Our 8K take a look at system
PC constructed by Stormforce Gaming
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z-790P LGA 1700
Processor: Intel Core i9-13900Ok, 24 Cores / 32 Threads
CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i 240mm ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
Storage: 1.0TB Seagate FireCuda 530 M.2 NVMe SSD
Case: Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
RAM: Corsair Vengence 32GB DDR5 4800MHz
Screen: LG 55NANO966PA
Horizon Forbidden West has come to PC, and it is given me another excuse to not purchase a PS5. I’ve purchased each technology of PlayStation console for the reason that OG mannequin, however with Sony‘s shift to (belatedly) porting most of its exclusives to PC, it simply would not appear value forking out on a brand new console once I can simply look ahead to the video games I wish to play to return to me.
So, I used to be very completely satisfied to listen to that Horizon Forbidden West was going to be ported to PC. As an enormous fan of the unique recreation, which I performed on PS4, I’d been wanting ahead to enjoying it.
Of course, as a visually-impressive first-party recreation from Sony, I used to be additionally eager to see the way it carried out on our 8K rig. As you’ll be able to see within the specs field on the fitting, our rig has remained largely unchanged for over a yr. This is as a result of it stays a formidable machine – and, crucially, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card that does the majority of the work when gaming has but to be overwhelmed. It stays the best graphics card cash can purchase.
With rumors swirling that Sony is planning on releasing a more powerful PS5 Pro console within the close to future that would goal 8K resolutions by means of a mixture of extra highly effective {hardware} and upscaling know-how, Horizon Forbidden West at 8K on PC could give us an concept of the type of visuals future PlayStation video games could supply.
It additionally suggests what obstacles Sony will face if the PS5 Pro will certainly goal 8K resolutions. Despite being nearly two years outdated, the RTX 4090 GPU nonetheless prices greater than its authentic launch value, hovering round $2,000/£2,000. While the PS5 Pro will probably be costlier than the usual PS5, there isn’t any method it will be even half the value of Nvidia’s GPU – and that is earlier than you add in the price of the opposite PC parts required. Basically, you’ll be able to’t at the moment purchase an inexpensive 8K gaming machine that’s priced for mainstream success. That’s the size of the problem Sony faces.
Spoilt for selection
One of the very best issues about Sony’s initiative to carry its video games to PC, aside from giving me an excuse to not spend cash I haven’t got on a PS5, is that they often include a wonderful selection of PC-centric choices, together with help for upscaling know-how from Nvidia and help for ultrawide monitors.
Horizon Forbidden West continues this streak, and the PC port has been dealt with by Nixxes Software, which has dealt with many earlier PlayStation to PC ports.
This newest launch is especially noteworthy as not solely does it help DLSS 3 for Nvidia RTX graphics, nevertheless it additionally helps competing upscaling tech within the type of AMD FSR 2.2 and Intel XeSS.
All three of those options permit the sport to run at a decrease decision, with the photographs upscaled in order that the sport seems at the next decision, however with out the extra pressure in your PC’s graphics card.
This primarily permits much less highly effective GPUs to hit resolutions with graphical results enabled that they often would not be capable of deal with. It additionally permits the mighty RTX 4090 to succeed in the demanding 8K decision (7680 × 4320) in sure video games whereas sustaining a playable framerate.
By supporting the three main upscaling instruments, Horizon Forbidden West offers customers way more selection (each FSR and XeSS work for a spread of GPUs, whereas DLSS is unique to latest Nvidia GPUs) – and it additionally offers me an opportunity to see which upscaling tech performs the very best.
First up: DLSS
First, I performed Horizon Forbidden West on the 8K decision of 7680 × 4320 and the graphics preset at ‘Very High’ – which is the best high quality on supply. With DLSS turned off (so the sport is operating at native 8K), my 8K take a look at rig managed to run Horizon Forbidden West at a mean of 32 frames per second (fps).
Considering that this can be a graphically-intensive recreation and operating on the highest graphics and at a decision that is pushing round 33 million pixels, that is very spectacular, and is a testomony to the uncooked energy of the RTX 4090, the remainder of the parts contained in the rig constructed by Stormforce Gaming, and the abilities of Guerrilla Games (builders of the sport) and Nixxes Software.
I really feel that 30fps is the minimal body fee for a playable recreation, so should you needed to play Horizon Forbidden West at a local 8K decision, that is actually attainable. If you drop the graphics preset, then the body fee will go up – although at the price of graphical constancy.
Of course, you do not spend round $2,000 on a GPU to get 32fps in a recreation, so I turned on DLSS and set it to ‘Quality’, which minimizes the quantity of upscaling carried out to protect picture high quality as a lot as attainable. This led the typical framerate to leap to 45fps, with a most frames per second of 60.7fps.
One factor to notice with my outcomes, which you’ll view within the chart above, is that as a result of Horizon Forbidden West would not have a built-in benchmark instrument, I needed to play the identical part time and again, utilizing MSI Afterburner to report my framerate. I selected a piece of the sport with massive open areas, water results and a fight encounter, and I attempted to make every playthrough, lasting round eight minutes, as related as attainable. However, my playthroughs weren’t equivalent, as some issues, akin to enemy assaults, would change, and this explains why there are some discrepancies between outcomes. Still, it ought to offer you a good suggestion of the distinction every setting makes.
Next, I turned ‘Frame Generation’ on. This is a brand new characteristic unique to DLSS 3 and Nvidia’s RTX 4000 sequence of playing cards. It makes use of AI to generate and insert frames between regular frames rendered by the GPU. The aim is to make video games really feel even smoother with greater, extra constant framerates whereas sustaining picture high quality.
As the chart exhibits, this gave the sport one other bump in frames per second. I then examined the opposite DLSS settings with Frame Generation left on.
With DLSS set to Ultra Performance, I hit 59.3fps at 8K – mainly the 60fps aim I goal for in these checks, which affords a steadiness of picture high quality and efficiency. With Ultra Performance, the RTX 4090 is rendering the sport at a a lot decrease decision, then utilizing DLSS to upscale to 8K, and this reliance on upscaling can result in a picture high quality that may endure from a scarcity of sharpness and element, and graphical artifacts. The excellent news is that DLSS 3 is an enormous enchancment over earlier variations, and the hit to graphic high quality is much much less noticeable as of late.
So, due to DLSS, you’ll be able to certainly play Horizon Forbidden West at 8K. But how does AMD and Intel’s rival applied sciences cope?
AMD FSR 2.2 examined
AMD’s FSR 2.2 know-how is not as mature as Nvidia’s DLSS 3, nevertheless it has a noteworthy characteristic that DLSS lacks: it is open supply and would not simply work with AMD graphics playing cards – Nvidia and Intel GPUs could make use of it as effectively.
This makes it much more accessible than DLSS, which is unique to new and costly Nvidia GPUs, and for many individuals this flexibility makes up for any shortfall in efficiency.
As you’ll be able to see from my outcomes above, FSR 2.2 offers an honest leap in body charges in comparison with operating Horizon Forbidden West natively at 8K, although at every high quality setting, it would not fairly sustain with DLSS 3’s outcomes.
The finest outcomes I managed was with FSR set to ‘Ultra Performance’, the place it hit 55.2fps on common. Below DLSS 3’s finest outcomes, however actually not unhealthy, and near doubling the efficiency of the sport in contrast with enjoying it natively.
As effectively as being unable to hit the identical highs as DLSS 3, AMD FSR 2.2’s picture high quality at Ultra Performance is not fairly nearly as good as DLSS 3 at related settings, with a number of cases of shimmering and ghosting turning into noticeable throughout my playthrough.
Intel XeSS outcomes
Finally, I examined out Intel’s XeSS know-how. While there’s a model of XeSS designed to run with Intel Arc graphics playing cards, as with FSR you should utilize XeSS with varied GPU manufacturers, so there may be one more upscaling instrument that players can check out. As with most issues, the extra selection there may be for shoppers, the higher.
XeSS hasn’t been round for so long as DLSS or FSR, and as you’ll be able to see from the outcomes above, it wasn’t in a position to match both of Nvidia or AMD’s options. There’s no ‘Ultra Performance’ mode both, so XeSS hits its highest framerates with XeSS set to ‘Performance’, with a mean of 50.6fps. This results in a wonderfully playable expertise at 8K, nevertheless it’s noticeably extra sluggish than when enjoying with DLSS at Ultra Performance.
However, it nonetheless offers you an honest fps bump over native 8K, and with Intel being one of many greatest proponents of synthetic intelligence, I’m fairly assured that XeSS efficiency will enhance because the know-how matures. The indisputable fact that you should utilize it with GPUs from Intel’s rivals can be an enormous plus.
Conclusion: DLSS for the win (once more)
Once once more, DLSS 3 has proved to be the easiest way of getting a recreation to run at 8K and 60fps with minimal compromises.
Not solely did it permit the RTX 4090 to hit 59.3fps on common whereas enjoying Horizon Forbidden West, nevertheless it additionally regarded the very best with minimal affect to picture high quality.
This could not come as an excessive amount of of a shock – DLSS has been round for fairly some time now, and Nvidia has been placing numerous work into bettering the know-how with every launch.
Also, whereas Nvidia’s desire for proprietary tech means you want the most recent RTX 4000 sequence of GPUs to get probably the most out of it, this does no less than imply Team Green could make use of unique options of its GPUs akin to Tensor Cores. With AMD and Intel’s extra open implementations, they’re unable to focus on particular {hardware} as simply – although FSR and XeSS can be found to a a lot wider vary of PC players.
And, whereas FSR would not fairly match DLSS efficiency with Horizon Forbidden West, it comes shut, and if you do not have an Nvidia GPU, this can be a tremendous different. As for XeSS, it exhibits loads of promise.
So, upscaling tech has made gaming at 8K on PC achievable, and it is nice to see elevated selections for customers. So, if Sony is certainly engaged on a PS5 Pro that goals to run video games like Horizon Forbidden West at 8K, it will should provide you with its personal upscaling tech (or adapt FSR or XeSS) if it desires to compete.