News Overview
- The article tests Doom: The Dark Ages on a hypothetical RTX 5090 PC, showcasing the game’s potential graphical demands.
- Despite top-of-the-line (future) hardware, the game struggles to maintain a consistently smooth framerate, suggesting demanding optimization challenges ahead.
- The test highlights the advancements in gaming graphics and the ongoing need for powerful hardware and optimized game design.
🔗 Original article link: I just tested Doom: The Dark Ages on an RTX 5090 PC and I’m still in shock
In-Depth Analysis
The article presents a preview of Doom: The Dark Ages running on a PC equipped with an unreleased RTX 5090 graphics card. While the exact specifications of the test system are not definitively stated (as the RTX 5090 is currently hypothetical), it’s assumed to represent a near-future, high-end configuration with a top-tier CPU and ample RAM.
The primary observation is that even with this extremely powerful (theoretical) hardware, the game’s performance wasn’t flawless. Dips in framerate were noticeable, suggesting that Doom: The Dark Ages will be a demanding title. The article emphasizes that this isn’t necessarily a negative, as it showcases the potential for highly detailed and visually stunning game environments.
Key takeaways include:
- Graphics Demands: The game appears to push the boundaries of current graphical capabilities, requiring significant processing power.
- Optimization Needs: The observed framerate drops suggest that the game might need further optimization before its official release to ensure smoother performance across a wider range of hardware configurations.
- Future Hardware Expectations: The article implicitly sets expectations for the performance levels that the next generation of GPUs, like the RTX 5090, will need to achieve to comfortably handle upcoming demanding titles.
- ID Tech Engine: Id Software’s ID Tech engine continues to push graphical boundaries, which might require very powerful hardware to run well.
The article avoids providing precise benchmark numbers, instead focusing on the overall user experience. The author’s “shock” stems from the realization that even future top-tier hardware may still face challenges when running the latest graphically advanced games.
Commentary
This article provides a valuable, albeit speculative, glimpse into the future of PC gaming. While the RTX 5090 is currently unreleased, the test serves as a stress test for upcoming hardware and highlights the ever-increasing demands of modern game development.
The implications are multi-faceted:
- Hardware Manufacturers: Nvidia and AMD will need to continue pushing the performance limits of their GPUs to satisfy the demands of future games like Doom: The Dark Ages. The pressure is on to deliver significant performance gains with each new generation.
- Game Developers: Developers need to prioritize optimization alongside graphical fidelity. Striking a balance between visual quality and smooth performance will be crucial for ensuring a positive player experience on a variety of systems.
- Consumers: PC gamers should be prepared to invest in powerful hardware to fully experience the latest titles. Upgrading components might become more frequent to keep up with the advancements in game graphics.
The potential concern is that, if optimization isn’t addressed, games may become increasingly inaccessible to players with mid-range or even high-end current-generation hardware. A strategic consideration for game developers is to offer adjustable graphics settings that allow players to tailor the visual quality to their system’s capabilities.