Need for Speed Payback Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks
Technology
For the original German review, see here.
Just like the 2015/2016 reboot which has also been developed by Ghost Games, the latest Need for Speed installment uses the efficient Frostbite 3 engine created by DICE, the developer of Battlefield. Even though it cannot compare to the multiplayer shooter, Payback does offer decent visuals.
While some of the environmental textures could be of higher definition when looking closely, the sports cars show an extremely high level of detail both with the number of polygons and the lovingly designed tuning parts and decals.
Sunlight and other light sources are reflected beautifully. In general, one of Payback's strong points is the atmospheric lighting, especially in combination with alternating times of day and stylish effects like smoke and sparks.
Differing sceneries add to the level of variety offered. Not only are we racing through a gambling metropolis resembling Las Vegas, but also across dusty desert roads, through rugged canyons and tree-lined mountain regions. Thanks to the vast game world and the generous view range, the game conveys a feeling of freedom, despite having a higher number of compulsory missions than older installments of the series.
Whether this game's story-driven approach is a good thing or not depends on individual preference. Luckily, the cutscenes are far less embarrassing than those of the previous Need for Speed parts, even though the characters are still rather clichéd.
The driving model is an acquired taste. At first, the car's behavior did not appeal to us, but after 1 to 2 hours of playing, we got along with it decently. Payback still has a mediocre collision system, but the driving physics is not quite as peculiar as it was in the Need for Speed installments by Criterion Games (like the Most Wanted remake).
However, the menu control is still terrible, at least for the PC version. The previous release already had impractical and counter-intuitive keybindings forcing the player to use a gamepad. In general, the installment feels like a console game, placing mouse and keyboard users at a disadvantage.
The damage model is in need of improvement as well. While objects along the track like lanterns, fences and cacti can be knocked over, cars remain unrealistically intact even after big collisions. At least dust and dirt particles are gathering on vehicle surfaces. The rubberband AI also bothered us, especially during police chases.
The graphics settings do not offer much variety, but despite a limited range of features, it is commendable that there are several presets and that changes in the settings can be applied without restarting the game.
At about 22 GB, the game size is completely acceptable in comparison to other 2017 game releases that require 50 GB and more. Loading times are average - at least with an SSD. There were barely any technical issues for us, other than the occasional stuttering on some systems despite high FPS values.
Benchmark
Just like its predecessor, Payback does not include a main menu in the classical sense to start a new game or select a saved game. So we had to play the campaign's story up to the point where the main character gets his own garage and is released into the open game world before we could specify a benchmark sequence. We used the garage inside the town for our tests and created a route from there to the nearby gas station, which we then followed using the GPS (see video).
Even though the 30-second sequence is not 100 % identical every time because of varying factors such as oncoming traffic, we got relatively stable results. Payback can be played smoothly with an average of at least 50 FPS.
Results
Before evaluating the benchmark results, we will take a look at the different presets. While Payback suffers a severe loss of visual quality on lowest settings, the medium, high and ultra settings offer only subtle changes at very similar performance levels.
To make one thing clear: Owners of entry-level or office notebooks with integrated graphics chipsets such as the Intel HD Graphics 630 should refrain from this purchase. The game at low preset at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels runs properly only with at least a lower mid-range GPU such as the GeForce MX150. For a resolution of 1920x1080, an upper mid-range GPU is recommended. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, which is commonly used in multimedia notebooks, is capable of running higher graphics settings in Full HD.
Full-blooded gaming chips are only required for resolutions beyond 1920x1080 pixels. A combination of 2560x1440 pixels and ultra settings requires at least a GeForce GTX 1060 or a GTX 980. Maximum level of details coupled with 3840x2160 pixels raises the requirements to a GeForce GTX 1080.
Need for Speed Payback | |
3840x2160 Ultra Preset 2560x1440 Ultra Preset 1920x1080 Ultra Preset 1920x1080 High Preset 1920x1080 Medium Preset 1280x720 Low Preset | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
AMD Radeon R9 Fury, 4790K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 4790K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, 4790K | |
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop), 4790K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), 4790K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M | |
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ |
Overview
Test Systems
Device | Graphics Card | Processor | RAM | Operating System |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 Driver | AMD Driver |
---|---|---|
2 x Asus PB287Q, Philips 328P6VJEB | ForceWare 388.13 | Crimson 17.11.1 |