30%
54.7 (32min) fps ∼32%
66 (37min) fps ∼37%
115 (85min) fps ∼55%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), 4790K
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB
41.3 (28min) fps ∼24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Asus GL753VD
13.3 (8min) fps ∼13%
26.4 (16min) fps ∼17%
40.8 (24min) fps ∼24%
44.4 (25min) fps ∼26%
50.2 (28min) fps ∼28%
88.9 (70min) fps ∼43%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
MSI GE72 965M Ti
40.3 (26min) fps ∼24%
43.8 (27min) fps ∼26%
52.2 (31min) fps ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
MSI PE60 2QD
25.4 (15min) fps ∼15%
27.5 (16min) fps ∼16%
32.7 (17min) fps ∼18%
64 (47min) fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
24.8 (15min) fps ∼15%
27.2 (16min) fps ∼16%
32.5 (18min) fps ∼18%
64.1 (49min) fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ
MSI CX72 6QD
16.3 (10min) fps ∼9%
33.9 (24min) fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ
MSI GP62 2QD
12.5 (8min) fps ∼7%
13.4 (8min) fps ∼8%
16.4 (10min) fps ∼9%
33.9 (25min) fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M
MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
9.5 (6min) fps ∼5%
19.9 (15min) fps ∼10%

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >Need for Speed Payback
 Need for Speed Payback (2017)
low
1280x720
Low Preset
med.
1920x1080
Medium Preset
high
1920x1080
High Preset
ultra
1920x1080
Ultra Preset
QHD
2560x1440
Ultra Preset
4K
3840x2160
Ultra Preset
NVIDIA Titan RTX
138
128
123
121
90
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
163
157
154
151
95.6
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
173
165
161
113
63.4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
134
117
65
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
108.7
102.4
98.6
95.5
67.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
162
149
144
135
102
54.3
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
157
141
135
90.1
48
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
118n3
112n3
111n3
91.9n2
50.75n2
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
118.4n3
110.5n3
106n3
102.3n3
49.6n3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
148
140
140.5n4
133n4
97.9
50.65n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop)
122
85
45
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
101
91.2
87.8
60
31.5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
140
122
117
74.9
39.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
161
141
129
120
85.1
44.3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q
111
42.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
138
123
114n5
108n5
79.7n2
39.4n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
127
113
106
72.7
37.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
112.4
95.9
92.5n3
87.2n3
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
85
34.5
PosModel< PrevNext >Need for Speed Payback
low med. high ultra QHD 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
161
107
93.8
87.2
58.7
29.8
AMD Radeon RX 590 (Desktop)
149.2
130.6
114.9
105.7
33.9
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Desktop)
131.4
74
95.9
91.5
30.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
163
113
98.8
92
60.3
30.1
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
87
28.2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
106
99
82.1n5
77n5
51.7
25.9
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop)
92.8
86
78.5
75.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
92.1
77.6
74
47.5
23.4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
76
24.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
117.9
89.1
78.5
66.6
23.8
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
79
25
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
72.3
61.8
58.9
38.6
19.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
123
84.3
73
68
21.4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
115
66
56.1n3
51.2n3
32.15n2
9.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
107
66.6
56.7
51.6
33.2
14.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
88.9
50.2
44.4
40.8
26.4
13.3
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
41.3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
52.2
43.8
40.3
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
71.5
52.5
43.6
40.8
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
59
49.7
41.4
36.3
PosModel< PrevNext >Need for Speed Payback
low med. high ultra QHD 4K
AMD Radeon Pro 560X
38.8n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
73.2
39.1
32.7
30.9
17.6
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
69.5
33
28
25.1
3.8
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
52n2
29.15n2
23.9n2
22.25n2
AMD Radeon RX 540
25
13.9
10.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
64
32.7
27.5
25.4
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
26.7
14.8
11.6
NVIDIA GeForce MX130
30.4
15.4
13
13
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
32.5n2
15.85n2
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
28.85n2
15.05n2
12.1n2
11.1
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
33.9
16.4
13.4
12.5
NVIDIA GeForce 930MX
30.9
15.3
12.5
12
NVIDIA GeForce 930M
26.3
AMD Radeon 530
24.2
12.1
NVIDIA GeForce MX110
30.1
15.3
12.3
11.9
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
30.4
15.3
12.2
11.6
Intel UHD Graphics 630
19.3
8.9
Intel HD Graphics 630
19.9
9.5
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge)
11.2
7.9
Intel UHD Graphics 620
18.1
8.3
PosModel< PrevNext >Need for Speed Payback
low med. high ultra QHD 4K
Intel HD Graphics 620
14.7
8.7
AMD Radeon R5 M255
22.7
AMD Radeon RX Vega 3
15.4
7.7
Intel HD Graphics 520
10.8
6.2
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
15.4
Intel HD Graphics 4600
16.3
Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.5
Intel HD Graphics 615
8.9
Intel HD Graphics 4400
9.6
Intel HD Graphics 505
2
AMD Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L)
8.4
(-) * 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.

Test Systems

Device Graphics Card Processor RAM Operating System
Desktop-PC I MSI GeForce GTX 1080 (8 GB GDDR5X)
MSI GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB GDDR5)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB GDDR5)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 (4 GB GDDR5)
Intel Core i7-6700K 2 x 8 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
Desktop-PC II Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (11 GB GDDR5X)
Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti (6 GB GDDR5)
XFX Radeon R9 Fury (4 GB HBM)
Sapphire Radeon R9 290X (4 GB GDDR5)
Sapphire Radeon R9 280X (3 GB GDDR5)
MSI Radeon R7 370 (2 GB GDDR5)
Intel Core i7-4790K 2 x 4 GB DDR3 Windows 10 64 Bit
Alienware 17 R4 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (8 GB GDDR5X) Intel Core i7-7820HK 2 x 16 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
Asus G752VS Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-6820HK 2 x 16 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI GT62VR Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-6820HK 4 x 8 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI GE72 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2 x 4 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
Asus GL753VD Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 (4 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2 x 8 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI GL62 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 (2 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2 x 4 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI GE72 Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M (2 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-6700HQ 1 x 8 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI PE60 Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M (2 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2 x 4 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI PL62 Nvidia GeForce MX150 (2 GB GDDR5) Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2 x 8 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI CX72 Nvidia GeForce 940MX (2 GB DDR3) Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2 x 8 GB DDR4 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI GP62 Nvidia GeForce 940M (2 GB DDR3) Intel Core i7-5700HQ 1 x 8 GB DDR3 Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI CX61 Nvidia GeForce 920M (2 GB DDR3) Intel Celeron 2970M 1 x 8 GB DDR3 Windows 10 64 Bit
Asus N551ZU AMD Radeon R9 M280X (4 GB GDDR5) AMD FX-7600P 2 x 4 GB DDR3 Windows 10 64 Bit
4K Monitor Nvidia Driver AMD Driver
2 x Asus PB287Q, Philips 328P6VJEB ForceWare 388.13 Crimson 17.11.1
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Need for Speed Payback Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks
Florian Glaser, 2017-11-13 (Update: 2017-11-14)