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Middle-earth: Shadow of War Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks

Mass slaughter. After its 2014 predecessor left a surprisingly good impression (not in the least thanks to the Nemesis System), Warner Bros. Interactive has launched its successor, “Shadow of War”, a well-made action game based upon the Lord of the Rings universe. We test out the hardware requirements for PC and notebooks.

Technology

For the original German review, click here.

Those who want to download and install the “Lord of the Rings” title must first take one deep breath. With some 70 GB, “Shadow of War” ranks high on the list of games with one of the largest file sizes and consequently takes up an enormous amount of storage space. The options menu will disappoint some buyers. The ultra-settings, even at Full HD resolution, require 8 GB of video memory and 10 GB of RAM. The predecessor has kicked up some dust with its high VRAM requirements, as well. Back then, 6 GB of VRAM was necessary for the maximum settings.

Despite the high system requirements, we would describe the new “Middle Earth” game as technically well-made. During our gaming session and benchmarks, we did not experience crashes, graphics errors or slowdowns. However, the minimum FPS fluctuated significantly in the in-game benchmark.

Shadow of War” relies on Monolith's own Firebird Engine (made known by F.E.A.R.), which was also used for the first game.

The title offers a wide range of options for PC users. Starting with the display menu in which settings such as resolution, display mode, brightness and display area can be adjusted. Furthermore, there are settings for vertical synchronization, dynamic resolution (dynamically reduces details to boost performance) and max FPS (the setting for the maximum FPS can be altogether disabled).

Most of the settings can be found in the advanced tab of the graphics menu. There are some 10 settings for things such as anti-aliasing (FXAA or TAA), texture filtering, shadow quality, lighting quality, and vegetation range and texture quality in this menu. Moreover, the action title supports a range of modern effects such as tessellation. 

Tip: All the settings are explained through a text pop-up. The (V)RAM usage meter and the fact that the changing of the settings does not require a restart are also to be praised.

He who does not have a desire to tinker with a diverse selection of graphics settings can simply choose one of the pre-defined presets. Whilst we have not observed any difference between the presets “High” and “Very High”, switching between other presets can have significant effects on the graphics quality.

Despite the fact that, even at medium settings, some objects begin to exhibit noticeable pop-in, Shadow of War still looks good with the medium graphics preset. With the ultra preset, the open world game looks gorgeous, however the textures could have been sharper. All in all, Shadow of War fails to reach a reference status.

Attention: Unlike in most other games, the resolution in “Shadow of War” is always upscaled to fit the native resolution of the monitor. That is to say, if you choose a resolution below the native resolution of your display, it will be automatically upscaled to fit the native resolution of your screen. This procedure does not take up any resources. Setting the resolution to 1920x1080 on our 4K monitor had no impact on performance. 

In terms of gameplay, “Shadow of War” cuts a fine figure. The game has tight controls (in spite of a few quirks here and there). Its combat system resembles a mixture of “Assassin's Creed” and “Batman”. Its gameplay, as far as we can tell, is solid, although we can imagine that some elements of it might become repetitive over time.

Benchmark

Like its predecessor, “Shadow of War” comes with an in-game benchmark. It lasts for some 60 seconds and consists of a tracking shot through outside and inside areas, and it includes such effects as smoke, fire and explosions. In our experience, the frame rate of the benchmark lends itself rather well to the actual performance of the title. It is therefore a good reference point. Even though what we are dealing with here is “only” a third-person game, we would still recommend 40 FPS as the minimum frame rate on account of smooth gameplay and time-critical manoeuvres. 

Results

Modest gamers, who can be satisfied with a 720p resolution, lowest detail settings and no more than 30 FPS, will be able to enjoy “Shadow of War” with a graphics card from the lower end of the mid-range spectrum, such as the GeForce 940M(X). Weaker systems that are based on Intel’s processor GPUs (e.g. the HD graphics 630) will not be able to handle this game even at those settings.

If one wishes to be able to run this game at 1920x1080 with the medium graphical settings, they will need a video card from the upper echelons of the mid-range spectrum. At these settings, we were able to achieve playable frame rates with a GeForce GTX 1050. For high settings at Full HD resolution, one needs something like a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.

Lowest Preset
Lowest Preset
Low Preset
Low Preset
Medium Preset
Medium Preset
High Preset
High Preset
Very High Preset
Very High Preset
Ultra Preset
Ultra Preset

Genuine gaming chips are required for very high and ultra-settings. In order to achieve smooth frame rates at 1080p with the max settings, one would need a graphics card such as a GeForce GTX 1060. For QHD displays (2560x1440), a video card like a GeForce GTX 1070 would suffice. Playable frame rates at 4K resolution (3840x2160) can be achieved with a GeForce GTX 1080.

The processor plays, for the most part, a minor role. We could hit CPU limits only at low resolutions and with the minimum settings.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War
    3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:T     2560x1440 Ultra Preset AA:T     1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T     1920x1080 High Preset AA:T     1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T     1280x720 Lowest Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
51 (22min) fps ∼19%
117 (52min) fps ∼44%
138 (64min) fps ∼64%
155 (73min) fps ∼70%
167 (72min) fps ∼72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
40 (26min) fps ∼15%
71 (27min) fps ∼27%
102 (47min) fps ∼38%
129 (62min) fps ∼60%
154 (68min) fps ∼69%
170 (90min) fps ∼73%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
38 (21min) fps ∼14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
Alienware 17 R4
39 (21min) fps ∼15%
69 (36min) fps ∼26%
94 (46min) fps ∼35%
116 (51min) fps ∼54%
132 (67min) fps ∼59%
139 (78min) fps ∼60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
34 (20min) fps ∼13%
58 (24min) fps ∼22%
86 (29min) fps ∼32%
112 (51min) fps ∼52%
140 (60min) fps ∼63%
168 (90min) fps ∼72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
30 (17min) fps ∼11%
76 (34min) fps ∼28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
Asus G752VS
31 (18min) fps ∼12%
54 (26min) fps ∼20%
80 (31min) fps ∼30%
105 (48min) fps ∼49%
125 (50min) fps ∼56%
138 (77min) fps ∼59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
22 (10min) fps ∼8%
39 (13min) fps ∼15%
58 (15min) fps ∼22%
78 (46min) fps ∼36%
102 (56min) fps ∼46%
167 (78min) fps ∼72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K
Desktop PC
21 (10min) fps ∼8%
37 (12min) fps ∼14%
53 (14min) fps ∼20%
78 (44min) fps ∼36%
103 (55min) fps ∼46%
167 (69min) fps ∼72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
MSI GT62VR
19 (12min) fps ∼7%
35 (14min) fps ∼13%
54 (14min) fps ∼20%
74 (21min) fps ∼35%
97 (37min) fps ∼43%
132 (69min) fps ∼57%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 4790K
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference
36 (8min) fps ∼13%
55 (14min) fps ∼21%
72 (35min) fps ∼34%
96 (49min) fps ∼43%
160 (70min) fps ∼69%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
12 (3min) fps ∼4%
20 (5min) fps ∼7%
29 (5min) fps ∼11%
43 (11min) fps ∼20%
62 (36min) fps ∼28%
121 (54min) fps ∼52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Asus GL753VD
10 (3min) fps ∼4%
16 (5min) fps ∼6%
24 (5min) fps ∼9%
34 (18min) fps ∼16%
46 (30min) fps ∼21%
113 (55min) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
MSI GE72 965M Ti
16 (7min) fps ∼6%
23 (9min) fps ∼9%
35 (15min) fps ∼16%
50 (30min) fps ∼22%
102 (52min) fps ∼44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
MSI PE60 2QD
10 (4min) fps ∼4%
15 (6min) fps ∼6%
22 (13min) fps ∼10%
31 (23min) fps ∼14%
73 (41min) fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
12 (3min) fps ∼4%
20 (5min) fps ∼9%
28 (17min) fps ∼13%
71 (29min) fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ
MSI CX72 6QD
7 (2min) fps ∼3%
10 (6min) fps ∼5%
14 (9min) fps ∼6%
34 (20min) fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ
MSI GP62 2QD
14 (8min) fps ∼6%
34 (15min) fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M
MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD
26 (8min) fps ∼11%
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
9 (2min) fps ∼4%
12 (3min) fps ∼5%
14 (5min) fps ∼6%

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >Middle-earth: Shadow of War
 Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017)
low
1280x720
Lowest Preset
med.
1920x1080
Medium Preset
TAA
high
1920x1080
High Preset
TAA
ultra
1920x1080
Ultra Preset
TAA
4K
3840x2160
Ultra Preset
TAA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
204
180
153
78
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop)
131
60
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
183
146
118
51
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
167
155
138
117
51
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
125
119
112
101
55
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
137
111
96
77
40
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
170
154
106.5n2
92n3
39n2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
161
127
96
39
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
153.5n2
122n2
96n2
42n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
131n2
123n2
116n3
94n4
38n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop)
165
136
109
85
34
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
130
97
73
31
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
136
103
77
30
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
168
140
112
81n2
32n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q
138n2
127n2
108n2
86.5n2
33
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
162n2
126n2
102.5n6
78n6
30.5n2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
155
123
97
76
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
121
89
69
28
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
68
29
PosModel< PrevNext >Middle-earth: Shadow of War
low med. high ultra 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
111.5n2
98n2
90n3
69n3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
167
103
78
53
21
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
91
82
72
61
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Desktop)
138.5n2
86.5n2
71.5n2
56.5n2
21n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
167
102
78
58
22
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
160
96
72
55
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
121n2
88n2
69n4
52n5
19
Intel Arc A370M
44
AMD Radeon RX 5500M
70
24
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop)
117
85
66
49
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
76
57
43
18
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
128
82n3
62n3
46n3
22n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
64
47
35
14
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
131
76
57
42
16
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH
150
69
48
36
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
108n2
60n3
43.5n4
33n4
12
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
115
59
43
32
12
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
105
55
41
31
13
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
95n2
43.5n2
33n2
26n2
9.5n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
97
44
31
24
10
PosModel< PrevNext >Middle-earth: Shadow of War
low med. high ultra 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
102
50
35
23
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
84
43
31
23
AMD Radeon Pro 560X
98
41
29
21
9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
83
37
25
19
AMD Radeon Pro 555
74
29
20
9
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
72
29
18
11
6
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
64
27
19
15
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
58.15n6
25.85n6
16n6
11.55n6
AMD Radeon RX 540
68.5n2
26.5n2
18.5n2
20
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
73
31
22
15
AMD Radeon RX Vega 11
50.5n2
24n2
18.5n2
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
31n2
15.5n2
12n2
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
26
12
10
NVIDIA GeForce MX230
50
18
12
9
NVIDIA GeForce MX130
43
19
11
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
34n3
14n3
10n3
7n3
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
42n3
14n3
10n3
7
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
34
14
NVIDIA GeForce 930MX
30
12
9
7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
30
18
14
9
PosModel< PrevNext >Middle-earth: Shadow of War
low med. high ultra 4K
NVIDIA GeForce 930M
28
NVIDIA GeForce MX110
33
14
10
7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
28
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
33
13
9
7
NVIDIA GeForce 920M
26
AMD Radeon 520
22
10
7
Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)
27
15
11
Intel UHD Graphics 630
20
12
Intel HD Graphics 630
14
12
9
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge)
16
7
Intel UHD Graphics 620
20n3
10n3
Intel HD Graphics 620
16
8
AMD Radeon R5 M255
24
AMD Radeon RX Vega 3
27
8
Intel HD Graphics 520
15
7
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
17
8
AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
8
Intel HD Graphics 4600
10
7
Intel HD Graphics 5500
14
Intel UHD Graphics 615
16n2
7
PosModel< PrevNext >Middle-earth: Shadow of War
low med. high ultra 4K
Intel HD Graphics 615
15
Intel UHD Graphics 610
14
Intel HD Graphics 610
15
Intel HD Graphics 4400
13
Intel UHD Graphics 605
7
AMD Radeon R4 (Stoney Ridge)
15
AMD Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L)
11
Intel UHD Graphics 600
9
Intel HD Graphics 500
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 GPU CPU 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 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 Treiber AMD Treiber
2 x Asus PB287Q, Philips 328P6VJEB ForceWare 387.92 Crimson 17.10.1
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Middle-earth: Shadow of War Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks
Florian Glaser, 2017-10-24 (Update: 2017-11- 3)