FIFA 20 Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks
Technology
Content has seemingly been EA's primary focus with FIFA 20, so those who were hoping for a graphics update this year will be disappointed. While FIFA 20 looks good, Anthem, Battlefield 5, Need for Speed Payback and Mass Effect Andromeda all demonstrate that EA's latest football game could make more of the Frostbite 3 engine than it does. In short, FIFA 20 looks a bit outdated except for detailed kits and famous footballers, which we think is a fair criticism considering that EA sells the FIFA series as triple AAA titles.
The graphics menu remains the same as the one that EA included in FIFA 19 and its predecessors. The menu is not accessible from within the game and has a dedicated .exe instead, but it is well laid out. EA has included options for adjusting the display mode, resolution, image quality and degree of MSAA anti-aliasing. There is a framerate lock too, should you wish to use one. Visually, little has changed with FIFA 20 compared to its predecessors, nor does changing between the four presets make a huge difference.
Surprisingly, EA has removed the DirectX selector that it included in FIFA 19, with FIFA 20 being forced to run on DirectX 12. This decision excludes some systems that would have been powerful enough to run FIFA 20 in DirectX 11, which is a shame. Likewise, DX12 is currently more unstable than its predecessor, with the API causing some crashes in our experience that we cannot replicate with DirectX 11.
Thankfully, there is a way to re-enable DirectX 11 should you need to do so. All you need to do is open the fifasetup file, found in your Documents folder, with something like Notepad and change the DIRECTX_SELECT = from 0 to 1. This change forces the game to run in DirectX 11, so you will need to change DIRECTX_SELECT back to 0 if you want to revert to DirectX 12. The DirectX mode seems to have little impact on average framerates, although subjectively we noticed more micro-stutters and hangs on weaker GPUs when using DirectX 12 than DirectX 11.
In our opinion, EA should bring the DirectX selector it integrated within FIFA 19 to FIFA 20. There is simply no reason to omit it from this year's edition. Annoyingly, EA has set the in-game menus and replays to run at half the frequency of the display on which you are playing the game, meaning that replays will run at 30 FPS on a 60 Hz screen. While this is not a dealbreaker, it makes some elements of the game look unnecessarily jerky.
As someone who likes to game with a keyboard and mouse, we wish that EA would redesign the menus of future FIFA PC ports. The nested menu structure of FIFA 20 is overly impractical for keyboard and mouse users, with EA clearly designing the game around using a controller instead.
Our final gripe with FIFA 20 is EA's rigid activation policy, which we have repeatedly criticised. Currently, Origin limits installing games to two systems per day with one game key, a reduction from the five that the game launcher and marketplace previously allowed. While two installs per day is probably enough for most consumers, it makes benchmarking the game difficult for us when we typically must install the game over twenty times. In short, we wish that EA would stop patronising its customers like this. But enough with the gripes and onto how well FIFA 20 performs on various systems and GPUs.
Benchmark
FIFA 20 does not have a built-in benchmark, so we used the same custom benchmark sequence that we have also relied on for the previous version of FIFA. As the video below demonstrates, our benchmark is an exhibition match between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, which we have set to take place in the afternoon on a clear summer's day. We should point out that we staged the game at Sanderson Park, the fictitious version of the Allianz Arena, as eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 has exclusive licensing of FC Bayern and its stadium this year. This change from our previous benchmarks should not affect the average framerate, though.
We should also point out that we used OCAT to record framerates rather than FRAPS, as the latter does not currently work with DirectX 12. We logged the first five minutes of gameplay, which represents around one half of a six-minute match.
We also avoided making any fouls, scoring or offsides to reduce the volume of replay or cutscene framerate drops as we mentioned earlier. We skipped any of these that did occur to minimise the effect that they had on our average framerates. Overall, we would recommend playing FIFA 20 at between 50 and 60 FPS for a smooth gaming experience.
Results
HD (1,280x720)
The biggest advantage of mediocre graphics is the low system requirements, although we would not take anything away from the effort that EA has made with optimising the Frostbite engine over the years too. While integrated Intel GPUs are not powerful enough for most modern triple-A games, you should have no such issues with FIFA 20. As our graphs demonstrate, FIFA 20 is playable at 720p on the low preset with an integrated GPU. Beware, in our tests the Intel graphics cards only ran in DirectX 11 mode (DIRECTX_SELECT = 1 in the fifasetup.ini).
FIFA 20 | |
1280x720 Low Preset | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop) | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop) | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop) | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop) | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop) | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop) | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) | |
AMD Radeon R9 M280X | |
Intel HD Graphics 615 |
FHD (1,920x1,080)
Surprisingly, even integrated AMD GPUs such as the Radeon RX Vega 8 can handle FIFA 20 at 1080p and the medium preset. We would still recommend using dedicated midrange GPUs such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M for playing FIFA 20 at 1080p though. The GeForce GTX 950M should have no problem with running the game at 1080p and the high preset, along with multiple anti-aliasing too.
FIFA 20 | |
1920x1080 Medium Preset 1920x1080 High Preset AA:2xMS 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 2500U | |
Intel HD Graphics 615, i7-7Y75 | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ |
QHD (2,560x1,440) & UHD (3,840x2,160)
Likewise, the GeForce GTX 1050 can handle FIFA 20 in QHD, 4x MSAA and the ultra preset. We would recommend at least a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti for 4K gaming at maximum settings though.
FIFA 20 | |
2560x1440 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS 3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), i9-9900K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H | |
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 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X |
Please note:
Gaming tests are often time-consuming and are hampered by activation or installation limits. Hence, we can currently only provide some of the benchmarks for FIFA 20. We shall update this article with more GPUs in the coming days and weeks.
Overview
Test Systems
Device | Graphics Card | Processor | RAM | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Desktop-PC I | MSI GeForce RTX 2080 (8 GB GDDR6) MSI GeForce RTX 2070 (8 GB GDDR6) MSI GeForce RTX 2060 (6 GB GDDR6) MSI GeForce GTX 1080 (8 GB GDDR5X) MSI GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB GDDR5) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB GDDR5) |
Intel Core i9-9900K | 4 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 i7-7740X | 2 x 8 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
Desktop-PC III | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super (8 GB GDDR6)NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super (8 GB GDDR6)NVIDIA Titan X (Pascal) (12 GB GDDR5X) AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (8 GB HBM2) XFX AMD Radeon RX 590 (8 GB GDDR5) Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB GDDR5) Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 570 (8 GB GDDR5) Gainward GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5) Zotac GeForce GT 1030 (2 GB GDDR5) |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | 2 x 8 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
Desktop-PC IV | NVIDIA Titan RTX (24 GB GDDR6) | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | 4 x 16 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
MSI GT76 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (8 GB GDDR6) | Intel Core i9-9900K | 2 x 16 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
MSI GP65 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (8 GB GDDR6) | Intel Core i7-9750H | 2 x 16 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
MSI GE65 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6 GB GDDR6) | Intel Core i7-9750H | 2 x 8 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
MSI GP65 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (6 GB GDDR6) | Intel Core i7-9750H | 2 x 16 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
MSI GP75 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5) | Intel Core i7-9750H | 2 x 8 GB DDR4 | 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 | 2 x 8 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
MSI GE72 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (2 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 | 1 x 16 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 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 |
Honor Magicbook | AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 | AMD Ryzen 5 2500U | 1 x 8 GB DDR4 | Windows 10 64 Bit |
4K Monitor | NVIDIA drivers | AMD drivers |
---|---|---|
ASUS PB287Q, Philips Momentum 436M6VBPAB | ForceWare 436.30 | Adrenalin 19.9.2 |