Shadow of the Tomb Raider Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks

A matter of settings. As one of the first PC games capable of supporting DirectX12, Shadow of the Tomb Raider should benefit significantly from DirectX 12. In this benchmark check we will assess whether the performance is actually better than that under DirectX 11, and which GPU is generally better for this action adventure.

Florian Glaser, ✓ Sven Kloevekorn (translated by Sabrina Hartmann), Published 09/19/2018 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Technology

The 2013 reboot breathed new life into the legendary Tomb Raider series. After the 2016 release Rise of the Tomb Raider, the new installment brings the end of the trilogy. Shadow of the Tomb Raider focuses on the series' strengths and tries to notch up the gaming experience even more. In terms of technology, this title is one of the most beautiful action games currently on the market. In keeping with the predecessors, the game offers sceneries which were lovingly designed with an opulent level of detail, creating a captivating atmosphere.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider makes a good to very good impression in other areas as well. In addition to the textures, the lighting and effects are largely convincing. The destruction system is also noteworthy. Many elements of the levels break during the enthralling missions.

Much praise is due to the developers for the comprehensive graphics menu, which can be accessed ingame as well as outside the game. As we are already used to from the last installments, the graphics tab offers several presets, facilitating quick adjustments to the overall game appearance. Users who prefer to tinker can of course also tune the 15 separate settings manually.

Take note: Choosing the highest preset does not move all settings to the maximum, so manual adjustments are necessary if the best visual appearance is desired. Conveniently, any adjustments to the graphics details are applied without being forced to restart the game.

The same is true – with the exception of the DirectX mode – for the display menu containing the toggles for resolution, screen modes (we recommend Exclusive Fullscreen), brightness, refresh rate, and anti-aliasing. Shadow of the Tomb Raider utilizes the established SMAA and TAA techniques, which smoothen slanted edges and fine elements (such as Lara's hair) noticeably, but which in turn affect the image sharpness negatively.

Of course, vertical synchronization can be found as well. The game even includes the less common ability for stereoscopic 3D display. Shadow of the Tomb Raider also supports HDR.

The most interesting aspect for many users will be the DirectX mode. Even though DirectX 12 did not have a very good reputation so far because the performance tended to be lower than with DirectX 11, several benchmark tests now show a surprisingly good DirectX 12 performance. We share this positive verdict only partialy. Yes, DX 12 does result in a noticeable performance boost for some GPUs (+14% @GeForce GTX 1070), but other chips still have a lower performance than with DX 11 (-4 % @GeForce GTX 980).

Full-HD, Highest Preset, TAA	DirectX 11	DirectX 12
GeForce GTX 1070 & Core i7-6700K	69 FPS	79 FPS
GeForce GTX 980 & Core i7-6700K	53 FPS	51 FPS

Be that as it may, we still conducted our tests in DirectX 12 mode whenever possible – as long as the system supported the feature and it did not result in crashes, which sadly happened quite frequently with weaker GPUs (such as GTX 970M, GTX 960M, GTX 1050, MX150) on higher settings. Ray Tracing – which was announced during the presentation of the new Nvidia generation – is still missing and will be added at a later time. By the way, Shadow of the Tomb Raider currently occupies about 31 GB of disk space (about 26 GB download).

Benchmark

The integrated benchmark is a good way to assess and analyze the system's performance. It takes account of the frame rate during "real" gameplay, so the results of the measurements have relevance for practical use. However, the developers have gone a bit overboard with the benchmark duration in our opinion. About three minutes are quite long.

As can be seen in the video, the benchmark covers various camera perspectives and environment types – be it a street festival or a jungle path. Technophile users will love the end evaluation revealing a lot of information, such as frame graphs, an FPS chart, and a summary of the most important components.

Results

HD (1280x720)

Even though Shadow of the Tomb Raider loses much of its beauty on the lowest quality settings, minimum details at 1280x720 pixels still require a dedicated graphics chip. Not even these low settings run fluently with CPU solutions such as Intel's HD Graphics 630. Purchasing this game is only worth it with at least a GeForce MX150.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
1280x720 Lowest Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition	143 (99^min) fps ∼25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	138 (100^min) fps ∼25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070	137 (99^min) fps ∼24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K Desktop PC	132 (97^min) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	131 (96^min) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ Acer Predator Triton 700	117 (85^min) fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK Asus G752VS	111 (83^min) fps ∼20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK MSI GT62VR	108 (81^min) fps ∼19%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X i7-7740X Asus X299 Prime	143 (121^min) fps ∼25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ Asus G752VY	98 (71^min) fps ∼17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ MSI GE72 7RE-046	97 (79^min) fps ∼17%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Asus X299 Prime	87 (70^min) fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK Alienware 17 R4	95 (65^min) fps ∼17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ MSI GS60 6QE	91 (74^min) fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ Asus GL753VD	71 (48^min) fps ∼13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ MSI GE72 965M Ti	79 (69^min) fps ∼14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ MSI GL72 7QF	60 (50^min) fps ∼11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ MSI PE60 2QD	50 (41^min) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ MSI PL62	50 (41^min) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	46 (29^min) fps ∼8%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ MSI CX72 6QD	27 (22^min) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ MSI GP62 2QD	28 (24^min) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD	17 (14^min) fps ∼3%
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ MSI PL62	14 (4^min) fps ∼2%
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	13 (10^min) fps ∼2%

FHD (1920x1080)

If 1920x1080 pixels are desired, we recommend a GPU belonging to the upper midrange or the high-end sector. The medium preset is playable starting with a GeForce GTX 970M, while the high preset requires at least a GeForce GTX 980M. The highest preset demands a GeForce GTX 1060 or GTX 980.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
1920x1080 Medium Preset 1920x1080 High Preset AA:SM 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition	120 (113^min) fps ∼23% 116 (107^min) fps ∼22% 107 (92^min) fps ∼20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	108 (87^min) fps ∼20% 104 (86^min) fps ∼19% 95 (77^min) fps ∼18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070	99 (80^min) fps ∼19% 90 (75^min) fps ∼17% 79 (63^min) fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK Alienware 17 R4	84 (56^min) fps ∼16% 83 (55^min) fps ∼16% 79 (52^min) fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ Acer Predator Triton 700	93 (79^min) fps ∼18% 88 (76^min) fps ∼16% 78 (64^min) fps ∼15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK Asus G752VS	86 (71^min) fps ∼16% 82 (63^min) fps ∼15% 72 (59^min) fps ∼13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	68 (55^min) fps ∼13% 62 (51^min) fps ∼12% 53 (42^min) fps ∼10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K Desktop PC	66 (53^min) fps ∼12% 59 (48^min) fps ∼11% 51 (41^min) fps ∼10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK MSI GT62VR	64 (51^min) fps ∼12% 58 (48^min) fps ∼11% 50 (39^min) fps ∼9%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X i7-7740X Asus X299 Prime	66 (53^min) fps ∼12% 61 (50^min) fps ∼11% 53 (42^min) fps ∼10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ Asus G752VY	51 (40^min) fps ∼10% 45 (37^min) fps ∼8% 39 (31^min) fps ∼7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ MSI GE72 7RE-046	38 (30^min) fps ∼7% 31 (25^min) fps ∼6% 25 (19^min) fps ∼5%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Asus X299 Prime	34 (27^min) fps ∼6% 30 (25^min) fps ∼6% 25 (19^min) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ MSI GS60 6QE	40 (31^min) fps ∼8% 35 (20^min) fps ∼7% 32 (6^min) fps ∼6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ Asus GL753VD	31 (24^min) fps ∼6% 28 (18^min) fps ∼5% 26 (3^min) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ MSI GE72 965M Ti	31 (25^min) fps ∼6% 26 (22^min) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ MSI GL72 7QF	24 (18^min) fps ∼5% 20 (11^min) fps ∼4% 17 (1^min) fps ∼3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ MSI PE60 2QD	19 (15^min) fps ∼4% 16 (13^min) fps ∼3% 14 (10^min) fps ∼3%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ MSI PL62	18 (15^min) fps ∼3% 13 (9^min) fps ∼2%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7	17 (13^min) fps ∼3% 12 (10^min) fps ∼2% 9 (6^min) fps ∼2%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ MSI CX72 6QD	10 (8^min) fps ∼2%
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ MSI GP62 2QD	10 (8^min) fps ∼2%
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ MSI PL62	5 (2^min) fps ∼1%

QHD (2560x1440) & UHD (3840x2160)

At even higher resolutions, the game has extremely high hardware demands. In the mobile sector, only the GeForce GTX 1070 and the GTX 1080 (Max-Q) are able to handle 2560x1440 pixels and the highest preset. Every single-chip notebook is too weak to manage 3840x2160 pixels in combination with full details.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
2560x1440 Highest Preset AA:T 3840x2160 Highest Preset AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), i7-7740X Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition	73 (65^min) fps ∼14% 41 (36^min) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	64 (53^min) fps ∼12% 34 (28^min) fps ∼7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK Alienware 17 R4	62 (51^min) fps ∼12% 32 (27^min) fps ∼7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070	52 (43^min) fps ∼10% 27 (23^min) fps ∼6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ Acer Predator Triton 700	50 (43^min) fps ∼10% 27 (22^min) fps ∼6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK Asus G752VS	47 (39^min) fps ∼9% 24 (20^min) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K Desktop PC	34 (28^min) fps ∼7% 17 (15^min) fps ∼4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K Desktop PC	34 (28^min) fps ∼7% 17 (14^min) fps ∼4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK MSI GT62VR	32 (26^min) fps ∼6% 16 (13^min) fps ∼3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X i7-7740X Asus X299 Prime	18 (15^min) fps ∼4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ Asus G752VY	25 (20^min) fps ∼5% 12 (10^min) fps ∼3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ MSI GE72 7RE-046	17 (13^min) fps ∼3% 8 (6^min) fps ∼2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ MSI GS60 6QE	20 (2^min) fps ∼4% 9 (1^min) fps ∼2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ Asus GL753VD	17 (3^min) fps ∼3% 8 (2^min) fps ∼2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ MSI GL72 7QF	11 (1^min) fps ∼2%

Overview

Test Systems

Gerät	Grafikkarte	Prozessor	Arbeitsspeicher	Betriebssystem
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 Treiber	AMD Treiber
2 x Asus PB287Q, Philips 328P6VJEB	ForceWare 399.24	Adrenalin 18.9.1

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Editor of the original article: Sebastian Jentsch - Managing Editor Consumer Laptops - 1750 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.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Shadow of the Tomb Raider Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks

Florian Glaser, 2018-09-19 (Update: 2026-02-18)

Pos	Model	< Prev Next > Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)
		low 1280x720 Lowest Preset	med. 1920x1080 Medium Preset	high 1920x1080 High Preset SMAA	ultra 1920x1080 Highest Preset TAA	QHD 2560x1440 Highest Preset TAA	4K 3840x2160 Highest Preset TAA

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.

Technology

Benchmark

Results

HD (1280x720)

FHD (1920x1080)

QHD (2560x1440) & UHD (3840x2160)

Overview

Test Systems

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