Next Gen PC gaming requirements (2024 update)

This year, I'm on time...

Snow is falling, winds are blowing, and it's that time to look back over the year and trend the night away! 2023 was a bit of a disappointment but I've got a good feeling about this year*...

*Okay, let's be honest, I've already seen the data!

How CPU-limited IS a modern mid-range PC...? (Part 2)

I'm always interested in how mid-range PC components perform in games. Previously, I explored this from the standpoint of relative performance on each CPU I had available to test. I came to the conclusion that, even though some games will be CPU-limited by the more powerful mid-range GPUs I tested with, other, more graphically-demanding titles, will still benefit from the stronger GPUs.

I also noted that, in some titles, memory and PCIe bandwidth were also very important. So, today, I wanted to take a look at some of the various situations I can pull out of the data I generated back then...

How Powerful is the PS5 Pro? (Part 2)

Overnight, a Twitter user, "brunno_fast", has uploaded a photo from the Playstation Pro Safety Guide revealing some hitherto unknown information about the PS5 Pro. Additionally, we have a teardown from "TAG" over on YouTube! The dam has broken and Sony no longer has control over the flow of information...

Let's dig into the details!

Testing GPU Variation...

One question I've often wondered about is the performance variability between individual GPUs we buy as consumers. Sure, individual models might have different performance/temperature profiles based on model power delivery or cooling design but the chip-to-chip variation has not really been tested - at least as far as I've been able to discover!

Since I have access to two identical model GPUs, I thought I'd take a VERY limited look into the issue...

The Performance Uplift of RDNA 3... (Part 2)

Ever since I performed the comparative analysis of the 60 compute unit (CU) RX 7800 XT with the RX 6800 one of the background thoughts running around my head has been the question on whether Navi 33 - the monolithic version of RDNA 3 -  does or doesn't have an uplift over the equivalent RDNA2 design.

Since I purchased one each of the RX 6650 XT and RX 7600 XT for the PS5/Pro simulations, I now have the tools available to do the full analysis of RDNA 2 versus RDNA 3! So, let's jump in...

Analyse This: Simulating the PS5 Pro... (Part 2)

It's the power of...

The Playstation 5 Pro talk is really hogging the headlines but I really wasn't 100% happy with my prior look/simulation of the device. So, I'm back here, today, putting together a quick look at a simulated PS5 base versus a simulated PS5 Pro - with PC parts!

As a side benefit of this, we also get a chance to look at the effect of changing GPU architecture and a potential sly look at an upcoming blogpost where I look at the differences between monolithic RDNA3 versus RDNA 2.

So, let's jump in...

How Powerful is the PS5 Pro?

In part two of my Playstation 5 Pro fever articles, we take another look at the power the console will likely bring to the table. One of the most common discussions that's surrounded the announcement of the Playstation 5 Pro has been the performance of the GPU, with some likening it to an RX 7800 XT or even cards on Nvidia's side of the aisle.

The reality is simultaneously simple and a bit more complicated than just a comparison to a single desktop card.

So, let's take a look!

AMD's New Reality...

Last time, I pontificated on the current situation surrounding two of the gaming industry greats. Today, I'm going to address very recent comments on their current strategies relating to the consumer (client) graphics card market...

It may not be what you think it is...

Is the PS5 Pro really equivalent to an RTX 4090? (No!)

Playstation 5 Pro fever is nearing its zenith, with speculations becoming rife and consumers beginning to fantasize about what, exactly, the new console will be capable of. This is a fun look at some of the recent nonsense coming out of the Twittersphere on the subject:

Microsoft and Intel are on the ropes... what's next?

I'm not known for being a positive person when it comes to certain things. I'm generally critical, analytical, sceptical, and distrusting of processes, industries, and companies. However, I do love tech. I am critically positive about it, and for people in general and it's in the spirit of these two parts of me that I feel like I need to get these thoughts off of my chest.

Two of the biggest players in gaming are dying - their literal death throes are all around us and fill the tech news headlines, background blog rants, literal subreddits, and trending on social media.

I don't even think we need to introduce who I'm talking about but let's get it out of the way:

• Microsoft
• Intel

Their flailing is having a huge impact on gaming and tech in general and I'm a little worried as to what fills the hole they make if and when they do fail or contract away from the segments that I've traditionally engaged with.

How CPU-limited IS a modern mid-range PC...?

These days, there's a lot of talk about how CPU- or GPU-limited various games are but something I've always wondered is "where is the cut-off point?" for pairing a GPU with a particular CPU? This is especially important as we reach a point where the Ryzen 5 5600 and i5-12400 reach around €120 - these are really cheap and relatively performant options for the lower mid-range.

That's something that you don't tend to see explored too often at any well-rated benchmarking outlets like Hardware Unboxed, eteknix, or GamersNexus, etc. So, while I don't have many configurations to test out, I wanted to explore where the point of diminishing returns might be for games, as gamers would actually play them...

Next Gen PC gaming requirements (2023 update)

It's that time for a belated look at the yearly trending of recommended system specifications. I'm mostly late because I got side-tracked by other projects, by work, and various other life events. So, apologies for that if anyone was waiting on this data.

As always, the raw data is available here. And, once again, I'd like to pay tribute to Shamus Young, who inspired this series with his Steam data analytics....

However, as they say - on with the show!

Analyse This: Simulating the PS5 Pro...

Last time, I took a look at the PS5 Pro leaks and came to the conclusion, based on the claimed performance uplift, that the PS5 Pro will likely be heavily CPU-constrained (considering the upgrade in totality) and that it's likely that many titles will not take advantage of any 'RDNA3' architectural improvements on the APU.

It still baffles me why Sony would even bother releasing this thing, as I concluded:

"Honestly, a part of me is wondering why AMD/Sony didn't go with the same 36 CU configuration, but using RDNA 3 instead. They'd get the RT bonus performance and they could have clocked the GPU frequency higher to achieve a similar level of raster performance though at a cost to power use. The die would also be cheaper - and this is doubly important if there is some sort of CPU bottleneck in play - you've got a lot of wasted die area spent without capitalising on the potential performance."

But, let's not dwell on theoreticals, let's do some testing!

Analyse This: Let's look at the PS5 Pro leaks...

Last year, I looked at the possibility of a mid-generation refresh for Sony or Microsoft's current console line-ups and didn't really see any point in one. I posited some easy improvements and reasons why other possible improvements didn't really make any sense.

Now, after a series of rumours from various sources, Moore's Law Is Dead has presented a pretty concrete leak. which is confirmed to originate from Sony's developer portal, confirming the console's existence and also some key performance metrics.

So let's take a look at what we have and if such a console can change my thoughts from last time...

We Need to Talk About FPS Metrics Reporting... (Part 2)

There's a well-known idiom that's often said: "There's lies, damn lies, and then there's statistics...". This implies that the "statistics" in question are another, worse form of lie that is somehow obfuscated from the receiver of the information.

We also have multiple well-known sayings which revolve around the concept of, "you can make the statistics/data say anything you want". It seems readily apparent that people, in general, do not like or trust "the statistics".

I experience this, in my own way, in my day-to-day work. Scientists are currently not the most trusted of individuals - for whatever reason - and one of those reasons, in both cases, is a lack of understanding on the part of the consumer of the results of data analysis, both within and outside of scientific circles.

In the same way people say "science is hard", people say "statistics" is hard... and this is for good reason - though it might not be for the specific reason that might immediately spring to mind!

Statistics is not that difficult once you know what you are doing (at least in my opinion). The difficult part is knowing which statistical test to apply when and where. Yes, the difficulty, as when designing scientific experiments, is understanding the context, limitations and biases of what and how you wish to test.

This is why there are many statistical tests where the number of data points needs to be below or above a certain limit; why it is important to know the relationship between the individual data points and the set as a whole; and how the interpretation of the result of the analysis might be changed based on myriad factors.

Hence, we come to today's topic for discussion: hardware performance testing in games!

Last time, I attempted to communicate the shortfalls and incorrect analysis being performed in the industry at large. Admittedly, I was unsuccessful in many ways and was roundly dismissed by most parties...

Today, I will try a different tack.