Skip to main content

Introducing Digital Foundry's new PC benchmarking system

Welcome to the next level.

Change is good! As part of the Eurogamer redesign, I'm delighted to reveal something pretty special we've been working on for quite some time - a complete revamp of the way we showcase our benchmarks of PC games and hardware, giving you unprecedented access to the entirety of the data we put together for our reviews.

So what's the big deal? Well, it's really simple. The new Eurogamer benchmarking system gives you as much - or as little - performance data as you want. The new widget we've put together is aimed at readers using the desktop version of the site (by necessity, mobile users get a simpler table-based rendition of the data). For the purposes of showing the new tech in action, we've run benchmarks for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 and AMD Radeon RX 580 (specifically the MSI Gaming X varieties) using Far Cry 5, captured at 1080p, 1440p and 4K resolutions.

The YouTube video embed shows the content we're analysing, and beneath that are two graphs, showing frame-rate on the left and frame-time on the right - this should be recognisable if you've seen our YouTube benchmarking videos. The former offers a more general overview of performance, while the latter offers a per-frame look at how the content renders - the smoother the line, the less stutter there is in the experience. You get to see how that plays out synchronised with the video, a set-up which reveals what content may be causing performance problems.

Additionally, what's new and cool here is that you can choose the data you want to compare - up to a maximum of four entries from the available selection. To the right of the video, you'll see the available benchmark data points - just tick what you want to see. GTX 1060 vs RX 580 at 1080p? No problem. Adding 1440p data for both cards on the fly? Go for it. Or maybe you just want to see how one of the cards scales across 1080p, 1440p and 4K? Just tick the appropriate entries and you're good to go. You can even skip around the YouTube video and the graphs will adjust accordingly. Everything can be chopped and changed in real-time, as the video plays.

Previously, we've used the per-frame data we have and burned it into the videos, embedding them in our CPU and GPU reviews. However, the new system is far more useful in that you get to choose what data points and comparisons you want to see. Now, adding in new data can sometimes result in the graph range not encompassing everything you've selected - this is not a problem, you can click on the reset button and the ranges change accordingly. I'll let you play with this example - press the YouTube play button to begin - before moving on to explain our new bar chart system below.

Far Cry 5 GTX 1060 vs RX 580: Ultra Settings

Admittedly, the graphing system is pretty in-depth, hardcore stuff, so what if you just want the numbers? Well, that's where our accompanying bar chart system, directly above this text, comes into play. Hover over the mid-point of any of the entries and that'll bring up the average frame-rates across the board. Click on your mouse or trackpad and those numbers transform into percentage differentials that change as you 'mouse over' each entry. Click again and you're back to the frame-rates.

But there's more. Hover over the various parts of each entry and you'll bring up data that groups together the best and the worst performance from the benchmark. On the far left is arguably the most useful worst one per cent data point. This groups together the bottom-end frame-time readings throughout the clip, and averages them, converting the final result back into frame-rate. This kind of data is useful in that average frame-rates don't tell you everything you need to know about how the benchmark played out, and by its very nature an overall average is only minimally affected by stutter. The worst one per cent and five per cent data effectively rounds up the worst areas of performance from across the clip - the nearer those numbers are to the average, the better. [UPDATE: Many thanks to AMD's Scott Wasson for putting us right on percentiles! We've updated the article accordingly].

Overall then, it's a big upgrade over the simple average frame-rate tables we've been using for years now and it allows us to share with you the entirety of the exhaustive data we collect for all of our reviews - tests results that previously we could only use in video and even then, only using a small selection per video. For those interested, the per-frame data we collect is all captured via FCAT - a system developed by Nvidia and specialist hardware sites, The Tech Report and PC Perspective (its full deep-dive is here), though we've added some flourishes of our own over the years for smoother workflow. We consider it the gold standard of benchmarking as it's based on data taken from the actual output of the video card, a natural evolution of the way we've been evaluating console performance for the best part of nine years now.

Xbox One X
PlayStation 4 Pro
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
This smalltown street serves as a perfect demonstration of how a higher resolution can enhance the presentation. Detail levels appear mostly consistent between the four versions, but the higher resolution helps elevate the visuals.
Xbox One X
PlayStation 4 Pro
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Texture filtering quality is a visual weakness present in all versions of the game. Textures are generally of exceptional quality but when viewed from an oblique angle, these same assets lose visible detail.
Xbox One X
PlayStation 4 Pro
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
If you focus your attention on the thin ladder attached to the tower, the benefits of an increased resolution stand out even more. On Xbox One this ladder appears a series of floating lines while Xbox One X displays a detailed ladder model instead.
Xbox One X
PlayStation 4 Pro
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Foliage also benefits greatly from higher resolutions. On PS4 Pro and especially Xbox One X, thin tree branches appear sharp and clean while less powerful consoles exhibit noticeable pixilation instead.

And speaking of consoles, while this feature rolled out a couple of weeks back with the site redesign, I'd very much like to talk a little about our new screenshot comparison tool (internally known as the 'zoomer'), with some example shots above, based on the four console variants of Far Cry 5.

As we moved into the 4K era, it quickly became evident that our existing comparison tool showed too little of each shot, making it difficult in many cases to pick up on the differences. We also wanted to address the fact that some head-to-heads just work better with a clickable A to B comparison - differences such as changes to ambient occlusion or lighting were often difficult to pick up on in the original zoomer, whereas they showed up as clear as night and day using our internal tools.

By default, all versions appear side-by-side, just like the old zoomer. However, now we have much more screen real estate for each shot. Simply click and drag to move around the shot, as per normal - there's even a zoomer variant for mobile devices too. On top of that, the desktop version also has controls for dedicating the viewing area to one version only, with the user able to swap between each individual version, covering off the requirement for A to B comparisons.

Going into the Eurogamer redesign phase, the tech team asked me what new features I wanted to see that really could benefit Digital Foundry - and that all came down to being able to share more of the assets and data we source for our work. And I have to admit, when I suggested real-time FCAT graphing, multiple comparisons and bar chart generation sourced entirely from our video capture data, I thought I was pushing my luck somewhat. To illustrate just how much work is going on behind the scenes here, an FCAT capture looks like this - a coloured border marks up each frame. Our tools scan videos like this, logging border positions and individual 'frames within frames' and then condensing those multi-gig video files into much smaller .txt files - here's the GTX 1060 full HD cache. So everything in the benchmark widget is all dynamically generated from that kind of data - it's quite an achievement, so I'd like to extend a personal 'thank you' to the tech team for taking on the challenge. Roll on second-gen CPU and GPU reviews - we'll be ready.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com