DIY eGPU Game Video Benchmarks

Game Video Benchmarks​

Quick Links: x1.1Opt Videos | x1.2Opt Videos |

Last Tested Games
10/06/2012	DOTA 2, Guild Wars 2, Max Payne 3, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine, TERA x1.2Opt-Int videos.
30/03/2012	Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft Cataclysm, The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Dragon Age 2 1.2Opt-Int videos.
28/03/2012	Anno 2070, Batman Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Diablo 3 Beta, Crysis 2, Shift 2: Unleashed, CitiesXL 2012, The Witcher 2 x1.2Opt-Int videos.
02/05/2012	Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Demo), Magicka, Age of Empires: Online, Dragon Age 2.
01/26/2012	The Witcher 2, World of Warcraft Cataclysm, Shogun 2 Total War x1.1Opt videos.
01/25/2012	Star Wars TOR x1.1Opt videos.

Informations

Hardware Setup

OLD 1.1Opt Setup: 12.5" HP 2560P i5-2520M + [email protected], 4GB, Win7/64-bit (Click for further details on HP EliteBook 2560p Owner Lounge) ORIGINAL 1.2Opt Setup: 12.5" HP 2560P i7-2630QM + GTX560 (@ 900/2200)@x1.2Opt, 8GB, Win7/64-bit (Click for further details on HP EliteBook 2560p Owner Lounge) NEW 1.2Opt Setup: 12.5" HP 2560P i7-2630QM + GTX670 @x1.2Opt, 8GB, Win7/64-bit (Click for further details on HP EliteBook 2560p Owner Lounge)

Score Explanation
Description	General Notes
Not Recommended	Using the x1.1Opt-Int setup, in the majority of the cases give less FPS than the x1.1Opt-Ext setup due the bandwidth needed by the video signal. Example of bandwidth used by internal screen: Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels Color Depth: 32Bpp Framerate: 30FPS Bandwidth Used: {[(1366 x 768) x 32] x 30} = 1.007.124.480 bits/s = 125.890.560 Bytes/s = 122.940 KiloBytes/s = 120,06 MegaBytes/s Considering that: PCIe v1.0 x1 speed: 2.5GT/s = ~250MB/s PCIe v2.0 x1 speed: 5.0GT/s = ~500MB/s We can say that empirically the x1.2Opt-Int kit could give better performance than the x1.1Opt-Ext kit because [(500-120) > 250] MB.
Laggy
Playable
Smooth
Perfect

IMPORTANT NOTE: All the games were tested with the MAXIMUM SETTINGS (not only MAXIMUM PRESET but ALL the options on MAXIMUM where available). Only the RESOLUTION was lowered to 720p when 1080p doesn't achieve desidered performance. AUDIO signal through HDMI was DISABLED to maximize the bandwidth.

Videos
Games	x1.1Opt-Ext	Notes	x1.1Opt-Int	Notes
Age of Empires Online	1080p	Microlags during scrolling	768p	Microlags during scrolling
Anno 2070	720p	FPS drop on large views Bad optimization in videos (same issue present in Anno 1404) Microlags during scrolling	768p	FPS drop on large views Bad optimization in video (same issue present in Anno 1404) Microlags during scrolling
Batman Arkham City	720p	No difference in performance between 720p and 1080p Known stuttering issue due to Scaleform engine (in-game cutscenes)	768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth Known stuttering issue due to Scalerform engine (in-game cutscenes)
Battlefield 3	720p	FPS drop during area loading At 1080p the menu overlay lags as hell and the gameplay stays around 20-25 FPS Some microlags during fast scenes	768p	No menu overlay lag Some microlags during fast scenes
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
CitiesXL 2012	1080p	Some microlags during high distance views FPS drop on panorama views	768p	City Lights cause FPS drops during night-time FPS drop on panorama views Some microlags during high distance views Intro movie lagging
Crysis 2	1080p	Long loading times Some stuttering during dynamical loading of the scenes At 720p the game jumps to a range of 29-37 FPS becoming PLAYABLE	768p	Huge loading times (Freezes) Out of sync between audio and video in cutscenes Huge FPS drops during starting scenes
Deus Ex Human Revolution	1080p	Noticeable FPS drop during area loading (2-3 seconds)	768p	Noticeable FPS drop during area loading (2-3 seconds)
Diablo 3 (Beta)	1080p	When below 60 FPS some microlags appear (but Alt-Tabbing make them disappear, problem seems related to OUTDOOR shadows) Stuttering during the first phases of the game	768p	Stuttering during the first phases of the game Frequent microlags outdoor
Dragon Age 2	1080p	Low FPS Using DX9 the game becomes SMOOTH	768p	Low FPS Using DX9 the game becomes SMOOTH
Kingdoms of Amalur (Demo)	1080p	Some Microlags during the first phases of the game	768p	Some microlags during the first phases of the game
Magicka	1080p	Laggy in the selection menu	768p	Laggy in the selection menu Some microlags during the first phases of the game
Metro 2033
Orcs must die!	1080p	No issues	768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth
Portal 2	1080p	No issues	768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth
Rage
Shift 2 Unleashed Need for Speed
Shogun 2 Total War	1080p	Low FPS (15-20) Graphical glitches (Artefacts seems related to driver version) Issue recognizing the GPU and setting up graphics options (known issue related to Optimus) At 720p the game jumps to a range of 20-25 FPS becoming LAGGY	768p	Low FPS (15-20) Graphical glitches (artifacts seems related to driver version) Issue recognizing the GPU and setting up graphics options (known issue related to Optimus)
Star Wars The Old Republic	1080p	Some microlags during area loading In battleground and big city hubs low FPS (20-23)	768p	Some microlags during area loading In battleground areas and big city hubs low FPS (18-20)
Starcraft 2	1080p	No issues	768p	Laggy intro menu (till Hyperion jumps to the hyperspace) Some spot stuttering with many units on screen
Team Fortress 2	1080p	No issues	768p	Stuttering during the first phases of the game
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim	1080p	Some microlags during scene with many characters FPS drop on panorama views At 720p the game jumps to a range of 37-50 FPS becoming SMOOTH	768p	Some microlags during scenes with many characters FPS drop on panorama views
The Settlers 7 Path to a kingdom	1080p	Graphical glitches (not dependant from the eGPU but annoying) Stuttering during zoom out (to tactical map view) At 720p the game jumps to a range of 30-35 FPS becoming SMOOTH	768p	Graphical glitches (not dependant from the eGPU, but annoying) Stuttering during zoom out (to tactical map view)
The Witcher 2	1080p	NOTE: No UBERSAMPLING activated (if activated 15-20 FPS) Some microlags during movements Stuttering during the first phases of the game At 720p the game jumps to a range of 34-45 FPS becoming SMOOTH	768p	NOTE: No UBERSAMPLING activated (if activated 15-20 FPS) Some microlags during movements Stuttering during the first phases of the game
World of Warcraft	1080p	Frequent microlags during movements Low FPS in city hubs (18-22) Ultra preset bugged (badly optimized) At 720p the game jumps to a range of 35-50 FPS becoming SMOOTH	768p	Frequent microlags during movements Low FPS in city hubs (15-20) Ultra preset bugged (badly optimized

Videos
Games	x1.2Opt-Ext	Notes	x1.2Opt-Int	Notes
Age of Empires Online
Anno 2070			768p	FPS drop on panorama large views
Batman Arkham City			768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth No more stuttering issue due to Scalerform engine (in-game cutscenes)
Battlefield 3			768p	"High" preset used Video recorded on a 64players Multiplayer map where the data load is higher
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
CitiesXL 2012			768p	City Lights cause FPS drops during night-time FPS drop during fast zooming movements
Crysis 2			768p	Huge FPS drop during the first seconds of the loaded level (20s)
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Diablo 3 (Beta)			768p	Stuttering during the first phases of the game With the FXAA disabled the game jumps to fixed 60+ FPS becoming PERFECT
DOTA 2			768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth
Dragon Age 2			768p	Using DX9 the game becomes PERFECT
Guild Wars 2 (Beta)			768p	NOTE: The beta is known to have performance issues Shadows setting needs to be turned OFF Antialiasing setting needs to be turned OFF
Kingdoms of Amalur (Demo)
Magicka
Max Payne 3			768p	The game rollback if DX11 is used. Using DX9 the game is PERFECT
Metro 2033
Orcs must die!
Portal 2
Rage
Shift 2 Unleashed Need for Speed			768p	The performance are dependant on the number of opponents and time of the event: with 16 cars during dusk or evening the range of FPS is 18-25, without car rendered it jumps to 40+ FPS becoming SMOOTH
Shogun 2 Total War
Star Wars The Old Republic
Starcraft 2			768p	Laggy intro menu (till Hyperion jumps to the hyperspace)
Team Fortress 2
TERA			768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim			768p	Some microlags during scenes with many characters
The Settlers 7 Path to a kingdom
The Witcher 2			768p	NOTE: No UBERSAMPLING activated (if activated 15-20 FPS) No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine			768p	No evident FPS drop due internal screen bandwidth
World of Warcraft			768p	"Ultra" preset used (except for shadows set on "High&quot

 

Up! Finally updated with the first 1.2Opt-Int videos! Enjoy!