The problem with 'dumb' metrics (An argument against using GPU busy)...

With the recent release of the new updated beta version of Presentmon by Intel to include their new metric, GPU Busy, many people have become excited about the potential for it to have some sort of positive impact on the game review and user diagnostic testing landscapes.

However, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed how I've not been impressed by the execution surrounding this metric - something which I think many people might have missed in the hubbub for something new and meaningful in system performance assessments.

This is the story of how dangerous undefined metrics can be in the wrong hands...

Starfield Performance Analysis...

Starfield has been a much anticipated title for a number of years now but the hype, counter-hype and social media battles have been raging pretty strongly around this one since it was made an Xbox and PC exclusive. 

Normally, though, those concerns usually melt away shortly after launch when players can actually get their hands on the game and just play. In Starfield's case, this hasn't been quite the experience - there are many players who are struggling to run the game because it can be quite demanding of PC hardware. There are raging debates as to whether the problem lies with the developers, the engine, or the hardware manufacturers...

Since I had my savegame destroyed in Baldur's Gate 3 and didn't feel like repeating thirty hours of gametime I instead decided to switch over to Starfield for a change in pace. As a happy coincidence, I have a lot of familiarity with prior Bethesda Game Studios titles and a penchant for testing on various hardware configurations... and it just so happens that I have a new testing rig (mostly) up and running so it has turned out that Starfield is a prime target for the shakedown of this new testing capability...