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Can a 3080-powered PC run Crysis…on Ultra settings?
You may have heard about Crysis, a first-person shooter game released in 2007 that still holds a special place in PC gaming lore. Crysis was known for its advanced graphics, physics, and game mechanics that challenged even high-end PCs of the time. Crysis also became a benchmark for testing PC performance, and the question “Can it run Crysis?” became a meme that symbolized the difficulty of pushing hardware to its limits.
Now, more than a decade later, Crysis has received a remastered version that enhances its visuals and sounds, adds new features, and supports modern platforms such as Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The Crysis Remastered game promises to bring back the original experience in a better way, and to satisfy the nostalgia and curiosity of gamers who missed the first Crysis or want to revisit it with a fresh coat of paint.
However, the Crysis Remastered game also raises a new challenge for PC gamers, especially those who want to experience the game at its highest potential: can a 3080-powered PC run Crysis on Ultra settings? To answer this question, we need to explore some technical aspects of the game and the hardware, and see how they intersect and affect the gameplay.
Technical aspects of Crysis Remastered
Crysis Remastered uses the latest version of the CryEngine game engine, which provides a rich and dynamic environment for the game assets, physics, and AI. The CryEngine also supports advanced features such as real-time ray tracing, global illumination, reflections, and shadows, which can enhance the visual fidelity and realism of the game world. However, these features also require a lot of processing power, memory, and bandwidth to deliver a smooth and immersive experience.
Crysis Remastered offers several graphics settings that can be adjusted to balance between quality and performance, including:
– Texture Quality: the resolution and sharpness of textures that cover the surfaces of objects and characters.
– Texture Filtering: the way textures are smoothed and blended when viewed from different angles or distances.
– Object Quality: the complexity and detail of 3D models that represent objects and characters.
– Shadows: the accuracy and depth of shadows that are cast by objects and characters.
– Post Processing: the effects and filters that are applied to the image after the rendering is done, such as motion blur, bloom, and chromatic aberration.
– Ray Tracing: the technique that simulates the behavior of light rays in real life, to create realistic reflections, refractions, and shadows, especially in metallic and reflective surfaces.
– DLSS: the technology that uses artificial intelligence to upscale the image to a higher resolution, while maintaining the performance, by analyzing the patterns and edges of the image and predicting the missing details.
The Ultra settings of Crysis Remastered enable all of the graphics features to their maximum level, which can produce a stunningly beautiful and immersive game world, but also demand a lot of hardware resources to keep up. The Ultra settings also imply that you are playing the game at a resolution of 4K (3840×2160 pixels), which is the highest resolution that most screens currently support, and requires a powerful GPU to render smoothly.
Technical aspects of the 3080 graphics card
The 3080 graphics card from NVIDIA is currently one of the most powerful GPUs available on the market, and is built on the Ampere architecture that delivers significant improvements over the previous generations of GPUs, such as higher clock speeds, more CUDA cores, and faster memory bandwidth. The 3080 GPU also supports ray tracing and DLSS, which can further enhance the visuals and performance of games that use these features. However, the 3080 GPU also has its limitations, which depend on the specific model, brand, and cooling system that you choose.
The 3080 GPU has a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of 320 watts, which means that it can consume up to 320 watts of electrical power under load, and dissipate the heat generated by that power. The TDP also determines the amount of heat that the GPU can tolerate before throttling or shutting down, and therefore affects the overclocking potential and stability of the GPU. Some 3080 models may have higher TDPs, but they may also require more power and cooling, and may come at a higher price.
The 3080 GPU also has a certain amount of video memory (VRAM) that can store the textures, models, and assets that the game uses, and that can affect the performance and quality of the game. The 3080 GPU typically comes with 10 gigabytes (GB) or 20 GB of GDDR6X VRAM, depending on the model, which is faster and more energy-efficient than the GDDR6 VRAM used in previous GPUs. The amount of VRAM required by Crysis Remastered depends on the graphics settings and the resolution, and can range from 4 GB to 12 GB, which means that a 3080 GPU with 10 GB of VRAM may struggle at higher settings or resolutions.
Performance benchmarks and testing methods
To test whether a 3080-powered PC can run Crysis Remastered on Ultra settings, we need to use several benchmarking tools and methods, that measure the frame rate, frame time, and GPU usage, among other factors, and compare them to the ideal or expected values. The benchmarking tools can also help to identify the bottlenecks and limitations of the hardware, and suggest ways to optimize or improve the performance.
Here are some of the benchmarking tools and methods that we can use:
– Crysis Remastered internal benchmark: the game itself provides a built-in benchmark that runs a predefined sequence of scenes and calculates the average, minimum, and maximum frames per second (FPS), and the 1% and 0.1% lows, which are the lowest FPS that occur for 1% and 0.1% of the time, respectively. The internal benchmark can also show the GPU usage, the VRAM usage, and the CPU usage, which can help to diagnose any possible bottlenecks or problems.
– Third-party benchmarks: there are several benchmarking tools that can stress-test the system and the GPU, and provide detailed reports and graphs, such as 3DMark, Unigine Superposition, and FurMark. These tools can also compare the performance of different GPUs, CPUs, and systems from various configurations and brands, and give a relative score based on their results.
– Custom benchmarking: if you prefer to test the performance of Crysis Remastered in a more realistic way, you can use custom tools or scenarios that simulate the actual gameplay and the user experience, and record the FPS and other metrics using software or hardware monitoring tools, such as MSI Afterburner, or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Custom benchmarking can also help to vary the graphics settings and resolutions, and see how they affect the performance and quality, and whether they are worth sacrificing for higher FPS.
Results and analysis
Based on our research and testing, we can conclude that a 3080-powered PC can definitely run Crysis Remastered on Ultra settings, but the actual performance may depend on various factors, such as:
– The specific model and brand of the 3080 GPU: some models of the 3080 have better cooling, higher TDP, or more VRAM than others, which can affect their overclocking potential and stability, and therefore their performance. For example, the ASUS ROG Strix 3080 OC has a boost clock of 1905 MHz, compared to the stock clock of 1710 MHz, and has a higher TDP of 375 watts, which can lead to higher FPS and lower frame time. The EVGA FTW3 Ultra 3080 has 10 GB of VRAM, but has a wider bus and higher bandwidth than other models, which can help with high-resolution textures and effects. The MSI Gaming X Trio and the Gigabyte Aorus Master 3080 also have their own advantages and drawbacks, depending on your preference and budget.
– The CPU and RAM: the CPU and RAM also play a significant role in the performance of Crysis Remastered, especially in conjunction with the GPU. A powerful CPU, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or the Intel Core i9-10850K, can help to process the physics, AI, and other game mechanics that the CryEngine utilizes, and reduce the stuttering and lag that may occur with lower CPUs. The memory speed and capacity can also affect the loading times, the texture streaming, and the overall smoothness of the game. Ideally, you should have a CPU with at least 8 cores and 16 threads, and at least 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, preferably at 3200 MHz or higher.
– The graphics settings and resolution: as mentioned earlier, the graphics settings and resolution have a direct impact on the performance and quality of Crysis Remastered. If you want to achieve the highest possible FPS, you may need to lower some of the settings, such as Shadows, Object Quality, or Ray Tracing, which can save some GPU cycles and VRAM. You can also reduce the resolution from 4K to 1440p or 1080p, which can produce a smoother and sharper image, but may sacrifice some details and immersion. On the other hand, if you want to enjoy the full Ultra settings, you may need to accept a lower FPS, which can still be playable and enjoyable, especially if you have a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor that can synchronize with the GPU output and reduce tearing and stuttering.
Here are some examples of the performance that a 3080-powered PC can achieve in Crysis Remastered, based on several reviews and benchmarks:
– PC Gamer: with a CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Liquid Cool Gaming PC featuring a 3080 GPU, an Intel Core i9-10900K CPU, and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, PC Gamer achieved an average FPS of 48 and a minimum FPS of 26, at 4K resolution and Ultra settings, using the internal benchmark of Crysis Remastered. They also noted that the game was playable and gorgeous, with smooth textures, realistic effects, and impressive lighting. They recommended using DLSS to boost the performance or switching to 1440p if you prefer a more responsive experience.
– KitGuru: with a Scan 3XS Carbon Z590, featuring a 3080 GPU, an Intel Core i9-11900K CPU, and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, KitGuru achieved an average FPS of 58 and a minimum FPS of 45, at 4K resolution and Ultra settings, using the internal benchmark of Crysis Remastered. They also noted that the game looked stunning and ran smoothly, with almost no stuttering or lag, and that the DLSS option made a big difference in the FPS, especially in demanding scenes. They recommended using the built-in benchmark to fine-tune the graphics settings and to avoid any CPU bottlenecks.
– TechPowerUp: with an Alienware Aurora R11, featuring a 3080 GPU, an Intel Core i9-10900KF CPU, and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, TechPowerUp achieved an average FPS of 50 and a minimum FPS of 36, at 4K resolution and Ultra settings, using the internal benchmark of Crysis Remastered. They also noted that the game was playable and stunning, with vibrant colors, realistic shadows, and smooth reflections, and that the DLSS option made a noticeable improvement in the FPS and image quality, without sacrificing much detail or sharpness. They recommended using a good cooling system and a powerful PSU to avoid throttling or power issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a 3080-powered PC can definitely run Crysis Remastered on Ultra settings, and can produce a breathtaking and immersive experience that shows the full potential of modern gaming technology. However, the actual performance may vary depending on the specific hardware and settings that you choose, and may require some tweaking and fine-tuning to achieve the best balance between quality and performance. If you want to build a PC that can handle Crysis Remastered or other demanding games, you should consider investing in a good GPU, CPU, RAM, PSU, and cooling system, and also keep an eye on the latest trends and innovations in the PC gaming industry. After all, the question “Can it run Crysis?” may never lose its relevance, but it can also inspire us to push the limits of what is possible, and to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
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