Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Benchmarked

A paradise for pirates. Ubisoft offers a new scenario for the holiday season with Assassin's Creed IV. We analyzed the performance and show you what GPU you need to raise the black flag.

Florian Glaser, ✓ Sabine Kückemanns (translated by Andreas Osthoff), Published 11/27/2013 🇩🇪

Gaming

For the original German article, see here.

Graphics

Assassin's Creed IV is a very good title in regard to the graphics. Compared to other action titles Black Flag has a very high texture quality and both the water and light effects fulfill the expectations of a title from 2013. We are especially impressed by the high level of detail, which has been noticeably raised for Black Flag. The in-house AnvilNext engine, which - in a different form - was also used for Assassin's Creed III, creates a rich flora on the screen. The first level takes place on an idyllic island and is a tutorial at the same time. It reminds us of the current Tomb Raider in terms of graphics and level of detail.

But there is also criticism with Black Flag. Some objects just pop up without a soft transition. It is rather absurd when other characters just appear out of nothing and suddenly disappear again. Ubisoft should put some work into this and the somewhat awkward (facial) animations. Some more pixels here and there would have been nice as well.

We want to praise the clear layout of the graphics settings that are always accessible; you can even change all the settings without a restart. There are numerous technical features like volumetric fog, ambient occlusion (SSAO or HBAO+) and the so-called god rays. While you can just activate or deactivate some options, you can choose between (Very) Low up to (Very) High when it comes to the quality settings. The developer deserves credit for the high number of anti-aliasing modes. Besides the less complex post-FX versions SMAA and FXAA you can also use the more demanding MSAA, EQAA (AMD) and CSAA or TXAA (Nvidia) respectively.

One reason for AMD's slight disadvantage compared to its main rival is that Black Flag is a member of Nvidia's TWIMTBP program. We can also see a negative impact on the performance from the Enduro technology with AMD notebooks (compare HD 8970M and GTX 680M, for instance). We did not determine any serious technical issues during the benchmarks; we only encountered graphical issues with Intel GPUs in some settings (probably a problem with the driver).

Benchmark

Looking at the hardware requirements we can see that the benchmark is on an average level. There are certainly less demanding and also more complex levels in the game. We use the tool Fraps to record a one minute run through Havana (from the docks to the center of the town and back, see video). An average result of 30 fps or more indicates playable settings.

▶ load Youtube video

Results

Black Flag is hardly playable with Intel GPUs like the 4000 or 4600. The frame rate does not reach 25 fps, even with the lowest settings and 1024x768 pixels. The AMD Radeon HD 7660G and slow low-end GPUs like the GeForce GT 630M are basically insufficient for Assassin's Creed IV as well. Normal details and 1366x768 pixels require at least a mainstream GPU like the GeForce GT 640M.

Are high settings and anti-aliasing important to you? Then you should at least have a notebook with a high-end GPU like the GeForce GTX 670MX or GTX 765M. Only the GeForce GTX 780M is currently powerful enough for a combination of 1920x1080 pixels, maximum details, HBAO+ and 4x MSAA (we do not look at dual GPU solutions at this point).

The hardware requirements are quite high, but still reasonable when you consider the visual quality. By the way, more than 60 fps are not displayed, even with deactivated VSync.

Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag
1920x1080 (Very) High / On / HBAO+ (PhysX off) AA:4x MS 1366x768 High / On / SSAO (PhysX Off) AA:2x MS 1366x768 Normal / Off 1024x768 (Very) Low / Off
HD Graphics 4000, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	3.6 (0^min) fps ∼6% 7.4 (0^min) fps ∼12% 17.4 (0^min) fps ∼28% 23.6 (0^min) fps ∼29%
Radeon HD 7660G, A10-4600M, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC0128D/EU AMD Pumori Platform A10-4600M	4.4 (1^min) fps ∼7% 10.7 (8^min) fps ∼17% 20.5 (14^min) fps ∼33% 25 (16^min) fps ∼31%
HD Graphics 4600, 4702MQ Schenker M503	4.7 (0^min) fps ∼8% 8.9 (0^min) fps ∼14% 18.4 (0^min) fps ∼29% 24.8 (0^min) fps ∼31%
GeForce GT 630M, 3720QM Asus N56VM	5.2 (4^min) fps ∼9% 10.6 (8^min) fps ∼17% 18.1 (13^min) fps ∼29% 23.8 (17^min) fps ∼29%
Iris Pro Graphics 5200, 4750HQ, Intel SSD 525 Series SSDMCEAC180B3 SCHENKER S413	7.5 (6^min) fps ∼13% 14.8 (12^min) fps ∼23% 28.5 (21^min) fps ∼45% 35.8 (25^min) fps ∼44%
GeForce GT 640M, 2637M, Lite-On LMT-256M3M Acer Aspire M3-581TG	9.5 (6^min) fps ∼16% 18.5 (16^min) fps ∼29% 32.1 (26^min) fps ∼51% 40.3 (26^min) fps ∼50%
GeForce GT 750M, 4702MQ Schenker M503	10.8 (0^min) fps ∼18% 23.4 (0^min) fps ∼37% 38.1 (0^min) fps ∼60% 51.9 (0^min) fps ∼64%
GeForce GTX 660M, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	13.6 (0^min) fps ∼23% 26.4 (0^min) fps ∼42% 45.3 (0^min) fps ∼72% 57.2 (0^min) fps ∼70%
GeForce GTX 670MX, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	16.3 (0^min) fps ∼27% 31.8 (0^min) fps ∼50% 50.2 (0^min) fps ∼80% 61 (0^min) fps ∼75%
GeForce GTX 765M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	18.4 (0^min) fps ∼31% 35.4 (0^min) fps ∼56% 58.8 (0^min) fps ∼93% 61.7 (0^min) fps ∼76%
GeForce GTX 675MX, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	21 (0^min) fps ∼35% 39.8 (0^min) fps ∼63% 59.4 (0^min) fps ∼94% 61.4 (0^min) fps ∼76%
GeForce GTX 770M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	24.9 (0^min) fps ∼42% 44 (0^min) fps ∼70% 61.4 (0^min) fps ∼97% 61.7 (0^min) fps ∼76%
GeForce GTX 680M, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	26.2 (0^min) fps ∼44% 47.2 (0^min) fps ∼75% 60.6 (0^min) fps ∼96% 61.5 (0^min) fps ∼76%
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM Schenker XMG P502	26.7 (0^min) fps ∼45% 40.9 (0^min) fps ∼65% 42.4 (0^min) fps ∼67% 44.6 (0^min) fps ∼55%
Radeon HD 8970M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	27.7 (0^min) fps ∼46% 45 (0^min) fps ∼71% 46.8 (0^min) fps ∼74% 49.7 (0^min) fps ∼61%
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ Schenker W503	35.6 (0^min) fps ∼59% 58.3 (0^min) fps ∼93% 61.6 (0^min) fps ∼98% 62 (0^min) fps ∼76%
GeForce GTX 660 Ti, 3770K Desktop-PC	37.3 (0^min) fps ∼62% 61.2 (0^min) fps ∼97% 61.8 (0^min) fps ∼98% 62.1 (0^min) fps ∼76%
Radeon R9 280X, 3770K Desktop-PC	42.8 (0^min) fps ∼71% 61.7 (0^min) fps ∼98% 61.7 (0^min) fps ∼98% 61.7 (0^min) fps ∼76%
GeForce GTX 680, 2600K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000 Desktop GTX 680, Intel Core i7-2600K	43.1 (34^min) fps ∼72% 58.9 (44^min) fps ∼93% 59.8 (46^min) fps ∼95% 61 (48^min) fps ∼75%

Verdict

Assassin's Creed IV is perfect for cold winter evenings. Thanks to the good graphics you will quickly feel at home in the virtual Caribbean. You do, however, need powerful hardware; many options cannot be used without a good GPU and you will have to live with many dropped frames.

Test Systems

Our three most important 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 & HD Graphics 4600)
XMG P502 (Core i7-3610QM, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 660M, GTX 670MX, GTX 675MX, GTX 680M, Radeon HD 7970M & HD Graphics 4000)

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

GPU drivers used: Nvidia 331.82 WHQL, AMD 13.11 Beta 9.2, Intel 10.18.10.3345

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

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Editor of the original article: Florian Glaser - Managing Editor Gaming Laptops - 635 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2009

I discovered my interest in computers in my childhood, growing up with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 in the early 1990s. I was especially fascinated with computer games, even from an early age. From Monkey Island through Lands of Lore to Doom, I tried every game I could get my hands on. I have been working for Notebookcheck since 2009 with my focus mostly being on high-performance gaming laptops.

Translator: Andreas Osthoff - Managing Editor Business Laptops - 1702 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2013

I grew up with modern consumer electronics and my first computer was a Commodore C64, which encouraged my interest in building my own systems. I started working as a review editor for Notebookcheck during my dual studies at Siemens. Currently, I am mainly responsible for dealing with business laptops and mobile workstations. It’s a great experience to be able to review the latest devices and technologies and then compare them with each other.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Archive of our own reviews > Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Benchmarked

Florian Glaser, 2013-11-27 (Update: 2024-11- 4)

Pos	Model	< Prev Next > Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
Pos	Model	low 1024x768 (Very) Low / Off	med. 1366x768 Normal / Off	high 1366x768 High / On / SSAO (PhysX Off) 2x MSAA	ultra 1920x1080 (Very) High / On / HBAO+ (PhysX off) 4x MSAA
168	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI			60	60
258	AMD Radeon R9 280X	61.7	61.7	61.7	42.8
272	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680	61	59.8	58.9	43.1
290	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M	62	59	57	35
301	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti	62.1	61.8	61.2	37.3
303	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M	62	61.6	58.3	35.6
309	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M	60	60	55.1	29.8
313	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M	59.6	58.5	53.5	31.1
315	AMD Radeon HD 8970M	49.7	46.8	45	27.7
321	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M	61.5	60.6	47.2	26.2
327	AMD Radeon HD 7970M	44.6	42.4	40.9	26.7
359	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M	61.7	61.4	44	24.9
365	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M	60.2	59.8	44.5	23.6
368	NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M SLI		53.9	48.7	29.7
371	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX	61.4	59.4	39.8	21
381	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M	73.55ⁿ²	47.2ⁿ³	33.1ⁿ³	18.4ⁿ³
391	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M	61.7	58.8	35.4	18.4
421	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX	61	50.2	31.8	16.3
423	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M	57.1	50.5	32	16.4
Pos	Model	< Prev Next >Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag
Pos	Model	low	med.	high	ultra
432	AMD Radeon HD 8870M	25.3	23.6	19.1	10.7
456	NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M		42	26.9	14.4
459	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M	57.2	45.3	26.4	13.6
463	AMD Radeon R9 M265X	44.5	34	20.4	9.8
473	NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M	51.9	38.1	23.4	10.8
513	NVIDIA GeForce 840M	39.8ⁿ³	30.5ⁿ³	16.4ⁿ³	7.3ⁿ²
518	AMD Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)	42.6	33.3	18.4	7.7
519	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200	35.8	28.5	14.8	7.5
520	AMD Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)	42.2	34.2	18.3	7.7
528	NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M	37.55ⁿ²	28.35ⁿ²	15ⁿ²	6.2
537	NVIDIA GeForce 830M	39	27.2	15.1
554	NVIDIA GeForce 825M	37.6	29.2	15.4
566	NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M	33.3	23.7	13.3
573	AMD Radeon R7 M265	18.16ⁿ²	14.18ⁿ²	9.3	4.2
578	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M	40.3	32.1	18.5	9.5
598	AMD Radeon R7 M260	20.6	16.9	12.3
631	AMD Radeon HD 8670D	39.4	31.5	16.7	6.6
655	AMD Radeon HD 8570D	34.8	25.4	12.8
662	AMD Radeon HD 7660D	33.6	24.7	13.8
680	AMD Radeon HD 8650G	26.8	20.2	10.7	5.1
Pos	Model	< Prev Next >Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag
Pos	Model	low	med.	high	ultra
685	NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M	23.8	18.1	10.6	5.2
691	AMD Radeon R5 M255	35.8	29.3	8.7
695	NVIDIA GeForce 820M	28.2	21.7	11.6
716	Intel Iris Graphics 5100	24	17.5	8.9	4.4
720	Intel HD Graphics 4600	24.8	18.4	8.9	4.7
722	Intel HD Graphics 5500	20.1	14.1	5.1
760	AMD Radeon HD 7660G	25	20.5	10.7	4.4
779	AMD Radeon HD 8550G	27.5	22.5	11.3
800	Intel HD Graphics 4400	21.8ⁿ²	15.25ⁿ²	12.8	6.4
843	AMD Radeon HD 7480D	19.4	15.5
844	Intel HD Graphics 4000	23.6	17.4	7.4	3.6
850	AMD Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L)	16.2	12.3	10.1	4.3
851	AMD Radeon R4 (Beema)	15.2	11.8	5.4
853	AMD Radeon R3 (Mullins/Beema)	14.1	10.8	5.1
856	Intel HD Graphics 4200	13	9.8
865	AMD Radeon HD 8450G	20	16.8
869	AMD Radeon HD 8400	16.5	11.7
889	AMD Radeon HD 8330	11.9
972	Intel HD Graphics 3000	9.2
1038	Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail)	8.7	5.8

Legend
5	Stutters – 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.
30	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 25fps
40	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 35fps
60	Fluent – 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.