Game Performance Testing
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action-adventure game ported for release on PC on August 7th, 2020. The game makes use of the DX12 API as its only option. Graphics options in this game are fairly simple, with a total of nine options for the user to adjust. We will be utilizing the game’s built-in benchmark and graphics presets, which range from Favor Performance, Original (PS4 Fidelity), Favor Quality, and Ultimate Quality.
In our first title, we see that our EVGA 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming falls to last place when left to its stock configuration. In the card’s defense, there really is not much of a difference between the three GPUs at stock. All of them fail to maintain a solid 60 FPS and fall into the high 40s on average. This is a playable experience in this single-player title.
When we start to up the clocks on these cards, we notice a reversal of the stock numbers. Now we have the overclocked EVGA card in second, losing only to the Asus Strix 1650 Super OC. While the chart positions changed a lot, the reality is that the experience is again very similar between all cards. Horizon Zero Dawn is a game that you can play at 1080p, with any of these GPUs, and have zero regrets.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that needs no introduction to our community, being the high-profile title that it is. Launched for PC on December 5th, 2019, this game is known to be demanding for almost any GPU. The settings used were Ultra Textures, with all other basic graphics options set to high, excluding any anti-aliasing options, which were disabled.
At stock, we see a similar result to Horizon Zero Dawn. These GPUs are fairly evenly matched, with a difference of only 2.5% (within the margin of error) from our EVGA 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming to our XFX 5500XT 4GB. At the end of the day here, the XFX 5500XT 4GB is technically the fastest at stock, but you would be hard-pressed to feel the difference in a blind test.
When we overclock our GPUs, the hierarchy does not change. Our EVGA 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming is still at the bottom of the chart, pushing out a 53.8 fps average. This is an increase of 12%, but not enough to push us over either of the competing cards.
F1-2020
F1-2020 is a Codemasters title and the latest release in the series of racing games. For this game, we stuck to the Italy map for our run-through, using the internal benchmark for our data.
This is one game that really seems to perform better on AMD hardware, as we see the XFX5500XT 4GB taking the top spots for both Stock and Overclocked configurations. This EVGA card, while performing well, is simply not as fast as either the ASUS Strix 1650 Super or the XFX 5500XT 4GB. Even when we apply our maximum overclock, we find that this GPU is only able to best the stock Asus Strix 1650 Super.
Wolfenstein Youngblood
I have said it before and I will say it again, Wolfenstein Youngblood really tends to deliver when paired with Turing-based GPUs. In this case, things are no different, we again see all the TU116-based GPUs leading the charts.
At stock, the EVGA 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming manages to best even the overclocked XFX 5500XT 4GB. When compared to its more expensive counterpart, the Asus Strix 1650 Super, it’s obvious that the ASUS card is simply able to maintain higher clock speeds while gaming. Given the size difference of their coolers and the price differences between the cards, I would say this is the expected result here, but it’s always good to see numbers bearing that out.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
In our last Flight Simulator 2020 benchmark with cards in the sub-$200 price range, we saw some fairly low performance from AMD. Since that review, we have worked to find a better flight path that more appropriately stresses the GPU without putting as much stress on the CPU. While this game will always be dependent on a decent CPU, we found that this run-through more accurately displays the capabilities of a system’s GPU. Results are higher all around even with the NVIDIA GPUs. Do remember that in this title, high frame rates are not exactly a requirement as much as a welcome benefit; even 30 FPS average in this title is manageable.
As you can see here, the results of this run through are a drastic improvement for all GPUs in the lineup. As we can see here, the Asus Strix 1650 Super led the pack in all situations, allowing an impressive 54 FPS average when overclocked at these settings. The EVGA 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming bested the XFX 5500XT 4GB in both stock and overclocked configurations. Averaging 50 FPS might not top the charts, but it’s more than playable and the card performed admirably in both configurations.
3DMark
In 3DMark we see that the EVGA 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming scores slightly under our competing Asus Strix model but still manages to score slightly higher than the XFX 5500 XT 4GB. When we overclock these cards the scores increase slightly but the hierarchy stays the same. It’s always important to remember that 3DMark is a synthetic benchmark meant to imitate gaming workloads and real-world applications can perform differently.