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Destiny 2 Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks

Frenzy effect. While the first volume was exclusive to consoles, Destiny 2 will be playable on the PC platform, as well. Our benchmark tests will shine a light on hardware requirements and we will see whether it is a convincing game.
Destiny 2

Technology

For the original German review, see here.

The developer Bungie, famous for its Halo games, now offers a sequel to the popular online shooter from 2014. Similar to Destiny 1, the second part of the science-fiction saga comes blasting like a fireworks display in a Hollywood-style enactment. The utilized engine shows its strength particularly well in regard to the quality of the effects. After a couple of minutes, we were already psyched about the excellent fire and smoke effects that are accompanied by the beautifully realistic rain in outdoor scenes. We also like the visual display of the weaponry and character abilities. Reflections appear exaggerated from time to time.

In combination with some jazzy level building blocks, Destiny 2 keeps reminding us of Unreal Tournament or, generally, games based on the Unreal Engine. Textures are very presentable and don’t have to hide behind other ego shooters, although a higher level of details would have been nice. The game levels leave us with a good visual impression thanks to the scenic environment which is for example decorated with chunks of debris.

Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2

We didn’t observe too much of a reduction in details when lowering the graphics settings, hence the game is still very enjoyable at lowest settings. On maximum settings, we would describe the visuals as good to very good. Gameplay-wise, we are really fond of the precise and smooth controls, which are even a bit better than what can be seen in the alphas among the shooters, like Call of Duty and Battlefield, and it even gives some games by id Software (Doom, Rage, etc.) a hard time keeping up.

Thanks to the uncomplicated gameplay and despite the bombastic effects, Destiny 2 runs smoothly, given adequate hardware equipment. The excellent tutorial, which is storied by great video sequences, makes it easy even for beginners to quickly get into the game. In the short time that we've played Destiny 2, we found it very intriguing, as it is simply a straightforward game. However, this very characteristic opens the possibility to make it seem uninspiring or even dull as players move forward to later levels.

Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2

We do have to voice praise about the very clean and good-looking game menus that are truly adapted for a PC version. The ample graphics options are praiseworthy as well, and they are categorized into three tabs: video for screen mode, resolution, VSync, field of view, screen limits and brightness, and additional video for render resolution (we always use 100%), HDR mode, chromatic aberrations, and noise filter.

Most options, however, can be found in the advanced video category. Players can choose between several presets for setting the graphics quality, but they can also individually customize the 13 available adjustments, including anisotropic filter or anti-aliasing. Like our recently tested games ELEX and Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Destiny 2 only offers FXAA and SMAA for moderate smoothing effects and slight blurriness.

Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2

What’s annoying is that a re-start of the game is required to change some settings, which gets even worse due to the long login process. The in-game VRAM display that shows the GPU’s graphics load is a very handy feature. In contrast to other Triple A games which are often hungry for more than 4 GB, Destiny 2 is very modest. On maximum settings at 1080p, the game requires a mere 2.7 GB. The game size of 35 GB (as of October 2017) is fairly standard.

Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2

Unfortunately, Destiny 2 is distributed and playable only via Blizzard’s gaming platform Battlenet, which rivals Steam, Origin, and UPlay. We did not experience significant lags, graphics errors, or freezes in our tests, but there were two things we did notice. For one thing, the screen remains black from time to time when changing the resolution. For another thing, Destiny 2 didn’t want to start into full-screen mode on laptops with Nvidia Optimus.

Destiny 2
Destiny 2
Destiny 2

Benchmark tests

Destiny 2 is definitely not made for performance testing. Since overlay tools, like Frap, are blocked because of security reason (thanks to the modders and cheaters), which we do find to be unnecessary patronizing for the consumers, we could not measure the framerates the way we wanted. We had to rely on the implemented FPS display of the game but couldn’t record our experiences. 

After a bit of research and thanks to the developers of the game, we found OCAT, an open-source alternative to Fraps. Although the overlay in OCAT did not work either, we could still assess the average framerates and since the game is a very quick ego shooter, 40 fps should be the minimum for players, but we find 60 fps or more to yield the best experience.

Results

Even though low-end GPUs like the Intel HD Graphics 630 can’t cope, the game’s hardware requirements are pretty moderate. The GeForce MX150, a graphics card from the lower mid-range segment, reaches 60 fps at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels.

Highest Preset
Highest Preset
High Preset
High Preset
Medium Preset
Medium Preset
Low Preset
Low Preset

For a Full HD experience in medium or high details, a GPU of the upper mid-segment (GeForce GTX 1050 or higher) is recommended. Maximum details in Full HD require at least a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. For QHD (2560x1440 pixels), a GeForce GTX 1060 or GTX 980 and for 4K (3840x2160) a GeForce GTX 1080 (Ti) are good choices. In lower resolutions, the CPU is more of a bottleneck than the GPU for the framerate – which, by the way, is limited to a maximum of 200 fps.

Destiny 2
    3840x2160 Highest Preset AA:SM AF:16x     2560x1440 Highest Preset AA:SM AF:16x     1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:SM AF:16x     1920x1080 High Preset AA:SM AF:4x     1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:FX AF:2x     1280x720 Low Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
51.5 (22.8P1) fps ∼55%
158 (8.3P1) fps ∼78%
156 (8.3P1) fps ∼77%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
40.1 (35min) fps ∼43%
77.1 (65min) fps ∼46%
145 (110min) fps ∼72%
160 (123min) fps ∼79%
165 (130min) fps ∼81%
168 (135min) fps ∼82%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
Alienware 17 R4
37.9 (32min) fps ∼40%
74.4 (59min) fps ∼45%
136 (84min) fps ∼67%
143 (99min) fps ∼71%
143 (107min) fps ∼70%
144 (111min) fps ∼70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
32.9 (29min) fps ∼35%
65.3 (54min) fps ∼39%
123 (94min) fps ∼61%
147 (110min) fps ∼73%
162 (122min) fps ∼80%
166 (134min) fps ∼81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
Asus G752VS
29.9 (26min) fps ∼32%
59.2 (48min) fps ∼35%
115 (72min) fps ∼57%
135 (99min) fps ∼67%
137 (99min) fps ∼67%
140 (109min) fps ∼68%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K
Desktop PC
22.6 (19min) fps ∼24%
43.4 (37min) fps ∼26%
88.1 (67min) fps ∼44%
109 (81min) fps ∼54%
122 (91min) fps ∼60%
166 (128min) fps ∼81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
21.7 (20min) fps ∼23%
43.7 (37min) fps ∼26%
86.9 (66min) fps ∼43%
106 (78min) fps ∼52%
119 (89min) fps ∼59%
160 (132min) fps ∼78%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
MSI GT62VR
19.3 (17min) fps ∼21%
39.6 (33min) fps ∼24%
79.7 (56min) fps ∼39%
98.2 (63min) fps ∼49%
108 (69min) fps ∼53%
125 (96min) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
17.8 (16min) fps ∼19%
26.1 fps ∼16%
51.1 fps ∼25%
62.1 fps ∼31%
65.5 fps ∼32%
116 fps ∼56%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Asus GL753VD
9.5 (9min) fps ∼10%
18.3 (16min) fps ∼11%
39.5 (31min) fps ∼20%
50.4 (36min) fps ∼25%
56.4 (37min) fps ∼28%
99.4 (47min) fps ∼48%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
MSI GE72 965M Ti
13.6 (10.2P1) fps ∼14%
20.6 fps ∼12%
40.2 fps ∼20%
50 fps ∼25%
55 fps ∼27%
102 fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
MSI PE60 2QD
15.7 fps ∼17%
15.7 (13P1) fps ∼9%
24.7 fps ∼12%
31.5 fps ∼16%
35.7 fps ∼18%
62.5 fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
25.5 (20min) fps ∼13%
31.8 (21min) fps ∼16%
34.7 (23min) fps ∼17%
62.2 (35min) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ
MSI CX72 6QD
16.2 fps ∼8%
32 fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ
MSI GP62 2QD
16.7 fps ∼8%
31.9 fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M
MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD
28.1 fps ∼14%
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
9.9 (8min) fps ∼5%
11.1 (9min) fps ∼5%
21.2 (17min) fps ∼10%

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >Destiny 2
 Destiny 2 (2017)
low
1280x720
Low Preset
med.
1920x1080
Medium Preset
2xAF FXAA
high
1920x1080
High Preset
4xAF SMAA
ultra
1920x1080
Highest Preset
16xAF SMAA
QHD
2560x1440
Highest Preset
16xAF SMAA
4K
3840x2160
Highest Preset
16xAF SMAA
NVIDIA Titan RTX
149
154
150
154
94
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
192.5n2
190.5n2
190n2
190n2
162n2
91n2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop)
151
150
149
148
133
74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop)
158.05n2
155.9n2
155.5n2
157.65n2
130.5
71.95n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
156
158
51.5
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
129.5
129.8
127.2
126.5
52.8
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super (Desktop)
146
144
143
142
119
65
AMD Radeon VII
147
136
134
112
51
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop)
147
148
145
142
106
56.5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
155.1n3
152.2n3
150.7n3
151n3
111.45n2
60n3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
168
165
160
117.45n2
77.1
40.1
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super (Desktop)
165n2
164n2
160n2
148n2
104n2
55.1n2
AMD Radeon RX 5700 (Desktop)
139
137
135
132
92
49.1
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
206.1
181.2
169.5
144.5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop)
137
135
136
103
49.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
144
143
154n2
139.1n3
74.4
38.15n2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
110.9
95.9
96.9
96.1
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
150
141
134
115
80
43.2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
125.9
114.7
110.5
99.7
PosModel< PrevNext >Destiny 2
low med. high ultra QHD 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
174.75n2
159.4n2
147.85n2
126.1n2
65.3
39.35n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q
124
122
122
115
32
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
140
137
135n4
117.5n4
70.8n2
29.9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop)
153.4
145.5
135
113.6
77.1
39.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
152.6
137.4
130.8
111
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
166
122
109
88.1
43.4
22.6
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Desktop)
139.5
109.6
99.9
83.8
27.9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
160
119
106
86.9
43.7
21.7
AMD Radeon RX 570 (Desktop)
145
99
91
73
49.7
26.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
125
108
94.1n5
78.4n5
39.6
19.3
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop)
97.6
91.4
83.3
69.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (Desktop)
140
87
80
66
43.7
22.5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
85.4
75.1
72.7
62.4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
94.7
85.4
71.4
17.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
114
89.8
80
64.9
23.5
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH
106.1
81.2
78.8
65.9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
116
65.5
62.8n3
51.2n3
26.1
17.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
111
67.7
63.3
50.8
34.6
18
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
119.5
69.4
64.3
57.9
18.9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
99.4
56.4
50.4
39.5
18.3
9.5
PosModel< PrevNext >Destiny 2
low med. high ultra QHD 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
82.2
57.4
51.6
38.1
13.5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
102
55
50
40.2
20.6
13.6
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
77.8
50.8
46.7
37.3
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
106.5
47.5
44.1
36.2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
71.1
42.5
36.7
29.2
20.3
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
68.6
35.9
32.6
25.5
7.3
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
62.5
32.2
30.3
25.1
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
50n4
28.95n4
27.3n2
18.7n2
AMD Radeon RX 540
34.4
18.8
15.5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
62.5
35.7
31.5
24.7
15.7
15.7
AMD Radeon RX Vega 11
56.7
30.8
28.2
23.9
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
29.4
20.4
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
30.2
14.6
12.8
10.1
NVIDIA GeForce MX230
44.9
23.9
22
17.5
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
32n3
16.2n3
23
21
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
38.3n2
27n2
22.2n2
19.35n2
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
31.9
16.7
NVIDIA GeForce 930MX
30
13.1
10.8
7.9
AMD Radeon R9 M375
36.4
20.2
18
16.3
AMD Radeon 530
22.6
11.6
PosModel< PrevNext >Destiny 2
low med. high ultra QHD 4K
NVIDIA GeForce MX110
34.3
17.7
16.2
13.2
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
43.6
25.9
23.6
18
NVIDIA GeForce 920M
28.1
AMD Radeon 520
17.8
9.4
Intel UHD Graphics 630
17
9.2
Intel HD Graphics 630
21.2
11.1
9.9
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge)
15.3
Intel UHD Graphics 620
18.5
9.4
Intel HD Graphics 620
12.6
AMD Radeon R5 M255
19
Intel HD Graphics 520
9.7
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
17.5
AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
10
Intel HD Graphics 4600
13.7
Intel HD Graphics 615
11.2
Intel HD Graphics 4400
10
(-) * 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 Grahics card Processor Working memory 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 drivers AMD drivers
2 x Asus PB287Q, Philips 328P6VJEB ForceWare 388.00 Crimson 17.10.2
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Florian Glaser, 2017-10-29 (Update: 2022-01-21)