F1 2018 Notebook and Desktop Benchmarks
Technology
F1 2018, like its predecessor, is based on Codemasters’ EGO Engine 4.0. While the graphics are generally convincing with detailed vehicles and nice effects, the technical backbone seems somewhat outdated. Lighting and texture quality could be better, for example.
Positively, Codemasters has packed F1 2018 with an abundance of options that we first saw in F1 2017, albeit still arranged within a somewhat convoluted set of menus. Starting with the video menu, Codemasters has included not only resolution options, image modes, different aspect ratios and refresh rate controls but has also included HDR, anisotropic filtering, V sync and anti-aliasing. It is a shame that Codemasters still relies on TAA anti-aliasing, but it does a decent job generally.
There are even more adjustments in the extended graphics sub-menu too. While there are 15 individual settings that allow for fine-tuning, there are also five graphics presets if you would rather keep things simple. The game loses its atmosphere when played at low settings, but the racetracks come alive when running at medium settings or higher. While the high and ultra-high presets naturally further improve the graphics of the game, the differences between presets are narrower than the change from low to medium settings.
Graphics changes are made directly without the need for a restart, which is a plus. Loading times are relatively small too. F1 2018 requires around 38 GB of storage space and has a 24 GB download file size.
Benchmarks
There are also numerous options in the built-in benchmark. As the screenshots above demonstrate, you can choose from different tracks, weather conditions and camera angles. These are complemented by a loop function for long-term benchmarks and an FPS counter. When the benchmark finishes, F1 2018 provides you with a host of information such as the minimum, average and maximum FPS among others. We benchmarked F1 2018 the same way we did with its predecessor, on a course based in Australia in the wet with the camera fixed to the cockpit.
According to the results of our benchmarks, the system requirements are practically identical to F1 2017. Anyone who can play last year’s version of the game should have no issues with playing F1 2018. Unfortunately, F1 2018 has the same bug that plagues other Codemasters racing games. The game cannot run at 3840x2160 on an external 4K monitor when being played on a notebook. The result is just a black screen. Despite running the latest drivers, the game often allowed us to only set the maximum resolution to 2560x1600.
It is worth bearing in mind that the CPU often bottlenecked high-end GPUs, which somewhat skewed some of the rankings.
Results
While F1 2018 has relatively modest minimum system requirements, Intel GPUs like the Intel HD Graphics 630 cannot run the game even at 1280x720 on ultra-low graphics. We would recommend using at least an Nvidia GeForce 940MX if you want to have a pleasant gaming experience. Likewise, we would recommend using either a GeForce MX150 or a GTX 950M if you want to play F1 2018 at 1920x1080. Similarly, you will need at least a GTX 1050 or a GTX 960M to play at high graphics and at least a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or a GTX 970M if you would like to play at ultra-high graphics.
You will only need high-end GPUs for resolutions above 1920x1080. For example, we would recommend using at least a GeForce GTX 1060 or a GTX 980M for playing at 2560x1440 and a GeForce GTX 1070 or GeForce GTX 1080 for playing at 4K on notebooks.
F1 2018 | |
3840x2160 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x 2560x1440 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:8x 1920x1080 Medium Preset AF:4x 1280x720 Ultra Low Preset | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ | |
AMD Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P | |
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M | |
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U | |
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ |
Overview
Test Systems
Graphics Card | Processor | RAM | OS | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Desktop PC I | MSI GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X) MSI GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB 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 (4GB GDDR5) Sapphire Radeon R9 280X (3GB GDDR5) MSI Radeon R7 370 (2GB GDDR5) |
Intel Core i7-4790K | 2 x 4GB DDR3 | Windows 10 64bit |
Alienware 17 R4 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X) | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 1 x 16GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
Asus G752VS | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-6820HK | 2 x 16GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI GT62VR | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-6820HK | 2 x 8GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
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 (4GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-7700HQ | 1 x 8GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI GL62 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-7700HQ | 2 x 4GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
Asus G752VY | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (4GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-6700HQ | 2 x 16GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI GS60 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (3GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-6700HQ | 2 x 4GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI GE72 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M (2GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-6700HQ | 1 x 8GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI GL72 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (2GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-7700HQ | 1 x 8GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI PE60 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M (2GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-6700HQ | 2 x 4GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI PL62 | NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (2GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-7700HQ | 1 x 8GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI CX72 | NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (2GB DDR3) | Intel Core i7-6700HQ | 2 x 8GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI GP62 | NVIDIA GeForce 940M (2GB DDR3) | Intel Core i7-5700HQ | 1 x 8GB DDR3 | Windows 10 64bit |
MSI CX61 | NVIDIA GeForce 920M (2GB DDR3) | Intel Celeron 2970M | 1 x 8GB DDR3 | Windows 10 64bit |
ASUS N551ZU | AMD Radeon R9 M280X (4GB GDDR5) | AMD FX-7600P | 2 x 4GB DDR3 | Windows 10 64bit |
4K Monitor | NVIDIA Drivers | AMD Drivers |
---|---|---|
2 x Asus PB287Q , Philips 328P6VJEB | ForceWare 398.82 | Adrenaline 18.8.1 |