Shadow of the Tomb Raider Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks
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 1060 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M | |
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ | |
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U |
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 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ | |
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ |
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 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK | |
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), i7-7740X | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ | |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, i7-7700HQ |
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 |