Baldur's Gate 3 tech review: Laptop and desktop benchmarks

Brilliant performance. Belgian-based Larian Studios has released a truly epic RPG with Baldur’s Gate 3. By and large, the game excels in terms of both contents and technical performance. Our technical review will mainly focus on how the game performs on modern laptop and desktop GPUs.

Florian Glaser, 👁 Florian Glaser (translated by Zhiwei Zhuang), Published 08/08/2023 🇩🇪 🇸🇪 ...

Notebooks used in this review

Right now, our gaming benchmarks are performed using these laptops. Click on the images to visit the respective product page. All other test systems (tower PCs, mini-PCs, etc.) are listed at the end of this article.

Technical aspects

In the coming months and years, other RPG makers are going to have a very hard time trying to be as good as Baldur’s Gate 3. Players will notice in every nook and cranny how much effort has been put into creating the game. It is not for nothing that the colossal role-playing game has thus far been exceptionally well received by the media and community alike. Regardless of whether it’s story-telling, gameplay or general game design, the title showcases an extremely high level of quality. Baldur’s Gate 3 also shines when it comes to atmosphere thanks to its gripping presentation, moody soundtrack, superb sound design and detailed environments.

What's more, the game's graphics are gorgeous for the most part, and this brings us to the technical aspects. For starters, you’ll need some patience before you can begin enjoying this excellent RPG. The offline GOG version we tested, in particular, requires a lot of time to get up and running. After going through the trouble of downloading a whopping 28 files (the game is larger 100 GB), you’ll encounter a longer installation process. But once you get to the actual game, it delivers a mostly positive experience on the technical side of things.

Most PC gamers should especially be satisfied with what they see in the graphics menu. Whilst things like resolution, display mode, refresh rate and VSync can be found under “Display Options”, around 20 individual settings with varying impact on performance await you in the “General”, “Lighting” and “Post Process” sections. One fantastic touch is that changes can be made without requiring you to restart the game. Baldur’s Gate 3 also deserves a thumbs-up for providing written explanations as well as some comparison images for these settings. There are likewise convenient presets to help you adjust most of the settings at one go. The developers have included SMAA, TAA and DLAA for edge smoothing. The game also supports DLSS (Nvidia) and FSR (AMD). However, ray tracing is not on board. You can choose between DirectX 11 and Vulkan when booting up the game. Our measurements were made with the latter API because it tends to result in higher frame rates.

The developers could still work a little bit on the game’s loading times. A few small bugs and issues here and there (e.g. clipping) are completely tolerable and virtually inevitable considering how expansive the game is. Baldur’s Gate 3 looks phenomenal on screen once it gets to medium settings and is ahead of most third-person or isometric RPGs visually. There are hardly any differences between the High and Ultra presets in terms of both graphics and performance.

Benchmark

For our frame rate measurements, we used the beginning section of the game where the main character has to escape a spaceship-like area. We moved the main character along a set route (see video) and used CapFrameX to record the performance for roughly 25 seconds. This doesn’t represent the worst-case scenario but rather more closely mirrors the average performance you can expect from the game. Because Baldur’s Gate 3 features less-hectic turn-based combat that mostly takes place from an isometric (top-down) view, 30 FPS should theoretically be enough to provide a proper gaming experience.

Results

FHD (1,920 x 1,080)

The graphics requirements of Baldur‘s Gate 3 turn out to be quite moderate. More powerful iGPUs, such as the Radeon 680M, are already good enough to run the game at 1080p and the lowest settings. You’ll need at least a mid-range GPU to push up the settings at this resolution. Our RTX 4050 delivered more than 60 FPS on average even with the settings maxed out.

Baldur's Gate 3
1920x1080 Low Preset 1920x1080 Medium Preset 1920x1080 High Preset 1920x1080 Ultra Preset
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	225 (69.4^min, 105.4^P0.1, 157.5^P1) fps ∼41% 206 (63.1^min, 109.6^P0.1, 145.2^P1) fps ∼49% 204 (78.8^min, 110.2^P0.1, 150.6^P1) fps ∼56%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	220 (86.2^min, 112.9^P0.1, 148.7^P1) fps ∼40% 204 (95.7^min, 115.2^P0.1, 153.4^P1) fps ∼49% 201 (72.2^min, 106.8^P0.1, 151.6^P1) fps ∼55%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 17 E23	204 (29.3^min, 62.6^P0.1, 125.9^P1) fps ∼37% 186.2 (61.4^min, 90.3^P0.1, 136.9^P1) fps ∼44% 176.8 (46.1^min, 78.1^P0.1, 132^P1) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX Schenker Key 17 Pro E23	178.4 (45.1^min, 82.5^P0.1, 116.6^P1) fps ∼32% 158.6 (37.6^min, 80.6^P0.1, 115.5^P1) fps ∼38% 149.7 (60.1^min, 80.4^P0.1, 108.7^P1) fps ∼41%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900H Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733ZX	128.6 (22.1^min, 29.9^P0.1, 70.2^P1) fps ∼23% 111.1 (28.5^min, 35.7^P0.1, 74.6^P1) fps ∼27% 108.1 (19.1^min, 22.4^P0.1, 62.1^P1) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	125.4 (25.6^min, 28.7^P0.1, 59.4^P1) fps ∼23% 105.6 (25.5^min, 28.8^P0.1, 51.7^P1) fps ∼25% 100.2 (26.8^min, 27.9^P0.1, 40.5^P1) fps ∼28%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-55	110.9 (27.2^min, 45.7^P0.1, 73.6^P1) fps ∼20% 94.9 (25.7^min, 33.1^P0.1, 65.2^P1) fps ∼23% 93.4 (30.6^min, 39.1^P0.1, 64.9^P1) fps ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	105.7 (38.7^min, 45^P0.1, 64.2^P1) fps ∼19% 91.1 (38.9^min, 42.4^P0.1, 74.7^P1) fps ∼22% 89 (39.7^min, 42.9^P0.1, 69.4^P1) fps ∼25%
AMD Radeon RX 6800S, R9 6900HS Asus ROG Zephyrus G14	119.2 (39.1^min, 71.9^P0.1, 96.8^P1) fps ∼63% 95.6 (67.8^min, 71.5^P0.1, 77.6^P1) fps ∼17% 78.5 (56.1^min, 63.1^P0.1, 67.8^P1) fps ∼19% 76.7 (47.6^min, 64^P0.1, 67.1^P1) fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Focus 15 E23	85.9 (33.7^min, 42.8^P0.1, 72.7^P1) fps ∼16% 71.9 (45^min, 49.3^P0.1, 64.3^P1) fps ∼17% 71 (33^min, 40.4^P0.1, 63.1^P1) fps ∼20%
AMD Radeon 680M, R9 6900HS Asus ROG Zephyrus G14	34.9 (22.2^min, 22.8^P0.1, 24.8^P1) fps ∼19% 28 (17.4^min, 18.6^P0.1, 21^P1) fps ∼5% 22.6 (14.1^min, 14.6^P0.1, 16.5^P1) fps ∼5% 22.1 (13.8^min, 14.2^P0.1, 15.6^P1) fps ∼6%

QHD (2,560 x 1,440)

You likewise wouldn’t need a high-end graphics accelerator to play the game at QHD. Even the RTX 4050 has no problem handling the game at 1440p and Ultra preset.

Baldur's Gate 3
2560x1440 Ultra Preset
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	163.3 (85.7^min, 107.4^P0.1, 133.1^P1) fps ∼52%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	154.6 (43.5^min, 98.7^P0.1, 128.8^P1) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 17 E23	133.5 (44.9^min, 65.9^P0.1, 109.3^P1) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX Schenker Key 17 Pro E23	111.5 (38^min, 51.8^P0.1, 88.3^P1) fps ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900H Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733ZX	76.4 (27.4^min, 29.2^P0.1, 48.6^P1) fps ∼24%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	70.9 (25.7^min, 29.6^P0.1, 41.5^P1) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-55	66.3 (25.3^min, 30.8^P0.1, 53.5^P1) fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	60.7 (32.1^min, 33.6^P0.1, 44.8^P1) fps ∼19%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Focus 15 E23	49.8 (30.8^min, 34.5^P0.1, 44^P1) fps ∼16%

UHD (3,840 x 2,160)

Baldur’s Gate 3 becomes demanding at 4K. Without any upscaling, you’ll need at least a GeForce RTX 4060 or 3070 Ti to have enough power for 4K and Ultra preset. Though an RTX 4050 is sufficient once DLSS (Quality) is enabled.

Baldur's Gate 3
3840x2160 Ultra Preset 3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	94.4 (26.6^min, 68.4^P0.1, 79.4^P1) fps ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-12900K Desktop-PC	86.7 (61.2^min, 69^P0.1, 75.2^P1) fps ∼26% 136.3 (82^min, 91.6^P0.1, 118.7^P1) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 17 E23	66 (31.5^min, 35.8^P0.1, 53.2^P1) fps ∼20% 108.2 (39^min, 66^P0.1, 92^P1) fps ∼39%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX Schenker Key 17 Pro E23	55.7 (29.8^min, 33.4^P0.1, 45.4^P1) fps ∼17% 90.9 (29.6^min, 45.5^P0.1, 73.4^P1) fps ∼33%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900H Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733ZX	41.7 (30.4^min, 33.3^P0.1, 36.2^P1) fps ∼13% 64.6 (26.9^min, 33.3^P0.1, 56.8^P1) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	34.2 (19^min, 19.1^P0.1, 23.8^P1) fps ∼10% 58 (24.4^min, 25.6^P0.1, 29.9^P1) fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-55	34 (24.7^min, 25^P0.1, 29^P1) fps ∼10% 55.5 (23.9^min, 28.6^P0.1, 43.5^P1) fps ∼20%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	29.9 (19.8^min, 21.3^P0.1, 24.7^P1) fps ∼9% 50.8 (33.5^min, 35^P0.1, 44.5^P1) fps ∼18%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Focus 15 E23	24 (15.8^min, 16.5^P0.1, 20.9^P1) fps ∼7% 40.6 (26.1^min, 28.1^P0.1, 36.5^P1) fps ∼15%

Note

Because gaming tests are very time-consuming and are often constrained by installation or activation limits, we are only able to provide you with part of the benchmark results at the time of publishing this article. We will be adding more graphics cards over the coming days and weeks.

Overview

All test systems

Device	Graphics card	Processor	Memory
Notebooks
XMG Neo 17 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 @175 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6X)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Schenker Key 17 Pro E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 @175 W TGP (12 GB GDDR6X)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
XMG Pro 15 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
XMG Pro 15 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
XMG Focus 15 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 @140 W TGP (6 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti @150 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-12900H	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Acer Predator Helios 300	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti @150 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-12700H	2 x 8 GB DDR5
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14	AMD Radeon RX 6800S (8 GB GDDR6) & AMD Radeon 680M	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Tower PCs
Custom I	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (16 GB GDDR6X) AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (24 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-12900K	2 x 16 GB DDR4
Custom II	Palit GeForce RTX 4090 GameRock OC (24 GB GDDR6X) Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 FE (24 GB GDDR6X) Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (8 GB GDDR6X) Nvidia Titan RTX (24 GB GDDR6) lNvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super (8 GB GDDR6) Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super (8 GB GDDR6) KFA2 GeForce GTX 1660 Super (6 GB GDDR6) PNY GeForce GTX 1660 (6 GB GDDR5) KFA2 GeForce GTX 1650 Super (4 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (16 GB DDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB DDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB DDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 6600 (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5700 (8 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (6 GB GDDR6) AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (8 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Mini-PCs
Minisforum NUCXi7	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 @125 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-11800H	2 x 8 GB DDR4
Minisforum HX99G	AMD Radeon RX 6600M @100 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Morefine S500+	AMD Radeon RX Vega 8	AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR4

4K monitors	Operating system	Nvidia driver	AMD driver
Philips Brilliance 329P9H, Gigabyte M32U	Windows 11	ForceWare 535.98	Adrenalin 23.5.2

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Editor of the original article: Florian Glaser - Managing Editor Gaming Laptops - 616 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: Zhiwei Zhuang - Translator - 151 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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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Baldur's Gate 3 tech review: Laptop and desktop benchmarks

Florian Glaser, 2023-08- 8 (Update: 2023-08- 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.