Final Fantasy XVI review: Laptop and desktop benchmarks

Not for the faint-hearted.

Almost a year after the PS5 release, Square Enix has launched the highly acclaimed Final Fantasy XVI for PC. We examined the graphics card requirements for various resolutions and configurations.

Florian Glaser, 👁 Florian Glaser (translated by Carmen Pol), Published 10/06/2024 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Test systems

be quiet! Silent Base 802 (RTX 4080 & RX 7900 XT)

We ran our gaming benchmarks on these devices. Clicking on the various images will take you to the respective producer's website. Further details on the devices' specifications are listed at the end of the article.

Tech

Final Fantasy XVI (Metacritic score on PS5: 8.4 or 87), which has been well-received by both players and the press, is now making its debut on PC. Similar to Dragon's Dogma 2, another 2024 release with a comparable theme, the graphics are decent to good, but not top-tier. For instance, many textures could use more sharpness even at the highest quality settings. On the other hand, the RPG boasts stunning effects (spells etc.).

Atmospherically, the title hardly faces any criticism. The exciting and dynamic opening quickly immerses you in the game and its world. It's clear that the developers put a lot of effort into the storytelling and staging of Final Fantasy XVI. This is further enhanced by a well-executed combat system that feels very fluid and makes the gameplay especially enjoyable.

Technically, however, Square Enix could still improve a lot of things. During the video sequences—regardless of the hardware used—we noticed some frustrating stuttering. Additionally, shader compilation can take several minutes the first time the game is launched, even on high-performance systems (although other loading times are pleasantly short).

We also suspect that the selected upscaling settings may not always be applied correctly. Additionally, the game isn't exactly compact—Final Fantasy XVI occupies nearly 130 GB of storage space, which is quite a lot.

Meanwhile, there is praise for the numerous graphics options (see screenshots). In addition to four presets, the game offers support for various upscaling techniques. As expected for a modern title, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS are supported (with frame generation available upon request). However, Super Resolution is automatically activated in the presets, suggesting high system requirements. The built-in FPS limit can also be adjusted between 30 and 240. Helpful text explanations clarify the individual settings, and another positive aspect is that changes are applied without the need for a restart.

Benchmark

In contrast to Final Fantasy XV, the latest installment does not include an integrated benchmark, so we had to rely on a sequence we ourselves determined for performance testing. After completing the tutorial mission and combat training, the main character is free to explore a castle-like environment. Using the CapFrameX tool, we recorded a fixed route for approximately 20 seconds. You can view the exact sequence in the following video. Based on our experience, the game is playable from an average of 40 FPS.

▶ load Youtube video

Results

FHD (1,920 x 1,080)

Final Fantasy XVI is generally too demanding for integrated graphics processors (iGPUs). Even more powerful options, such as the Radeon 780M or the Intel Arc 8 (which we experienced crashes on), struggle to run the game smoothly at a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels with minimal detail settings. To achieve a satisfactory experience at Full HD, a dedicated mid-range GPU is recommended. For example, a GeForce RTX 4050 can handle 1,920 x 1,080 resolution at high settings with over 40 FPS. For Ultra settings, an RTX 4060 or better is advisable.

Final Fantasy XVI
1920x1080 Low Preset (Super Resolution off) 1920x1080 Medium Preset (Super Resolution off) 1920x1080 High Preset (Super Resolution off) 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (Super Resolution off)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	152.1 (68.2^min, 85.4^P0.1, 110^P1) fps ∼100% 148.4 (69.2^min, 85^P0.1, 108.4^P1) fps ∼100% 129.3 (62.4^min, 70.6^P0.1, 95.8^P1) fps ∼100% 115.7 (55.5^min, 68.5^P0.1, 88.5^P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	138.3 (60.3^min, 71^P0.1, 98.5^P1) fps ∼91% 130.8 (54.6^min, 74.1^P0.1, 93.8^P1) fps ∼88% 115.7 (60.7^min, 68.9^P0.1, 83.9^P1) fps ∼89% 103.3 (61^min, 64.3^P0.1, 75.1^P1) fps ∼89%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 16 E23	129.7 (47.3^min, 58.7^P0.1, 89.3^P1) fps ∼85% 123.4 (53.7^min, 69.4^P0.1, 88.5^P1) fps ∼83% 109.4 (59.3^min, 63.8^P0.1, 76.1^P1) fps ∼85% 98.5 (49.7^min, 53.2^P0.1, 72.3^P1) fps ∼85%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	102.4 (46.7^min, 50^P0.1, 63.7^P1) fps ∼67% 94.6 (34.9^min, 38^P0.1, 60.7^P1) fps ∼64% 89.5 (42.4^min, 47.4^P0.1, 61.8^P1) fps ∼69% 80.3 (31.3^min, 41.1^P0.1, 51.9^P1) fps ∼69%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	73.8 (38.6^min, 39.7^P0.1, 49.2^P1) fps ∼49% 70.8 (33.6^min, 37.7^P0.1, 48^P1) fps ∼48% 61.8 (32^min, 33.9^P0.1, 43^P1) fps ∼48% 55.4 (32.5^min, 33^P0.1, 40.1^P1) fps ∼48%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	64.7 (27^min, 31.7^P0.1, 45.1^P1) fps ∼43% 61.7 (31.8^min, 37^P0.1, 44.5^P1) fps ∼42% 53.8 (29.3^min, 31.3^P0.1, 38.4^P1) fps ∼42% 48.8 (26.6^min, 31.3^P0.1, 34.7^P1) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H Medion Erazer Scout E20	54.4 (20.6^min, 24^P0.1, 38^P1) fps ∼36% 49 (24^min, 25.5^P0.1, 32.8^P1) fps ∼33% 42.3 (13.4^min, 17.9^P0.1, 30.1^P1) fps ∼33% 39 (9.92^min, 14.9^P0.1, 23.7^P1) fps ∼34%
Intel Arc 8-Core iGPU, Ultra 7 155H Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14	20.3 (12.9^min, 13^P0.1, 14.2^P1) fps ∼13% 19.1 (10.7^min, 11.2^P0.1, 12.7^P1) fps ∼13% 16.1 (11.2^min, 11.2^P0.1, 11.6^P1) fps ∼12% 15.4 (8.76^min, 9.43^P0.1, 10.9^P1) fps ∼13%
AMD Radeon 780M, Z1 Extreme Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme	15.5 (5.83^min, 6.68^P0.1, 10.6^P1) fps ∼10% 15.1 (9.81^min, 9.89^P0.1, 10.8^P1) fps ∼10% 13 (3.86^min, 4.29^P0.1, 9.25^P1) fps ∼10% 11.5 (6.4^min, 6.41^P0.1, 8.33^P1) fps ∼10%

QHD (2,560 x 1,440)

A GeForce RTX 4070 or higher is a must for comfortable gameplay at 2,560 x 1,440 pixels and maximum details. However, with DLSS set to Quality, an RTX 4060 is sufficient.

Final Fantasy XVI
2560x1440 Ultra Preset (Super Resolution off) 2560x1440 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS 2560x1440 Ultra Preset + Quality FSR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	85.2 (45.9^min, 55.6^P0.1, 66.1^P1) fps ∼100% 115.2 (61.6^min, 66^P0.1, 86.1^P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	79.7 (47.7^min, 54.9^P0.1, 59.7^P1) fps ∼94% 99.3 (58.5^min, 63.1^P0.1, 71.1^P1) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 16 E23	69.6 (39.9^min, 42.9^P0.1, 52.3^P1) fps ∼82% 97.1 (46.9^min, 55.1^P0.1, 68.9^P1) fps ∼84%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	58.5 (35.5^min, 37.1^P0.1, 41.3^P1) fps ∼69% 80.7 (43.2^min, 47.8^P0.1, 54.4^P1) fps ∼70%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	40 (24.2^min, 25.8^P0.1, 29.5^P1) fps ∼47% 55.6 (29.9^min, 34.4^P0.1, 40.2^P1) fps ∼48%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	34.4 (22.2^min, 22.8^P0.1, 26.3^P1) fps ∼40% 47.9 (10.5^min, 10.6^P0.1, 33.6^P1) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H Medion Erazer Scout E20	26.5 (14.2^min, 14.6^P0.1, 17.7^P1) fps ∼31% 37.5 (16.7^min, 17.5^P0.1, 24.1^P1) fps ∼33%

UHD (3,840 x 2,160)

Most laptop GPUs struggle with 4K displays. A GeForce RTX 4090 is currently the only graphics card that can adequately handle 3,840 x 2,160 pixels with the Ultra preset active. With upscaling in play, one can get by with an RTX 4080 or faster options.

Final Fantasy XVI
3840x2160 Ultra Preset (Super Resolution off) 3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS 3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality FSR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	50.8 (33.5^min, 38^P0.1, 41.4^P1) fps ∼100% 74.5 (44.4^min, 49.2^P0.1, 57^P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	47.1 (33.1^min, 35.2^P0.1, 37.5^P1) fps ∼93% 66.8 (46^min, 47.9^P0.1, 51.7^P1) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 16 E23	40.1 (27.1^min, 28.3^P0.1, 32.5^P1) fps ∼79% 59.9 (34.7^min, 40.2^P0.1, 45.5^P1) fps ∼80%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	32.4 (22.8^min, 23.5^P0.1, 25.5^P1) fps ∼64% 49.8 (30.6^min, 32.7^P0.1, 35.5^P1) fps ∼67%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	21.1 (6.8^min, 7.38^P0.1, 14.4^P1) fps ∼42% 29.8 (11^min, 11^P0.1, 21.6^P1) fps ∼40%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	17.9 (12.9^min, 13^P0.1, 14.4^P1) fps ∼35% 27.6 (10.1^min, 12.9^P0.1, 19.7^P1) fps ∼37%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H Medion Erazer Scout E20	11.6 (7.13^min, 7.24^P0.1, 8.05^P1) fps ∼23% 14.9 (6.58^min, 6.71^P0.1, 9.34^P1) fps ∼20%

Note

Since gaming tests are very time-consuming and often limited by installation and activation restrictions, we can only provide a selection of benchmarks for the publication of the articles. Additional graphics cards will be tested and included later.

Overview

Test system details

Laptop	Graphics card	Processor	RAM
XMG Neo 16 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 @175 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6X)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 @175 W TGP (12 GB GDDR6X)	Intel Core i9-13950HX	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
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS	2 x 8 GB DDR5
Medion Erazer Scout E20	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 @100 W TGP (6 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-13700H	2 x 8 GB DDR5
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14	Intel Arc 8	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H	2 x 16 GB LPDDR5-7467
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme	AMD Radeon 780M	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme	16 GB LPDDR5-6400

Tower PC	Graphics card	Processor	RAM
Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (16 GB GDDR6X) AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-13900K	2 x 24 GB DDR5 G.Skill

4K monitor	Operating system	Nvidia driver	AMD driver	Intel driver
Philips Evnia 329M1RV	Windows 11	565.90	24.9.1	101.6079

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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: Carmen Pol - Translator - 348 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2023

Having spent the greater part of my early years in Germany facilitated my upbringing as a bilingual kid. In 2007, I found myself having to reinstall my Windows weekly ... So, one day I bought a MacBook Black. It was during this period that I developed a profound appreciation for technology, which significantly improved my life.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Final Fantasy XVI review: Laptop and desktop benchmarks

Florian Glaser, 2024-10- 6 (Update: 2024-10- 6)

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.

Pos	Model	< Prev Next > Final Fantasy XVI (2024)
Pos	Model	low 1920x1080 Low Preset (Super Resolution off)	med. 1920x1080 Medium Preset (Super Resolution off)	high 1920x1080 High Preset (Super Resolution off)	ultra 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (Super Resolution off)	QHD DLSS 2560x1440 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS	QHD FSR 2560x1440 Ultra Preset + Quality FSR	QHD 2560x1440 Ultra Preset (Super Resolution off)	4K DLSS 3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality DLSS	4K FSR 3840x2160 Ultra Preset + Quality FSR	4K 3840x2160 Ultra Preset (Super Resolution off)
4	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080	152.1	148.4	129.3	115.7	115.2		85.2	74.5		50.8
7	AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT	138.3	130.8	115.7	103.3		99.3	79.7		66.8	47.1
11	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU	129.7	123.4	109.4	98.5	97.1	91.6	70.4ⁿ²	59.9	77.5	40.1
21	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU	102.4	94.6	89.5	80.3	80.7		58.5	49.8		32.4
38	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU	75.1ⁿ²	72.8ⁿ²	63.4ⁿ²	57.4ⁿ²	56.95ⁿ²		40ⁿ³	25.8ⁿ²		20.5ⁿ²
45	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU				61.5			43.2			24.6
54	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU	64.7	62.85ⁿ²	54.3ⁿ²	49.6ⁿ²	47.9		34.4	27.6		17.9
66*	AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT	62.1	59.9	53.3	54.4		13.2	48.7		10.3	23
149	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU	54.4	49	42.3	39	37.5		26.5	14.9		11.6
204*	Intel Arc 8-Core iGPU	20.3	19.1	16.1	15.4
207	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile	17.4	16.4	15	14.1
208*	Intel Arc Graphics 140V	20.5	20	16.5	14.8
212*	Intel Arc Graphics 130V	14.7	13.6	11.7	11.5
256*	AMD Radeon 780M	15.5	15.1	13	11.5
442*	AMD Radeon 740M	10.1	9.63	8.89	7.82
603*	AMD Radeon 610M	6.28