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The Evil Within 2 Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks

Thrilling. While it is rather rare that horror movies stand out due to their high quality, there are various horror games for the home computer that could be considered first-rate. In addition to "Resident Evil 7" we could also currently mention "The Evil Within 2" here, which we tested for its performance using several notebooks and desktop GPUs.
The Evil Within 2

Technology

For the original German review, see here.

Unlike the first part which was released in 2014 and was technically based on "id Tech 5" by the id Software shooter expert, "The Evil Within 2" uses a slightly newer version of the engine which – fitting to the story – is called "STEM”. Even though the textures could have still been much sharper and more detailed in some places, we can attest to a decent to good quality level of the graphics overall.

The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2

In the disciplines of illumination and shadow, which are particularly important for horror games, "The Evil Within 2" convinces almost in every respect. The remaining effects such as fire and smoke are also not too bad. In addition, there are the nifty character models and an overall atmospheric look, which is created by masterful light and color accents. So the developer Tango Gameworks can be satisfied with their work. 

The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2

The graphics options also give little cause for complaint. If you scroll to the bottom of the corresponding menu, you can see the access to the additional settings, which contain more than 10 different detail settings. The optional presets in particular are useful, since they adjust the overall appearance with one setting. It is also commendable that all the settings are explained as text and changing them does not require a restart. The introductory video which cannot be skipped could be very annoying. We did also become annoyed after a while that each opening of a preset menu would result in a warning message.

The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2

"The Evil Within 2" offered FXAA and TAA as anti-aliasing. Both modes smooth out diagonal edges to some extent only and provide somewhat softer looks. We did not notice any great technical problems during the test. Our only problem was that the resolution setting was often completely wrong and set too low when restarting the game, which required revisiting the graphics menu. 

The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2

The performance in lower settings is also a bit strange. Even with high-end GPUs, the frame rate hardly rises in minimal and medium details. This is also related to the graphics quality hardly deteriorating when lowering the details, which is similar to other games that use the id Tech engine. You often have to look for the visual differences between the presets with a magnifying glass. You can only see larger differences in the detail level of the shadows (see screenshots below). The game uses almost 33 GB on the hard drive.

The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2

Benchmark

Since "The Evil Within 2" does not have an integrated benchmark, we had to select a representative sequence in the game play. Our final selection was the third chapter, where the gamer can move relatively freely through the small central town of Union. In order to cover the performance indoors as well as in outdoor areas, we ran from the saved point first through a building and then on the roads towards the church, in front of whose door the recording with the Fraps tool ends (see video).

The whole benchmark lasts for about 30 seconds and reflects the average performance to be expected. So it is not a worst-case-scenario, which rarely happens. While "The Evil Within 2" appears playable at 30 FPS, it really only becomes smooth from about 40 FPS.

Results

Owners of laptops without a dedicated GPU should forget about purchasing "The Evil Within 2." In the test with an Intel HD Graphics 630, there was extreme stuttering even at 1280x720 pixels and minimal details. For these settings you will need at least a model of the lower mid-range, such as the GeForce MX150.

Ultra Preset
Ultra Preset
High Preset
High Preset
Medium Preset
Medium Preset
Low Preset
Low Preset

1920x1080 pixels and the medium preset require at least a GeForce GTX 1050, and for the same resolution and the high preset we recommend at least a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Maximum settings only become really enjoyable with a real gaming chip (GeForce GTX 1060 and above). Anyone wanting to play on a QHD display with 2560x1440 pixels should have a GeForce GTX 1070 in their computer for higher settings, and 4K enthusiasts (3840x2160) will only be happy with a GeForce GTX 1080, if at all. The influence of the processor seems to remain very limited with all ranges of GPUs.

The Evil Within 2
    3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:FXAA + T     2560x1440 Ultra Preset AA:FXAA + T     1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FXAA + T     1920x1080 High Preset AA:FXAA + T     1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:FXAA + T     1280x720 Low Preset AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
40.6 (34min) fps ∼92%
87 fps ∼88%
87 (67min) fps ∼88%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
32.7 (30min) fps ∼74%
55.7 (50min) fps ∼100%
65.3 (56min) fps ∼66%
77.1 (60min) fps ∼82%
82.9 (65min) fps ∼83%
108 (91min) fps ∼86%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
Alienware 17 R4
29.2 (27min) fps ∼66%
51 (44min) fps ∼92%
57.3 (52min) fps ∼58%
58.4 (52min) fps ∼62%
61.9 (53min) fps ∼62%
96.9 (79min) fps ∼78%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 6700K
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
27.1 (24min) fps ∼62%
47.6 (44min) fps ∼85%
58.9 (55min) fps ∼59%
59.1 (55min) fps ∼63%
59.3 (56min) fps ∼59%
103 (85min) fps ∼82%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
Asus G752VS
23.7 (20min) fps ∼54%
41.1 (36min) fps ∼74%
55.9 (48min) fps ∼56%
57.6 (50min) fps ∼61%
59.4 (51min) fps ∼59%
82.9 (67min) fps ∼66%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K
Desktop PC
20.5 (18min) fps ∼47%
37.7 (34min) fps ∼68%
53.1 (49min) fps ∼54%
55.4 (50min) fps ∼59%
58.4 (52min) fps ∼58%
92.8 (82min) fps ∼74%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
Desktop PC
18.6 (16min) fps ∼42%
34.2 (30min) fps ∼61%
48.6 (45min) fps ∼49%
51.4 (45min) fps ∼55%
56.6 (51min) fps ∼57%
89 (76min) fps ∼71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
MSI GT62VR
16.1 (14min) fps ∼37%
28.9 (26min) fps ∼52%
41.6 (36min) fps ∼42%
43 (37min) fps ∼46%
47 (41min) fps ∼47%
69 (59min) fps ∼55%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
MSI GE72 7RE-046
2 (0min) fps ∼5%
31 (27min) fps ∼31%
32.9 (29min) fps ∼35%
36.1 (23min) fps ∼36%
61.8 (54min) fps ∼49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
MSI GE72 965M Ti
26.3 (24min) fps ∼27%
28.1 (25min) fps ∼30%
31.3 (28min) fps ∼31%
53.1 (47min) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Asus GL753VD
8.7 (7min) fps ∼20%
17.3 (15min) fps ∼31%
23.9 (22min) fps ∼24%
26.6 (24min) fps ∼28%
30.1 (26min) fps ∼30%
51.9 (45min) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ
MSI PE60 2QD
17.3 (14min) fps ∼18%
19.6 (16min) fps ∼20%
36.6 (33min) fps ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
14.6 (13min) fps ∼15%
15.6 (14min) fps ∼17%
17.8 (15min) fps ∼18%
32.1 (27min) fps ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ
MSI CX72 6QD
9.3 (6min) fps ∼9%
17.8 (15min) fps ∼14%
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, 5700HQ
MSI GP62 2QD
17.8 (16min) fps ∼14%
Intel HD Graphics 630, i7-7700HQ
MSI PL62
6 (5min) fps ∼6%
6.7 (5min) fps ∼7%
12.4 (11min) fps ∼10%
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, 2970M
MSI CX61 2QC 2970M MS-16GD
12 (10min) fps ∼10%

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >The Evil Within 2
 The Evil Within 2 (2017)
low
1280x720
Low Preset
TAA
med.
1920x1080
Medium Preset
FXAA + TAA
high
1920x1080
High Preset
FXAA + TAA
ultra
1920x1080
Ultra Preset
FXAA + TAA
4K
3840x2160
Ultra Preset
FXAA + TAA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
87n2
40.6
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
103.4
84.3
80.7
79.1
36.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
108
82.9
77.1
65.3
32.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
84.5n2
63.95n2
71.3n4
68.5n4
29.2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
96.3
72.6
68
66.5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
79.6
53.1
53.2
53.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
103
59.3
59.1
58.9
27.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q
84.05n2
66.3n2
63.15n2
62n2
25.5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
82.9
59.4
57.6n5
55.9n5
23.5n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
88.5
53.3
51.7n3
50.5n3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
92.8
58.4
55.4
53.1
20.5
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Desktop)
81.1
63
58.5
56
21.2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
89
56.6
51.4
48.6
18.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
69
47
41.05n4
39.85n4
16.1
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop)
56.4
47.1
45.4
44.3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
69.9
43.1
39
37.2
12.9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
61.8
36.1
32.8n3
30.7n3
2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
54.5
35.1
31.9
30.2
8.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
51.9
30.1
26.6
23.9
8.7
PosModel< PrevNext >The Evil Within 2
low med. high ultra 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
53.1
31.3
28.1
26.3
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
35.7
25.4
23.7
23
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
38.1
22.2
19.3
17.8
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
32.4
18.4
16.3
14.8
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
28.85n2
16n2
14.3n2
13.3n2
AMD Radeon RX 540
25.7
11.1
9.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
36.6
19.6
17.3
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
15
8.9
7.7
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
16.6n2
9.1n2
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
17.7
9.9
8.9
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
17.8
NVIDIA GeForce 930M
14.9
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
13.8
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
17.9
9.2
8.1
6.1
NVIDIA GeForce 920M
12
Intel UHD Graphics 630
11.4
6.1
Intel HD Graphics 630
12.4
6.7
6
Intel UHD Graphics 620
11
6.5
Intel HD Graphics 620
9.9
5.4
AMD Radeon R5 M255
12.1
PosModel< PrevNext >The Evil Within 2
low med. high ultra 4K
Intel HD Graphics 520
9
4.6
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
9.9
AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
6
Intel HD Graphics 4600
9.2
Intel HD Graphics 5500
9.8
Intel HD Graphics 615
8.6
Intel HD Graphics 4400
7
(-) * 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 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 387.92 Crimson 17.10.1
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > The Evil Within 2 Laptop and Desktop Benchmarks
Florian Glaser, 2017-10-25 (Update: 2017-10-26)