Diablo 4 releases tomorrow, however, those that have purchased its Ultimate Edition have been able to play it since June 2nd. And, since we’ve gotten access to the game, we’ve decided to put it to the test and benchmark it.
For this PC Performance Analysis, we used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 32GB of DDR5 at 6000Mhz, AMD’s Radeon RX580, RX Vega 64, RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, NVIDIA’s GTX980Ti, RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080 and RTX 4090. We also used Windows 10 64-bit, the GeForce 535.98 and the Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 23.5.2 drivers. Moreover, we’ve disabled SMT and the second CCD on our 7950X3D.
Blizzard has added a lot of graphics settings to tweak. PC gamers can adjust the quality of Textures, Shadows, Shaders, SSAO, Water, Fur, Fog and more. The game also has a Colorblind option, supports DLSS 2/3 and DLAA, and has a resolution scaler and a framerate limiter.
Diablo 4 does not feature any built-in benchmark tool. Thus, for our tests, we used the Tavern area in Kyovashad. This area appeared to be the most demanding in that big city. Do note, however, that the game can display a lot of enemies on screen. Unfortunately, we could not benchmark such a scenario as this happens randomly. So yeah, be sure to keep that in mind.
Diablo 4 does not require a high-end CPU for gaming at over 100fps. By simulating only two cores (with SMT enabled), we were able to run the game with a minimum of 150fps at 1080p/Ultra Settings. So, if you own an old CPU, you’ll be completely fine and you’ll be able to run it.
At 1080/Ultra Settings, most of our GPUs were able to provide a constant 60fps experience. Even our AMD Radeon RX580 came close to it. In fact, if you own a Free-Sync monitor, you’ll be able to enjoy the game even with that old GPU.
At 1440p/Ultra Settings, our top six GPUs were able to offer framerates over 60fps at all times. And, if you own a G-Sync monitor, you can get a smooth experience on the GTX 980Ti. As for native 4K/Ultra Settings, our top five GPUs were able to run the game smoothly.
Graphics-wise, Diablo 4 looks amazing. This is easily one of the best-looking isometric hack n slash games. Diablo 4 features a more dark art style than Diablo 3, something that will please a lot of die-hard Diablo fans. Moreover, the game has some cool snow deformation effects. Not only that, but its character models are highly detailed, and Blizzard has used a lot of high-resolution textures. Most light sources also cast shadows and yes, Diablo 4 is a really gory game. To be honest, there is nothing to complain about, the game looks really polished.
All in all, we were pleasantly surprised by Diablo 4’s performance. The game can run smoothly on a wide range of CPUs and GPUs, meaning that you won’t need a high-end PC system. We did experience some stutters, so don’t expect a stutter-free experience. Still, and regarding solely these stutters, things are nowhere as bad as they’re in all recent PC games.
Enjoy!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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