Stalker 2 Test: GPU/CPU Benchmarks

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Post on Nov 20, 2024

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Stalker 2 Test: GPU/CPU Benchmarks - My Rig Almost Melted!

Hey gamers! So, I finally got my grubby mitts on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Let me tell you, it's gorgeous, but man, it's demanding. I almost fried my poor PC trying to run it on max settings. Seriously, I thought I was gonna need a new graphics card and maybe even a new CPU after this. This isn't some casual mobile game, folks – this is AAA gaming at its most visually stunning and also most resource-intensive.

My Setup & Initial Expectations

My system's pretty decent – I've got an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and an RTX 3080 GPU. I figured I'd be able to crank the settings to high or ultra and still get a smooth 60fps. Boy, was I wrong.

The Benchmarking Begins (and My Heart Sinks)

First, I ran the built-in benchmark at 1080p with ray tracing enabled. The results? Let's just say my jaw hit the floor. I was getting a measly 35fps average! That's completely unplayable for me. Ray tracing is clearly a HUGE performance hit. I mean, the game looks amazing with ray tracing on, but it nearly crippled my system. I felt a little nauseous watching the frame rate tank. My poor 3080 was screaming.

Next, I tried 1440p and then a 4k resolution. I swear I heard my CPU whimper at 4k. Forget about ray tracing at those resolutions; I barely cracked 20fps! Honestly, I almost gave up. I thought maybe I'd messed something up in my system settings. I checked my drivers, my BIOS, everything!

Tweaking Settings for Playability: Lessons Learned

After some serious tinkering – and a little bit of hair-pulling – I managed to find a playable setting. I dialed back the ray tracing to medium, lowered some of the texture settings, and switched to 1080p. This got me a playable 45-50fps. It still wasn't ideal, but it was enough to actually enjoy the game. I could have lowered the settings further but, you know, I had to preserve some visual fidelity!

CPU Bottleneck? Possibly. GPU Bottleneck? Definitely.

During my benchmarking, I noticed my GPU utilization was consistently above 99%, while my CPU usage hovered around 60-70%. This points to a significant GPU bottleneck – my RTX 3080 was working overtime. I reckon a more powerful card, like an RTX 4080 or 4090, would be needed for truly high-end gaming experience, particularly at 4K with ray tracing. I may need to upgrade eventually.

Actionable Advice: Stalker 2 System Requirements are No Joke

For optimal performance in Stalker 2:

• Upgrade your GPU: This game is incredibly demanding. A top-tier graphics card is a must for those high settings.
• Manage Ray Tracing Carefully: Ray tracing drastically impacts performance. Experiment with different settings and find a balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.
• Lower Texture Settings: Textures eat up a ton of VRAM. Don't be afraid to turn them down.
• Prioritize Frame Rate: In the end, a smoother experience is better than a pretty picture that runs in slow motion.
• Check your drivers: Make sure you have the latest drivers installed for both your GPU and your CPU.

This Stalker 2 experience was a harsh lesson. While the game is visually stunning, it's unforgiving when it comes to hardware requirements. Don't expect to max out the settings on anything less than a high-end gaming PC. I'm still playing it, and I'm glad I persisted – the game is fantastic, though my cooling system is probably traumatized. Let me know your benchmark results in the comments!