Forza Horizon 4 Notebook and Desktop Benchmarks

Great looks, meager platform. Forza Horizon 4 is one of the most beautiful racing games ever released. Find out in our benchmark test whether the modern graphics of Forza Horizon 4 can overcome the weaknesses of the Universal Windows Platform (UWP).

Florian Glaser, 👁 Florian Glaser (translated by Alex Alderson), Published 10/08/2018 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Technology

Microsoft has its distribution network for games and software, just like Valve with Steam, Ubisoft with Uplay, EA with Origin, Blizzard with Battlenet and Epic with its Epic Games Launcher. However, the Microsoft Store has not always covered itself in glory with its limited selection of games and unintuitive file management system.

We also encountered issues with recording tools. FRAPS, our go-to software, does not work with DirectX 12; Forza Horizon 4 runs only in DirectX 12. Moreover, the game is only compatible with Windows 10 and graphics cards that support DirectX 12. Worse still, we experienced numerous crashes and false starts when testing the game despite using compatible hardware. Forza Horizon 4 will only work when connected to the Internet too, which is equally frustrating.

The game’s graphics are almost beyond reproach though. As mentioned initially, Forza Horizon 4 is one of the most technically impressive racing games that we have ever seen. The textures, effects including dirt, reflections or shadows and the level of detail are all up to date. These combine with the impressive draw distance, the dense vegetation and the seasonal weather conditions to create an engaging racing experience. In short, Forza Horizon 4 puts on a great show.

We also praise Microsoft for the graphics menu, which has been segregated into “Standard” and “Advanced” tabs because there are that many options. It is worth bearing in mind that you must disable V-sync and change the frame rate to variable to bypass the built-in FPS lock.

Furthermore, you must disable dynamic optimization to prevent the game from changing graphics settings to what it thinks is best for your computer. Most of these options are contained in the “Advanced” menu, which also lists several graphics presets. The presets allow you to change all graphics settings with just a click, but you must reboot the game for them to take effect. Oddly, a warning message stating that users must reboot after changing presets only occasionally appears; a bug perhaps? Additionally, the game takes a while to load even on fast SSDs.

Benchmarks

Our benchmark results are based on the free demo, which also has an integrated benchmark utility. As demonstrated in the video below, the benchmark is a 90-second AI race that includes multiple changes in time, weather and environments. The highlight of the benchmark is its detailed evaluation, which lists system information in the left-hand pane, the graphics settings in the right-hand pane and a host of FPS information including a graph in the middle. The average FPS score is in the bottom left-hand corner of the integrated benchmark results.

Please note: The calculated performance values are not completely constant as the benchmark process differs slightly for each run through. Generally, Forza Horizon 4 is playable at 40 FPS and runs smoothly at 40 FPS. Incidentally, the game will display a warning message if your system has too little video memory. Forza Horizon 4 will frequently stutter if you try to play it in high resolutions or at high graphics with a GPU that has 3 GB VRAM or less.

Results

HD – 1280x720

Forza Horizon 4 is relatively well-optimized for PC, and the game is no-resource hog. However, integrated graphics solutions like the Intel UHD Graphics 620 will struggle even at 1280x720 with the graphics set to a minimum. The game is playable at these settings with at least an Nvidia GeForce 940MX. We would recommend using a GeForce MX150 or better for playing Forza Horizon 4 smoothly at HD.

Forza Horizon 4
1280x720 Very Low Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition	178 (165^min) fps ∼51%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	171 (153^min) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070	170 (155^min) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	161 (146^min) fps ∼46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K Desktop PC	145 (123^min) fps ∼41%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ Acer Predator Triton 700	144 (129^min) fps ∼41%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal, TR 1950X NVIDIA Titan X Pascal	141 fps ∼40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK Asus G752VS	140 (129^min) fps ∼40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK MSI GT62VR	135 (125^min) fps ∼39%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK Alienware 17 R4	122 (107^min) fps ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ Asus G752VY	115 (100^min) fps ∼33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ MSI GE72 7RE-046	122 (115^min) fps ∼35%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Asus X299 Prime	104 (103^min) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ MSI GS60 6QE	102 (88^min) fps ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ MSI GE72 965M Ti	85 (72^min) fps ∼24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ Asus GL753VD	74 (65^min) fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ MSI GL72 7QF	70 (61^min) fps ∼20%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ MSI PL62	63 (56^min) fps ∼18%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	55 (43^min) fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ MSI CX72 6QD	39 (34^min) fps ∼11%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD	23 (18^min) fps ∼7%
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	19 (16^min) fps ∼5%

FHD – 1920x1080

In contrast to other triple-A games that require a true gaming GPU for playing in FHD, Forza Horizon 4 is playable at medium to high graphics with just a GeForce GTX 1050. We would recommend using at least a GeForce GTX 980M or better if you would like to play Forza Horizon 4 in FHD with the graphics preset set to ultra.

Forza Horizon 4
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS 1920x1080 High Preset AA:2xMS 1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:2xMS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition	120 (102^min) fps ∼48% 145 (126^min) fps ∼52% 147 (130^min) fps ∼52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	112 (97^min) fps ∼45% 137 (112^min) fps ∼49% 140 (116^min) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal, TR 1950X NVIDIA Titan X Pascal	112 fps ∼45% 121 fps ∼43% 127 fps ∼45%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ Acer Predator Triton 700	106 (92^min) fps ∼43% 122 (103^min) fps ∼44% 124 (105^min) fps ∼44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070	98 (84^min) fps ∼40% 123 (102^min) fps ∼44% 131 (111^min) fps ∼46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK Alienware 17 R4	98 (86^min) fps ∼40% 106 (88^min) fps ∼38% 108 (89^min) fps ∼38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK Asus G752VS	97 (78^min) fps ∼39% 115 (99^min) fps ∼41% 118 (101^min) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK MSI GT62VR	75 (65^min) fps ∼30% 96 (80^min) fps ∼34% 102 (88^min) fps ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	73 (63^min) fps ∼29% 93 (78^min) fps ∼33% 100 (85^min) fps ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K Desktop PC	59 (52^min) fps ∼24% 83 (68^min) fps ∼30% 90 (74^min) fps ∼32%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X i7-7740X Asus X299 Prime	77 (69^min) fps ∼31% 93 (88^min) fps ∼33% 100 (94^min) fps ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ Asus G752VY	47 (40^min) fps ∼19% 68 (56^min) fps ∼24% 74 (62^min) fps ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ MSI GE72 7RE-046	40 (17^min) fps ∼16% 55 (45^min) fps ∼20% 62 (52^min) fps ∼22%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Asus X299 Prime	41 (33^min) fps ∼17% 54 (50^min) fps ∼19% 57 (54^min) fps ∼20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ Asus GL753VD	37 (29^min) fps ∼15% 52 (45^min) fps ∼19% 55 (50^min) fps ∼19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ MSI GS60 6QE	36 (25^min) fps ∼15% 53 (43^min) fps ∼19% 61 (52^min) fps ∼22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ MSI GE72 965M Ti	28 (25^min) fps ∼11% 41 (34^min) fps ∼15% 47 (38^min) fps ∼17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ MSI GL72 7QF	25 (21^min) fps ∼10% 31 (25^min) fps ∼11% 35 (28^min) fps ∼12%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ MSI PL62	15 (4^min) fps ∼6% 24 (15^min) fps ∼9% 27 (21^min) fps ∼10%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	14 (1^min) fps ∼6% 19 (16^min) fps ∼7% 25 (19^min) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ MSI CX72 6QD	18 (14^min) fps ∼6%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD	15 (9^min) fps ∼5% 16 (10^min) fps ∼6%
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	11 (9^min) fps ∼4%

QHD – 2560x1440 & UHD – 3840x2160

We recommend a minimum of either a GeForce GTX 980 or a GeForce GTX 1060 for playing Forza Horizon 4 at QHD. Likewise, you will need a GeForce GTX 1070 or a GTX 1080 Max-Q to play the game at UHD with graphics at ultra.

Forza Horizon 4
3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS 2560x1440 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition	75 (67^min) fps ∼44% 102 (90^min) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal, TR 1950X NVIDIA Titan X Pascal	73 fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	65 (56^min) fps ∼38% 93 (82^min) fps ∼38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK Alienware 17 R4	62 (54^min) fps ∼36% 87 (76^min) fps ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ Acer Predator Triton 700	55 (47^min) fps ∼32% 84 (74^min) fps ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070	54 (47^min) fps ∼31% 79 (70^min) fps ∼33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK Asus G752VS	52 (44^min) fps ∼30% 76 (67^min) fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	38 (32^min) fps ∼22% 57 (50^min) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK MSI GT62VR	35 (30^min) fps ∼20% 57 (49^min) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K Desktop PC	34 (29^min) fps ∼20% 48 (42^min) fps ∼20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ Asus G752VY	26 (22^min) fps ∼15% 39 (34^min) fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ Asus GL753VD	15 (12^min) fps ∼9% 26 (14^min) fps ∼11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ MSI GE72 965M Ti	14 (12^min) fps ∼8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ MSI GS60 6QE	6 (1^min) fps ∼3% 23 (2^min) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ MSI GL72 7QF	18 (15^min) fps ∼7%

Overview

Test Systems

Device	Graphics Card	Processor	RAM	OS
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	1 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 10 64 Bit
Acer Triton 700	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q (8 GB GDDR5X)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ	2x 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 (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	1 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
ASUS G752VY	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (4 GB GDDR5)	Intel Core i7-6700HQ	2 x 16 GB DDR4	Windows 10 64 Bit
MSI GS60	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (3 GB GDDR5)	Intel Core i7-6700HQ	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 GL72	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (2 GB GDDR5)	Intel Core i7-7700HQ	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	1 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 driver	AMD driver
2 x ASUS PB287Q, Philips 328P6VJEB	ForceWare 411.70	Adrenalin 18.9.3

Loading Comments

Comment on this article

Editor of the original article: Sebastian Jentsch - Managing Editor Consumer Laptops - 1813 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2010

Computers always had an important place in my life, starting with an Intel 80286 microprocessor in the early 1990s. I became interested in the productive side of technology, especially in campus radio, while studying at TU Chemnitz and during a trainee program in Belfast. Hardware interests led me to manage Notebookjournal.de, which is now a division of Notebooksbilliger, for a few years. I became self-employed in 2010 and took the next logical step in my career by starting to write for Notebookcheck.

contact me via: Xing

Translator: Alex Alderson - Senior Tech Writer - 8047 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.

contact me via: @aldersonaj

Please share our article, every link counts!

.170

> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Forza Horizon 4 Notebook and Desktop Benchmarks

Florian Glaser, 2018-10- 8 (Update: 2022-01-21)

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.