Alan Wake 2: Performance patch for older GPUs

Remedy Entertainment has done some optimisations to the PC version of Alan Wake 2 especially intended to give computers with older GPUs (e.g. GeForce GTX 10 Series) a performance boost. We’ve checked out how well the entire thing works out.

Sascha Mölck (translated by Zhiwei Zhuang), Published 03/18/2024 🇩🇪

More than ten years after the first game's release, Remedy Entertainment launched the sequel to the horror adventure game in October 2023: Alan Wake 2. One drawback of the game is and has been its lofty hardware requirements. The developers use what is known as mesh shaders, a technique introduced in DirectX 12 Ultimate that requires a GPU with corresponding support. DX12 Ultimate is only available on Nvidia’s Turing GPUs (GeForce RTX 20 Series), AMD’s RDNA2 GPUs (Radeon RX 6000 Series) and above.

An update (1.0.16.1) rolled out in March 2024 for the PC version aims to improve how the game performs on GPUs without mesh shader support. Graphics cores on older cards have their work cut out for them with Alan Wake 2 – this is particularly true for GeForce GTX 10 Series models. The update also reduced hardware requirements: instead of an GeForce RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6600 with at least 8 GB of VRAM, a GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX 5600XT with 6 GB of VRAM is now enough to run the game at 30 fps (FHD, low preset, quality rendering) according to Remedy.

You are reminded of the lack of mesh shader support when launching the game.

The warning is gone after installing the patch.

Our HP Omen 15 with a GeForce GTX 1060 and Core i7-8750H produced much higher frame rates thanks to the optimisations. However, even at modest settings (720p, low preset, native rendering), the game only ran at an average of 32 fps during our benchmark sequence. Whilst you could achieve better results by lowering render resolution, this is going to considerably worsen image quality.

Alan Wake 2
1280x720 Low Preset
HP Omen 15-dc0006ng GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H (1.0.16.1)	31.7 (13.3^min, 14^P0.1, 16.1^P1 - 88.7^max) fps
HP Omen 15-dc0006ng GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H	18.5 (9.23^min, 9.3^P0.1, 11.4^P1 - 69.6^max) fps
1920x1080 Low Preset
HP Omen 15-dc0006ng GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H (1.0.16.1)	21.5 (10.7^min, 10.9^P0.1, 12.4^P1 - 63.7^max) fps
HP Omen 15-dc0006ng GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H	13.9 (6.52^min, 6.64^P0.1, 7.11^P1 - 55.3^max) fps

The lowest-end model in the GTX 10 Series – the GeForce GTX 1050 – only managed to churn out very low frame rates even after installation of the patch. That said, at least the game will now launch on the GPU, which is not the case pre-patch. The GTX 1050 featured here is paired with a Core i7-8750H inside an Acer Aspire 7 A715-72G.

Alan Wake 2
1280x720 Low Preset
Acer Aspire 7 A715-72G-75QE GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8750H (1.0.16.1)	19.3 (9.8^min, 10.4^P0.1, 11.7^P1 - 71^max) fps
1920x1080 Low Preset
Acer Aspire 7 A715-72G-75QE GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8750H (1.0.16.1)	11.5 (7.61^min, 8.28^P0.1, 9.98^P1 - 18.9^max) fps

Installing the update didn’t bring about any real differences on an MSI Alpha 15 with a Radeon RX 5500M and Ryzen 7 3750H. This combo was already able to deliver acceptable frame rates at low settings (720p, low preset, native rendering) even without the patch.

Alan Wake 2
1280x720 Low Preset
MSI Alpha 15 A3DD-031PL Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H (1.0.16.1)	39.6 (22^min, 22.3^P0.1, 27^P1 - 67.7^max) fps
MSI Alpha 15 A3DD-031PL Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H	37.5 (16.6^min, 18.9^P0.1, 25.9^P1 - 60.1^max) fps
1920x1080 Low Preset
MSI Alpha 15 A3DD-031PL Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H (1.0.16.1)	21.8 (12.8^min, 13.3^P0.1, 16.3^P1 - 43.8^max) fps
MSI Alpha 15 A3DD-031PL Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H	21.3 (13.7^min, 14.2^P0.1, 15.3^P1 - 50.1^max) fps

Source(s)

Remedy (1), (2)

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Editor of the original article: Sascha Mölck - Senior Tech Writer - 1017 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2012

What started as a side job during my computer science studies later became my main job: For more than 20 years now I have been working as an editor and author in the IT sector. While working in the print sector I also contributed to the creation of various loose-leaf publications and published original written pieces. I have been working for Notebookcheck since 2012.

Translator: Zhiwei Zhuang - Translator - 150 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, I moved from Singapore to Cologne in 2014 and began pursuing a career as a freelance translator. Much of my translation work focuses on science, engineering and technology. My fascination with computers and mobile electronics began when I was young. And I have fond memories reading countless tech and gaming magazines. Working with Notebookcheck gives me the opportunity to incorporate my personal interests into my professional work.

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Sascha Mölck, 2024-03-18 (Update: 2024-03-18)